20 gauge or 12 gauge?

[JimKirk]

I'd say ...get up off your lazy butts and go measure with a tape the distance at which you would most likely in your house to have to shoot a BG.... then go out tomorrow and shoot either a 12 or a 20 ga with your choice of loads at that distance ...... and see what the pattern looks like....then say either is not suited for HD...then next time you're down at the meat market ask the meat guy to save you a couple bad hams then shoot them at that same distance and come back and tell which is not suited.... I double dog dare you! Even the birdshot!

Jimmy K

 

[NASCAR_MAN]

Gee I don't remember seeing you there that night. It was one animal that got shot 3 times with a 20 ga. and kept on trotting around. It was a rabid fox btw. One blast from a 12 ga. stopped it dead in it's tracks. One of the shots from the 20 ga. was from point blank range (about 2 feet). The fox was right in front of my sliding glass door so I slid the door open just enough to stick the barrel out and blasted the varmit right in the rear quarters. It didn't even flinch. Another shot was from about 10 feet straight down from my balcony and the other was from about 25 yards.

Uh...maybe the Fox was on PCP, or had been hanging about with the local Methamphetamine dealers...so he was a supecharged Fox? Neveretheless, you are full of crap. The blast from a 20 guage into the hindquarters of a Fox at that distance would have caused enough Musculature, Skelatel and Nervous system damage to stop him...no matter what!

Go peddle your BS elsewhere!

NASCAR

 

[SleazyRider]

Barrel length for HD?

But what about barrel length? Regardless of gauge, doesn't anybody feel that the shotgun they use for hunting is a bit unwieldy for use inside the home?

I ask this question simply because I am considering the purchase of a shotgun designated for home defense.

 

[Grunt]

To look at me and what I have on hand here, one would probably figure me for a 12 gauge and 12 gauge only man since currently that's all I have in inventory. That being said though, I'm still looking at getting one of the Remington 20 gauge Express home defense shotguns for my son in a few years. The reason I have stuck with the 12 gauge over the years is because that's what I grew up with, that's what I have stocked up on and it's a very versatile gauge. However, there is no way I would take a 20 gauge shotgun lightly in the defense arena. At home defense distances, be it 12 gauge 00 buck or 20 gauge #3 buck (although now there is 00 buck for 20 gauge as well) I really don't think it's going to matter all that much. Yes you do get a larger payload with the 12 gauge but I don't believe that the slightly smaller load of the 20 gauge is going to make that big of a deal. I see it as the shotgun equivalent of the .308 Winchester vs. .30-06 debate.
Where the difference is going to be is in the guns themselves. If a 20 gauge is built on a 12 gauge receiver and the guns are of equal weight, the 20 gauge is going to be the lighter recoiling weapon with all else being equal. However, if the 20 gauge is built on a lighter receiver, the recoil may be equal or possibly even greater than the 12 gauge but the trade-off is a lighter, quicker handling gun.
In any event, I think the 12 gauge is more versatile but the 20 gauge is still a very acceptable chambering for defensive use as well. As far as availability, the 12 gauge is probably a little more common but not so much more common that I see it as a major selling point. Bottom line is go for whatever one you prefer and don't worry about it.

 

[MCgunner]

But what about barrel length? Regardless of gauge, doesn't anybody feel that the shotgun they use for hunting is a bit unwieldy for use inside the home?

No, I hunt doves with a 20 gauge Remington Spartan coach gun and when I get home, I pull the mod choke out of it and run Cyl/IC with number 3 buck. It's shorter, lighter, easier to move with than any Remington or Mossberg pump with any barrel not class three. That's sorta what I like about it. It ain't what the military uses, but then, I ain't in the military.

 

[JohnBT]

"It was one animal that got shot 3 times with a 20 ga. and kept on trotting around. It was a rabid fox btw. One blast from a 12 ga. stopped it dead in it's tracks."

So the 4th shot stopped it? What does that prove? It was probably ready to fall over if you'd kicked it or shot it with a .410.


MCgunner, don't ever try out a 28 ga., you'll be hooked. But expensive ammo and all, as it turns out it's like being a member of a not-so-secret society. There's no secret handshake or anything, just the joys of shooting the 28 and the knowing grin you get when somebody discovers you like it too. Lots of folks think it's a little gun like a .410 that won't do too much except up close. Wrong.

John

 

[MCgunner]

Jeez John. I just graduated from 12 to 20 on doves, well, moved BACK after a lot of years, actually. But, I think my first O/U might be in 28. Sure are a lot of 28 lovers and I feel left out, frankly, and why get another 20 or 16 or 12 or 10? I don't have a .410. Some folks like the .410. I started with a .410. If I'm going to pay that much for ammo, though, I'll get a 28, more exclusive club if nothing else.

 

[Mossberg535]

Pop quiz time

Lets say you (everyone can answer ) can only have ONE shotgun to last the rest of your life. It can be any make and model and any gauge you like....whats your choice and why ?
Remember, this is the last and only shotgun you will ever own.

 

[Mossberg535]

I would obviously pick a 12. Definitely has to be a pump. Not really sure about what brand. Definitely not a Mossberg if its got to last the rest of my life because I hate the safety.

 

[MCgunner]

My choice is to move to Texas cause that state's gun laws suck!

Since my primary hunting is waterfowl, I'd HAVE to go 12. It's light for geese and its way heavy for doves, but I couldn't shoot a 20 on geese. If it was just ducks, I would be perplexed and have to think about this one for a while. The 20 can do ducks and is a better dove and upland game gun being a lot lighter/faster. Would either be a stack barrel or a SxS. Pumps are clumsy. In 12, maybe an auto, though. Main reason I have a Mossberg pump is it's easily replaceable in a salt water environment.(aka cheap) and I prefer the safety.

 

[inSight-NEO]

I never bought into the "more versatile" reasoning. How versitile does a shotgun need to be?

It should be as versatile as you need it to be.

Are you going to be breeching doors one moment then shooting quail or something after that? You need some steelshot, buckshot, slugs, turkey loads, birdshot, target loads, low-recoil, magnums, less lethals, small game loads and it goes on and on. How many of these are you realisitcally going to need on hand?

Not sure. Depends on the occassion (minus breeching, of course). As far as "hunting loads" are concerned, well, I dont consider that much seeing as how I am generally against hunting. But, even so, if I were a hunter of sorts, I would appreciate a few more options on the table.

Just like a swiss army knife, it is nice to have all the tools, but you are really only going to use few of them often.

Maybe not. But again, its nice to have the option(s) if/when I do. Nothing wrong with that.

Either way, 12 ga. or 20 ga., it makes no difference to me what others prefer or use. If I could only have a 20, I would not complain. But, since the 12 is available to me, I prefer this route. Each to his/her own.

 

[JohnBT]

"If I'm going to pay that much for ammo, though, I'll get a 28"

There you go. Clearheaded thinking. I have a .410 if I need one - a Winchester 37 single shot.


"ONE shotgun to last the rest of your life"

I think I'd take a 28 ga. O/U. Light, easy to handle, minimal kick, efficient patterns. I'm 59 (TODAY!!!) and will probably just keep on using my Guerini Woodlander...



Of course if I hit the lottery I might be tempted to order a matched pair of best guns to go with it.

John

 

[freakshow10mm]

Lets say you (everyone can answer ) can only have ONE shotgun to last the rest of your life. It can be any make and model and any gauge you like....whats your choice and why ?
Remember, this is the last and only shotgun you will ever own.

20ga Remington 870 with 20-21 inch barrel and choke tubes.

 

[oneounceload]

I think I'd take a 28 ga. O/U. Light, easy to handle, minimal kick, efficient patterns. I'm 59 (TODAY!!!) and will probably just keep on using my Guerini Woodlander...



Of course if I hit the lottery I might be tempted to order a matched pair of best guns to go with it.

THERE ya go....maybe some AyA?? Perazzi's???? go for the gold ring - nice matched pair of Fabbri's........

The 28 is a GREAT gauge- leaves your shoulder intact, breaks targets, brings down birds........and are just so svelte and lithe.....

 

[snooperman]

Mossberg 535 , only one gun and how many barrels??

Well, I would go with the Remington 870 with 3 barrels in diierent lengths in 12 ga, of course with a number of choke tubes. If I could not have the extra barrels, I woulkd go with a custom Ithaca model 37 22' barrel in 12 gauge fitted with for choke tubes.

 

[Rem700]

There are way more factory available loads for the 12.
Why compare the 20ga 3bk to 12 ga 00? if you want apples to apples instead of apples to oranges try compareing the 20ga 3bk to 12ga 4bk.

 

[MCgunner]

THERE ya go....maybe some AyA?? Perazzi's???? go for the gold ring - nice matched pair of Fabbri's........

Heck, yeah, if it's ONE shotgun to last a lifetime, I ain't buyin' a cheap POS 870 or 500! Screw that, I'm spending some bucks on something nice, fitted to me, preferably. I'll just wax the heck out of it for use in the salt marsh. LOL! A Perazzi or something, I can always have it refinished if it gets rusty, I mean, if I'm stuck with one shotgun for the rest of my living days on the planet. I mean, why bother with cheap stuff the commoners use if you're restricted to one gun. Take out a second mortgage on the house if you have to, but get that one gun that will last and that you can take pride in. You can get multiple barrel sets, too, for different jobs.

Heck, I'm sorta thinkin' Holland and Holland or maybe Purdy here.

 

[JohnBT]

When I hit the lottery...

I have long been attracted to the Scottish guns of David McKay Brown. Here's a used 3-gun set of 12 ga. SxS. He makes 28 ga. guns too in both O/U and SxS and there are 4 matched SxS's shown on his site under the WOOD listing. Killer stocks on the them.

www.mckaybrown.com/wood.html

www.gunsinternational.com/McKay-Bro...n_id=100063765&CFID=10046156&CFTOKEN=70876296

"Matched Trio of Round Action, Side-by-Side shotguns, numbered 1,2 and 3 in a Custom Three-Gun, French polished, Oak and Leather Motor Presentation Case." 99% condition, only $150,000

I don't know if I'd go SxS or with an O/U like this:

 

[Shotgun Shooter]

I dont have a preference. I own both a 20ga and 12ga. My 20ga is a single shot and 12ga is a pump action. 20ga is fun to go out and have some fun. Rabbit/squirrel hunt with it. I'll be using it as a lender if anyone wants to go with me.

S.S.