20 gauge or 12 gauge for hunting

ellisjason

ellisjason

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I hear a lot of people are going with a 20 gauge now for duck hunting. I just want to see what the opinion is on 20 vs 12
 
I would go with a 12 guage for ducks as well. More or less you are sitting in a blind so that weight is not particularly important, which means less recoil for the shooter. I would also lean towards the 20 for upland birds because of the light weight

cheers mooncoon
 
The 12 gauge is the best overall duck/goose shotgun. I also do shoot my 10 gauge a lot, but a 10 isn't for everyone.

Like the guys have said, the 20 can be a great upland gun, but a nice lightweight SxS 12 gauge can also be a great upland shotgun.
 
Geeze it's hard enough to hit a duck with a 12 just to hear the pellets bounce off and the duck fly along merrily. I just couldn't consider a 20. I know I know steel shot is the problem, not the gauge,, but less gun doesn't make it any better.
 
There are those that use a 20 gauge for waterfowl and yes they will kill ducks/geese fine within a certain range. However, in my personal opinion, I too would go with a 12 for waterfowl and 20 for upland. However, as already mentioned, there are some nice light, great handling 12 gauge sxs's out there that are wonderful for upland. Plus you don't need to use heavier, 2 3/4" loads for upland in the 12 if you don't want or need to. You can buy lighter 2 1/2" loads. Of course these might not work in a semi-auto but I'm not sure what type of gun you are after. Bottom line, if you have only one gun I would go with the 12.
 
10 for geese 28 for upland. I know not much help. I'd prefer the 12 for waterfowl and 20 ga for small game and upland myself. However a light sxs 12 is perfect for small and winged game
 
12 is such overkill for upland for the most part. 20 gauge is more than up to the task. 12 is great for ducks and geese. I've never found any use for the 12 gauge 3.5".
 
I guess terrain and distance are factors in that decision. For upland, around here at least, the shots are tight quarters, so 12 just blows them to shyte. A 20 allows me much less mess. For ducks, I use a 12, more for the selection of ammo, and they are a heck of a lot faster flying. More pellets in the sky means more meat on the ground.
 
In the right experinced hands, I personally think a 3inch magnum 20 that is steel capable could certainly do just fine at closer ranges. Most likely over decoys in a field.
Bismuth and tungsten matrix are even better if you can afford them very pricey shells!
For pass shooting of any waterfowl, especially geese, most of us mere humans should use a 10 or 12 bore IMO.
 
A 20 over decoys - keep the birds under 35 yards - will work fine as long as you do your part. Just realize you are slightly handicapped compared to a 12.

Is there a particular reason you want to go with a 20 gauge?
 
curseyou said:
Geeze it's hard enough to hit a duck with a 12 just to hear the pellets bounce off and the duck fly along merrily. I just couldn't consider a 20. I know I know steel shot is the problem, not the gauge,, but less gun doesn't make it any better.
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If you are hearing pellets bounce off a duck, you are shooting way too far.
 
A 12 gauge is the way to go for ducks and geese and turkeys. A light 20 gauge is ideal for carrying a good distance when hunting upland game birds.
I do have a lightly built break-open single barrel 12 gauge though, and it's always brought the birds down and not been a pain to carry. I'd go with a 20 gauge over and under for upland game, but if I could only pick one gauge it would be the 12.
 
My favourite bird gun is a 20, be it for waterfowl over decoys or wild pheasants!
NEVER had an issue using steel shot with it over decoys.
20 Gauge FAIR Safari 500 with 27" barrels
Cat


 
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