12 gauge

12 gauge

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The 12 gauge shotgun refers to the “caliber” of shotgun that is being used. For example, there are also:

See Shotgun Basics for more general shotgun information.

A 12 gauge shotgun is probably the most common type of shotgun in the United States (if not the world?).
You can literally walk into any store that sells firearms and find a 12 gauge.
By tailoring the load and optics they can be used for nearly any hunting activity you can thinking of in North America (of course you can also question if it’s wise).
The ammunition is plentiful and fairly cheap compared to most other firearms, and there is a ”’huge”’ variety of available ammo types.
That shotgun you see in a lot of police cars is likely a 12 gauge. You’ve got to think it’s not a bad gun when the police use it as their ”’big”’ gun.

It can kick like a mule. This is not the shotgun for those that are wary about recoil. Yes, there are recoil pads, and other add ons you can purchase to lessen the impact, but at it’s core, the 12 gauge is one of the hardest hitting guns that most people will have the opportunity to shoot.
There are a wide variety of situations where this isn’t the best weapon for the task. But there’s a lot of situations where it’s either
- the only weapon available
- there are other weapons available, but it doesn’t really make a difference.
Its range is limited. Again, this is really a matter of a load, but for the most part you are talking 100 yards ”or less”, and in the case of most loads, you are talking about ”’much, much less range”’.

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