24 gauge shotgun

ralph7

ralph7

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Guess I live under a rock because I'm just now hearing that this and the 32 gauge is very real.
How long has this been going on and is it popular here in America?
 
I use to shoot with a guy who had a 24 gauge. Made his own shells.Blackpowder. He didn't do well on "a pair in the air" target presentations. Other than the smoke screen, he did fine with it. As I recall,it was a side by side with exposed hammers and two triggers. I believe I shot it once. I didn't feel the urge to go out and buy one..
 
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Quite a few European makers chambered their guns for 32ga.
Even FN/Browning O/U were available at one time in 32ga.
I think 24ga as well
Quite a few other Belgian and French mfg shotguns in 32 and 24.
In the 90's one of the Italian makers of lesser note (can't remember the name) made a 32ga O/U that was imported into the USA and sold at a very reasonable price.

H&R (or maybe IJ) made their top break single shots in 32ga

Parker Bros made one (1) shotgun in 24ga I'm told.
A VH grade sent to the US CArtridge Co. according to Parker records.

Remington mfg'd 24ga ammo as did CIL up to WW2.
I would think US Cart would have as well. I think Winchester eventually bought USC out in the late 30's.

I used to load my .500 x 3" BPE cases for my DR with shot.
That's about as close to a 32ga as i've ever been.
Patterns were no good, spiraled out of shape w/a hole in the center from the rifling in the bore. But a lot of fun on the skeet range w/a 10+ lb hammer double rifle.

A collector dealer friend of mine now gone had a Belgian (?) made 32ga SxS that was owned and hunted with by Henry 'Hap' Arnold, General of the Army / Air Force.
He had paperwork and pics with it.
Plain gun but a nice piece.
 
For reference, the term "gauge" applied to shotguns generally refers to the number of balls fitting the bore that can be cast from a pound of lead. 8 gauge, 8 bore-sized balls each weighing 2 oz. 12-gauge, 12 balls each weighing 1.33 oz. 24-gauge would have a bore size permitting 24 balls each weighing 0.666 oz.

In modern times the only general exception has been the .410 bore, which is the nominal bore diameter. An estimate of the "gauge" would be about 65 or so.

There have also been smooth-bore guns made (usually imported from Europe) chambering 9mm shotshells and commonly referred to as "garden guns", suitable for dispatching pests. The "gauge" might be estimated at about 100.

This terminology dates back at least 200 years, with the terms "gauge" and "bore" used interchangeably. Even rifled arms were commonly described as having a specific "bore" well before "caliber" became the more common terminology in the mid-19th Century. And, of course, there was little in the way of standardization, each maker applying the terms they wished to use.
 
Right now 24 and 32 gauge shells are the only ones RST consistently has in stock. It's almost certainly stock they've had for a while, since the demand isn't high.

I don't know how RST makes it through this component strangle, but I hope they do. They make a good shell, and are one of best sources of loads for short chambered guns. It'll be a miracle if they survive.

Ballistic Products carries wads and hulls for both gauges.

28 gauge is as weird as I get, though I do have a 16 ga. Model 1912 with a short chamber.
 
A. Zoli 24 and 32 gauge O/U were imported back in the 1990’s. I ran across a pair at a estate sale a few years ago and made an offer which offended the widow who was trying to sell off her husbands toys. A friend bought the pair and has not been able to re-home them; even at a significant loss.
 
There was a guy at my Sportsman’s club when I was a kid that enjoyed shooting skeet with a 24 gauge. That would have been circa 1988-1990.

So at least the 24 gauge has been floating around these parts for 30+ years or longer.
 
Many people who have 24 and 32 gauge shotguns use chamber inserts to feed them affordably. The 24 gauge insert accepts a 28 gauge shell and the 32 gauge accepts a 410-2 1/2"

There were bolt action guns made in smooth bore 32 with rifle sights for dart guns for research and vet use.

In the muzzel loading shotgun days, They controlled the pattern size without chokes. One barrel would be a gauge larger and the second shot would be the standard gauge: Example would be 11 gauge for up close and the second was 12 as the shot was further.

I load all brass shotshells and you use wads and cards for one gauge up, so for 12 gauge hulls you use felt wads and over shot cards for 11 gauge. I do 20 gauge hulls also, you use 18 gauge for them!

Smokeless loads can be done with your normal target load, and plastic shot wads. They will be 25-50 fps slower than in your plastic hulls.

Over the years I have shot around 15 rounds of Sporting Clays with All Brass/Black Powder ammo. You want a gun with the tightest chokes possible My 20 has Full/Extra Full chokes (It was a pre WWII women's Trap gun). The biggest problem shooting BP at a shotgun range is getting the Scorers to watch the birds for broken pieces! And to get them to stand off to the side so the "Holy Cloud" doesn't block their view.

Ivan
 
Yes, they were very real.

Here’s an older box of Remington 32 gauge,..

attachment.php


And here’s a more recent box of Fiocchi 24 gauge. I believe they’re still available in Europe.

attachment.php
 

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s&wchad said:
Yes, they were very real.

Here’s an older box of Remington 32 gauge,..

attachment.php


And here’s a more recent box of Fiocchi 24 gauge. I believe they’re still available in Europe.

attachment.php
Click to expand...

I had an old folding trigger nickeled revolver chambered in .380
revolver that had the name "puppy" on the top of the barrel. Who made that one in the picture?
 
Old .410 shotshell boxes will be labeled as ".410 (36 gauge)" However, using the conventional method of establishing gauge gives a much higher number, like 67 gauge. No idea why they were once called 36 gauge way back when.
 
This old "Shotgun" is shown in our state capital's museum .......
and I remember it when I was around fourteen or so.

It made a big impression on me, at the time, since I remembered my sore
shoulder, from just shooting a single shot 20 Ga.

 
Cooter Brown said:
Right now 24 and 32 gauge shells are the only ones RST consistently has in stock. It's almost certainly stock they've had for a while, since the demand isn't high.

I don't know how RST makes it through this component strangle, but I hope they do. They make a good shell, and are one of best sources of loads for short chambered guns. It'll be a miracle if they survive.

Ballistic Products carries wads and hulls for both gauges.

28 gauge is as weird as I get, though I do have a 16 ga. Model 1912 with a short chamber.
Click to expand...
I have found RST to be a wonderful company.
 
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