A few quiz ?'s that stumped me.

[hossdaniels]

Shotgun pellets come in many different sizes like: 2's 4's, 6's, 7 1/2's , 8's. I know the higher the number the smaller the shot, but what exactly to the numbers mean?

And can someone expalin the difference between regular shot and buckshot numbers?

What about T, B, &BB?

Here is a link to wikipedia with the sizeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_shell#Shot_sizes, but I didn't see an explination that suited me. Something about 17-shotsize=diameter. Who picked these measuring methods out? Anyone got more info?

 

[Bud Tugly]

Here's another very useful chart:

http://www.shotgunworld.com/amm.html

Unfortunately it doesn't really answer all your questions.

 

[JohnKSa]

I don't know if this is the original definition, but if you subtract the diameter of one pellet (measured in hundredths of an inch) from 17 you will get the shot size number.

Obviously that doesn't work for buckshot or any of the letter designated shot.

I don't know of a formula for that, but it's not too difficult to remember since the size progressions are uniform for the most part.

B is .17", and then you add another hundredth of an inch as you go up.
BB is .18"
BBB is .19", then you go to T
T=.20"
TT=.21"
TTT/F=.22"
TTTT/FF=.23" then you go to numbers again counting down
4=.24"
3=.25" then from here the size jumps aren't uniform, I guess you just gotta memorize them.
2=.27"
1=.30"
0= .32"
00=.33"
000=.36"

Note that airgun BBs are about 0.175" if they're steel or 0.177"-0.178" if they're lead. Different deal.

 

[jmr40]

The same is true of wire sizes. While I do not know exactly how they came up with the numbers I'm certain it has something to do with how things were measured in old England. Much as the way shotgun bore sizes are numbered by how many lead balls of that diameter make 1 lb.