How shotguns work: gauges, actions, chokes, shot sizes and loads for hunting and clay sports, explained from published specifications.
16 pages
Guide · Shotguns
Shotgun beads and ribs are alignment aids, not rifle type sights that guarantee point of impact. For clay and wing shooting, coaching material emphasizes pointing the shotgun, keeping visual focus on the target, and confirming results on a patterning board.
Comparison · Shotguns
Gas and inertia semi-automatic shotguns both use energy from a fired shell to cycle the action, but they use it in different places. Gas systems tap propellant gas to move operating parts, while inertia systems use recoil energy stored in a spring within the bolt assembly.
Comparison · Shotguns
Steel shot is commonly used as non toxic shot for waterfowl hunting, but it is less dense than lead, so hunters often use larger steel pellets and must confirm patterns with their own shotgun, choke and load. U.S. and Canadian migratory bird rules require non toxic shot in many waterfowl and migratory bird contexts, so hunters should confirm current rules before hunting.
Guide · Shotguns
Shotgun shell length markings such as 2¾, 3 and 3½ inches refer to the shell length used with the shotgun’s chamber marking. Match the gauge and shell length on the ammunition box to the markings on the shotgun, and never use a shell longer than the chamber marking.
Guide · Shotguns
A break-action shotgun opens at the breech so the chambers are directly exposed for loading and unloading. The main forms are single-shot, over-under and side-by-side designs, which differ mainly in barrel count, barrel arrangement, triggers and extractor or ejector systems.
Guide · Shotguns
Birdshot size numbers run backward: higher numbers are smaller pellets, while B and BB are larger letter sizes. This guide explains #9 through BB, approximate lead pellet counts, and why steel is often chosen one or two sizes larger than lead.
Guide · Shotguns
Shotgun gauge is tied to how many bore diameter lead balls make one pound, so smaller gauge numbers usually mean larger bores. The .410 is the exception: it is named by bore diameter in inches, not by gauge.
Guide · Shotguns
Shotgun actions describe how a shotgun opens, loads, fires, extracts, ejects, and chambers the next shell. This guide covers break-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, bolt-action, and lever-action shotguns.
Comparison · Shotguns
Pump-action shotguns cycle when the shooter moves the fore-end by hand. Semi-automatic shotguns use energy from the fired shotshell to eject and reload, while still requiring a separate trigger pull for each shot.
Guide · Shotguns
Shotgun patterning shows how a specific shotgun, choke and shotshell load spread pellets at a chosen distance. It helps hunters and clay shooters compare point of impact, pellet density and evenness before relying on that combination in the field or on the range.
Guide · Shotguns
The Remington Model 870 is a long running shotgun family. Its reputation is tied to a steel receiver, dual action bars, broad variant history, and the Remington firearms business transition after the 2020 bankruptcy sale.
Guide · Shotguns
The Mossberg 500 is a long-running American pump-action shotgun family. Mossberg’s own history dates its introduction to 1962 and describes the 500 platform as the basis for related 590 and 590A1 models.
Guide · Shotguns
The .410 is a shotgun bore size, not a gauge. It uses small shot charges, commonly in 2½ inch and 3 inch shells, so patterning and careful load choice matter more than with larger gauges.
Guide · Shotguns
A shotgun choke is the constriction at the muzzle that controls how widely pellets spread. Choke choice depends mainly on distance, but actual patterns vary by gun, load, shot material and choke system, so use manufacturer guidance and pattern your shotgun.
Guide · Shotguns
Buckshot is a category of large lead shotshell pellets, from No. 4 buck at .240 inch to No. 000 buck at .360 inch in SAAMI tables. Pellet counts vary by load, so use the size name for pellet diameter and the ammunition maker’s listing for the actual pellet count.
Comparison · Shotguns
12 gauge has the larger bore and offers heavier buckshot and slug options. 20 gauge has a smaller bore and lighter 2¾ inch lead shot charges, which can make it attractive when lighter loads matter.