What
does gauge mean? Do you know why a 12 gauge
is called a 12 gauge?
The gauge of a shotgun barrel was originally
determined by the number of identically-sized
lead balls that have the same diameter as
the bore, and weigh one pound. Example: Let's
say the bore of a 20 gauge is .6 of an inch.
It would take 20, six tenths of an inch lead
balls, to weigh 1 pound. Using the same numbers,
if one were to build a gun with a bore of
.675 it would take 16 lead balls that size
to weigh 1 pound--- thus a 16 gauge. Oops
!! - what about a 410? Truth is a 410 is not
actually a gauge. It is a caliber... .410
inches bore. Applying the math to this would
make a 410 shotgun actually a 67 gauge....
so next time you go to buy your 410 shells
ask for some 67 gauge shells and see what
happens
What
is twist rate?
Rifling consists of grooves cut or formed
in a spiral nature, lengthwise down the barrel
of a firearm. Rifling is placed in the barrels
of firearms to impart a spin on the bullets.
Twist is the amount of turns the rifling has
to spin the bullet. Expressed in terms of
the number of revolutions per inch of barrel
length, this ratio is commonly expressed by
designations such as 1:10, 1/10 or 1 in 10
twist, the 1 represents 1 twist, the 10 represents
inches of barrel length.
Always
unload sporting firearms carefully and completely
before taking them into the home, remembering
to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
Never
load a sporting firearm in the home.
Always make absolutely sure that firearms
in your home are securely stored out of
the reach of children.
Unloaded
firearms can be secured with a firearm locking
device to make them inoperable.
Unloaded
firearms also can be stored in a locked
cabinet, safe, firearm vault or storage
case.
Always store ammunition in a locked location
separate from firearms and out of the reach
of children.
Always
clean and place firearms in their proper storage
location immediately after returning from
a hunting trip or a day at the range.
Always re-check firearms carefully and completely
to be sure that they are still unloaded when
you remove them from storage. Accidents have
occurred when a family member has borrowed
or loaned a firearm and returned it to storage
while it was still loaded.
Always remember: you are responsible for making
certain the firearms in your home are not
casually accessible to anyone — especially
curious young people.
Review,
understand and obey the Ten Commandments
of Firearms Safety.
Watch
the muzzle of the gun at all times, carrying
the gun so that it doesn't point at your
fellow shooters or guide.
Guns
are loaded only when it is your turn to
shoot.
Shooting
glasses are required on the range as well
as while field hunting. This is especially
important while shooting because target
fragments could fall on you.
Ear
plugs or muffs are recommended on the range.
Keep
your gun actions open while preparing to
shoot, when removing or returning guns to
a vehicle, or when simply visiting with
friends on the range.
Shotgun
Games
Clay target shooting games provide
an opportunity to test your shooting skills.
The games are fun and also allow hunters to
brush up on their marksmanship before the
hunt. Safety rules on the clay target range
are simple:
The
Over-And-Under Shotgun
Consider the prestigious over-and-under,
a favorite with hunters and clay target enthusiasts.
The perfection of the shotgunner’s art,
a gun like this is an ideal choice for today's
wingshooting challenges. It’s completely
dependable, and offers the versatility of
two barrels and interchangeable choke tubes.
You can easily "set up" this shotgun
to produce two distinct shot patterns. For
example, you can insert an improved cylinder
tube in one barrel, and a modified choke tube
in the other to get one shot pattern for short
shots on flushing birds and another for longer
shots. Over-and-under shotguns are generally
shorter and somewhat lighter than their magazine–fed
counterparts. (Magazine guns need about three
extra inches of length in the receiver for
the action parts.) But more importantly, a
stacked-barrel gun swings effortlessly and
points naturally. Its weight is more evenly
distributed, which causes the firearm’s
balance point to settle in the ideal position:
right between the shooter’s hands. The
safety, which is often combined with the barrel
selector, is conveniently located on the tang,
right under your thumb. It allows for nearly
instantaneous barrel selection and/or safety
disengagement.
Shotshell
Parts
Shotgun
Actions/Bore Diameter
Ammunition,
Barrel & Choke Suggestions
Barrel
Length & Other Facts
Many years ago, barrel length was a major
concern when buying a shotgun, mainly because
longer barrels allowed more time for those
old propellants to burn. But today’s
modern powders burn completely in just 10
to 14 inches of barrel. However, barrel
length is still an important consideration,
although for an entirely different reason.
The barrel must match the quarry for best
results. The best rule of thumb is to select
the longest barrel available for the type
of shooting done most often. Most misses
are caused by stopping the barrel’s
swing to and through the target as the shot
is fired. Longer barrels assist in smooth
swing follow-through, and also provide the
increased sighting plane needed for longer
shots. Remember that with the advent of
choke tubes, almost any length barrel can
have almost any degree of choke. Big game
hunters who use slugs now have the best
of both worlds. The traditional Foster-type
rifled slug, a weight-forward lead projectile
with a hollow base and side vanes, has been
greatly improved. And the relatively new
sabot slugs, when fired from a fully rifled
barrel, can result in awesome accuracy at
incredible distances. Selecting a shotgun
with interchangeable barrels will allow
you to switch between smooth bore and rifled
or rifle-sighted barrels quickly.
Shotgun
Care
Pattern
Density & Spread
Gunfitting
Measurements
How
Big A Shotgun Do You Need?
The secret to selecting the right gauge
lies in determining the type of target shooting
you’ll be doing, or which game birds and
animals you are most likely to hunt. Most shotgunners
use their guns for many different things: turkey
shoots and clay bird games in the off season,
and a wide variety of game birds and animals
during the fall and winter months. If you’re
one of them, the 12-gauge, the most versatile
of all gauges, is your best choice. Here, you’ll
find the widest variety of shotshell loadings,
each designed for a specific task ranging from
"target" for clay bird games to "field"
and "magnum" for virtually every game
bird or animal. If you hunt upland game, you’ll
probably find all the power you need in 20-gauge
shotshells to bag most small game. Tougher game
like ringneck pheasants can also be taken, although
you might have to switch to a larger shot size
or even to 3-inch magnum shells if your shotgun
is designed to safely handle them. Dedicated
waterfowlers and turkey hunters often need more
power and pellets per shot, and would be well
served by a 10-gauge gun or one of our 3 1/2-inch
12-gauge Super Magnums. However, a gas-operated
autoloading 10-gauge reduces felt recoil, so
it produces less "kick" than that
found in many 12-gauge magnum and Super Magnum
guns.
Hunting
with a Shotgun
What
is the coolest Shotgun?
Franchi
SPAS-12 (Italy)
Type:
selective pump-action or gas-operated
Gauge: 12
Chamber: 2 3/4" (70 mm)
Length: 1041 mm
Barrel length: 546 mm.
Weight 4.4 kg
Capacity: 8 rounds in underbarrel tube magazine
The SPAS-12 was designed in the
late 1970s by the Italian company Luigi Franchi Spa
as a special purpose, military and police close combat weapon (actually, SPAS
stands for Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun, or Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun,
depending on the source). It featured a selective action for greater versatility,
and can be used as a gas operated semi-automatic repeater or as a manually
operated pump action repeater, depending on the mission
and ammunition used. Since its introduction SPAS-12 became a very popular police
and special forces weapon, being versatile, reliable and with good firepower.
On the other hand, it is heavier than most other similar shotguns and quite complicated,
which results in relatively high prices.
The SPAS-12 utilizes somewhat traditional
for shotguns gas system with annular gas piston locating
around the underbarrel magazine tube. It operates
the bolt with vertically tilting locking lug that
engages the barrel extension to lock. SPAS-12 can
be switched between gas operated self-loading mode
and manually operated pump mode by pressing and holding
a button at the bottom of the forearm and pulling
the forearm slightly forward for AUTOMATIC mode or
backward for PUMP (or MANUAL) mode. Earlier models
of the SPAS-12 had the lever type safety at the front
of the triggerguard, but due to some deficiencies
this was latter replaced by the push-button (cross-bolt)
safety at the same place.
The SPAS-12 is fitted with stamped
metallic buttstock that folds to the top of the receiver
when not in use, and with a pistol grip made of plastic.
Alternatively, solid plastic buttstocks with pistol
grips are available. Barrel has cylinder bore with
screw-on muzzle devices (cokes of flash hiders).
Sights usually are of rifle type, with post front
and open notch rear sight.
