Two bore or 2 bore is a mostly obsolete firearm

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...

Specifications

Two bores generally fire spherical balls or slugs of hardened lead or, in the modern metallic cartridge, additionally a solid bronze projectile. The nominal bore is , and projectiles generally weigh 8

ounce The ounce () is any of several different units of mass, weight or volume and is derived almost unchanged from the , an Ancient Roman units of measurement, Ancient Roman unit of measurement. The #International avoirdupois ounce, avoirdupois ounce ...

s (227

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...

s; 3500

grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...

). The velocity is relatively low, at around at the muzzle, but develops approximately muzzle energy.

History and background

Despite the popularity of the calibre in modern gun lore there is no evidence the 2 bore as named was actually used as a terrestrial and shoulder fired firearm. The equivalent calibre size equates to various punt guns used for harvesting large number of waterfowls usually mounted in 'punts' or flat bottomed boats for commercial purposes. A common misconception is the hunter

Sir Samuel White Baker Sir Samuel White Baker, KCB, FRS, FRGS (8 June 1821 – 30 December 1893) was an English explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman ...

being attributed to its use, however his firearm 'Baby' as described below was actually close to 3 bore, the firearms records still exist by the maker listing the serial number as 1296. The confusion occurs due to Baker's common reference to the projectile fired from the firearm weighing 'half a pound', which would if a round ball equate to a 2 bore by definition. However Baker himself never refers to this projectile being a round ball nor uses the term 2 bore in any of his writings, indicating this half pound shell was a longer projectile of cylindrical or conical shape.

Schroeder & Hetzendorfer cartridge

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:1326 in Firearms by caliber British firearm cartridges

Specifications

History and background

Schroeder & Hetzendorfer cartridge

See also

References