From my Jan. 18, 2017 News Journal column.
Passionate hunters have an uncanny way of strategically inserting hunting-related tidbits into any conversation, mainly because we’re always looking for new hunting opportunities and locations. So by my own fault, I frequently find myself winding through all sorts of discussions – and answering all sorts of questions – about hunting and hunting-related firearms.
After I explain that Delaware hunters currently cannot hunt deer with rifles (although they can use shotguns and muzzleloaders with rifled barrels), I usually have to answer, “What’s a muzzleloader?” Additionally, many folks who have had little or no exposure to hunting or firearms follow up with, “What’s the difference between a muzzleloader and a shotgun?”
Unless I see genuine interest in the technicalities, I just describe how muzzleloaders are akin to the muskets of the past where hunters have to separately load gun powder and a bullet through the gun’s muzzle or front of the barrel. I then proceed to quickly and simplistically explain that shotguns have traditionally been used to fire fixed shells that contain gun powder and multiple small pellets or “shot,” but that shotguns can also shoot single projectiles called slugs.
Most casually interested folks are satisfied with these ultra-high-level explanations, but some people want to know more. Logically, they ask, “What’s the difference between using shot and slugs?” Figuring anyone who asks that question has bona fide interest, I progress into a more detailed explanation about how shot, when fired from a shotgun, creates a spray of small projectiles or pellets that cover a wider area than a single bullet. I explain that shot, which varies in size based on application or targeted game, helps a hunter hit a moving target, like a pheasant, duck, rabbit, or clay disc. I explain that lead birdshot is usually used for upland game (like rabbits, squirrels, and pheasants) and that non-toxic shot (steel or other non-lead materials) must be used for waterfowl. After a quick discussion about how buckshot (which is bigger than birdshot) or a slug is used for hunting deer, I watch and listen to the participants’ reactions.
Usually, at least 50 percent of the remaining conversation participants check out at this point, but there’s always one or two who want to know more. “What is a 12-gauge shotgun?” is a common question because anyone still engaged in the conversation has, at the very least, heard this terminology before. Although the discussion can get complicated if I try to explain how gauges are determined (seriously, look it up), I explain that shotguns are made in various gauges (12 and 20 gauges are most popular with hunters) and that the gauge indicates the diameter of the gun’s barrel. The diameter increases as gauge numbers decrease, so the diameter of a 12 gauge is larger than that of a 20 gauge. I then explain that shotgun ammo is manufactured to match the gun’s gauge.
At some time around the 10-minute mark, I realize that I’ve monopolized the conversation and begin implementing an exit strategy—unless someone who has really been following along asks, “Does one shotgun work for all hunting?” Again, using a small conversational opening, I march straight in and look to educate. In short, one shotgun could be used for all types of hunting, but in addition to gauge variations, shotguns differ in length, weight, action (pump action, autoloading, break action, and more), barrel configuration (single barrel, double-barrel side-by-side, or double-barrel over and under), and stock material (wood or composite). Usually lower gauges (bigger diameters) are used for hunting bigger game or for shooting longer distances, so hunters usually opt for 12, 20, or even 10 gauges for hunting deer, geese, and turkeys. However, hunters who pursue smaller game like doves, quail, woodcocks, pheasants, rabbits, and squirrels may opt for 20 or 28 gauges. Additionally, larger guns shoot larger shells, which results in a little more force or “kick” on the shooter when the gun is fired. As a result, hunters who want less of a shoulder thud, choose higher gauge shotguns.
The conversation usually ends with something like, “Huh, I never knew that,” and we say our goodbyes … unless someone cracks open a new door with, “Why can’t you hunt with rifles in Delaware?”