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Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound, e.g., a one-twelfth pound lead ball fits a 12-gauge bore. Therefore with a 12-gauge, it would take 12 balls of lead of the same size as the 12 gauge ...
32 gauge — .526 in (13.4 mm) 28 gauge — .550 in (14.0 mm) 24 gauge — .579 in (14.7 mm) 20 gauge — .615 in (15.6 mm) 16 gauge — .663 in (16.8 mm) 14 gauge — .693 in (17.6 mm) 12 gauge — .729 in (18.5 mm) 10 bore — .775 in (19.7 mm) 8 bore — .835 in (21.2 mm) 6 bore — .919 in (23.3 mm) 4 bore — 1.052 in (26.7 mm) 2 bore ...
Military use of combat shotguns through the 20th century has created a need for ammunition maximizing the combat effectiveness of such weapons within the limitations of international law. 12-gauge has been widely accepted as an appropriate bore diameter to provide an effective number of projectiles within an acceptable recoil.
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] A numerically larger gauge indicates a smaller barrel: a 20-gauge (15.6 mm) shotgun requires more spheres to equal a pound; therefore, its barrel is smaller than the 12-gauge. This metric is used in Russia as "caliber ...
For example, for a 12 gauge, the bore diameter of the barrel is nominally 18.5 mm (0.73 in), although different manufacturers do vary their as-manufactured bore from this diameter slightly. This is commonly called "overbore", when the as-built diameter exceeds the nominal actual diameter of 18.5 mm (0.73 in).
Common rifle cartridges, from the largest .50 BMG to the smallest .22 Long Rifle with a $1 United States dollar bill in the background as a reference point.. This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name.
Shotguns come in a wide variety of calibers and gauges ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) to up to 5 cm (2.0 in), though the 12-gauge (18.53 mm or 0.729 in) and 20-gauge (15.63 mm or 0.615 in) bores are by far the most common.
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 .