Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A 12-gauge shotgun cartridge in a transparent plastic hull, allowing the contents to be seen. From left to right: brass, propellant, over-powder wad, shot wad, #8 birdshot, over-shot wad, and crimp. A shotgun cartridge, shotshell, or shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) ammunition used specifically in shotguns.
Therefore with a 12-gauge, it would take 12 balls of lead of the same size as the 12 gauge shotgun's inner bore diameter to weigh 1 pound (454 grams). [1] The term is related to the measurement of cannons, which were also measured by the weight of their iron round shot; an eight-pounder would fire an 8 lb (3.6 kg) ball. Therefore, a 12 gauge is ...
The size of the lead shot that is produced is determined by the diameter of the orifice used to drip the lead, ranging from approximately 0.018 inches (0.46 mm) for #9 lead shot to about 0.025 inches (0.64 mm) for #6 or #7.0 shot, while also depending on the specific lead alloy that is used.
The 20-gauge shotgun, also known as 20 bore, is a type of smoothbore shotgun. 20-gauge shotguns have a bore diameter of .615 in (15.6 mm), while the 12-gauge has a bore diameter of .729 in (18.5 mm). [ 2 ] 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns are the most popular gauges in the United States .
Shot is termed either birdshot or buckshot depending on the shot size. Informally, birdshot pellets have a diameter smaller than 5 mm (0.20 in) and buckshot are larger than that. Pellet size is indicated by a number; for bird shot this ranges from the smallest 12 (1.2 mm, 0.05 in) to 2 (3.8 mm, 0.15 in) and then BB (4.6 mm, 0.18 in). [15]
While shotguns had been used in earlier conflicts, the trench warfare of World War I demonstrated a need for standardized weapons and ammunition. [2] Initial issue with each shotgun was one hundred commercial-production paper-cased shotgun shells containing nine 00 buckshot pellets 0.33 inches (8.4 mm) in diameter.
Most shotgun cartridges are measured in terms of shotgun gauge. Shotgun gauge is determined by the weight of a round lead ball that is sized to fit into its barrel. For example, the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun is equal to the diameter of a 1/12 of a pound lead ball (0.729 in) and a 20-gauge can fit a 1/20 pound lead ball (0.615 in).
Shotguns are classed according to gauge, a related expression. The gauge of a shotgun refers to how many lead spheres, each with a diameter equal to that of the bore, that amounts to one pound (454 g (1.0 lb)) in weight. In the case of a 12-gauge (18.5 mm) shotgun, it would take 12 spheres the size of the shotgun's bore to equal a pound. [12]