[nathan]

Comparable to a 12 G in 2.3/4 load?

Is there a limited choice in terms of buckshots , slugs and birdshots for 20 G?

Thinking of getting one Remy 870 Youth for my son.

[Dave McCracken]

Usually, the 12 gauge load will pattern better. 3" is a long shot column that leaves the lowest pellets deformed.

There's less options in 20 gauge. 3 buck is standard.

The 870 YE is a decent shotgun, but your son may do better with a shotgun that kicks less. The YE here is an emphatic kicker with 2 3/4" loads.

[308win]

My dad started me out on a single shot 12ga - the gun was really short as the barrel and stock had been shortened. This made it lighter which made the recoil worse. Shooting it was not fun. Fitting a kid is a trade off between recoil and something size-wise they can effectively handle. If it was my kid I would be looking for a good auto with the intent of trading into something longer term for him as he got older.

[MCgunner]

I started out with a .410 and shot dove with it. 20 was what the grown ups used. :D

Yeah, the long 3" is supposed to string the shot column much as what's written about the 3.5" 12. However, I know for a fact that it kills ducks over decoys about as well as a 2 3/4" 12, so I don't know if it's a big deal as many make it out to be. Steel shot doesn't deform and that might be why the 3" seems to work for me. Steel is mandated for waterfowl, don't have a choice of using lead. I do know recoil in MY double (which is a light gun) is lighter with 2 3/4" and comparable with 3" to the 12.

I shoot a 12 gauge Winchester M1400 auto that breaks that recoil rule, though. It's light as any 20 on the shoulder, but it's a pretty heavy gas gun.

[classic095]

Just think, how many drams equivelent and weight of shot.. 12 gauge,, 3 dramas equivilent with 1/0z shot, 20 gauge 3 drams equivilent with 1 oz of shot. Now ask yourself what is the difference..:rolleyes:

[ArmedBear]

Uh, the 20 Gauge shot is being squeezed down a smaller barrel, and therefore will pattern differently?

And when would you need to move up to a 3" 20 Gauge shell to put 1 oz. of shot in it, anyway?

Dram Equivalent is just an approximation of powder charge.

I can't see how your answer has anything to do with the question.

[ArmedBear]

nathan, 20 Gauge will not offer the same variety of loads as a 12. It can't.

However, you may well not need it to. It's a fair bet that 20 will offer anything your son needs. Certainly in birdshot, there's no problem at all. Buckshot maximum pellet size is necessarily smaller than in 12, but what will you do with it? Slugs are readily available in 20, too.

What you probably don't want to bother with are 20 Gauge 3" loads, for anything other than the steel shot waterfowl loads MC mentioned. 3" lead shot shells are rare, expensive, and pattern dubiously.

[arcticap]

I shoot a 20 gauge YE to this day and the only 3 inch shells that I have ever fired were Winchester "Magnum" Turkey Loads containing 1 1/4 oz. of buffered #5 copperplated lead shot. These pattern well and kick hard but are still pretty managable. The 20 just doesn't produce quite as dense of a pattern as the 12 so the effective range is less. Standard 7/8 oz. all purpose loads and 2 3/4" slugs are easy to handle and plenty effective.
However, some 20 gauge deer slugs are said to have a longer effective range because they can shoot flatter than some 12 gauge gauge slugs.

[PJR]

One of the less pleasant days I've spent shotgunning was patterning some 3" 20 gauge shells. The combination of a light gun and a heavy load made for an uncomfortable range session and the patterns weren't impressive.

I'd much rather shoot a 2-3/4" 12 gauge.