12 gauge is the most common size of shotgun shell. Gauge is an very old method of measuring the caliber or interior diameter of a barrel. Essentially, it is defined as the number of lead balls, each of which will just fit inside the barrel, that are required to make up a pound. Consequently, the smaller the number of lead balls, the greater the diameter of the barrel. In this case, 12 lead balls, each about .73 inches (18.5mm) are needed to make a pound.
The Gauge or bore (especially in British English) of a shotgun is the diameter (caliber) of the barrel.
The gauge or bore is determined by the number of solid spheres of a diameter equal to the inside diameter of the barrel that could be made from a pound of lead.
The term related to the measurement of fl powder cannon, which were also measured by the weight of their round iron shot; a 6 pounder, for example, would fire a 6 pound (2.7 kg) spherical cast iron ball, which gave a bore diameter of about 3.6 inches (9.1 cm).
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