20 G for waterfowl??

"...Due to the danger involved..." What danger would that be? Your supposed to be able to tell the difference between 12 and 20 guage ammunition to get the licence. Aayway, a 20 would do for ducks, but is a bit light for geese, unless they're close.
"...never seen 16 gauge steel shot..." 16 guage ammo isn't terribly common at all.
 
after numerous shoulder injuries I only use the 20 G now for waterfowl and it hasn't hindered me one bit, I just need to be aware of what my limits are with the 20 compared to the 12
 
sunray said:
"...Due to the danger involved..." What danger would that be? Your supposed to be able to tell the difference between 12 and 20 guage ammunition to get the licence. Aayway, a 20 would do for ducks, but is a bit light for geese, unless they're close.
"...never seen 16 gauge steel shot..." 16 guage ammo isn't terribly common at all.
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People tend to forget and not look at what they are putting in therir guns at times, be it a rifle or a shotgun.
That is why I stated that one must be diligent in checking.
If a 20 goes into a 12 it will fl down past the point of where another cartridge can be chambered , of course, that is the big danger.
Cat
 
the 20 will be no problem if you don't take marginal shots.

Hell my waterfowling is fairly low hit percentage anyway. Not sure I could blame the gauge of the shell for that!
 
catnthehatt said:
People tend to forget and not look at what they are putting in therir guns at times, be it a rifle or a shotgun.
That is why I stated that one must be diligent in checking. If a 20 goes into a 12 it will fl down past the point of where another cartridge can be chambered , of course, that is the big danger.
Cat
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Especially with pre dawn darkness. inexperienced hunters, people swapping jackets, pouches, in attention due to excitement, etc. I just choose not to add to risks and do not hunt with a mix of 20 gauge and 12 gauge in the party.
 
Darky said:
My wife shoots ducks, geese,and turkey with her 20ga. No problems with quick kills as of yet!
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Same! Except for the turkey part, she has not shot a turkey yet...

The ammo is Kent, it was the only stuff I could find that was 1550fps... I bought her a case of #2's for geese & #4's for ducks.

The other stuff I saw was ~ 1300??? Remember, with steel, SPEED kills!

Cheers
Jay
 
Jay said:
Same! Remember, with steel, SPEED kills!

Cheers
Jay
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If you have a chrony make a shield for it back up 30 yards and fire both the 1300 and 1550 fps loads thru it. I think you'll be surprised to see they are almost the same velocity at 30-35 yards. The faster you drive the pellets from the muzzle the faster they loose velocity. Faster shells may help cut the lead however
 
stampede said:
Maybe a 16 gauge ?

Due to the danger involved, I never have both a 20 and 12 gauge on a trip. It is relatively easy to slip a 20 gauge shell into a 12 gauge, not remember or pass to another shooter who loads a 12 gauge shell with disastrous results.
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So do you insist that everybody only shoot 3" 12's or 3.5" 12's?
That is a pretty paranoid way of thinking if you ask me, but if it gives you piece of mind, fill your boots.
I hunt with several guns and make sure of what I am chambering and make sure that what I am chambering is what fits the gun, that's it.
The pitcure above has a 2 3/4" semi, a 20 gauge, and a 3" pump gun in it.
NOBODY in that picture has ever worried about what the oter guy shoots.
Cat
 
I only ever considered the 20/12 to be a problem with break action firearms. Assuming you are loading from the magazine; can you load a 20 into a 12 gauge semi or pump?

I'm going to try that Fasteel but I feel like the 1550 fps is kind of ridiculous. Are there any slower 1 to 1-1/4 Oz loads in steel?
 
Cintax said:
I only ever considered the 20/12 to be a problem with break action firearms. Assuming you are loading from the magazine; can you load a 20 into a 12 gauge semi or pump?

I'm going to try that Fasteel but I feel like the 1550 fps is kind of ridiculous. Are there any slower 1 to 1-1/4 Oz loads in steel?
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Try Remington sportsman. 1 1/8 oz #2 at 1375 fps in 2 3/4" 12ga
 
brybenn said:
Try Remington sportsman. 1 1/8 oz #2 at 1375 fps in 2 3/4" 12ga
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I did look at the Remington Sportsman but they only have one load for 20 gauge and its a 3/4 Oz of number 7 shot at 1425 fps. I'll consider it for dove this fall. I know it is about $10 a box locally which isn't terrible.
 
catnthehatt said:
I have used 2 3/4" Federal premium 4's and Winchester Dry-Loc 2's, but Fassteel 3"#2's and 4's work very very well in my gun with open chokes.
I also load Nice shot and Bismuth as well, but have found thyat the steel over decoys is all I need most of the time.


Cat
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Is the ginger stached fellow in the bottom pick holding a single shot. I'd like to use my el cheapo single shot for ducks as apposed to the pump,just for fun.Doesn't look like I'd be able to use this particular gun for goose using the larger non-toxic shot since it's a fixed full choke.
 
Cintax said:
I only ever considered the 20/12 to be a problem with break action firearms. Assuming you are loading from the magazine; can you load a 20 into a 12 gauge semi or pump?

I'm going to try that Fasteel but I feel like the 1550 fps is kind of ridiculous. Are there any slower 1 to 1-1/4 Oz loads in steel?
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Because steel is lighter than lead it has to be pushed faster because the pellets have less mass.
That is why most of the factory stuff is about 1,500FPS or better.
Cat
 
That ginger stached fellow is Lanny MacDonald, have some respect, he once brought the cup back to Calgary. Just joking of course that's a sweet haul of birdness right there.
 
catnthehatt said:
Because steel is lighter than lead it has to be pushed faster because the pellets have less mass.
That is why most of the factory stuff is about 1,500FPS or better.
Cat
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Yes this is true, but the faster you push it the more drag slows it down. By dropping the speed and adding more shot, can you get a fuller pattern? I feel that the 300 fps is a seemingly lost benefit when shots are taken within 30 yards anyways.
 
Not with steel, because it is lighter, you are already packing more shot into the shell than you would with lead.
The key to loading steel is to go with bigger shot and push it faster.
You have to get the shot moving faster for penetration.
if you start it out fast it is not going to slow down beyond its usefulness within normal shotgun ranges for waterfowl, but if you start it out too slow, it won't perform the way it is supposed to.
The ammo companies took more than a few years p0f testing to figured this out, and it is very well documented in hand loading manuals.
Cat
 
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