In shotgun cartridges, the shot size / grain size is indicated by the diameter of the individual shot grain in a shotgun cartridge. Instead of stating the diameter in mm directly, numbers are given, whereby - at least according to German understanding - the principles apply: "The larger the number, the smaller the grain size." & "Between two sizes, the diameter changes by approx. 0.25mm."
As a rule, shot sizes between 1.7mm and 4mm are used for hunting. Shot sizes over 4mm are often referred to as "posts". However, posts actually start at a diameter of 6mm.
Since there is a great variance in the designation of shot sizes internationally and confusion can arise due to the same designation of different sizes in different countries, a table is attached here to help provide an overview of the country-specific designations of shot sizes.
| Shot diameter in mm | Germany | USA | England | France | Holland | Austria | Sweden | Switzerland | Belgium |
| 1,0 | Dust | ||||||||
| 1,25 | 12 | 12 | Dust | 12 | 12 | ||||
| 1,5 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | |||
| 1,7 | 11 | 11 | |||||||
| 1,75 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2,0 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 00 | 9 | 9 | |
| 2,25 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2,4 | 7,5 | 7 | 7 | 13 | |||||
| 2,5 | 7 | 7 | 6,5 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 7 | |
| 2,75 | 6 | 5.5MG | 6 | 11 | 2 | 7 | KL6 | ||
| 2,8 | 6 | 5 | K6 | ||||||
| 2,85 | 4,5 | ||||||||
| 3,0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | G6 | 10 | 3 | GR6 | |
| 3,25 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 | |
| 3,5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 or 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 3,65 | 1 | ||||||||
| 3,75 | 2 | 2 | B | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| 4,0 | 1 | 1 | BB | 1 | 0 or 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | |
| 4,25 | 0 | B | BBB | 0 | 00 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 4,5 | 2/0 | BB | A = BBBB | 00 | 4 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 4,75 | 3/0 | BBB | 000 | 2 | 10 | 2/0 | |||
| 5,0 | 4/0 | 0 | AA | 0000 | 1 | 11 | 3/0 | ||
| 5,25 | 5/0 | 00 | AAA | C9 | 12 | 4/0 | |||
| 5,5 | 6/0 | 000 | SSSSSG = AAAA | ||||||
| 5,75 | SSSSG | ||||||||
| 6,0 | Post6 | Buck9 | |||||||
| 6,25 | SSSG | C7 or C8 | |||||||
| 6,5 | Post5 | Buck8 | |||||||
| 6,85 | SSG | C6 | |||||||
| 7,0 | Item4 | Buck7 | C5 | ||||||
| 7,5 | Buck5 | Spec.SG | C4 | ||||||
| 8,0 | Post3 | Buck4 | C3 | ||||||
| 8,5 | Buck3 | SG | C2 | ||||||
| 8,8 | MG | ||||||||
| 9,0 | Post2 | Buck2 | LG | ||||||
| 9,65 | Buck1 | ||||||||
| 10 | Item1 |
Here is a general overview of rifle and shotgun calibers
Marktplatz
