Shotgun reloading question, need experienced advice

[Peter M. Eick]

I am planning to buy a new shotgun for sporting clays and general bird hunting here in Texas. I have a good feeling on the gun I will buy, but I am faced with a gauge problem. I am not a big shotgun shooter but I can see that sporting clays will be a game for me for the next few years.

I really don't have a clue if I should buy 12, 20 or 28 gauge.

In my mind 12 is the easiest to buy stuff for and probably the cheapest. I don't know enough about the others to even comment.

I plan on reloading, so any advice on which way to go?

Thanks

 

[243winxb]

All Purpose Shotgun

The 12ga. in a 3 inch chamber can be an all around gun. Reloading will give you many choices of how much shot you want to load, with many different velocities. If you want smaller gages later, buy an over/under shotgun, install Briley tubes http://www.briley.com/ sets in the smaller gage for skeet or what ever. A 12ga is good for trap,skeet,sporting clays, hunting. Look at Brownings, good o/u.

 

[Seafarer12]

I vote for the 12 too. It has the widest range of what it can do. It will have the widest variety of ammo at the lowest price. Also when it comes to reloading it will be the easiest to find hulls for and reloading presses.

My next choice would be the 20. Thats what I will go to if my shoulder won't let me shoot 12's anymore.

My last choice would be 28,16, 10, 410. I grouped them all together just because I wouldn't want any of them unless someone gave me one. Ammo costs too much not really any once fired hulls out there, not a good selection of store bought ammo out there.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

That is kind of what I figured. The 12 gauge is the 30/30 of shotguns. I just wanted to make sure I was not missing some reloading detail.

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: A 2 3/4" 12 will do it all 99% of the time.

Unless you are a duck & goose hunter, or otherwise restricted to steel shot, a 2 3/4 Mag will knock your shorts in a knot.

As for 20's kicking less then 12's?
Not so much.
They are generally much lighter then 12's and kick just as hard.
I have a little Ithaca 20 ga double quail gun that will hurt you with 3" shells.

rc

 

[Rembrandt]

How good a shot are you? If you can break targets with 7/8 or 3/4 oz loads then a 28 gauge may be a cost saver. Twelve gauge target loads will be either 1 or 1 1/8 oz....lead costs being what they are that could add up after time.

The down side of a smaller gauge is there's less pellets to hit the target.....guess that's why I prefer the 12 gauge.

 

[PotatoJudge]

At Academy a case of 12, 20, 16, and 28 gauge loads is the same price (same brand and load). Last I looked Win AA was about $70-80 or so a case, which gives you 250 reloadable hulls. After that start looking at shot price per load and cost of a reloading setup (easier/cheaper for 12ga obviously). Since you're going to be shooting a double, you shouldn't have problems with lost hulls so those 250 should last you a while.

 

[rbernie]

12ga 7/8oz shot loads seem to be popular for the clays crowd, and that load will kick no more than would a standard 7/8oz 20ga load.

If you get a semiauto - just be sure that it'll run the light 12ga loads.