DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RIFLES, SHOTGUNS, AND HANDGUNS

The main differences between rifles, shotguns, and handguns are their barrels and the type of ammunition used.

• The rifle barrel is long and has thick walls with spiraling grooves cut into the bore. The grooved pattern is called rifling.
• The shotgun barrel is long and made of fairly thin steel that is very smooth on the inside to allow the shot and wad to glide down the barrel without friction. It’s thinner than a rifle barrel since it does not have tow withstand the same pressure.
• The handgun barrel is much shorter than a rifle or shotgun barrel because the gun is designed to be shot while being held with one or two hands, rather than being placed against the shooter’s shoulder. The bores of most handgun barrels also have a grooved pattern similar to rifles.

The Damascus Barrel

Damascus or “Damascus twist” barrels are older shotgun barrels that typically were made before 1900. Iron and steel ribbons were twisted and welded together. Damascus barrels are weaker than modern barrels and are not designed for the high gas pressures created by modern ammunition. Damascus barrels have a distinctive, irregular pattern of short, streak-like marks around the barrel.

If you have a Damascus barrel gun, don’t shoot it. The barrel may burst slightly ahead of the chamber, crippling the shooter’s hand of forearm. If you have an older firearm and are not sure if it has a Damascus barrel, go to a qualified gunsmith to identify its make before shooting it.

Rifle, Handgun, and Shotgun, Bores

The bore of a rifle or handgun is grooved, which puts a spiral spin on the bullet for greater accuracy. The bore of the shotgun barrel is smooth because rifling would spread the shot pattern too soon.

Remember …

Reloaded shells may have wrong information or have been improperly reloaded. It’s important to mark reloaded shells clearly. Use only shells or cartridges that you have reloaded yourself or that have been reloaded by a person whom you know is competent.

Rifle and Handgun Calibers

Circles show bore sizes of common cartridges. Having the same bore size does not mean different cartridges are interchangeable.

Shotgun Gauge Sizes

Rifling in the Rifle or Handgun Bore

A bullet fired from a rifle or handgun has a spiral spin that keeps it point-first in flight, increasing accuracy and distance. This is achieved by the rifling inside the barrel, from which the rifle got its name. The barrel is thick and has spiraling grooves cut or pressed into the bore. The ridges of metal between the grooves are called lands. Together, the grooves and lands make up the “rifling.”

A Rifle’s or Handgun’s Caliber

Caliber is used to describe the size of a rifle or handgun bore and the size of cartridges designed for different bores.

• Caliber is usually measured as the diameter of the bore from land to opposite land and is expressed in hundredths of an inch, thousandths of an inch, or millimeters. For example, a .370-caliber rifle bore measures 270/1000ths of an inch in diameter between the lands and has a larger bore diameter than a .223-caliber rifle. However, there is no standard set for designating caliber. In some cases, the caliber is given as the diameter of the bullet, which is the distance between the grooves.
• Caliber designations sometimes have a second number that has nothing to do with the diameter. For example, the popular .30-30 is a .30-caliber cartridge, but the second number is a holdover from the days when the cartridge took 30 grains of powder. The “06” in .30-06 refers to the year (1906) it became the official ammunition of the U.S. military.
• Every rifle or handgun is designed for a specific cartridge. The ammunition must match the data stamp on the firearm. For example, there are several .30-caliber firearms that use the same bullet size but are designed for different cartridges (the .30-30, .30-06, .308, and the .300 Savage). If you cannot find the caliber stamped on the firearm, take it to a qualified gunsmith.

A Shotgun’s Gauge

Shotguns are classified by gauge, which is a measure related to the diameter of the smooth shotgun bore and the size of the shotshell designed for that bore.

• Common shotgun gauges are 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and 28 gauge. The smaller the gauge number, the larger the shotgun bore. Gauge is determined by the number of lead balls of size equal to the exact diameter of the bore that it takes to weigh one pound. For example, it would take 12 lead balls with the same diameter as a 12-gauge shotgun bore to weigh one pound. Today, however, gauge can be measured much the same way as caliber by measuring the inside bore diameter.
• The .410-caliber shotgun is the only exception to the gauge designation for shotguns. It has an actual bore diameter of 410/1000ths of an inch, which is approximately equivalent to a 67½ gauge.
• Each gauge of shotgun shoots only shells of the same gauge. For example, 12-gauge shells are used only in 12-gauge guns.
• The gauge of a shotgun is usually marked on the rear of the barrel, and the gauge of a shell is marked on the shell as well as on the factory box.