Its partly that I needed an excuse to buy a new gun, and partly that I was thinking I could use a smaller shotgun. But once I really looked into it I soon discovered the selection of guage is not such an easy matter. I've always hunted upland birds with an old 870 Wingmaster 2 3/4" 12ga model with a fixed full choke.....it was all I had, until I recently acquired a newer 12ga 3” adjustable choke model.
Thinking my old gun was overkill and over-choked I though I would see what 16ga had to offer, only to discover they are becoming very rare and that 20ga is now the only midsized Wingmaster available. Besides this, 16 ga is limited to 2 3/4" shells and seemingly have low capacities compared to 3" 20ga shells.....
This is where the my thinking may differ from many; Though this would be my upland bird gun, I often pass by ponds that occasionally hold waterfowl, and I carry a deer licence at the same time. So I like to keep a few big thumping waterfowl rounds and some buckshot on my belt even when upland hunting.
Though it is pretty rare that I shoot anything other than partridge, I still like to be armed with the option. And it seems that 20ga upland shells pack nearly the capacity of the 12ga anyway (7/8 vs 1oz light loads, and both have 1 1/4oz heavy field loads). So it seems hard for me to see an advantage to the 20ga, when it appears the 12ga can be just as gentle on upland birds and still hammer bigger game.
I do see some weight savings though, the 20ga comes in 2/3rds of a pound lighter than the 7lb 12ga. But that doesn’t seem significant to me…So I guess I’m left wondering, why are 20ga so popular.
Thinking my old gun was overkill and over-choked I though I would see what 16ga had to offer, only to discover they are becoming very rare and that 20ga is now the only midsized Wingmaster available. Besides this, 16 ga is limited to 2 3/4" shells and seemingly have low capacities compared to 3" 20ga shells.....
This is where the my thinking may differ from many; Though this would be my upland bird gun, I often pass by ponds that occasionally hold waterfowl, and I carry a deer licence at the same time. So I like to keep a few big thumping waterfowl rounds and some buckshot on my belt even when upland hunting.
Though it is pretty rare that I shoot anything other than partridge, I still like to be armed with the option. And it seems that 20ga upland shells pack nearly the capacity of the 12ga anyway (7/8 vs 1oz light loads, and both have 1 1/4oz heavy field loads). So it seems hard for me to see an advantage to the 20ga, when it appears the 12ga can be just as gentle on upland birds and still hammer bigger game.
I do see some weight savings though, the 20ga comes in 2/3rds of a pound lighter than the 7lb 12ga. But that doesn’t seem significant to me…So I guess I’m left wondering, why are 20ga so popular.
