Unlike most firearms that are grouped by calibers, shotguns are categorized by gauges. The gauge of the shotgun dictates the gauge of the ammunition it fires. The main difference is that a caliber is a dimension while gauge represents weight.
The most popular shotgun gauges are 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410. Some vintage shotguns and a few modern semi-auto shotguns specialized for goose hunting come in 10 gauge for significant stopping power. Whereas the U.S. commonly uses the word “gauge,” Great Britain and other countries often use “bore.” They both refer to the same sizes.
Shotguns are measured in gauges because of the type of sotugun ammunition they use. While other firearms discharge precision projectiles, shotguns fire a shotshell that is packed with round, lead BB-like pellets. The pellets spread in a funnel pattern once they leave the muzzle of the shotgun, hence the term “scatter gun.”
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