Is the 20 gauge the 6.5cm of the shotgun world?

Frulk said:
I always thought the 20 gauge Mossberg Youth shotgun was a nifty package. If I didn’t have the 20 gauge BPS that would probably be my primary grouse gun. I’ve shot one a few times at a friends spread and just liked the way it felt/fit. To me it carries like a 30-30 lever in the field.

Course, Mossbergs and I go way way back and like a good friend they always treated me right.

On the question of gauge. There will always be a spot or three for a 12 in my gun rack. It’s like 4X4 or torque. When you need what it offers there’s no substitute.
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thats one of the guns I’m trying to learn to like but is on the chopping block. Mossberg 500 20ga youth crown grade. It’s a super handy package. I like the short stock and 22” barrel
 
ericuda said:
Guess maybe I am a better shot than you.
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How far are you shooting with your .410? Some of us have very tall timber we are shooting squirrels out of and at 40+yds the 410 just isn’t cutting the mustard In my experience
 
Never used a shotgun on squirrels, use 22. I leave the 410 for flying game. Doves are a good time with 410.

The 410 can do well for squirrels out to 40 yes.
 
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MacAR said:
I don't reckon anybody asked you. But that's ok, you go play with your pop-guns bud.
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Little advice, don't challenge the folks on the line using a pop gun.

Either way been a 20 gauge fan for its purpose but when you talk 6.5cm which is a fairly new fad the 28 takes over. 12 mag be better but 28 and 6.5cm is the popular choice today.
 
Buzznrose said:
I understand the logic but only due to shell availability and price these days of me since I don’t reload shotgun shells.
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Honestly this is my second shotgun but junior isn't ready for the wingmaster... it's at my dad's, it's an herlume and I've never shot it.
 
Only the cool kidz.

I have stuck with the 20 since the first shotgun I shot. One of the only guns I have hung onto all these years.
 
ericuda said:
Little advice, don't challenge the folks on the line using a pop gun.
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Again, I don't reckon anybody asked for it.

I'm not now nor will I ever be a competitive shooter. I hunt for meat and enjoyment, in that order. My old guns work just fine for me, and I'm sure they'll continue to do so. But since we're giving unsolicited advice, here's a suggestion: leave your pop guns at home if you come to the tall timber of the Ozarks.

My apologies for derailing the thread, you all may now return to your regularly scheduled programing.

Mac
 
Grew up with a 20. Never felt handicapped on the partridge and rabbits we hunted. Then I got out of college, all educated up, and decided I needed a 12 to be good for everything, including turkeys that were non-existent when I was a kid. But now 35 years later, I'm looking for a deal on a B-gun O/U in 20. Please don't tell me the 20 is now the shotgun equivalent of 6.5CM...I really want a 20 again...but...but...
 
JumboJVT said:
Grew up with a 20. Never felt handicapped on the partridge and rabbits we hunted. Then I got out of college, all educated up, and decided I needed a 12 to be good for everything, including turkeys that were non-existent when I was a kid. But now 35 years later, I'm looking for a deal on a B-gun O/U in 20. Please don't tell me the 20 is now the shotgun equivalent of 6.5CM...I really want a 20 again...but...but...
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The 6.5 part was a joke, I'm rather happy with it so far. Never really liked the tactical shotguns in the navy, but I did want something I was familure with.
 
I have always liked the 20 gauge, but I only have three: an unfired Remington 870 DU dinner gun, a Russian Baikal O/U and a well used LT 20 1100. (My Dad gave me the DU gun along with a 12 ga Beretta A303 DU dinner gun. I may or may not ever shoot them.)

I have shot lots of informal trap rounds with the 20, but I have never hunted with one. I have used the 16 ga on the dove/quail/rabbit/squirrel hunts that I have been on to decent success so I tend to gravitate towards the forgotten mid-bore for those pursuits. :)

Stay safe.
 
I should add, where many in my state are choosing the 20 other than as a youth option, is for slug hunting in the shotgun only zone. The ammunition has come so far, there is little or no disadvantage to shooting 20Ga sabots vs 12s. I'm admittedly somewhat ignorant on the specifics here, going off secondhand reports, so feel free to correct me. Many are choosing the lighter, faster handling gun, often with a youth stock in deference to the heavy clothing worn during a MN November and different shooting posture vs wingshooting.
 
mcb said:
For the little kids, 410 if you hate them, 28 gauge if you want them to succeed.
20 Gauge for the ladies and children.
24 Gauge for landed lords.
16 Gauge for the discriminating gentleman.
12 Gauge (3-inch) for the all around best shotgun.
12 Gauge (3.5-inch) for an even more all-around shotgun if you don't mind the extra weight.
10 Gauge for the hardcore Turkey, Goose hunter.
410 is also for those that don't have anything or everything to prove.

Just my opinion and worth what you paid for it. I started with a 410 for one year of rabbit hunting at 9 years old. Jumped up to 16 gauge the next year to get my first rabbit. A few year later went to 12 gauge and stayed their for years. Until I saw the light and for my last few years before I moved out of Ohio I did all my hunting, Dove to Deer with a 410 shotgun. Turkey is about all I hunt with a shotgun anymore...
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Yes I like your scale.
You could gear it towards age too. Starting at .410 for the youngest shooters....increasing gauge in relationships to age and bloodthirsty-ness until about 41 years old at 3½ mag 12ga(or 10ga)...then declining back down to .410 by the time you reach 82ish.
 
Armored farmer said:
Yes I like your scale.
You could gear it towards age too. Starting at .410 for the youngest shooters....increasing gauge in relationships to age and bloodthirsty-ness until about 41 years old at 3½ mag 12ga(or 10ga)...then declining back down to .410 by the time you reach 82ish.
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I have to many other good options and none of the restrictions to ever shoot slugs. I was pondering getting the combo with rifled barrel but for an extra hundred I didn't see a reason. If I really just had to, I could use a rifled slug, but again I'd probably have at least 3 better options. I did pick up a box of #3 buckshot just to have a shell or two whilst hunting to have options. More of a go away coyote thing.
 
I have and use both 20 and 12 gauge for hunting. For grouse or when my back hurts I carry a 20. For pheasants and target shooting I generally use a 12. A 12 clearly has denser patterns and more range. And shells are cheaper. Also my slug gun is a 12 Gauge. 20 gauges are and always have been popular. 12 gauges are better for more range and better patterns. Use whatever you like. One is not better than the other, a half ton pick-up is not better than a 3/4 ton. It depends on what you use it for. Don't pay attention to gun snobs and there is no relationship between gauge and gun caliber.
 
I like the 20 gauge a lot, and have at times done a lot with them by developing various loads, some of which carried more shot than anything you can buy off the shelf. But, the 12 just has more capability for when your needs exceed what the 20 can do.

Instead of being the the 6.5 CM of the shotgun world, I'd say it's more like the 7.62x39. If you select the right gun and the right loads, it could meet most people's needs for a big majority of what they actually do with a rifle, and would be just great for a lot of stuff. But it ain't a .308.
 
I guess I took question is the 20 gauge as popular and a fan favorite today as the 6.5 cm is. That's why I said 28 as it seems to have gained popularity.
 
For dove, I think 20ga is plenty. I hunted with 12ga for most of my life. One year, I used a friend's 20ga, largely because I had come into a free case of 20ga shells and was getting low on 12ga shells. I had no more trouble filling my limit than I'd had with the 12ga -- my shells-per-bird average was about the same, and I didn't notice any increase in wounded-not-dead doves.
 
Trap, ducks, geese, deer, defense=12 ga.
Skeet, quail, dove, fun=20.
Squirrel, skeet frustration=410.
Just my two cents.
And almost seventy years of shotgunning.
 
I use a 12 ga for ducks and turkeys. 20 ga for all upland game birds, pheasant thru woodcock.
The 20 ga 3” killed the 16 ga, perhaps the best all around gauge, pre nontoxic shot days.
 
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