Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest stories from around the fire. Redeem Code. Log In. USA Knowledge Base. Join the Collective. Knowledge Base Stories Affiliate Program. In general, heavier pellets retain more velocity at longer range and cause more damage than smaller and lighter pellets. However, increasing the size of shot results in fewer individual pellets. So, increasing the shot size comes at the expense of a thinner shot pattern if the total shot weight remains the same.
Certain shotguns pattern better with particular loads. However, the shot weight can only be increased to a certain degree for a particular gauge and shell length. This is further complicated for North American waterfowl hunters when using steel shot. Remember when we talked about how lead is more dense than steel earlier in the article?
Well, this is why that matters. Since individual steel pellets weigh less than lead pellets of the same size, hunters must typically use larger diameter steel shot or suffer degraded terminal performance. However, using larger diameter shot results in thinner shot patters. All other things being equal, a larger bore shotgun with a heavier load of shot will throw more pellets and therefore produce a denser shot pattern at a given range than a smaller bore shotgun with a lighter load of shot.
Hunting larger game animals, like turkey and goose, usually requires heavier loads of larger sized shot. The same goes for taking longer range shots. However, there is such a thing as overkill though and hitting a small creature with a heavy load of shot will cause substantial damage resulting in the loss of much or all the meat.
At the same time, the heavier load fired from a larger bore shotgun comes at the price of more recoil. The skill level of the hunter also plays into the equation. The gauge of the gun is an index to the ability of the man to prove his manhood…If it is a gauge, he is so-so. If it is a 16, he is pretty good. With all that being said, below are the recommended uses for each of the most popular shotgun gauges.
This is because of the previously discussed advantages of the larger bore and longer shell length offered by the 10 gauge when using non-toxic shot compared to all other shotgun gauges in common use.
Its stout recoil coupled with the heavy weight of most 10 gauge shotguns also limits the appeal of that bore size to most hunters. While there are a few turkey loads currently offered in 10 gauge using 4, 5, or 6 size shot, non-toxic ammo intended for use on ducks size 2 or geese BB, BBB, or T size shot makes up the vast majority of all 10 gauge ammunition currently manufactured.
Produced in just about every type of shotgun from semi-automatics to pump actions and everything in between, the 12 gauge is the shotgun of choice for big game, turkey, waterfowl, upland, and small game hunters. Not surprisingly, 12 gauge ammunition is also widely available in virtually every shot size from 9 up to Buckshot and slugs.
A 12 gauge shell also has advantage over the smaller gauges because it has a shorter shot column. Basically, the fatter 12 gauge shell can fit the same weight of shot into a shorter column, which results in less shot deformation as it travels down the barrel. This means that 12 gauge loads will generally pattern better with the same amount of shot when compared to a smaller gauge shotgun.
Most Americans looking for an all-purpose shotgun use the 12 gauge and those looking for a lighter shotgun use the 20 gauge.
That being said, the 16 gauge can do just about everything else almost as good as the 12 gauge, but with a little bit less recoil. While the 20 gauge is on the light side for deer, turkey, and waterfowl hunting, it will work in a pinch for those situations. Indeed, advances in non-toxic shotgun ammunition over the past few decades have dramatically improved the suitability of the 20 gauge for waterfowl hunting.
However, the 20 gauge is widely used as an upland and small game shotgun and excels in those roles. The light recoil of the 20 gauge, combined with the fact that it has a much denser shot pattern than the.
Indeed, the relatively low felt recoil of the 20 gauge also makes it well suited for self defense and makes it easier to take a rapid follow-up shot.
One final thing to keep in mind about 20 gauge shotgun shells is that, regardless of the manufacturer, current production 20 gauge shells are ALWAYS yellow. For this reason, they are also the most likely to get mixed up. As you can see in the photo below comparing 12 gauge vs 20 gauge shells, 20 gauge shells are considerably smaller than 12 gauge shells. On the other hand, if you attempt to load a 20 gauge shell in a 12 gauge shotgun, the shell will drop through the chamber and get stuck in the barrel.
This will obviously cause a barrel obstruction with potentially catastrophic results if the shotgun is subsequently fired without removing the obstruction. You should never attempt to load any shells of a different gauge into any shotgun, but this is of particular importance with 20 gauge shells. So, 20 gauge shells are yellow in order to make them easy to identify and to minimize the chances of loading a 20 gauge shell in a 12 gauge shotgun. The 28 gauge is commonly available in a number of lightweight and easy to carry shotguns.
While the. For that reason, the. That being said, the small size and extremely light recoil of the. Though they are far from the only really good shotgun options, I personally prefer either a Remington Model or a Mossberg Both models are available in 12 gauge and 20 gauge variants. All of the other shotgun bore sizes certainly have their place for specific tasks, like goose hunting for the 10 gauge or small bore skeet shooting for the 28 gauge, but none can hold a candle to the versatility of the 12 and 20 gauge shotguns.
FYI, the early black powder cartridge rifles also used gauge and drams of powder. For example my. All my references show a. My Grandad told me that he had two double barrel shotguns when he was growing up, a 10 and an 8 guage which I never saw but wish I had , and that his father had a 4gauge double.
Engraving options. In this section:. Bore size - gauge or possibly calibre Bores As with all gun terminology the categorising system for shotguns is rooted in its history and shows its age.
This also explains why a 20 bore is smaller - i. View our gallery of Bespoke Guns. View our side by sides. View our over and unders.
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