12ga or 20ga for shooting clays?

12ga or 20ga for shooting clays?

  • 12ga

    Votes: 86 75.4%

  • 20ga

    Votes: 28 24.6%
  • Total voters
    114
chemo

chemo

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I wanted to start busting clays this spring but now I'm just clueless
At first I wanted a 20ga O/U since I already have a 12ga pump for all sorts of game

the reasonning was that my 12ga is a bit strong for small game so I could use the 20ga O/U for small game and clays
I just had a chat with a shooter/hunter and he said forget 20ga for shooting clays, better stick with 12ga because 20ga is just as strong on small game but weaker for clays


So if 12ga is indeed the only way to go for shooting clays, I don't see the need of buying another shotgun if my pupm is capable of doing it (even if pump is less popular in trap/skeet/sporting clays)
enlighten me




UPDATE POST#24
 
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I don't agree that a 20 is "weaker" for clays but fine for hunting. It's fine for both. The 12 gauge with more pellets is preferred for clays but the 20 will do well. FWIW, I shoot a 7/8 ounce 12 gauge load which the equivalent of the 20 gauge target load.

It also depends what you want to do with clay shooting. If you intend to take lessons and become competitive the 12 might give you a slight edge but if your objective is to have fun and keep your shooting skills up for hunting season then a 20 gauge o/u will be just fine. Using the same gun for clays and hunting tends to make you better at both.

And when you really want to have fun starting thinking about the 28 gauge. :)
 
I have just ordered a nice 28 ga. It will have a 30 inch barrel (a lot of negotiating with the numbnuts), a pistol grip, a single NON selective trigger, choked 1 /4 1/2 (ic mod), Very special wood!!! chosen by the owner René (over 30,000 sq ft of temperature and humidity controlled warehouse), barrels at 50-50 at 30 M, Partridges on one side with pheasants on the other and clays on the bottom! Delivery is in 4 months. I will pick it up while in Europe for the Italian FIATSC and Euro in France and maybe the Belgian where I shot the first perfect 25/25 by a Canadian in a World competition.

http://www.chapuis-armes.com/C135-Artisan-Upland-C165-Artisan.html

Check out the French version of the site. It has more pics including the wood warehouse and a video. The lower priced guns have laser engraving!

It will be a very enjoyable gun to use for 20 and 28 side games at the Great Eastern Lobster and also on birds over my dog, Oban!

Best regards,
Henry;)
 
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hnachaj said:
I have just ordered a nice 2 ga. It will have a 30 inch barrel (a lot of negotiating with the numbnuts), a pistol grip, a single NON selective trigger, choked 1 /4 1/2 (ic mod), Very special wood!!! chosen by the owner René (over 30,000 sq ft of temperature and humidity controlled warehouse), barrels at 50-50 at 30 M, Partridges on one side with pheasants on the other and clays on the bottom! Delivery is in 4 months. I will pick it up while in Europe for the Italian FIATSC and Euro in France and maybe the Belgian where I shot the first perfect 25/25 by a Canadian in a World competition.

http://www.chapuis-armes.com/C135-Artisan-Upland-C165-Artisan.html

Check out the French version of the site. It has more pics including the wood warehouse and a video. The lower priced guns have laser engraving!

It will be a very enjoyable gun to use for 20 and 28 side games at the Great Eastern Lobster and also on birds over my dog, Oban!

Best regards,
Henry;)
Click to expand...

I think a 2 ga. is a little heavy for Clay games. Other opinions may differ.:p
 
I shoot skeet with my 28 gauge and enjoy it a lot more then shooting with my 12 gauge. I have a Browning 525 Field O/U. It is not a gauge for everyone but we have a lot more guys shooting it now then when I first started.

I have used it on sporting clays but have never tried it on trap so I would think that it would depend a lot on what type of clays you are planning on shooting.
 
I'd say don't ask that shooter/hunter guy for advice again.

The 20 will work fine for clays.

Once you start to enter competitions, use the extra edge the 12 can give you.
 
I would tend to go with a 12-gauge, for the added versatility. If you have an O/U shotgun, you can use sub-gauge inserts to convert it to 20 gauge, and have the best of both worlds.

Examples are Chamber Mates, Side Kicks, GaugeMates, and perhaps Lil Skeeters (although the latter are less expensive, they don't seem to get very good reviews):
htt p://ww w.chambermates.com/
htt p://ww w.briley.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=103
htt p://ww w.gaugemate.com/
htt p://ww w.littleskeeters.com/products.htm

12 gauge gives you a higher load (typically 1-1/8oz; more pellets, but more recoil). 20 gauge, with its lesser number of pellets (7/8oz) and lower recoil, helps develop better skills.
 
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I'm with Bullwinkle on this one. Sub-gauges are ideal for sporting clays and skeet (if choked correctly). Claybuster is right in the sense that a 20 ga. is not materially different than a 12 ga with light loads, but I still prefer a 12 ga for trap. (Probably because the extra weight absorbs more recoil - a benefit when shots are in quick succession.)

As has already been said, if you're shooting clays as practice for hunting, use the gun you'll be hunting with.
 
straightshooter said:
As has already been said, if you're shooting clays as practice for hunting, use the gun you'll be hunting with.
Click to expand...

It's the case for now, and since overall 12ga seems to win, I don't see why I should get the 20ga. I'll just train play skeet/trap with my pump

yay, saving money :D
 
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