Are 20 gauge shotguns useless?

S

Super-Dave

New member
Why have a 20 gauge shotgun? When you can just use a 12 gauge with reduce recoil rounds, or load your own and use less powder.

12 gauges are more common in the gun store and in many cases cheaper than their 20 gauge counterpart.

You cannot make the same argument for 12 gauge vs. 10 gauge because
10's are much more expensive and not as nearly as common.
 
Easy, a 20 gauge is lighter and faster to manuever... So they are far from useless.. 20 gauges are extremely common here... Unless we're talking waterfowl, I take my 20 gauge more often that any of my 12's....
 
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I like shooting my 20 ga gun. It's over a pound and a half lighter than my 12 ga and I like how it handles. 7/8 oz of lead breaks clays in both 12 and 20 ga guns.
 
Absolutely not useless... How much heavier is a 12 than a 20 in exactly similar models?
Reduced recoil is all fine and good but standard loads are far less dough allowing po' folks like me to shoot more. I don't know that RR loads will stick either. Like several "wild cat" rounds that "coulda been" are now "has beens" and the owners of these are customizing brass and reloading or have a new mantle piece.
Brent
 
They're good for squirrels and rabbits and bust clays pretty good too. While the 20 is lighter than a 12 the percieved recoil can be more because of it.
 
It depends...

You can make a 12ga perform balistically like a 20ga with 7/8 oz loads / and you can even make it balistically like a 28ga with 3/4oz loads ( especially if you reload ). So in that sense, a 12ga - means you don't need a 20 or 28ga ....especially since these days, with screw in chokes - with a 12ga you can go from a Full to a Skeet choke, and everything in between and pretty well do anything you want to do with a 12ga.

20ga guns can be loaded up to a 1 oz load / lots of loads around - and although I doubt you can get 1 1/8 oz of shot into a 20ga shell - being able to go to 1oz makes a 20ga pretty versatile too - and you can load it down to 3/4oz or even 1/2oz ( like a .410 ).

12ga guns used to be heavy and bulky / 20ga guns used to be a little lighter and swing a little faster - but all that is gone today too. There are some 8 1/2 lb guns made in 20 ga (just like a 12ga ) - 30" barrels are common on 20ga's , etc and with screw in chokes you can go from Full to Skeet and everything in between with a 20ga as well.

in the 50's and 60's - before screw in chokes - we all had a "waterfowl gun", we had a "pheasant" gun, a "grouse" gun ...etc . We bought guns with fixed chokes / different barrel lengths that suited the intended game we were shooting or hunting. So some of the nostalgia for 16ga, 20ga, 28ga etc is from those days. In the 50's and 60's there was not a large variety of shells - so we really couldn't get lighter ( 7/8 oz loads for a 12ga ) especially if we lived in rural areas.

Today that has changed - but personally, I'll never get rid of my 20ga, 28ga or .410 guns. I like shooting them all - and I like having them ... and there is something really specail about going out Quail hunting with a nice 28ga Over Under that just brings a smile to my face. Some guys feel the same about S X S's ...

I don't think the 20ga is going anywhere - and it will remain a very popular gun. It has nothing to do with cost / most Over Unders in 12 and 20ga are about the same price. I don't watch prices on Mossberg pumps, 870 pumps too much - so there may be a disparity in their prices on 12 vs 20ga guns / but the Browning BPS is the same price for a 12 and 20ga version - at about $550 list / and they charge about $40 more for a 16ga, 28ga or .410 version.
 
I think that 3 inch 20 gauge magnums went up to 1 1/4 oz, which overlaps into 12 gauge non-magnum loads.

Though all my shotguns are 12 gauge, there is nothing wrong with 20 gauge shotguns.
Why don't I get a 20 gauge? Because then I would have to convert my MEC progressive loading press to 20 gauge also.
Or buy factory ammo for it.:barf:
 
Useless may be a little harsh, but I see no need to have one. There are a lot of 12's that weigh 7 lbs or less. Any lighter and they are harder to shoot regardless of guage. I can easily get 12 guage loads that have virtually no recoil and behave just like 20's if I want a light weight low recoiling gun. The 12 is also versatile enough to handle heavy loads the 20 can never duplicate.
 
FWIW, I seldom use a 12 gauge anymore. As old age and bad health creeps up on me, I only use a 20 gauge now. Honestly, I can't tell a bit of difference afield with a 20 gauge. I wish I had gone to a 20 long ago.

A 20 gauge slug will put venison in the freezer. 20 gauge Walmart promos will do anything else I need a gun for. I have a 20 gauge pump at the head of my bed with Walmart #6s in case I get an uninvited guest.

Ain't nothing wrong with a 20 gauge. The only time I would use a 12 gauge is if I waterfowled. Since I don't waterfowl, the 20 gauge will serve me well.
 
I have put more game down with a 20 gauge than a 12. Deer, squirrels, doves by the bag limit, etc...a Beretta over under that my father gave me when i was 14, in imp cyl and modified. When he later caught the big C, he used it for the same, as the weight and recoil was more managable and he never failed to go home with a sack full.
 
Are 20 gauge shotguns useless?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Why have a 20 gauge shotgun?
Click to expand...

My God man, are you daft.:eek:

20's are sweet, sleek, and sexy. They handle like a quarter horse as opposed to a plow horse. It's like the difference between taking a spin in a Ford Mustang, or picking up the groceries in the old F-250.

And if ya want practical reasons,----well I'll get back to ya.:o jd
 
20 gauge...

Rethought... They are not only useless but junk too...
Send them all to me for proper disposal...
Brent
 
No the .410 isn't useless either .... see my notes above - same issues apply in my mind ( but I hope you weren't serious Troy ...)
 
No Good

Any bird fired at with a shell marked "20 gauge" will show no ill effect even if struck with multiple pellets. A 20 gauge is in the same class as .30-30, useless. Nothing can be killed by a gun that doesn't kick the snot out of you.:confused:
 
I gave up waterfowling years and years ago. I didn't like early mornings and being cold and damp. :p But a 18-21" barrel on a 20 gauge loaded with #3 buckshot is a dandy home defense shotgun. Light, quick handling and fast recoil recovery make it nearly perfect. With the slug barrel installed, it'll take deer very well with saboted slugs and it's quite accurate out to about 150 yards.

I put the longer barrel on my 870 20ga for busting clays and found it much faster to pick up and lead than the 12 gauge. And I didn't go home with a sore shoulder either. :cool:
 
My dad has a couple 20 ga BPS's, one has a deer barrel, is drilled and tapped and wears a scope. He loves it because the 20ga recoil doesn't knock you around like a 12 would and its alot easier to stay with the deer. Also its alot lighter than a 12 to drag around through the woods all day. The other is still sittin new in a box waiting for its day, his 20ga 1187 priemer is his go to rabbit gun and its fast swingin an a ton of fun to shoot. I love it for shooting skeet!
 
I find its very useless. A pound and ahalf of weight doesnt bother me, Im sure you can find 12 gages that way less than a 20 aswell...I have never had a sore shoulder from shooting any loads of shot for a 12 gage. The only neat thing of a 20 gage would be the slugs and why bother when the 12 is bigger,badder, and more accessible. I wouldnt MIND having a side by side 20 gage for ****s and giggles but the ammo is cheaper for the 12 oppose to the 20... A brick of 100 12 gage is 24.99 here and the 20 gage is 32.86. Not much of a difference but that pays for half my box of clay pidgons. to me the 20 gage is useless ur stuck with waterfowl, and apparenlty deer? Which I never would consdier becuase the deer on the mainland (Alberta, Sask etc) can reach up to easy 300 pounds (trophy)..the 12 waterfowl, deer, blackbear, and lower to medium size brown bear. camping/home defense. obvously I would perfer to use a rifle on the deer and bear but the shotgun is a possibility to make the hunt more interesting.
 
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My favorite uplands gun is a Franchi Black Magic 20 gauge. It weighs less than 6 lbs and it can be carried all day and you don't even know it is there. I have carried seven lb guns in the uplands. Not in over 40 years. When I discovered the Franchi 48, it grew on me. I recently replaced the extractor. It was worn to a nub from thousands of rounds. No other part has been replaced.

When the Black Magic came on the market, I had to have one. It is a sexy little shotgun that is remarkably light and doesn't have a lot of recoil. It is a sweet shooting gun.

BTW, 12s and 20s are the same price at Walmart. I use nothing except promos and they do me a good job.
 
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