# 4, 6, 8-Gauge Shotguns. Are They Still Made? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100 "2001-03-23T04:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100/21 "2001-03-23T13:30:27Z")
> [@](#): > > It was somewhat like the original designation of “caliber”, in that the caliber was the length of the barrel in bores. (Using that terminology, the big 16"-bore Iowa-class battleship rifles are technically “fifty caliber” guns.) I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong, but… I think that 16" is actually the caliber, since “caliber” is “the diameter of a bore of a gun”. A “50 caliber gun” is a gun with a barrel length of 50 times the caliber. So a “16-inch, 50-caliber gun” would be a gun with a bore (caliber) of 16 inches and a length of 50 times the caliber, or 66 2/3 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100/22 "2001-03-23T14:07:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doc Nickel \* > \*\*As for “kick”, that’s dependent on several factors: > Weight of the gun > Weight of the projectile(s) > Muzzle velocity and rate of accelleration. > > Put it this way: if you fired a full-house 240-grain .44 Magnum from a compact, lightweight 2-1/2" barreled snubby revolver, it’s gonna knock ya down and stomp ya (as my pap used to say. 😃 ) > But if you fired it from a full-sized bolt-action type rifle, it almost feels like a squib load. > > Same thing with the big-bore rifles: there’s a reason most of the .50 BMG rifles weigh upwards of 35 lb. 😃 > > Anthracite- Because the human holding the rifle and the rifle itself outweigh the projectile by a factor of two or three hundred.\*\* I know this Doc. I’m an engineer and pretty handy with firearms for a gal. My question was argumentative. And my .44 Magnum does not knock _me_ down and stomp me… ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100/23 "2001-03-23T14:23:05Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* \*\* > [@](#): > > I know this Doc. I’m an engineer and pretty handy with firearms for a gal. My question was argumentative. And my .44 Magnum does not knock _me_ down and stomp me… \*\* I think I love you more everyday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100/24 "2001-03-23T17:16:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > \*\*NFA is the [National Firearms Act of 1934](http://usgovinfo.about.com/newsissues/usgovinfo/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww4.law.cornell.edu%2Fuscode%2F26%2Fch53.html) > \*\* Thanks, UB. I thought it was an agency from the usage, but had never heard of it. Though it would not suprise me to have multiple gov’t angencies with the same purpose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-6-8-gauge-shotguns-are-they-still-made/59100.md?page=1)