Does anyone here prefer the 20 gauge?

The one trade off I noticed is that since 20 gauge guns are usually smaller and lighter than 12 gauge ones, they can sometimes feel like they kick more. I have shot both a 20 and 12 gauge 870 side by side and while the 20 gauge is a lot lighter and more pleasant to carry, the 12 gauge one was more enjoyable to shoot. The recoil from the 12 gauge was a lot less noticeable. YMMV.
 
I took out my 20 gauge 870 with my wife, and we both shot and it was a very positive experience. She could use it easily, and after the holes it put in targets and cans , I have no doubt a bad guy would be needing an undertaker!
 
I for one ,don't think the 20 ga. is just for small folks and kids . I'm 6' 3'' and weigh 280 and I love to shoot my little Brownning ou 20 ga. at Dove and Quial .and have been knowen to take it Phasent hunting . I have 4 12 gages ,2 ,16 gages 3 ,20 gages and 2 410s but to me the 20 is my go to gun for fun .
 
Hipshot33

You are right, the smaller gauges are for the "real" wing shooters.

The best bird hunters I know use 20 and even 28 gauge shotguns. A 12 gauge is what I use, but I admit to needing that extra shot in the pattern. I am trying to get more practice in so that I can switch to a smaller shotgun.
 
a bolt action 20

I picked up a mossberg bolt action .20 ga (and a bolt .410) in a package deal. I was told I cant shoot slugs through them but from what you guys are saying the 20 is good for everything up to turkey. I think I'll try it on some some tree rats next week.
Ken
 
I just bought a 6-6.5 pound Remington 870 Youth 20 gauge, and dont really notice the recoil, which I've shot my other H&R Single-shot 20gauge enough that it shouldnt bother me. I shot my 870 alongside my brothers 870 12 and to me the 12 was a bit harder, but then again, I held them both pretty tight and let it go from there. Recoil is noticable, but not when you're having a good time pump them shells out, hehe.
 
reply

hi, in respose to your post. i dont think that using the 20 gauge makes u any less of a man. yes my 11yr. old sister uses one, and yes i haven't used one since i was 9yrs old. but what the hell does other peoples opion matter, if u like the way it shoots then shoot it. i my self like how my mossberg 12 g. shoots cause the birds here in georgia must eat wonder seed. because i've hit doves dead on with my 20g and they just dont drop. but u bust there ass with a 12g. they drop like a rock. now as for the comment about the guy dropping a deer with a 20g i'd have to see that to believe it. cause i just dont think a 20g packs the wallup u need to drop a deer. but if u use a 20g. and have a successful hunt then stick with it. just make sure if u drop more birds or what ever ur hunting u rub it in the guys face who was picking on u.
 
Point Blank Shot

Federal has a 20 gauge slug that launches a 273 grain projectile at 1900 feet per second. I suppose you could quietly sneak up to a sleeping deer. Then place the muzzle a few inches away from a vital area and pull the trigger.

Hopefully that will dispatch the deer.

If it's a BALCO deer, then you better have a ten gauge slug.
 
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20g. fine for H defense

Brothers,

I have both a 12g & a 20g. The 12g is an HK Benneli. Its awesome. However my Winchester model 1300 defender speed pump is almost as fast as the HK.

I believe the 20 is fine for H defense. Its also light weight, under 5 lbs, and easy to trick out w/alot of accessories. I put a rubber Pachmyer pistol grip w/a Houge forward grip. Thats all it needed. Possibly a sling, light & xtra rounds. However, I already got that stuff on my HK.

Experiment w/different loads. A #3 buck shot is lethal in the 20. I also picked up some slugs for H defense. They kick a little but not that bad...

Also the price of the Model 1300 was under $400. The HK was $700 back in 1998 when I bought it. So its affordable, functional and lethal!

Laterz, S Tzu
 
20 or 12 they both make holes

I dont know about anyone else but i'm sure if you came in my house and i shot you with buck shot from a 20 ga at say ummm 10 feet,my guess is you would be leaking alot of oil.same for my 12ga.Ofcourse i own a benneli nova 12ga tactical setup for home protection but if i had to use a 20 auto i would without hesitation.I love my beretta a303 for birds ,since thats all i hunt anymore.I have shot just as many birds with me 20 as i have with my old 12 870.the 20 is light quick to point and just an all round fun gun.And my wife says i'm all man lol
 
American4guns

Do you mean that the shot from your 20 doesn't bounce off the birds?

Do you expect us to believe that you actually drop birds with a shotgun without the number 12 stamped on the barrel?:D
 
Make it stop!

Hey folks, I finally joined after reading the fourms for a long time. Comeon folks, the debates 'have' to end. 9mm vs .45 , 20g vs 12g, stopping power debates..pFFT...all the debates are missing one thing.... LOGIC. It really doesn't matter if its a 20g a 12g, a 9mm or a .45 or a .357 or even a .22 for that matter. IF YOUR SHOT IN THE FACE WITH IT, YOUR GONNA STOP! thats your stopping power. I doubt very much anyone shot in the face/body in close quarters(HD) by a 20g is going to be very much interested in contining in whatever it is that they were doing.

I mean come on, whos ever cut themself or caught a staple in the finger/splinter/stepped on a nail...ok you step on a nail , say your 200+ pounds..ok that nail went into your foot with 200 pounds of pressure (purely illustrative not a physics major here).. THAT HURTS LIKE A *****! just imagine a peice of metal flying into your body at 1200FPS+! Sorry i dont buy that because they dont get shot with a 12g or a .45acp round that its not going to "stop" someone..w/e :p I think we tend to forget some reality here because most of us never have had to shoot someone and have Never been shot.

I venture to say i could stop an intruder with one shot with the lowest 20g load, to the face. I dont know to many people who have skin made from kevlar. Jeez even A somewhat slow RUBBER dodge ball to the face (10fps) hurts like a mother.

the gunners community needs to stop arguing and get along. lets fight the bow hunters or something :D lol j/k
 
I have degenerative spinal disease and I shoot a 20 because of that. But through the years I have learned this. A 20 does have a lot less recoil than a 12 ga. I can shoot a 100 clay bird event with my 20 where with a 12 I had back pain trouble after shooting 50 birds.

When I first started shooting my 20 on trap, the guy's at the club had all sorts of remarks and looks down the nose etc.. After I broke my 1st 25 straight with my 20 and 7/8 ounce of shot, the remarks and such got fewer. As my shooting with it progressed the remarks have stopped. They accept the fact I can shoot a 20 and still score as well as they do with their big bores.

As for upland birds I find if you are properly choked and using the right load for that bird. You can kill just as many as any other shotgun.
 
Pop Quiz

Here are the two shotguns for this question.

A 12gauge Remington 870, 28 inch barrels, and a modified choke tube installed.

A 28gauge, Browning over and under, 26 inch barrels, both barrels with modified choke tubes.

Both shotgun will shoot light field loads of eight shot.

A patterning target is set up at thirty yards.

Which shotgun will produce the largest pattern on that piece of paper?
 
Central/eastern South Dakota boasts some of the very best pheasant hunting anywhere on our planet. I've seen quite a few big roosters toppled out of the sky with 20 gauge shotguns and improved cylinder or modified choke. I prefer #5 as first choice. Good combination of pattern and lethality. This is a keeper gauge!

Years ago, the sweet 16 gauge was very popular. But things change and this great gauge has faded from widespread use.
Jack
 
I like a 20 when going on long hikes for birds such as partridge and quail .... the lighter the better since I am going to put lead shot on them if they flush no matter what load I am using.

Russ
 
what I shoot depends on what I am hunting. For quail, rabbits and squirrel, I like a 20ga. For dove, ducks, and varmints, I take a 12.
 
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