Had to Be a Big Shot, Didn't You? Had to Open Up Your Bore

Writers sometimes find themselves out of their element, which exposes them to a different vocabulary they sometimes don't understand.

That's why Mose's paper published this sentence recently:

Police recovered a .22-caliber Winchester shotgun, Sanders said.

The fact that it got into publication indicates that a number of people who touched that story (writers, editors, proofers) were unfamiliar with the vocabulary of firearms.

But, as with math, if you don't understand it, verify it with a source who does.

Caliber indicates a bullet's diameter, and also can be a measurement of the diameter of the barrel of a handgun or rifle. AP Stylebook dictates the form .38-caliber pistol.

Gauge is the bore size of a shotgun determined by the number of round lead balls (shot) of bore diameter that equals a pound. The most common sizes of shotguns are 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410. (Yes, .410 is the exception in shotguns in that it is measured as a caliber, not a gauge, so the .410 has a barrel 0.410 inches in width.) Shotguns also can fire slugs, but let's not confuse things further today.

So, we still have to let readers know whether police confiscated a .22-caliber rifle or a 20-gauge shotgun. Winchester makes both.

But, of course, you knew that.

Or you were going to verify it.

Right?