10GA vs 12GA vs 16GA vs 20GA shotguns

[saldas1983]

Wow guys thank you for your time and effort explaining it to me. Love the pictures JamBo. And loved the way you were able to compare it to the hand Fletchette. Its this kind of simple explanations are the best to the person not familiar with that kind of things. Otherwise, you are risking spending more time explaining some of the specific terms I wouldn't be familiar with. Very nice and clear. I hope it will be helpful for other people who never had a real shotgun in their hands.

[JamboWhoDat]

Wow guys thank you for your time and effort explaining it to me. Love the pictures JamBo. And loved the way you were able to compare it to the hand Fletchette. Its this kind of simple explanations are the best to the person not familiar with that kind of things. Otherwise, you are risking spending more time explaining some of the specific terms I wouldn't be familiar with. Very nice and clear. I hope it will be helpful for other people who never had a real shotgun in their hands.

You are welcome! Hunting with a shotgun is probably the easiest way to hunt for beginners. Healthy adults will probably use a 12ga, and adults with bad shoulders and back and their young kids will probably use a 20ga because it has less kick. Choosing the right shotgun shells is easy too. You just have to use the shells with the picture of the animal you are hunting or if you are target practicing.

[Fletchette]

...will probably use a 20ga because it has less kick.

Can have less kick (recoil). Like with rifles, the weight of the gun, type of action, and recoil pad can make a big difference in perceived recoil. A light weight single barrel 20ga CAN kick harder than a heavy 12ga auto.

[Radamus]

...will probably use a 20ga because it has less kick.

Can have less kick (recoil). Like with rifles, the weight of the gun, type of action, and recoil pad can make a big difference in perceived recoil. A light weight single barrel 20ga CAN kick harder than a heavy 12ga auto.

Absolutely- The scariest shotgun is the lightest one with hardest butt. Example- My grandad had a collection of single barrel Iver Johnson shotguns, the same model. The 12ga put me on the ground and brought tears to my eye's when I was 6 or 7. Steel butplate, interesting ergonomics and light as a feather. I never shot that one again but I picked the 28ga out of the mix and that was mine for 10 years of birds, bunnies and squirrels. Today I'm spoiled with 3 auto-loaders and a pump 12ga but won't forget my roots.

[xAncalagonx]

Does the gauge of the shotgun even have any relevance to the spread of the shotgun?

Length of the barrel and use of items such as a choke would affect the spread over distance. E.g. sawed off shotguns being more effective at close range cause the short barrel causes the pellets to start spreading out sooner and thus cover a wider area at a shorter distance.

Granted, I suppose a larger diameter barrel has slightly more spread than a smaller and tighter diameter barrel, but that difference would be rather negligible.

[CAmulieman]

How about splitting THESE hairs...
When we use birdshot in this game, shouldn't we be using large shot such as 2s or BBs for geese? And for ducks and pheasant 6s or 4s? It would be pretty picky, but it would add some realism to be able to chose from different size shot and even buckshot (4, 3, 2, or 00). Of course the devs would have to program in the shot size for distance and fewer number of shot in the pattern. I just got the double barrel 12ga. Maybe their time would be better spent at tweaking the front sight, as they just did on the 12ga Maisto.

[CAmulieman]

I just patterned the buckshot shells of the 10ga, 12ga, and 16ga shotguns at the Logger's/Loggers/Loggers' Point shooting range and found that the 10ga shell has 15 pellets, the 12ga has 13, and the 16ga has 12. Each shotgun reached the 100m target, but with only 2(16ga) to 4 pellets hitting anywhere in or outside the target circle.

[L3M182]

How about splitting THESE hairs...
When we use birdshot in this game, shouldn't we be using large shot such as 2s or BBs for geese? And for ducks and pheasant 6s or 4s? It would be pretty picky, but it would add some realism to be able to chose from different size shot and even buckshot (4, 3, 2, or 00). Of course the devs would have to program in the shot size for distance and fewer number of shot in the pattern. I just got the double barrel 12ga. Maybe their time would be better spent at tweaking the front sight, as they just did on the 12ga Maisto.

could split the split hairs again and say waterfowl should only be shot with not toxic shot like steel,bismuth or hevishot

[Dubitabilus]

I like to believe that birdshot in tHC is made of a hybrid shotshells where they mix non-toxic pellet sizes (i.e. #2-#4-#6).
This also allows for the belief that these use non-toxic metal alloy shot since you should use larger shot sizes when shooting metals other than lead.
That is why I like how vague and generic the descriptions are.
It leaves those decisions up to the players imagination.

Regarding the bead sights on the SxS & O/U shotguns, check out this thread < link>.
The point-of-impact on the SxS and O/U shotguns are right of center and/or the sight pictures are slightly skewed.
Nothing a little "Kentucky Windage" can't fix

[L3M182]

I like to believe that birdshot in tHC is made of a hybrid shotshells where they mix non-toxic pellet sizes (i.e. #2-#4-#6).
This also allows for the belief that these use non-toxic metal alloy shot since you should use larger shot sizes when shooting metals other than lead.
That is why I like how vague and generic the descriptions are.
It leaves those decisions up to the players imagination.

i think the discriptions are left vague to give the folks who dont shoot like the OP a chance. if youre not sure about guage and shell type youre gona be clueless when it comes to cartridge lengh, wad, shot size and payload weight. and payload material