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Shotgun shells
This may be a stupid question but what exactly does the numbering on shotshells mean? I know it affects the number and size of the shot.
Example: 00 buck, #6 shot |
RE: Shotgun shells
"Dram equivalent" indicates the muzzle velocity. Other numbers stand for the amount (ounches) of shot, the other numbers refer to the size of the shot.......
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RE: Shotgun shells
Yeah that was my guess too. Thank for the info.
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RE: Shotgun shells
The first number is the gauge of the shell. Gauge refers to the number of pure lead balls at standard bore diameter required to make one pound. This is why a 20 gauge is smaller than a 12 gauge. Obviously, one must use shells of the same gauge as their shotgun.
Of course, one number refers to the length of the shell. 12 gauge shells generally come in 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2". This is important because some shotguns cannot safely chamber shells longer than a certain length. On modern shotguns, the chamber length will almost always be printed on the barrel. NEVER use a shell longer than the stated chamber length. DRAM EQUIVALENT The accepted method of correlating relative velocities of shotshells loaded with smokeless propellant to shotshells loaded with black powder. The reference black powder load chosen was a 3 dram charge of black powder, with 1 1/8 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1200 fps. Therefore, a 3 dram equivalent load using smokeless powder would be with 1 1/8 oz. of shot having a velocity of 1200 fps. or 1 1/4 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1165 fps. A 3 1/4 dram equivalent load might have 1 1/8 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1255 fps. Abbreviated Dram Equiv. Birdshot Size, Nominal diameter, Pellets per oz (28 g)Lead, Steel, Quantity per lb. FF, .23" (5.84 mm),--, 35, -- F, .22" (5.59 mm),--, 39, -- TT, .21" (5.33 mm), T, .20" (5.08 mm),--, 53, -- BBB, .190" (4.83 mm), 44, 62, 550 BB, .180" (4.57 mm), 50, 72, 650 B, .170" (4.32 mm), --, --, -- 1, .160" (4.06 mm) , 72, 103, 925 2, .150" (3.81 mm), 87, 125, 1120 3, .140" (3.56 mm) , 108, 158, 1370 4, .130" (3.30 mm), 135, 192, 1720 5, .120" (3.05 mm) , 170, 243, 2180 6, .110" (2.79 mm), 225, 315, 2850 7½, .095" (2.41 mm), 350, --, 3775 8, .090" (2.29 mm) , 410, 686, 5150 8½, .085" (2.15 mm) , 497, --, -- 9, .080" (2.03 mm), 585, 892, 7400 Buckshot: Size, Nominal diameter, Pellets/oz 000 ("triple-ought"), .36" (9.1 mm), 6 00 ("double-ought"), .33" (8.4 mm), 8 0 ("ought"), .32" (8.1 mm), 9 1, .30" (7.6 mm), 10 2, .27" (6.9 mm), 15 3, .25" (6.4 mm), 18 4, .24" (6 mm), 21 Hope this helps, Mike |
RE: Shotgun shells
Here are some numbers and what they mean on Shotgun shells.
The first is gauge. Common ones in the US are from biggest to smallest. 10, 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410 (67). In general the bigger the gauge the more powerful the shell. The next is shell length. Lengths are AFTER the shell is fired and the crimp is opened. 2 3/4", 3", 3 1/2". In general the longer the shell the more powerful it is. The next would be the shot size, which is the actual size of each pellet. Shot size can range from #9 up to 00 buck shot. The bigger the pellet the more energy it will have (all other things being equal). Next is the load weight or shot charge. This is the amount of pellets in a given load. It's measured in ounces as a fraction. Examples would be 7/8oz, 1oz, 1 1/8oz, etc. The bigger the number, the more pellets contained within the shell (as long as the shot size is the same). The last numbers are the Dram Equivalent and Velocity. Drams are measured in fractions and increase by 1/4's. Example 2 3/4Dr. EQ., 3Dr. EQ., 3 1/4Dr. EQ., etc. Most manufactures are moving away from Drams and going to Velocity. Velocity is measured in feet per second from about three feet from the end of the muzzle. The higher the Dram or the faster the load, the more energy the pellet will have (all other things being equal). A few other things about shot shells. Materials used for pellets vary. Most common is lead. For water fowling non-toxic loads must be used. The most popular is steel. There are also loads like Bismuth, Hevi-Shot and others. Different materials have different weights. The heavier the material the more energy it has (all other things being equal). Most non-toxic materials are much harder than lead and may not be safe for older guns and fixed full choke guns. The exceptions would be Bismuth and Kent’s Tungsten Matrix. There a few terms like buffer and plating that also apply to shot shells. Buffer is nothing more than tiny plastic BB's that go in with the other pellets. The buffer fills the small gaps between the pellets. This is to keep the pellets from crushing and or rubbing against each other while being fired to improve patterns. Plated shot is a coating of either copper or nickel over lead. This is also to keep the softer pellets harder so they don't get crushed while being fired. I also like the added benefit of reduced toxic pellets in the game I intend to eat. |
RE: Shotgun shells
ORIGINAL: driftrider The first number is the gauge of the shell. Gauge refers to the number of pure lead balls at standard bore diameter required to make one pound. This is why a 20 gauge is smaller than a 12 gauge. Obviously, one must use shells of the same gauge as their shotgun. Of course, one number refers to the length of the shell. 12 gauge shells generally come in 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2". This is important because some shotguns cannot safely chamber shells longer than a certain length. On modern shotguns, the chamber length will almost always be printed on the barrel. NEVER use a shell longer than the stated chamber length. DRAM EQUIVALENT The accepted method of correlating relative velocities of shotshells loaded with smokeless propellant to shotshells loaded with black powder. The reference black powder load chosen was a 3 dram charge of black powder, with 1 1/8 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1200 fps. Therefore, a 3 dram equivalent load using smokeless powder would be with 1 1/8 oz. of shot having a velocity of 1200 fps. or 1 1/4 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1165 fps. A 3 1/4 dram equivalent load might have 1 1/8 oz. of shot and a velocity of 1255 fps. Abbreviated Dram Equiv. Birdshot Size, Nominal diameter, Pellets per oz (28 g)Lead, Steel, Quantity per lb. FF, .23" (5.84 mm),--, 35, -- F, .22" (5.59 mm),--, 39, -- TT, .21" (5.33 mm), T, .20" (5.08 mm),--, 53, -- BBB, .190" (4.83 mm), 44, 62, 550 BB, .180" (4.57 mm), 50, 72, 650 B, .170" (4.32 mm), --, --, -- 1, .160" (4.06 mm) , 72, 103, 925 2, .150" (3.81 mm), 87, 125, 1120 3, .140" (3.56 mm) , 108, 158, 1370 4, .130" (3.30 mm), 135, 192, 1720 5, .120" (3.05 mm) , 170, 243, 2180 6, .110" (2.79 mm), 225, 315, 2850 7½, .095" (2.41 mm), 350, --, 3775 8, .090" (2.29 mm) , 410, 686, 5150 8½, .085" (2.15 mm) , 497, --, -- 9, .080" (2.03 mm), 585, 892, 7400 Buckshot: Size, Nominal diameter, Pellets/oz 000 ("triple-ought"), .36" (9.1 mm), 6 00 ("double-ought"), .33" (8.4 mm), 8 0 ("ought"), .32" (8.1 mm), 9 1, .30" (7.6 mm), 10 2, .27" (6.9 mm), 15 3, .25" (6.4 mm), 18 4, .24" (6 mm), 21 Hope this helps, Mike |
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