12 Gauge

About 12 Gauge

12 gauge is the most versatile single chambering in shooting, because the shell rather than the gun determines what it does. The same shotgun fires light target loads at clays, buckshot for defence, and slugs that turn it into a short-range rifle — no other platform changes role that completely without changing guns.

Two numbers have to match before anything else. Gauge must match the barrel exactly. Shell length must be equal to or shorter than the chamber — a 3-inch chamber takes 2¾-inch shells happily, but a 2¾-inch chamber must never see a 3-inch shell. After that, check your choke: steel shot does not compress like lead and should not go through a full choke in a barrel not rated for it.