20 Guage

[creophus]

Alright, how many of you shoot a 20 guage?? Been hearing more and more about them lately how they're all you need for upland hunting and all the shotgun games.

12 guage is all I have so it's all I shoot. When I miss I don't blame the gun or the recoil. I can get back on the bird plenty quick with my second shot.

Am I beating myself up for no reason? Or is that what all the cool people use?

[BigSlick]

20's are definitely nice... cultured as it were.

As far as upland bird hunting, I don't know bout that. I don't see shooting a lot of pheasants with a 20 and having 100% chance of knocking one down cleanly farther than 40 yards or so.

I've seen a lot of people try to shoot Texas dove with a 20 gauge and have minimal success. Doves are rocket fast and if the wind comes up, forget it.

For sporting clays and the like, I think a 20 would be great.

I know first hand it's incredible nice on squirrels and rabbit.

I'd say if you run across a deal, and shoot a lot of shotgun, jump on it. Pick one up just to add to the stable and maybe shoot one box of shells a year, I'd probably use a low powered 12 load and save the bucks.

All this said, I have seen some work of art beautiful 20 gauges at the Tulsa show over the years.

[Ledhore]

I've got an old Ithaca model 37 featherweight deluxe in 20 gauge that my Dad left me. He was an avid bird hunter and aways said that he never felt the need for anything else. He always came home with his limit so I guess he was right. I've used it often to shoot clays and could always hold my own against the 12 gauge guys.

[Rollis]

The biggest draw back to a 20 is the amount of shot, assuming that the shot size, and velocity are the same.

[RavenArmament]

20 gauge is all I've owned and shoot. I've shot everything from rabbits to birds to bear and a few other living things.

The difference between gauges, ammunition-wise, is shot payload, meaning the larger the gauge the heavier and more shot you can shoot at the same velocity.

Look at the manufacturer's websites and check the data. They all toss birdshot about 1200-1400fps. Sure there "super ninja speed" loads on occasion but they all fall about 200fps apart. Standard rule is 1200fps for targets and 1400fps for game.

A shotgun choke will expand at the same rate between the gauges. A full choke will expand about one full inch per yard. A cylinder choke will expand about 1.75 inches per yard.

The difference then is how many pellets are going to be in the pattern. With a larger gauge having more pellets but same spread rate, it's simply going to be more pellets in the strike area at the same velocity.

If you have more pellets in the shot pattern at impact you have a greater chance of making a kill shot having one or more pellets making the mark.

Think of a kid throwing a rock to hit someone. Now picture that same kid picking up a handful of rocks to hit someone. The more rocks the greater the hit potential.

Standard 12ga field load will be a 1.25oz #6 and the 20ga will be a 1oz #6 load. There will be approximately 293 pellets in the 12ga load and approximately 223 pellets in the 20ga load. So 70 pellets is what your margin is.

Choice has to be made. Higher hit density? Lower recoil? More availability (cheaper price too)? Have enough for most any situation? Have the judgement to pass on a shot that doesn't feel right?

Be careful with the 20ga however, since it's put into light guns which kicks more than a 20 should. I had a Beretta AL391 Urika 20ga that was maybe 6lbs. Even standard field loads were a bruiser after a while. My dove load is a nice plinker that kicks light (fast powder) but my field load is no mercy.

I've bird hunted a lot with a 20ga and have fallen in love with it. I'm going to head out for woodcock when the season opens here and you can bet I'll have my 20ga (handloaded #7.5 shot) in hand.

For handloading the 20ga, 800X is a good light powder, HS6, WSF, Unique for medium field loads, and Blue Dot and Longshot round out the twenty for heavier loads like the 1.125oz heavy field loads. For dove I use a 3/4oz load, standard field gets 1oz, and if I have to pop a big bird I use the 1.125oz.

[BoltNut]

My biggest use for upland birds would be for pheasant...then less frequently for duck (I still like my 870 is nasty wet weather though), dove/quail and an assortment of whatever strikes my fancy after those critters (very rare).

Slick has me concerned that the 20 wouldn't kill out beyond 40 yards, which I have dropped pheasants with my 870 out that far.

I shoot a ton of clays (and am paying the price) with 12 now. I'm also VERY confident in my abilities with my two 12 ga guns (pump & S/S). For the massive amount of shooting, I'd like to save my neck and shoulder for my older age needs, and I feel the 12 is beating me up slowly...especially in FL where I cannot wear more than a t-shirt for comfort without melting away!

My logic says if I switch to a 20 to break clays, then I'm going to be darn good at it eventually anyway, which means transitioning into hunting still pretty confident (unless Slick is correct about distance of kills). I used one of Creo's O/U 20's a few weeks ago, and didn't notice any difference in amount of breaks for clays, and I'd never laid a finger on that gun before (confidence shot way up).

MY NUMBER ONE concern will be kill shots out beyond 40 yards (but not much beyond 50...rarely taken anyway even with 12 ga)...WHAT SAY YE???!!!

[Rollis]

50 yards is a long stretch for any scatter gun, take your field loads, and check them for pattern density, if at the range in question the density is good go for it. If you want to be good, get a 410.

[RavenArmament]

Most birds, including pheasant, I've killed well inside 40y with any gauge shotgun.

[creophus]

Seems like when I hit pheasants at around 40 yards with the 12 (#4 or #5 shot I don't remember) they may have "dropped" but they sure as heck weren't there for more than a second. Those things hit the ground running!

BoltNut you certainly did fine with that unknown to you 20 guage. If there's a health issue involved it almost makes it a no-brainer IMO. If shooting and hunting becomes painful you won't be doing much of it regardless of the gun.

I do believe that recoil is more important to you than guage. Some 20 guages kick just like a 12, so I'm told.

[Rollis]

+1 on the hard kick!