4, 6, 8-Gauge Shotguns. Are They Still Made?

[Johnny_L.A]

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.

[Una_Persson]

*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…

[labdude]

[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.

[Fleetwood]

*Originally posted by UncleBeer *
**NFA is the National Firearms Act of 1934
**

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.