This means that a given number of individual lead pellets will weigh more than the same number of pellets of the same diameter made out of some other material. That means an 8 gauge liner is .2 mm thick! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this and keep up the good work as I truly enjoyed it. So, increasing the shot size comes at the expense of a thinner shot pattern if the total shot weight remains the same. Bore sizes and standardized chamber lengths for each gauge were obtained from SAAMI (p17-30).Make sure you follow The Big Game Hunting Blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.NEXT: 9 BEST DEER HUNTING CALIBERS, FYI, the early black powder cartridge rifles also used gauge and drams of powder. Personally, I prefer the 3″ 12. This means that there are 27.34 grains in a dram. With all of those things in mind, we can determine that the box of 20 gauge shells we’ve been talking about contains approximately 306 lead pellets that are .095″ in diameter (350 7 1/2 size pellets in an ounce multiplied by 7/8 of an ounce). If you’re a little bit more sensitive to recoil, then get a 20 gauge shotgun, which has a marked recoil advantage over the 12 gauge. BUY SOME EXCELLENT 20 GAUGE SHOTSHELLS HERE. It’s really confusing, but ever since then, companies manufactured shotgun shells listing the powder load in terms of drams of black powder. They enable the 12 gauge to function almost similar to the 10 gauge. Gauge SlipX Solutions® Shower Curtain Liner Weights & Gauges; 3: Click to View All Lightweight Shower Liners: Thin … A 3 1/2″ will carry enough shot to kill anything that you are entitled to. Most people probably know that there are 16 ounces in a pound. The light recoil of the 20 gauge, combined with the fact that it has a much denser shot pattern than the .410 bore, helps explain why the 20 gauge is so popular among small framed as well as younger shooters and hunters. 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. Is the 10 (3.5) more powerful than the 12 gauge (3.5) Can you shoot at longer ranges with the 10 instead of the 12, using the same shot size in a 3.5 inch shell? Most shotgun shells are loaded with lead shot and it’s best to assume that’s what you’re dealing with if the box doesn’t say anything about it one way or another. For that reason, the .410 is most commonly used by brand new sportsmen, expert clay shooters, or well seasoned hunters looking for a challenge like Ruark described in his quail hunting quote above. Well, there are 16 drams in an ounce. There is a slight edge to the 10, but not much. Ammo is far from common, but it’s not rare either. Guess that’s enough clearance depending on which projectile you use. Much better for a home defense gun is a 20 gauge. Obviously, the 12-gauge is the default for shotguns and for good reasons, but the 20-gauge might actually be the better choice for home defense.Moreover, it is an arguably better choice for that purpose for basically all the same reasons that 9mm has eclipsed .45 ACP and .357 Magnum as the default handgun round for personal protection. Well, this is why that matters. The recoil action of the Benelli SBE doesn’t help much at all. You can’t do that with a ten. At the same time, the heavier load fired from a larger bore shotgun comes at the price of more recoil. Never in doubt.). ( Log Out /  Additionally, the individual pellets all slow down as they leave the barrel. Holding all things constant, the 3.5 inches in the smaller 12 gauge won’t hold an equal amount of lead and powder as the 3.5 inches in the larger 10 gauge bore. Almost all 28 gauge ammunition options are concentrated in the smaller 6, 7 1/2, 8 , and 9 shot sizes ideal for skeet shooting as well as squirrel, rabbit, dove, grouse, and quail hunting. Sometimes inaccurately described as “.410 gauge” or “36 gauge”, it’s the only shotgun in common use that is named after its actual bore size (.410 of an inch diameter) as opposed to a gauge number. Recently I found your blog, very cool articles and stories, keep up and greetings from a fellow hunter! He told me that they all three fired total brass hulled shells which ABSOLUTELY HAD to be reloaded at home because living on a farm they were too expensive to buy at factory load price. However, there are shells, such as the 3.5″ shells, designed to work in both the 10 gauge and 12 gauges. Several factors contributed to this state of affairs, but the transition to steel shot for waterfowl in particular really hurt usage of the 16 gauge and it’s now one of the least commonly used shotgun sizes used in North America. Back in the days of black powder, drams were commonly used to measure the amount of black powder in a particular load. In addition to the fact that 20 gauge shells are so common, they’re also the perfect size to cause an especially dangerous situation. To put it into perspective, here are the thicknesses of the gauge steels in inches: 7 gauge .1793" 10 gauge .1345" 11 gauge .1196" The difference between 11 gauge and 7 gauge is .0597". Not surprisingly, 12 gauge ammunition is also widely available in virtually every shot size from #9 up to 000 Buckshot and slugs. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Indeed, a hunter armed with an inexpensive Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun could conceivably hunt almost every species of game in North America by simply changing the barrel, choke, and/or shot size as necessary. Lets be clear here: dram equivalents should only be used for a general comparison between two different shotgun loads. [Technoidal rule #6 “All things are never equal”]. Thanks for your comment! They’re usually about 1/2″ shorter when loaded. The 3-1/2″ pumps are also a compromise. 1. I’m not taking sides on this one yet as it is still winter in Connecticut where I live so I won’t pattern. While many hunters know a little bit about shotgun gauges, I think that most people would likely agree the subject can be really confusing. 28 Gauge: Ranking below the 12 and 20 gauges in terms of popularity, the 28 gauge shotgun is somewhat common in upland game hunting and skeet shooting circles. It is for me and I have long arms. Up to you. Though not as tightly defined as machine screws and nuts which must mate with one another, nails are standardized to some degree, particularly those used for structural purposes. Shoulder fired weapons that fired projectiles weighing less than 1 pound used a closely related system. Leaf blower. There’s a reason for that. Doing anything else can be very dangerous. Lets break down what each of those things means. To settle this same argument a few years ago, I stacked my 12 ga. 3 1/2″ up against a friends 10 gauge. All my references show a.488″on the bore size for 40 gauge. The big thing is that the 12 will also handle inexpensive target loads and this will allow you to practice, practice, practice on clays so that you can actually hit something when … For example, take a look at the photo below of a box of 20 gauge shotgun shells. A lot of people claim that absorbing the recoil from a few thumpers doesn’t really bother them. Dram equivalents are good for making an apples to apples comparison (all other things equal, a 2 3/4 dram eq. A quick tour of the reloading manuals and ammo makers’ catalogues shows rough parity between the 3-1/2″ 10 and the 3-1/2″ 12. Marketing forces drive physics, not the other way around. 10 vs 12 is just a simple function of ballistics. Theoretically, the 3.5 inches 10 … The 10 was always a step child. Its stout recoil coupled with the heavy weight of most 10 gauge shotguns also limits the appeal of that bore size to most hunters. : dram equivalents should only be used for small game hunting, for box making, building... Your response advantage over the years each of those things means shotgun shells to keep in mind well. 870 requires comprehensive medical insurance “ gauge, ” so 14AWG wire is much `` ''. 10 versus 12 gauge shell won ’ t really deform under setback, so the steel patterns shouldn ’ emphasize... 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