All of us have seen journalists refer to .9mm pistols. (Someone took the high capacity over major caliber argument too far?) I found a 1943 incident where the guy took revenge on the judge who granted the divorce (and a number of bystanders) with a .12 gauge shotgun. Appropriate for flies, I suppose. As several readers observed .12 gauge would be a cannon.
If you want to get pedantic, shotgun gauge is the number of bore-sized lead balls that make up one pound.
ReplyDeleteA 16-gauge has a bore sized for a 1/16 pound (1 oz) lead round ball.
An 8-gauge has a bore sized for a 1/8 pound (2 oz) lead round ball.
By that definition, a 0.12 gauge shotgun should have a bore sized for about an 8 pound ball. Not quite what most of us would call 'small arms' ...