[Nolo]

Just a random trivia sort of question...
What's the largest (non punt) shotgun?
I've heard of four bores before (I think it was the "Dinosaur Gun"), but is there anything larger? I'm talking about handheld (as opposed to mounted) shotguns, there are some big rifles out there.
Just wondering.

[News Shooter]

http://science.howstuffworks.com/shotgun3.htm

The 4 ga is the largest

[ABTOMAT]

I don't think you could fire a modern shotgun any larger than 4 bore without a mount of some sort. Baikal was trying to sell one a few years ago.

[zinj]

There is a picture floating around of a Englishman with an IIRC 2-Bore SXS muzzleloading shotgun. The thing is huge.

[Nolo]

Thanks. I didn't figure that you could get anything much larger than 4-bore, I was just curious.

[Nolo]

Now that I think about it, they did make shot loads for the M79 grenade launcher (40mm), so I guess those would qualify, but it wasn't really what I was looking for.

[Novus Collectus]

Does this count? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M79_grenade_launcher#Ammunition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M576_40mm_grenade

[Novus Collectus]

How big of a bore did the blunderbuss have then? I wonder.

[Nolo]

Good question. I think you'll find they weren't too different from modern shotguns. 12, 10, 8 gauge and such. I haven't found any evidence otherwise.

[Gordon]

I was around 105mm cannister being fired at the tree line in VN. I don't think they made any larger cannister then. I think the 120mm Tank cannon has cannister these days.
10 gauge is the limit for me (and the Feds)!:D

[Novus Collectus]

Been looking it up. It seems so far that your assumption is correct. The few online references I have seen so far have said about .75 diameter which I think is between 10 and 12 gage.

[Nolo]

As far as shot loads for tank guns, I know they exist, but they're really just punt guns.
I'm talking shoulder-fired stuff.

[Novus Collectus]

I guess true shotguns in the conventional sense the "4" bore is probably it, but if we stretched the definition a little then shoulder fired recoilless rifles using cannister shot might be it.

[jlrhiner]

There are pictures of the old African hunters using 2 and 4 bore single shot guns. (They of course used them for LARGE game and they were usually loaded with solid shot). There's a quote in one of the books from Peter Capsticks Library about loading one of these with a "handfull"of black powder.

[Nolo]

Hehehehe...
I just realized that this is probably an unanswerable question.
"But you can load the Gustav Gun with shot, and if you kinda support it with your shoulder that counts as shoulder fire, right?"
For those of you that don't know, the Gustav Gun was the largest, most powerful firearm ever created. It had a 100 cm bore and took 500 men to load one round.

[Deadheadted37]

The M1028 120MM tank round currently being used in limited quantities in Iraq.

http://www.jedsite.info/ammunition/mm-120/tank-smoothbore/m1028/m1028-intro.html

[41magsnub]

What are those giant sea duck shot guns you see in museums once in a while. The name of them is just on the tip of my tongue....

[Nolo]

Punt Guns?
I mentioned them earlier.

[Capstick1]

Assuming that 4 guage shotguns are out there where exactly could you find shells for these howitzers? I don't think this is exactly something you'd find on the shelf at Walmart.

[Capstick1]

Seriously though I think I've heard of 2 guage shotguns. In some of these factorys/ refineries where they burn coal and other fuel the smokestacks sometimes become clogged with soot and carbon. The way they often clear out these obstructions is the use of a large guage shotshell fired directly upward inside the smokestack to clear out this material.

[Big Jon]

Not to get too far off topic but Remington sells 8 and 12 gauge ammo for cleaning kilns, stacks and the like.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/industrial/

[ArchAngelCD]

Ya see, that's how much I know... I thought the 10 gauge was the biggest bore shotgun. I have fired a 10 ga with 000 Buckshot and while I'm not recoil sensitive, I don't think I would want to fire 000 Buck out of a shotgun with a larger bore than that 10 ga. WOW, there really is a 4 gauge shotgun?