anyone have any information on the alloy "0" gauge shotshells that have appeared on the collector market in the last couple of years ? I have two different headstamps - W ,and R-P - and both have in red print on the case wall " 0 GA. FOR SHOT ONLY " .

The case is very obviously a shortend 37mm flare shell , and the two examples I have come complete with a supposedly genuine report from the Lone Star Ammunition Facility in Texarkana Texas .

Reputedly for a large calibre auto weapon for riot control , but no-one i have talked to can confirm or deny that fact .

Any clever person out there have any further information to add?

Besides Win and R-P, there is an L C headstamp. Beyond that, I have no more information than what you posted.

the_captn

There was at least one listing for these on AA that purported to include some sort of test report. I don't recall it selling (ridiculous price), so you might be able to find something on it there.

Obviously the result of a mad hunter/inventor in preparation for dove season........

i have the "report" from the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant in Texas , mostly unreadable after being a copy of a copy of a copy times a zillion , but it does give a date -03/86-, the number of shells fired -300- , and the fact that the experiment was terminated. Part of the report is a sheet from the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant , so you could be forgiven for thinking that this project took place in at least two places , or that the whole deal is spurious and the work of a backyard inventor .
I am beginning to favour the second line of thought , as both my cases are unprimed and certainly unfired in a previous life. Interesting though , but there could be merit in the theory that the developers make a hundred cartridges to evaluate and ten thousand to feed out to the collectors to pay for the project ......

I've never seen one of these, just for curiosity's sake, how much do they normally sell for?

Call me grumpy and suspicious, but it sounds like a hoax. Here's why (criticism of reasoning solicited!): The "gauge" of a shotgun is the number of spherical balls of the bore diameter that when cast of lead, would weigh 1 lb. So for a 12 gauge, 12 balls would weigh 1 lb., 10 for 10 gauge, etc. A 0 gauge would have an infinitely large bore diameter, and a real manufacturer of any intellectual capacity would know this. So it looks like a gag gift, April Fools kind of thing to me...

The English gauge system used letters for the larger gauges when a whole number didn't fit and there is a letter O gauge, but no zero gauge. There's no I gauge, likely to avoid confusion with 1(one) and no G gauge, likely because 1(one) fits into the system there. This list is in the Dixie Gun Works 1993 catalogue.

Looks like this list doesn't format too well.
Gauge Bore dia.
A 2.000"
B 1.938
C 1.875
D 1.830
E 1.750
F 1.688
1(one) 1.699
H 1.625
J 1.563
K 1.500
L 1.438
M 1.375
2 1.325
O(letter)1.313
P 1.250
3 1.157
4 1.052

37mm = 1.457", approximately an L gauge.

The table goes down to 50 gauge with a bore size of .433". The .410 shotshell works out to 67 gauge, not 32 gauge as some people think.

Bye
Jack

SDS

While you are correct in the naming of gauges, you forget that this is (was) for the US Military-- no logic is needed for names!!

the_captn

I went through my files and found where I had ordered a "zero gauge". Old Western Scrounger has them for $5.00US. If you search for them (or order one), look under the (incorrect) spelling 'guage'--that is where they're listed!

the_captn

JackM

Thanks for the reference to the Dixie Gun Works catalogue.

As far as .410 and its gauge---Cartridges of the World lists it as 68 gauge; close enough to your 67 ga. I have RWS and Fiocchi brass cases which are headstamped '36'. By measurement, they are within a couple of thousandths (of an inch) of a brass case headstamped .410-12m/m. An old-timer, who sells collector cartridges at the gun shows, says that older 410 boxes were listed as for .410, 12mm, and 36 gauge!

the_captn

My mistake, I should have known some called the .410 a 36 gauge, not a 32. The English table gives a bore dia. of .506" for 36 gauge, which is a fair bit larger than .410. There's enough of these off-sizes around anyhow, what with the various .38 revolvers measuring .357 and the .38-40 going .400 and the .35 Smith & Wesson going .309 & lots more. But isn't that one of the things that makes cartridge collecting fun?

I calculated the .410 gauge again. It works out to 67.6, which is splitting hairs, IMHO. I'll have to keep a lookout for one of those boxes labeled .410, 12mm & 36 gauge. Thanks, Captn

Bye
Jack