what gauge is 12 cal shotgun?

my friend you are confused.

the caliber is 12 gauge. shotguns tend to use gauge instead of inches or millimeters.

the smaller the gauge number, the larger the caliber. IE 20 gauge is smaller then 12 gauge.

but 410 is a bore.

either way, i digress. no thats a 12 gauge shotgun not a 12 caliber

There is quite a difference between 12 gauge and 12.0 caliber.

12 caliber is a bullet 12 inches or a foot in diameter. That would be a large cannon. Gauge or bore number tells how many spherical balls of bore diameter can be made from a pound of lead. The smaller the gauge, the larger the caliber. A 12 caliber cannon would be 0.00269 gauge. A spherical pure lea ball for it'd weigh 371.23 lbs. Some battleships use 16" cannons and a few use 18" ones. A 12 gauge shotgun is 0.729" in diameter.

Water

There is no such thing as a 12 caliber shotgun. Shotguns bore are measured in gauge. A caliber is used for pistols, rifles and artillery; it represents what fraction of an inch or metric millimeter of the diameter of the bullet. For example, a .38 (<<=notice the decimal point) caliber means the diameter of the bullet is 38/100 of an inch and a 9mm bullet has a diameter of 9 millimeter (mm). One is measured in inches and the other in metric system.

A 12 (<<= notice no decimal point) caliber would be 12 inches and there are no shotguns with a barrel diameter of 12 inches.

!2 gauge or bore shotguns exist, is no 12 caliber shotgun however. That be large cannon.Gauge tell how many spherical balls of bore diameter can be made from one pound of lead. 12 gauge is 0.729" caliber. Caliber given in decimal inches or millimeters. Common calibers include .223" or 5.56 mm and up. Almost forget some .17" rifles.

I use this little trivia question in every hunters ed class or trip I take with the youth shooters to the skeet range. The original unit of trade weight was the pound, merchants would use round balls on a scale beam to weigh out their goods. So 12 equal balls were called 12 gage weights, 20 gage weights and 30 gage weights were common for trade. The larger gage were for heavier items like meats, tobacco and grains. and the smaller for things like spices, sugar, and tea.

The 10 gage pipe / barrel was one of the easiest to forge and was useful for defence and the taking of large birds like ducks. The old punt guns also used 1, 2 or even 3 bore gage meaning 1, 2 or 3 pound weight diameters were used. If you look at the royal navy cannon of the period they were common in 6 and 12 pound and field cannon were 4 pound on up.

Just a little trivia for you.

12 gauge. Diameter of the bore is .73 caliber (0.729 inches)

Ever wonder why decimals are used in calibers?

1 caliber= 1 inch. That would mean a bullet size 12 inches in diameter and fired in guns about the size on USS Missouri (Big Mo fired 16" guns)

Instead of being picky because texting has all but destroyed the art of spelling...most will assume you are meaning a 12 gauge shotgun. That would equal about .729 caliber.

While thinking about metal* balls that are close to .727"-.729" diameter then in your mind think how many of these to make a pound (16 Avoirdupois ounces).

Hint: Think of a number between 11 and 13.

No such thing, Skippy. It's a 12 GAUGE shotgun.