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Author
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Topic: whats is the difference between 12 and 20 gauge..except muzzle circumference?
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life157
Junior Member
Member # 14748
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posted
im wonder whether to buy a 12 or 20 gauge multipurpose gun.i know im going to buy a remington 870 express..but i dont know which one to chose...pleases help me and remeber it's going to be used for squirel...all the way to maybe even elk or csribou...and defently deer
Posts: 53 | From: Raleigh,NC
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speedy
Active Member
Member # 5084
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posted
12guage is bigger around so holds more shot. thats it.
Posts: 6275 | From: oklahoma city
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speedy
Active Member
Member # 5084
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posted
well true. that comes from the more powder to mush the more shot..lol i forgot about that.
Posts: 6275 | From: oklahoma city
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nicholas bod
Active Member
Member # 14135
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posted
I've always believed,the more lead out the barrel the better.Thats why I use 1 3/8 oz loads for most all my small critters.12 ga is my answer!..
Posts: 1504 | From: Southwestern Ontario Canada.
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Kimberman
Active Member
Member # 9758
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posted
For upland hunting the 20 gauge is ideal. They normally weigh less than a 12 plus the actual weight of the ammo is less. Believe me I was happy I had my 20 last year when I went chukkar hunting in Nevada hiking up and down moutains and covering alot of miles in a day. The 12 is better for all around hunting, especially when you start mentioning big game or waterfowl.
Posts: 842 | From: Knoxville TN
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MOwaterfowler
Active Member
Member # 14494
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posted
12 gauge you can load havy enough for turkey 2oz and also load down to 7/8oz for dove. plus the 12 will be hevier so it kicks alot less then the 20 in compareable loads.
if you want a lighter gun get a 16
the 20 is for punishing yourself for no reason or hurting your kids with recoil.
Posts: 460 | From: the lake
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Yacob_smirnoff
Junior Member
Member # 13800
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posted
In my experience i would rather shoot the 20 gauge when talkiin about recoil. I really only find the problem with the 20 is when it comes to taking down the birds. less BB's making a smaller pattern and spreading out more making it harder to hit your bird. I know it can be done with it because Ive seen my uncle take is 20 gauge and out shoot guys with 12 gauges in trap matches. but yea if your going after big game go with the 12. I know the 20 has enough for deer but dont think i would trust it with anything much bigger.
Posts: 74 | From: Flom
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Hard H2O
Active Member
Member # 1875
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kimberman:
For upland hunting the 20 gauge is ideal. They normally weigh less than a 12 plus the actual weight of the ammo is less. Believe me I was happy I had my 20 last year when I went chukkar hunting in Nevada hiking up and down moutains and covering alot of miles in a day. The 12 is better for all around hunting, especially when you start mentioning big game or waterfowl.
I think I read a while back that the weight reduction depends on the brand of 20 you are buying. Some manufacturers simply chamber their 12 ga. guns for 20 and call it a day. I believe that that is especially true with the less expensive models. If you find a 20 that has been truly scaled down for the smaller shell then it will handle and carry better than a twelve.
On the other hand if you have a 20 that is simply a 12 chambered for the 20 you will have the benefit of the heavier gun for taming recoil.
Posts: 2447 | From: Oakdale, Minnesota
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Haiku_Rodney
Active Member
Member # 11983
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posted
For an all-around gun, I would definitely pick the 12 ga. One other reason is, if you go after waterfowl with nontoxic shot, the 12 has enough capacity that you can realistically hunt with steel instead of the hevi shot or bismuth. I hunt upland with a 12 and a 20. The 20 is much more pleasant to carry, but, felt recoil is no less than the 12.
I reload for both gauges and the 12 has a lot more versatility. My upland load is 1-1/4 oz shot with a muzzle velocity of 1495fps. The 20 has load of 1 oz shot at a muzzle velocity of about 1300 fps.
Posts: 111 | From: Haiku, Maui, Hawaii
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wigeonmeister
Active Member
Member # 847
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posted
I'd go with a 3" magnum 12 gauge. Many more options available, and the 20 gauge won't have quite the reach of a 12 gauge, especially when and if you decide to hunt waterfowl with it. The Remington 870 Combo would be a solid selection, too. It comes with a 28" standard barrel as well as a 20" rifled deer slug barrel.
Why in the world you're listing elk in a conversation about shotguns is beyond me unless you're talking about close quarters hunting. Other than that, shotguns just don't have the range for it. With caribou, you'll likely need to think in terms of a rifle. Normally, you'll have to take longer shots to get one.
Posts: 4651 | From: Arkansas
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bluegillbob
Active Member
Member # 5475
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posted
Hello Life,
After toting a 12 and a 20 gauge, I'll tote the 20. The 20 will kill most everything with less recoil.
Since folks are killing elk and carabou at close range with archery equipment, a shotgun stoked with slugs/and or buckshot can do the job...if the hunter does their part. Many a hunter has killed deer with slugs and buckshot with 12 and 20 ga. shotguns. If I hunted deer with a shotgun, I wouldn't hesitate to use my 20 ga...as long as I do my part, the deer will be killed.
Small game...I'll take my 20 over my 12. I've used both, and the 20 is far lighter to carry than the 12 while walking. A 20 ga has plenty of killing power for small game.
If I were to have one shotgun, I'd choose the 20 ga. Granted, the 12 ga throws more pellets, and the shotguns generally weigh more than the 20 ga. I can put my 20 on my shoulder faster and put that bead on the critter sooner than I can with the longer, heavier 12 ga.
If you intend on hunting east of the Mississippi River, get a 20 ga with 2 barrels : a rifled slug barrel for big game, and a smoothbore for small game/turkeys/upland game.
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Robert
Posts: 6724 | From: Dudley, NC
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