12 or 20 guage

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Duffy1

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I am very new to sporting clays and skeet and as some of you might recall from my earlier post I am researching which shotgun to buy. I think I've settled on the Browning Citori 525 Sporting Grade 1with 28 barrels. Now the question is which guage to buy. I've shot this gun in a 12 and it's comfortable. Advice I got from a friend I respect was that I should get a 20 -less recoil means I can spend more time shooting - comfortably.

What I don't know is what the impact of distance and velocity a 20 Vs 12 would be - can a 20 "reach" as far as a 12? Is one more accurate than another (or is that a function of which ammo - in which case can you share your insights on that topic as well).

Thanks,
 
Well, if you want to shoot 7/8 oz. loads, you can do it in a 12 Gauge, too. But you can also get good patterns with 1 1/8 oz.

20 Gauge only recoils less if there's less powder and shot. Sometimes, a 20 recoils more because it's a lighter gun, especially with a heavy load.

For skeet, you might want a lighter gun for a faster swing. But for Sporting Clays, 12 seems to be king.

The Citori 12 is a big artillery piece; the weight will mitigate the recoil, especially with a pad. The 20 is certainly a lot more agile; I don't much care for a Citori bigger than 20 for that reason. But a light gun recoils more, not less, ceteris paribus.

There are a LOT more factors that play into shotgun selection than recoil. And if you really cared so much about recoil, you'd get a gas-operated semiauto.

So what else are you considering when you make your choice?
 
Well if you have other intended uses for the shotgun, namely home defense, I would go for 12 gauge. If this is strictly for sporting, then your friend is right about the 20 gauge. More shooting comfort and cheaper (I think) ammo.
 
Get the 12 gauge, You can load it so many different ways from 7/8 oz to 1 1/8 oz. The extra weight of the 12 will soften recoil and help in your follow through. I have a Citori XS Sporting in 20 ga and it will bite with standard 7/8 oz target loads. My 425 12ga is more pleasant to shoot with 1 oz loads. As far as hitting the target, I see little difference between shooting a 20 or a 12.
 
The 12 gauge has much greater possibilities than the 20. Take a look in your favorite gun shop or chain store.

The 20 gauge ammo displayed will show two or three shot weights.

7/8. 1/,1 1/8 oz are all there is.

12 gauge stuff has these, and also 1 1/4, 1 3/8 and so on.

20 gauge buck is limited to 3 buck and if you're very lucky, 2 buck.

12 gauge has sizes up to 000.

And so on.....
 
BTW, my next gun will be a 20 Gauge, because I am on my 3rd 12 Gauge acquisition in a row, and the next niche will be best filled by a 20.

The niche? Upland birds, mostly dove and quail, with pheasant a possibility.

Why a 20? My 870 gets heavy and uncomfortable to carry after a few miles in the sun, and it's relatively slow to shoulder. I want something in the 6-6.5 lb. range, preferably with a straight English or POW grip, and a butt plate that doesn't hang up on my shirt or jacket. Remington's 11-87 Upland Special looks good, since the Berettas with English grips are $4500. The Ruger Red Label in 20 is also a great upland gun, and the Wingmaster or even Express 20 Gauge are the best ways to get near 6 lb. on a budget.

This gun will kick a good deal more than my 12 Gauges (870, BT-99 with Limbsaver, and 1100) with equivalent loads, because they all weigh a lot more. But ease of carry and quick snap-shooting from a low position are more important, since hunting doesn't involve hundreds of consecutive rounds here.

If you're at the range, you will be shooting lots of rounds, and the gun can sit in a rack or resting on a toe tab much of the time, so an 8 lb. or heavier gun is not a problem. It's easier to shoot well, once you get the hang of it, especially at targets going hard left or right. And it recoils less, simply because of the laws of physics: a heavier gun doesn't accelerate as much under a given amount of force as a light one.

So, at the range, 12 is my choice. Skeet could change that, but SC, 5 Stand, and Trap won't.:)
 
Without a doubt, the 12 gauge. It does everything the 20 does only better, particulary in clay target games. And with equal payloads it will recoil less than the 20 and give you better 'effective' patterns.

I would also "suggest" you look at the 30" bbl model. You might find that helpful in Sporting clays, longer shots, and no disadvantage in skeet...win-win situation. Just a thought before you buy!
 
Well, i'm a 20 gauge kinda guy...Other than for HD (using 3" magnum Buckhot loads) I greatly prefer a 20...Lighter to carry in the field, esier to swing, etc. Never "killed" anything (clays or game) that wasn't just as "dead" with a 20 as I did with a 12... Especially if I was looking for a nice double, it would definitely be a 20.
 
Get a 12 gauge. As a beginner you'll need the extra edge that a 12 gauge provides. Smaller gauge guns are for more experienced shooters.
 
When I was 18 years old, I bought a Browning A-5 Light 20. Over the years, I periodically comtemplated getting a 12 gauge, but avoided it. The A-5 did everything I wanted it to, and I didn't want something that kicked me any harder than the A-5. Fast forward to being 50 years old. I finally decide to get an 870 in 12 gauge for home defense. Surprise, surprise. The 870 feels better to shoot. Steel frame, heavier weight, rubber recoil pad of the 870 vs. A-5 aluminum frame and no recoil pad. I spent much of my adult life fearing something I didn't understand and didn't take the time to find out about.

The A-5 is a GREAT gun and I still have her. But now, more often than not, it's the 12 gauge 870 that I shoot.
 
Armed Bear;

I was recently in the same mode as you've described above. I wanted a light English stocked 20 for mountain grouse. Mountain hunting tends to put a premium on light weight ya know.

I thought I'd shot craps until I found an NIB Franchi Veloce 26" barreled English stocked gun on the rack at the local emporium. Since Beretta has ceased production of the Veloce's I never thought I'd see one new. So I've bit da bullet as it were & put it on the dollar down, dollar a month plan & will pay full pop for it.

Just thought I'd note that to you with the admonition to get serious about searching if that kinda thing is what you really want. There may still be a very few left in the pipeline.

900F
 
Scottso, if you ever meet Debby Ohye, Rebecca Etchen, Kim Rhode or a few others that come to mind, your words will come back to haunt you...
 
Dave lighten up it was a joke. So many Elitist's here, have some fun go out and shoot some clays or something Man. My wife is an expert with a 12 gauge so no harm no foul.
 
Armed Bear,
My bride shoots an 1100 Special Field in 20 Ga. This is basically an LT-20 with an English stock and it is everything you described. Light, fast handling, easy to carry, no pad, just a plastic butt-plate. Everytime I shoot it, I am reminded of my old '55 Marlin 336 with a straight stock.
Cool gun.
Mike
 
Mike-

Does the SF have a shortened magazine tube vs. the LT20? How long is the barrel on that gun?

I've handled one LT-20 and I love it! But I'd love to get my hands on a 20 G SF. I've never even seen one.

Of course, I could get a new 11-87 Upland Special, which is very similar, but I'd have to save up.:)
 
I'm not sure about the mag tube length but a standard LT-20 barrel fits this gun. It came with a 21" twin-bead barrel and we bought a 28" for her to shoot sporting clays as it swings a little better. Both barrels are fixed choke mod.
 
As others have said, if you only have one shotgun (which I do), make it a 12 gauge. I have a Winchester SX2, that I've pretty much only used for trap. The last time I went to the range I tried a 20 gauge Beretta 391 (iirc). I really liked how light it felt compared to my gun until I fired it. With 7/8oz #9 shells it had significantly more recoil than my gun with 1 1/8oz #8 shells. After one round of trap with it, my shoulder felt like it normally does after 6-7 rounds with my gun. I also didn't shoot as well with it, which could be due to any number of reasons, but I doubt the smaller pattern helped me much.
 
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