doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What Ever Happened to Gauge?

Is it "reverse snobbery" to use everyday American vernacular, Bob?

England and America have been described as "two nations separated by a common language." As someone noted earlier, suspenders/braces, trunk/boot, elevator/lift, hood/bonnet are among the usages that separate us from our cousins across the water. "I am pi$$ed" has very different meanings in the UK and the US.

The purpose of language is to communicate. Good communication is based on using commonly understood terms. If one says "12 gauge" to shooters anywhere in America, everyone knows exactly what you mean. The same can't be said for "12 bore."

There is nothing inherently wrong about choosing a foreign word over American vernacular - if you feel you need to. The question here is why?

I think you underestimate your fellow shotgunners, Jack. Every disipline has its own venacular with terms that are interchangeable.......in mine, for example submaxillary and submandibular mean exactly the same thing. If you are a Saturday morning gunner in the US, you can probably get by with "gauge". If you are British, same with "bore". If you want to communicate on a universal level I think its wise to use them interchangeably. This being an international board, I would bet that there is not one gunner here who would be confused by either.

Technically, I do not believe the two mean the same thing. Bore, means the hole in the barrel, Gauge means the size of that hole. We Americans are the ones always accused of "Not Using Proper Language". On this matter I think we are ahead of the Brits. It really doesn't bother me what anyone else calls it, for me though it's Gauge, see no reason to "Step Backwards". Might be noted the Germans as well as some other Europeans, at least they used to say, "Caliber 12".

IMO Gauge is the correct term if connected with 4, 8, 10, 12, 20, or 28. Gauge is arrived at by calculation not direct measurement. Shotgun gauge is the quantity of lead balls of bore diameter in a pound. Wire and sheet-metal Gauge is similar, the smaller the item, the larger the gauge.

The measurement of old cannon size in pounds was common; a 6 pounder, 16 pounder, etc (based on the weight of the lead ball). I don't know if the term 6 Pound Bore was used, if it was then I'll stand corrected on whether bore or gauge is the more accurate term.

Bob: When I lived in the Highlands, I salted my 'chips,' and crisps came in a 'packet.' My 'messages' were stowed in the 'boot' of my (original) Mini. When I wanted Scotch I called for a 'dram,' and I ordered 'to-MAH-toes' and 'courgettes' (rather than zucchini) from the 'greengrocer.' The gun I shot in those days was a 12 'bore.'

Of course, most of my neighbors would have understood the American equivalents, but as a courtesy I used terms more familiar to them. There's good logic - and courtesy - behind the old saying, "When in Rome..."

If I used British terms this side o' the Pond, some folks might either be momentarily confused, or reasonably conclude that I was being pretentious.

IMHO, Americans needlessly affecting European ways in America are as comical as Germans dressing up in cowboy boots and Stetsons (which, BTW, they seem to enjoy doing).

My wife, who is a stickler for defining your terms when they're my terms, can never think of the proper word and always says "You know what I mean." You fellers who call an action bar a receiver have my sympathy. Your roots are showing and maybe that's as it should be. I do know what you mean.

jack

I've never met you in person Jack but I've enjoyed reading your writings for several years. If we were talking guns and you used the term "bore", I probably wouldn't notice. If I did notice, it would be the farthest thing from my mind to think you pretentious. Pretentiousness is an overall behavioral pattern, and as we all know, its easily detected in person and pretty much held in universal distain. I just think that using "bore/gauge" to label the intentions of a person on either side of the Atlantic is a bit of a stretch. And, like you said, if they enjoy using one or the other, who are we to judge?

Here's a question.......is it pretentious to use an English Cocker to hunt American birds in America when we have our own perfectly good American Cocker? ;-)

Truly, it's what we all come here for, to bullsh%t about guns!

When was the last time you saw a "perfectly good American cocker" hunting afield?

I prefer gauge, so people won't think I'm talking about the crest of turbulent water where an incoming tide pushes up the mouth of a river. One can never be too clariful.