I'm seeing more and more examples of the over- and improper use of online thesauri and dictionary entries, as well as spellcheckers.
My online TV listing gives a little précis of each program which is rife with examples of misuse of words with the same "poor online research" flavor.
The writer probably thesaurized "caliber" and one of the entries was "gauge," so he used that and patted himself on the back for his sophisticated use of gun lingo.
It's getting to the point where I would expect to hear or see screws and wire sizes referred to as .22-caliber wire and 1/4 - 20 gauge screws.
This, although I reckon 6-32 screws might properly be called a "gauge."
Oh, well, what can you act**?
Terry
* One of the spelling hints I got from a grade school teacher was that "gauge" is spelled in the order of the vowels, as in "a, e, i, o, u," not as "guage." I often end up referring to that in my head when writing about shotguns.
**http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/do