Shotgun Gauges Explained - Shotguns 101 #3 

Hey all you new viewers, glad you found your way here. Lots of folks in the comments section asking about the 4- & 2-gauges. If you want info on & examples of guns in those bore sizes, here are some recommended videos, both from the excellent Forgotten Weapons channel: 4-bore (same thing as gauge) stopping guns: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MDYtxxRU_cY.html 2-gauge custom double-barrel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OYlDgwo52tI.html There are several reasons I didn't get into the monster gauges in this video. First and foremost, they're really not in common use; there aren't even many of these guns in circulation aside from a few surviving historical firearms (often not in useable condition) and a rare custom-built piece here and there. In this video, I wanted to focus on gauges that are in common use; the options that a new shotgunner would be choosing from for their first scattergun. Getting into the weeds on antiques doesn't really fit into this video's intended scope. Second, there was a lot more variation in these larger sizes, as was often the case for shotguns in general back in the days of 4-bore safari guns and large market hunting shotguns. Actual bore diameter and (for cartridge guns) shell/chamber dimensions varied quite a lot. Ammunition was rarely interchangeable between guns of different manufacturers, and the standard gauge formula based on lead ball weight wasn't always adhered to very closely. For example, many waterfowl guns marked as 4-gauge were actually more like 6-gauge by the formula. Again, a lot of weird details and potential confusion to try to tackle in a video that's really meant to cover the basics and explain the currently-relevant options for shotgunners today. Thanks for watching, and please don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them.

Doom guy: laughs in 0 gauge

JUST SEEN A 4 GAUGE SHOT GUN VIDEO AND NOW I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

1 gauge is best for home defense as the recoil sends you flying far back out of danger

My grandpa had a 8ga. Even he had a hard time finding shells for it in the 1940's and 50's. He used to wrap 10ga shells in news paper to use the gun.

had an old blunderbuss shotgun with a 1.1 inch diameter barrel (basically a 4-bore) and that thing was a hell of a kicker. 250 grain of powder, wadding, and literally anything that fit in a shot-glass just poured down the barrel. we shot nails, rocks, empty 22 brass, a few home-made slugs, steel bb's, and about a foot of 1 inch aluminum chain that one time. the way you fired the thing was to put 90 percent of your weight forward on your left foot and lean almost falling over forward, so when it fired and knocked you back you kinda step back into it and land on your forward foot. i miss doing dumb shit.

He: The math isn’t that hard *proceeds to speak Minecraft enchantment table*

"It's really not that complicated" throws up crazy math equation.

Remington 870 pump action 12 gauge was my first shotgun. And it was glorious. Every time you pulled the trigger the shotgun would scream “Mercia” loud as hell

Believe it or not, people are taking down turkey at relatively longer ranges with a .410 these days. Careful choke selection, careful ammo selection, and a solid knowledge of how your gun patterns at a given distance. Velocity is velocity. A 12gauge and a .410 could be the same velocity and contain the same caliber ball, the only difference being the quantity of shot.

4:50 I dont know if I should be scared by the phrase "family friendly home defense gauge"

So 0,25 gauge would be just like throwing 4 bars of lead at your enemy with incredible speed?

Pov: you are watching this because you dont know what gauge means from 4gauge shotgun video

I'm in my 50's and had never even heard of a 28 gauge shotgun, and I've hunted and been around hunters most of my life.

haha he said balls

6:58 My first shotgun was that exact Stevens top-break 16 gauge single, which I still have and cherish today! LOVE my 16's!

“You’ll always find ammo for your 12 gauge” 2021: so that was a fking lie

All of us boys were started out with single shot 20 gage and a .22 long rifle when we were kids. I remember going down to the corner store and picking up a brick of .22 longs for around a dollar and spending the day popping birds out of the corn fields and sneaking through the pines with the 20 gage holding extra shells between my fingers, ready for the quick reload if there were multiple targets.

This hit everybody's RU-vid recommendations didn't it?

I never saw a 10 gauge until I went to get ammo from cabelas, it was all they had in stock.

In Soviet Russia, we use -20 gauge shotguns made from the steel in reactor 4

ive shot a 3 and a half inch 10 gauge and let me just say my shoulder has never been the same since

I just like the .410 cuz it can be used in some pistols which is pretty fun

.410 is my favorite squirrel gun, doesn't destroy them like 12 gauge does. 12 gauge is the best all around shotgun.

I took my hunter safety course with an old Remington 1900 16 Gauge by side that my old neighbor had. That gun was fun to shoot

I learned shotgunning on a .410 single shot Stevens Youth model. I got it for Christmas when I was 6 years old. My dad gave me a case of clays and 100 rounds of ammo. First I learned to shoot stationary clay targets. 10 out of 10, 10 times in a row allowed me to move to ground tossed targets. Again 10 of 10 10 times straight. Next was thrown aerial targets. Yep the 10s again allowed me to advance to real thrown targets. My 3 brothers learned the same way when they turned 6. The hunting done with the 410 was limited to rabbits, squirrels, and some birds. Once we got good on rabbits and squirrels we moved on to hunting them with a 22lr. The .410 taught aim and follow through, how to throw the gun up into the shoulder fast, track, fire, and hit the target. Once we "mastered" the basics of shotgunning we moved to the 20 gauge. If and when the old man was satisfied with your progress and hit rate, IF you were lucky, you got to use the Browning SWEET SIXTEEN!!!!!! What a shotgun. We had to satisfy our dad that we could shot RESPONSIBILY in order to advance from single shot, to side by side, to pump, then to a semiautomatic. He did not want us wasting ammo. I have continued this training system with both my sons and with my daughter. I have also used it with 2 of my grandkids so far. Although the grandkids are still on 20s until they get some more size. My brothers have done the same thing with their kids. I recently purchased 5 of the NEW Browning SWEET SIXTEEN shotguns. I just happened to ask a guy at my local gun store if he had one. He checked and said we have 5 that came in yesterday, but haven't had time to put them out. I told him I will take them. He went in the back and came out with one. I told him I wanted all 5. The kid, 25 years old, about had a heart attack. Last year my youngest son and I went to a HUGE event for opening day of DOVE SEASON. I took 3 boxes of shells for the both of us to use. While getting ready to start, I handed a box to my son and dumped a box in my vest pocket. I took 10 rounds out of the last box and loaded them into the shell holders on my vest, then grabbed 2 more and put them in my pants pocket. My son followed suit. There were a few guys watching us. Several were joking about us not having nearly.enough shells. When I pulled my old Steven's side by side out they really went to laughing. My kid pulled out my old Weatherby Orion I bought in 93. We were laughed at before the hunt, but they were silent when we were going 1 for 1 on birds. Every time we fired a shot, we dropped a dove. The guy hunting beside me went through 4 boxes of shells and was well into the 5th before tagging out. I tagged out with 3 shots more than birds, my son went 1 for 1. Training in shotgun is one of the best things you can do. The .410 is very important in learning about shooting shotguns.

I shot a 10 gauge as a 15 year old kid. Twice on the right shoulder, had to switch to the left. Don't think I hit what I was aiming at any of the three shots.

The trusty .410 found in most Aussie farmers sheds is the snake gun. Ya sneak up and put it in the slippery fella's ear and hope for the best.

Never have I tought of a "familly friendly" cartridge.

I have a 14 gauge shell in my bullet collection. It's a paper shell and it's yellow in color. The weirdest thing about it is it's primer. And you would have to see it for yourself. Because I can't describe it. But it's weird looking.

Nothing beats a good old 12 gauge double barrel shotgun side to side

Thanks for the clear explanation of shotgun gauge. I have always been curious why higher number gauges are smaller bores. Now I know.

“Family friendly home defense”

as a history nerd, this was an instant thumbs up when I heard " In the Napoleonic era".

Probably will never own a gun because it's illegal here, but it's cool to know, great video and explanation

Came from a bearded guy shooting a 4-gauge

Pro tip, use .410 shoguns to kill snakes, they’re really effective at killing rattllesnakes

When I was a kid in Northern Canada, I got a semi-auto .410 to go hunting with my brother. It was pretty decent for partridge and hare. A LOT less shots to take out of the meat than the 12 gauge my bro used. The BIG problem that gun had was that the semi-auto was PURE SHIAT with constant blockages. I guess THAT is the reason I got it. NOBODY else wanted to use it.

KS23: Allow me to introduce myself

This dude answered just about every question you could possibly ask.

Based on all the day old comments on a 7 year old vid I'm guessing the algorithm did this guy a solid.

“10 gauge” 4 gauge: *the day I lost my identity*

I've always understood the .410 to be purely for hunting/controlling the population of snakes and small rodents like mice. I've only ever seen revolvers made for it, never those survival shotguns.

This was a very scholarly presentation and clearly explains the differences between the various shot gun sizes and types of ammo.

For COD players, the 725 shotgun in Modern Warfare 2019 is the .725 12 gauge explained in the video

HEY THATS ILLEGAL THE SHELLS AREN'T RED

I was brought up with BB guns and received my 16 gauge single on my 12th birthday. In my opinion a 16 full choke will hold a tighter pattern than a 12. But guns are like boats to many. The bigger the better.

one of the first shotguns i ever fired was an 8 gauge double barrel. and let me tell you, it scared me off shotguns for a while. that thing packed a punch

I don't even own a shotgun (or even going to due to my country) but i love those types of videos

It's 3 AM what the fuck am i doing

I happened to finally find a 28 gauge side by side. It has quickly became one of my favorites. It's a close tie with the 16 gauge side by side.

When I was turning 10 the first gun I had ever fired was the 16 gauge and I will always love firearms and for shotguns specifically the 16 gauge because of that memory.

So basically if I got a pound of lead I’d be able to make 20 barrel sized balls for a 20 gauge, 12 for a 12 gauge and so on and so forth for the rest.

I know farmers who use 410 in a judge solely for dealing with snakes.

I’m really glad I was born at the point where all this neat shit was figured out already

Love how we use the metric system in munitons but for nothing else

Very well explained, where I live for some odd reason the .410 is often referred as a 36 gauge, the reason of that misconception is beyond me.

4:48 he said family friendly way of self defense and i think that is the best way to describe something american

My dad started me with a single shot .410 for trap shooting (he used to showoff by using it single handed to dust the clays. Impressed the hell out of my friends.) at age 8. By age 10-11 I was using my mom’s cut down 12 gauge Remington 1100. In 8th grade I got my own 1100. I’ve been using that 12 gauge for over 40 years now. Since I went from the .410 to a 12 gauge I never understood the point in the smaller gauge shotguns. I even used a 10 gauge side-by-side once. Once was enough. 😄

Thanks for the informative video, it's always awesome when someone can explain something in terms that are more easily understandable, especially when it came from some ancient form of measurement or terminology.

Never heard of this channel, but noticed this video and had to click, I was just talking about shotgun loads the other day. I loved the video informative yet interesting and provided tons of references. I don't shoot shotguns enough besides my 12ga, and this made me feel like a novice but in a good way.

I started out hunting with a 16 gauge. It was my grandfathers single shot breakdown. I don't know what year the gun was made, but it was before i was born. My father used to hunt with it when he was a kid. One of my uncles traded my dad a new 12 gauge for it. He is the only one of my fathers brothers still alive. Maybe i should talk to him before he is gone. I would hate some stranger getting a gun from many generations of my family.

Love the video. It's literally the one thing I was looking for. Someone explaining gauge in detail like this.

This is the best gauge break down video I have seen. Great job!

.410 is called 36 gauge over here in Turkey, local manufacturers make very realistic looking shotgun replicas of AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles that shoot .410 cartridges. Turkish laws does not permit civilians to own assault rifles so these replicas really attract huge demand.

TL:DR Because ppl got lazy over time and wants to simplify things, some shell variants went extinct.

Fantastic presentation I laughed I cried I learned

I found a 1932 Sears & Roebuck "boy's shotgun" in a house demolition a few years ago. It is a single shot bolt action with no safety. I don't know why, but I love that gun and it is so fun to shoot! Imagine marketing a gun today to "boys" ... and no safety! LOL

"The math here isn't too complex" *Presents how the center of the universe formed quantum particles*

that .410 judge you showed can also chamber .45 colt

Well done sir, loved what ya said about 16ga., one of my favorites. I have an old Mauser ‘98 That was converted to 16ga. and it is my favorite shotgun. Glad ya mentioned the 8 & 4 gauges, because a shoulder fired cannon is what it’s all about.

I've been hunting with a Winchester model 12 16 gauge and and Browning A5 sweet sixteen my whole life. 16's have been a big part of my life along with 410's and 28's. They put the sport back into hunting instead of sawing a tree down to kill a rabbit haha

This video: (explains what Gauge has which advantages and drawbacks for hunting, home defence, etc) Me, who doesn't hunt, watching from Germany with no legally viable reason to own a shotgun: _interesting_

the math here isnt too complex **proceeds to teach complex things**

Mm yes 20 gauge the family friendly shotgun shell

everybody gangsta until someone pulls out the 0.1 gauge shotgun.

This is a concise and accurate discussion of shot gun gauges . Well done 👍

The 8ga and larger were outlawed in the US for hunting back in the day when they were shutting down market hunting.

The beginning explanation of "how many pellets could be cast from a pound of lead" makes the "gauging" make more sense now even if it's not absolutely accurate. I've always been confused why the smaller gauge size means a generally bigger and heavier pellet/slug (ignoring the larger barrel bore). That all cleared up, I'm now bothered by something else. What the f**k is an "8ga Industrial Shotgun" and what does it actually do for industry? I've never heard of there being industrial level firearms and now I want to find an "Industrial 6 in. Dual Purpose, High Angle, Naval Guns" and some "Industrial 18.1 in. 45 Type 94 Naval Guns" . . . . for industry reasons.

My friend has a 4 ga punt gun The things used to have a 7' barrel but my friend's grandpa shot it while there was about 2' of ice frozen in the end so now it's only a 5'5" barrel

Wait wait, so you're telling me shotguns are just cannons we made smaller?

I feel like "What does shotgun guage mean?" Is a question that I have only asked in the deepest, most profound area, in my mind. It's like I never really cared but my brain did. If that makes sense. Good to know though.

this series was absolutely everything I needed to know about shotgun shells, thanks so much for making this! also a bit of a time capsule, there isn't a single shop near where I live that sells 16ga guns, and 28ga guns have almost disappeared entirely too!

Well presented, articulate and informative. Just what I was hoping for. Thank you.

2:02 2 gauge?! That's half a pound!

I got a little Mossberg 500 in 20 gauge when i turned 14. A decade later and im still busting clays, dropping birds, knocking over rabbits and about to go on my first pheasant hunt next week with my dad and grandfather. Im a small guy, at 6' 4" and 125lbs, so most pump 12s thump me just a little too hard for me to want to shoot them all day and practice. Double barrel 12s are even worse since they're lighter, some semi-auto's i can shoot though with little issue. So 20s have always had my favor for the lighter recoil and weight no matter if its pump, semi, single or double barrel.

The first shotgun I hunted with was a single shot .410 that was passed down through the family. It was a great squirrel gun. I now use a 12ga. pump. It's a good shooting gun 1200 winchester.

First video I have seen to give the 16 it’s due! I love my Western arms side by side 16. I didn’t think the reloading community would have been so involved. THANK YOU!!!!

"The math here isn't too complex" proceds to recite all of high school math

So a shotgun is a musket that shoot a lot of balls

This is an excellent video with clear ideas that managed to document everything that needed to be without ever going into the weeds. Congratulations! You are brilliant.

This was a great video! Answered every question I had and more. Thank you for taking the time to make this!

I now know that 12 gauge isn't the caliber but the (aprox.) size of the pellet. Nice video mate!

I've learned more here then in my whole school year

The first shotgun I shot was a .410 double barrel that belonged to my late Grandfather. I wound up inheriting it from my Uncle before he passed. I could have sold it several times over the years but I’ll pass it down to one of my nieces or their kids if they have any.

Thank you for a very good and informative video, very helpful. I started out with a 20 ga. as a youngster and then onto 12 ga. I'm 65 now, and just got a new MOSSBERG 12 ga. Shockwave with a 25 rnd box of 00 buck, this will be a Kodak moment when I get to shoot this for the first time!!!! Thanks again for the good video, keep em coming...

Currently, the biggest shotshell gauge in use is the shells used for the Russian KS-23 series of shotguns and are 6.5 gauge by euro standards

Friend: What kind of gun do you use for home defense Me: *PULLS OUT 4 GAUGE*

THANKS for an informative video on shotguns & their ammo.

I was thinking that it gona show the 20 klg, Madness combat reference