Any reason not to buy a 20 guage?

[toallmy]

Everyone needs a good 20 , load your own and make em like you want. well in all honesty you can do that with a 12 as well .why not have both.but watch out for a light shotgun with a hevie load in either , taking a beating takes the joy out of shooting for most folks.

[725]

Got 10's & 12's but find I take the 20 out more and more. Good for geese with Hevi-Metal shot. A pocket full of 20's is easier to carry than a pocket full of 12's. Even gets better with 28's or .410's.

[NavyVet1959]

Back in the old days for duck hunting, it seemed like it was .410 for the young son, 20 for the wife, 16 for the older son, and 12 for the husband. And maybe a 10 if you were going goose hunting. I don't remember anyone with a 28 gauge back then.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

NOPE , I even bought myself a 20 last year , I have a few 12s but my sons Mossberg 500c 20ga was so handy that when I saw a used 500c in the LGS as a combo with a 26 inch accuchoke vent rib and rifled slug barrel for 225 with a mixed bag of shells and a case , I put down my money and walked out with it it was such an easy decision I don't think I was in the store 25 minutes with the paper work and background check

it is handy and light , I have the same gun in 12 ga as a combo but 12ga slugs in a M500 are filling rattlers and I don't even have much for fillings

[Greg S]

Alot can be done reloading the 20. 1 oz Copper plated 6s with some buffer in a Fed hull and wad with bdot and instant death to late season pheasants. Same could be said with a 7/8th oz load in a 12 or a nice tight patterning 1 oz load in a AA with gdot. If weight is an issue look at the 20s especially the old Rems old LTs. Shoulda would coulda, my last stack barrel should have been a 20. Turkey, no problem. Been looking for and 870 Special Field (straight stock) in 20 for some time. One of these days I'll just quit whining and pony up. The 3" is advantagious for the larger birds or longer reach.

[jsizemore]

Any reason not to buy a 20 gauge?

Ain't got enough money.

[smkummer]

There are light recoiling factory loads now for the 12 gauge in 1 oz. and 7/8 oz. that really negate the need for a 20. And if you are a reloader, you can make that ammo yourself. Gas operated semi auto shotguns also really turn the kick into a push. I taught a small frame gal how to shoot with a Winchester 1400 and a 1 oz load in 12 gauge, she never complained about the kick. Sure there are some small frame guns made for the 20 but in a double, these guns are not cheap. And a single barrel small 20 gauge almost kicks like a 12 gauge. I too started out with a 20 when I was young (9-10), (ducks in N. Dakota with lead shot) and was successful but around 12 years old, we went to 12 gauge. Again, you can always download a 12 gauge. So many options for ammo in 12 gauge.

[tonyjones]

Any reason not to buy a 20 gauge?

1) You don't want one.
2) You don't need one.
3) You can't afford one.

I'm in my mid 60's and have been hunting with a shot gun since I was seven. Over the decades I have shot thousands of birds
(ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, quail, pheasant, pigeon, doves, etc.) and many thousands of clay targets (skeet, trap, sporting clays, among others). At present I own 8 shot guns: 6-12 ga, 1-20 ga. and 1-28 ga. I need to add a .410 bore. To me, the main reason for a 20 ga. is that in similar guns, the 20 ga. will weigh less and is easier to carry. If I'm mostly stationary while dove hunting my 8 pound, 4 ounce sporting clays gun is great. If I'm spending the day behind pointing dogs in pursuit of quail and may walk 10, 12 or more miles, a trim light weight gun is a decided advantage, especially if you are an olde phaarrrtt!

I hand load almost exclusively because I can tailor my loads and I can make better ammo than I can buy. My 28 and .410 hand loads are also about 1/3 the cost of factory ammo. It is easy to come up with a 12 ga. load that patterns better that a comparable 20 ga. load, however, the 20 ga. has it's place. I load nickel plated lead shot for upland hunting and tungsten/iron for waterfowl. In 12 ga. I load 3/4 oz, 7/8 oz. and 1 oz. nickel plated and 3/4 oz through 1-3/8 oz. tungsten/iron, all at higher than factory velocity (1,400 to 1,800 fps mv).

If you are going to be walking a lot and shoot upland birds a 20 ga. is great to have. If I were limited to one shotgun it would be an 870 Wingmaster in 12 ga. and customized to suit ME!

TJ