12ga vs. 20 ga.

TheTooner

TheTooner

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I'm thinking of getting a double, probably because I'm bored. (I have an 870 in 12ga 3.5" that like all my guns, I shoot less often than I like, and it can serve well enough for any shotgun task, but so what?)

I'll probably want a side by side, because I tend to like old-fashioned things, and use it mainly for shooting clay, casually, and perhaps it will be preferred if I start going out after upland birds.

One other application might be to take youngsters (and maybe other people who tend to be smaller and lighter) shooting clays.

Thinking of those youngsters, will a 20 gauge feel much different in recoil from the same gun in 12 gauge?

And in actual downrange performance, how much difference should one expect?

I guess I can research ammo prices myself, but these questions I think are best answered by those of you with a fair bit of experience shooting both gauges. Thanks.
 
You will probably find that an individual's ability to take game with a 20 gauge is similar to his ability to take game with a 12 gauge field load. The 20 gauge guns are usually scaled smaller and therefore easier for youngsters or adults of small stature to manage. The 20 is certainly a better choice than the .410 which is often imposed on a youngster, and few would have issues with recoil if the gun fits them. Doubles are usually stocked longer than pumps or autos, and therefore you might find that a double 20 that fits you is on the long side for a young shooter.
 
12ga. & 20ga. ammo prices are about the same, .410 quite a bit more. A 20ga. sxs has a nicer profile and scale IMO compared to 12ga., they just handle that much smoother for me.
 
Why not go with a 16ga? The power of a 12ga.with the easy carry of a 20.
Now I will just sit back and wait for everyone to tell me that 16ga shells are "impossible" to find. :rolleyes:
 
16 gauge shells are impossible to find.

:p

I think for what your describing a 20 is what you want. Nice and light, and powerful enough. I've always had a hankering for a 28 myself, but have owned a 20 SxS before, as well as a 12. The 20 was far nicer to carry.
 
Win 64; Have I got a deal for you!! An Fn auto 5 in sweet 16. (not a fixed breach). 16s seem to have a much harder time if you want to resale (here). Tooner, you have a 12 work horse now get a 20 classic. They all go bang and are fun. You sound like you are leaning toward a 20, if it is not what you want there is a good resale market. All just MHO though. Good luck & good on you for taking out the kids shooting. AJ
 
I can shoot clay with my 20g. O/U all day long, the same can't be said for my 12g. After about 200 rounds of 12g., you(I) start to get a little sore. The size in guns is different too. I found the Condor O/U 20g. competion just perfect. Light and swings like a dream. I like 16g and I don't find them hard to get in individual boxs, but I love the Bulk 100rd. cases from Walmart and Cdn tire, $28 can't go wrong.
 
urbaneddy said:
I can shoot clay with my 20g. O/U all day long, the same can't be said for my 12g. After about 200 rounds of 12g., you(I) start to get a little sore. The size in guns is different too. I found the Condor O/U 20g. competion just perfect. Light and swings like a dream. I like 16g and I don't find them hard to get in individual boxs, but I love the Bulk 100rd. cases from Walmart and Cdn tire, $28 can't go wrong.
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Instead of the Walmart bulk 100 pak's. You should try buying flats of Rem. Gun Club or Federal Top guns. They go for around $65 a flat (10 boxes) and they are better shells.
 
I won't own a 20 gauge, because I own a 12. There's nothing wrong with the gauge, I'm sure it's nice, but there's a caveat.:runaway:

It would be too easy for me to feed a 20 into a 12 gauge mag by accident, if it was in one of my shirt pockets, or range bags, thoughtlessly.A 20 gauge shell slides down into the chamber, and continues until the rim hits the end, and sticks there, out of sight. A 12 gauge will chamber right on top, and Ka-Boom!

It's easy for someone much more perfect than me to be arrogant and say, "well, I'm absolutely careful, and wouldn't ever do that!".:rolleyes:

But I'm just an average Joe. I lose my keys or wallet once a week or so, I've put the cereal back in the fridge, instead of the milk, and at least twice that I can remember, I've looked around for my glasses in the morning, for a minute or two, before realizing that I was wearing them. I'm extra-special careful when it comes to guns, but I've still tried busting on a clay with spent shells, or have forgotten to #### the hammers, or release the safety first. More than once, unfortunately.

I HAVE to treat guns like their always loaded unless I checked them just a second ago, because they just might be loaded.:eek: It's not uncommon for me to check the chamber, get my train of though interrupted by someones unexpected question, or comment, and then double check the chamber again, just for reassurance.

So when we covered the importance of checking headstamps in my pal course, I just made a deliberate decision not to own two similar cartridges, that will result in a KB! when chambered in the wrong gun. That might mean I don't get to own some of the necked down variants, when I already own the parent cases, but that's my life, and I'd like to preserve it.
 
I have a 19 year old daughter who has been chronically ill most of her life. She loves to shoot, and is an archer. She cannot handle rifles and shotguns because she is tiny. A 410 is all she could shoot, and is what she probably will end up with. She is not a fan of semi autos, and cannot handle a pump. A double is what suits her best stock length wise. I have selected my 1894 Marlin in 357 as a decent rifle for her to shoot. Handgun wise, a long barreled Ruger Blackhawk handgun as best for her to shoot. She can manage the handgun quite well. Sometimes you have to fit the gun to the person, and a 20 gauge can be quite heavy and large even for young boys. It's not the recoil, its just ability and physical limitations, not everyone is built like a tank.
 
DATAM said:
I have a 19 year old daughter who has been chronically ill most of her life. She loves to shoot, and is an archer. She cannot handle rifles and shotguns because she is tiny. A 410 is all she could shoot, and is what she probably will end up with. She is not a fan of semi autos, and cannot handle a pump. A double is what suits her best stock length wise. I have selected my 1894 Marlin in 357 as a decent rifle for her to shoot. Handgun wise, a long barreled Ruger Blackhawk handgun as best for her to shoot. She can manage the handgun quite well. Sometimes you have to fit the gun to the person, and a 20 gauge can be quite heavy and large even for young boys. It's not the recoil, its just ability and physical limitations, not everyone is built like a tank.
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For recoil, a semi-auto 20 shooting target loads is like a butterfly's kiss. And it smashes targets just like a 12.
 
Bobby Ironsights said:
It would be too easy for me to feed a 20 into a 12 gauge mag by accident, if it was in one of my shirt pockets, or range bags, thoughtlessly.
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Do you constantly fill your gas tank with diesel? Or cut off your fingers while chopping vegetables? Let me guess - you've stabbed your eyes out with a fork while eating, right?

That really is the silliest reason to not own a 20. You're more likely to get your **** caught in a sausage grinder.
 
Yeah we know the 20 is easy to shoot, but she cannot handle the length of the action, or a significant ammount of weight. Her reach is just not there, I tried her with a 20 gauge wingmaster and she looked like she was holding a Brown Bess Musket. A double is shorter, albeit a might heavier in some cases, but a 410 coachgun suits her just fine.

She loves shooting handguns, and has no problem shooting my .45 Colt, except she hates the cases flying around and the action of the slide. Using the Ruger, or any revolver, she is fine, and recoil is not the issue. Just cant seem to get a decent shotgun for her to use.
 
Pietro Beretta said:
It's 12GA or nothing...20GA would be great for your 13 year old son
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I find that an odd sort of response. Examination of the two shells does not bear out that conclusion.

Take for granted that very few clubs allow loads with more than 1 1/8 oz. of shot, and that a good many shooters use 1 oz. loads.

Now, a 1 oz. load can be made up in a 2 3/4 inch 20 gauge hull as easily as it can be in a 12 gauge. Let's say we drive each load to 1200 feet per second, a reasonable speed for a target load with lead #8 shot.

If we have a 12 gauge gun weighing 7 1/2 lbs. and a 20 gauge weighing 6 1/2 lbs., and we shoot our 1 oz. loads through each, then the 12 gauge will deliver about 15.18 ft./lbs. of recoil energy, but the 20 gauge will deliver 18.68 ft./lbs. There are many recoil calculators on the net, go see for yourself.

In this case the poor 13 year old gets battered worse than the old man shooting the 12 gauge - it would be better if they swapped guns.

Of course one can make up 12 gauge shells with 1 1/8th oz. of shot and 20 gauge loads with 7/8th oz., and we can have a lighter 12 gauge gun and a heavier 20 gauge. If we stick to 1200 fps. and say that both guns weigh 7 lbs., then the 12 gauge will deliver 20 ft. lbs. of recoil energy compared to 12.5 for the 20 gauge. In this case the 13 year old is better off with the 20 gauge. Of course then Dad would be shooting 100 more pellets of #8 shot per load, compared to Jr.'s 20 gauge - but you want to look good in front of the kid.

My point is that there is far more to it than simply saying sub gauge guns are for kids. A lightweight 20 shooting heavy loads can be a punishing gun, while a heavy 12 shooting club loads can be a real pussycat. Think about the gun and the loads rather than making sweeping (and often incorrect) statements.


Sharptail
 
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