6.5shooter Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hi everyone. Im mainly a rifle shooter so please forgive my lack of shotgun knowledge. I currently have a 12g o/u beretta and use it for clays and decoying crows etc. I am thinking of expanding my shotgun armory as I want to do a bit more shotgunning. My question is how does a 20 bore compare to a 12 bore? What merits does a 20 bore have over a 12? In what shooting scenario would you be better off using a 20 over a 12? Finally what cartridges would you use in a 20 for decoying crows? As mentioned above,excuse my lack of shotgun knowledge but this is why I joinedthis forum to learn from you folk. Thanks Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) erm well 20 bores are smaller generally lighter and if using smaller loads lower recoil the benefit fver a 12 is limited in most situations, shells cost more and less choice. can be a very nice gun to shoot and carry but advantages are limited there is very little you can't do with a 12 bore for decoying i think most would suggest sticking to a 12B cheaper carts better choice and more options 20B is a great driven and walk up gun but then so a 12B SxS Dont blame you for wanting one tho! Many people prefer a 20 to a 12.... Edited February 26, 2011 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDY Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm a fan of the 20ga, the lightweight of the gun and the very low recoil just make the such a joy to carry and shoot. The 12ga has more power and range but on small game I doubt that you would notice the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Thanks fellas! Im just trying to weigh up all the pros and cons for both before deciding on a new gun. I think the 12 is more suited to my jobs but somehow I still fancy a 20 bore for shooting in and around the farmyard. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm a fan of the 20ga, the lightweight of the gun and the very low recoil just make the such a joy to carry and shoot. The 12ga has more power and range but on small game I doubt that you would notice the difference. Speedy To clarify things here a bit, the 12g will have more power like for like only because of cartridge size, it will have NO longer range. The 12g is commonly stated as have a longer effective range (very marginally) simply because of the size and density of the pattern, but range is the same! ATB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Does the 20 bore have more velocity resulting in less lead to the target? Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cookoff013 Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 no, the 20 just is more efficient in ligher payload. if i was to shoot exclusively partridge, i`d get a 20. different carts = different velocity. i got just 12s as they are cheapest to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipper Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 used a 20 beretta 687 for 15 years almost all of the time first time out kept of long shots when i got used to it started to stretch the range took it to scotland for geese . went grouse shooting on saddleworth more for a few years first year , just me with 20 , a few years later most of guns 20 bores driven and walked up plus mountain hares. For geese i developed a bufferd load with nic 2 1oz loads tested by David garrard. Also shot foxes. Dipper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipper Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 used a 20 beretta 687 for 15 years almost all of the time first time out kept of long shots when i got used to it started to stretch the range took it to scotland for geese . went grouse shooting on saddleworth more for a few years first year , just me with 20 , a few years later most of guns 20 bores driven and walked up plus mountain hares. For geese i developed a bufferd load with nic 2 1oz loads tested by David garrard. Also shot foxes. Dipper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 12 bore vrs 20 bore is a very personal thing. You have a perfectly good 12 bore. You can vary the way it shoots/kills a lot by shooting different ammunition. A bit like a rifle really. I've used all sorts of 20 bores, single barrel, SxS, O/U, light weight, heavy weight, long barrel, short barrel, short stock, english maker, Johnny foreiner from Spain and Italy, Semi-auto. Also every most cartridges generally available. I've also pointed them at a wide variety of game and thousands of clays. For every 20 bore cartridge i've shot I must have shot 30 in 12 bore. Go back 20-30 years and popular opinion was that a 20 bore was "a boys or ladies gun", and I think this was right.They tended to be very short in the stock, short barrelled, light weight, open choked, and loaded with 20g of shot. A yardstick was the lack of 20 bores on a good pheasant shoot. You hardly saw one. Things move on, there are plenty of off the shelf 20 bores, some of which are chambered for 3inch cartridges that throw up to and exceeding a 30g cartridge. They are "man sized" weigh even 7lb, have long barrels and cope well with the devil that is recoil. The most significant reason 20 has come to the fore IMHO is cartridge development. These modern loads are vastly better than you could buy. I now use a 30inch 20 bore for almost everything other than geese and Mr Fox. With my modern 20 bore which is choked 1/2 and 3/4 I get very few picked birds. Shooting with my 12 guages this is not quite as good. Part of the fun is trying different guns and working out what suits you best.Go for it and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treestalker Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 I pick up on a large bag high bird shoot. I'm talking about some birds being 70yd plus on all drives. There are 2 let days and you soon notice a 20 bore shooter by his poor results on the extreme birds. All regular syndicate members shoot heavy loads through 12 bores. The 20 bore is lacking in this extreme example. The heavy long 12 bore is better for soaking up the heavy cartridge recoil. On my syndicate (average pheasant shoot) I am the only Gun NOT using a 20 bore. Last week on a day's clay tuition with Carl Bloxham both my sons were breaking 60 yard clays with 20 bores. Both guns when pattern tested printed patterns tighter than their chokes. This is what 20 bores can be prone to do. In Scotland last year and also in England last season my sons used 20 bores on decoyed and flighted geese with no difference to the 12 bore users. There is not much choice in heavy non-toxic 20 bore loads. Over stubbles in Scotland the 36g Winchester No3 lead were superb. I personally prefer longer, heavier, slower handling 12 bores but the 20 bore is getting so popular now on game shoots. The trend on my shoot seems to be with the longer barrel Caesar Guerinis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cookoff013 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 if you like shooting a 20gauge, and hate the price of cartridges, reload some of your own. you can reload a 5/8oz load of 9s or 8s at 1100-1400fps, it is quite popular with the youngsters over the pond. these carts are doing what the 21g twelve gauge loads did 5 years ago. make a big impact. they are 18 grams, and very efficient loads. just dont bother loading in 7-6-5-4-3-2-1`s thats bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6.5shooter Posted March 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 I think I will bashaway with my 12 bore. It sounds as though it will be a bit more versatile for the jobs in hand. Still doesnt stop me from wanting a 20 further down the line at some stage Guess you never stop wanting more guns, well i dont anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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