waterfowl with 20 ga. 3 inch???

P

Pete G

Regular
GunNutz
Rating - 100%
161   0   0
Location
Canada
Does anyone here hunt ducks & geese with a 3 inch 20 gauge, or have a buddy who does so?
If so, are results at all comparable to a 12 ga. or for the sake of the birds, should the 20 be left at home?

With the 20, I suspect choice of ammo may make a big difference in performance......what are the best choices from your experiences ?

Thanks,
Pete G
 
My wife uses her Rem 870 in 20 ga for ducks. I had to look around a bit to find suitable ammo for her. We settled on Kent 3 inch #4's for ducks and #2's for geese, both @ 1550 fps & 7/8 oz of shot.

Speed is critical with steel & most of the ammo we were seeing around was 1200 or 1300 fps, NOT suitable IMHO... I called Kent & got the # of a local stocking business...

20 ga works fine with a suitable ammo. This duck found that out...

IMG_07487.JPG


Cheers
Jay
 
3 inch 20 ga

Thanks Jay.....I liked the photo......duck looks very dead......dog looks very determined. 7/8 oz. shot just does not seem like much for ducks and geese.
I have never hunted with steel.....My wife and I have English Setters so my time is spent on upland birds.I like the twenty gauge guns and thought I might try for ducks /geese once in a while.In fact, the last ducks I shot were just a little south west of Ottawa!!!
Pete
 
Stick with either the kent fast steel or step up into the realm of Hevishot and similar non toxic rounds. They may cost more but they sure do kill birds. That being said inside of 30 yards I'll take the kent fast steel anytime.
 
JamesM said:
Stick with either the kent fast steel or step up into the realm of Hevishot and similar non toxic rounds. They may cost more but they sure do kill birds. That being said inside of 30 yards I'll take the kent fast steel anytime.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. We have a young guy that hunts with the boys here at times. He pounds them with his 20ga 870 and kent fast steel.
 
I shot a 20 for geese for awhile, with Federal 2's at 1350fps it clobbered them nicely out to 30 yards. A friend gave me a box of handloads consisting of 7/8ounce of B shot at 1700 fps they worked as well as the 2's but the pattern density suffered and even though I killed a few birds out to 45 yards I would limit my shots a bit more. Next year I think I will switch to Kent 2's or get some see if I can persuade someone to load me up some 1's at 1700fps .

I believe the average hunter would be better served with a 20 gauge than a 12. Most people can't make use of the edge the 12 gives and the can avoid being kicked around as much ,the only upside is they can afford to miss a little more as 12 gauge shells are normally slightly cheaper.
 
Pete G said:
Does anyone here hunt ducks & geese with a 3 inch 20 gauge, or have a buddy who does so?
If so, are results at all comparable to a 12 ga. or for the sake of the birds, should the 20 be left at home?

With the 20, I suspect choice of ammo may make a big difference in performance......what are the best choices from your experiences ?

Thanks,
Pete G
Click to expand...
I use a 20 gauge as my goto gun, and shoot right along side the 12's all day.
I have used black Cloud , kent, Winchester, and Federal.
My choice for steel is kent #2's in 3", but the Federal Premium in 2 3/4" works just super as well - the felt recoil is a bit less than the kent, which is a big concern for me.
I also have had good kills with the winchester dri-locs, but for the most part, the Kent is about as good as you can get in my books.
Some of these birds were taken while flying quartering away at over 30 yards.
cat

DaveandRob1.jpg

Dapp6.jpg

DSCF0808.jpg
 
Last edited:
20 ga

Cat, thanks for including the photos........I assume that is you with the o/u
20 and the great looking( and happy) dog.
I guess that you all have convinced me that the 20 with proper loads and someone who can shoot is not going to be at great disadvantage at reasonable yardage.
Thanks everyone.
Pete
 
i thought of using a 20 gauge for shooting crows out of the sky .the crows are real curius to hear whats in distress when i use my predator calls .they fly just at tree top level . would the 20 gauge be enough .and what shot to use .
 
I use/used a 410, 20, 16, and 12 guage successfully for uplands and waterfowl.

As for just the 20, I have never used anything but 2.75" shells and never had a problem dropping ducks and geese.

Here's my pedestal for the day:
If you learn to shoot, you don't need 3" or 3.5" magnum. Similar to the magnum craze in rifles. The elk can't tell the difference between a 7-08 and a 7RUM, and ducks can't tell the difference between a 20 with 2.75" and a 12 shooting 3.5" magnums.

Enjoy the 20.
 
Pete G said:
Cat, thanks for including the photos........I assume that is you with the o/u
20 and the great looking( and happy) dog.
I guess that you all have convinced me that the 20 with proper loads and someone who can shoot is not going to be at great disadvantage at reasonable yardage.
Thanks everyone.
Pete
Click to expand...

That pop gun only has a 27" barrel as well, so don't let anyone tell you you NEED a 30 incher for reach.
Centre the head in the shot pattern and a flying bird will come down - be it 30 yards or 20 feet.:D
IcabodDuck.jpg

Cat
 
Inside the decoys there's nothing a 12ga can do better then a 20ga, other then save you a few penny's on the cost of shells...
 
Shot upland for years with a 20 and never had any problems. Used #6 for almost all shooting including crows and magpies. Never shot migratory birds with the 20 but really never enjoyed that shooting anyway. Like said before, you have to learn to shoot.
 
Well if you can afford Tungsten Matrix from Kent in 20 gauge you can kill geese all day long with your buds and their 12 gauge's. FS
 
Fassteel said:
Well if you can afford Tungsten Matrix from Kent in 20 gauge you can kill geese all day long with your buds and their 12 gauge's. FS
Click to expand...

cheapest i've found it has been $45 for a box of 10 shells (seen it priced, anyways.. never had an opportunity to buy it 'cause nobody seems to carry it!)
 
Went out hunting ducks and pheasant with a buddy who just got a 20 ga Benelli for Christmas.
His 20 and my 12 ga Benelli shot side by side and the kills were equal. I must admit I fired a couple more rounds than him.:redface:

Its always better to over lead than shoot behind.;)
 
the comeback kid said:
cheapest i've found it has been $45 for a box of 10 shells (seen it priced, anyways.. never had an opportunity to buy it 'cause nobody seems to carry it!)
Click to expand...

Watch for sales. I was able to find TM at both Coop (Saskatoon) and BassPro (Calgary) when they were blowing it out, I paid less then %50. Check with P&D in Edmonton, they were having a smoking sale on TM and still may be blowing it out.

As much as I like TM if you are going to pay retail go with Remington HD, denser then TM and costs less.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom