Salop Matt Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Folks, Have any of you left 12bore and moved completely to 20bore? I ask as I seem to get on best with light guns such as my synthetic semi-auto and synthetic pump! To me the 20bores just feel nice, where as the 12bore seems to be a big lump. So am considering moving to 20bore 30" O/U sporter for all my shooting which is only clays and occasional pigeon shooting ! Max load is going to be 30gram but most commonly 24&28gram! ATB Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I did after having the same notion but somehow went back to 12g. I get the heavy gun thing and that is why I mostly have sxs and a light auto now but in 12g. Apart from the muzzleloaders of which one is 20g. Nowt wrong with a 20g though, my only opinion about it is....don't over choke it! U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I shoot both 12 and 20 on clays, but last season the 12 stayed in the cabinet all season. I find the 20 much lighter to carry for a day in the field (and especially so for walked-up days), with no perceptible loss of knock down power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted May 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I very much doubt it would ever see a driven pheasant, sporting clays 95% of the time an occasional session roost shooting or in a hide ! Or that's what am thinking, the 12 just seems such a big ungraceful lump! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I shoot 12g and always wanted a 20g, got one and to be honest I did not like it. so sold the 20g and now stick to 12g, cheaper to feed. as for the weight issue, there is not much in it.(try some porridge for brekkie) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I've been finding myself shooting my 20 bore more and more, and the 12 sitting in the cabinet a lot more. The 20 bore is alighter gun - far more pleasant to carry around. The 20 bore cartridges are smaller and a little lighter. THey don't bulk out pockets like the 12's do. 20 bore cartridges are a little more expensive, but not lugging around that huge lump of metal is, to me, worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 you all must be whimps! there is only about one pound weight difference on a lot of guns. come on man up, your sounding like a whinging woman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 you all must be whimps! there is only about one pound weight difference on a lot of guns. come on man up, your sounding like a whinging woman! Got to agree. How people can call a 12 a huge lump of metal is beyond me! I very often carry a couple of twelves across the fields along with my decoying gear. Some people need to man up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 I have just bought a hushpower 20 gauge , but not for the weight issue , I bet it weighs just as much as the 12 gauge , I only bought it for shooting in noise sensitive areas . stevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted May 3, 2014 Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 Some people need to man up a bit. Lol. I have to say that was my first thought to reading this thread too. I didn't have the baldricks to say it though! That said, the 20 is a cracking little gun - just less margin fir error! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 you all must be whimps! there is only about one pound weight difference on a lot of guns. come on man up, your sounding like a whinging woman! Ahh, but having had a broken back, and 5 vertebrae fused during my time in the repair shop, I can tell you just how much that 1lb difference in gun weight makes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominicrobed Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 I work as a metal fabricator and carry work with big heavy lengths / sheets of metal so no wimp here. Last December I treated myself to a nice silver pig delux in 20 bore. I love it and it is now my main clay gun. Other shooting eg pigeon goose duck I use a browning maxus in black synphetic. I also only use 21 or 24 gram loads through the 20 bore with very very good results. My wife shoots a 12 bore and gets on very well with that and she is not all manly. Use what you want and enjoy yourself that's what is all about Dom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 A lot of 20 bore are still based on 12 bore actions so can still be bulky and heavy, from your description your 20 bores have a dedicated 20 bore action. If you can achieve everything you need with a 20, then, other than the carts being a tad more expensive what is stopping you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPhantom Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 You say you shoot predominantly clays. How many of the top clay shots serious about their scores use a 20 gauge? A nicely balanced 8 lb 12 gauge sporter should not feel like a 'lump'. I can see that for walked up game and rough shooting that a light gun is beneficial...but not for clays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 You say you shoot predominantly clays. How many of the top clay shots serious about their scores use a 20 gauge? A nicely balanced 8 lb 12 gauge sporter should not feel like a 'lump'. I can see that for walked up game and rough shooting that a light gun is beneficial...but not for clays. We are not all good enough, or even interested in shooting in the Olympics, the vast majority do it as and entertaining hobby! As it happens, one of the best clay shooters I know uses a 20 for everything! ATB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesP Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 I certainly don't regret my switch to 20 bore. I bought a second-hand Urika late last year, and although I have not used it yet for live quarry that'll be the one I take. After decades shooting exclusilvely 12 bore - side by side and OU - I bought this one on a whim. It's lighter than its 12 bore brothers of course, but it's not the carrying around of a heavy weight that detracts fom heavier guns. For me it's the handling, and for an auto it does that very nicely. All according to taste, I know, but I am now casting about for a side by side English 20 bore boxlock to complement it. Load isn't an issue as much as it was years ago, you can buy 21 gram all the way up to a whopping 36 grams if you really want to. Anything from Snipe to Canadas. While many will claim that the bore dimensions don't lend themselves to a perfect patter I don't buy that, and won't until I see definitive evidence. What matters to me is the at feels right and if (sorry when) I miss a target I have never once felt it's the gun. It's most definitely the user! Naturally with a gas auto I'm perceiving less recoil - many 20 bore users are surprised when the same load in their 20 kicks more than the same load in a 12. There is one down-side to using a 20 bore, however, that I feel I should mention. At my Clay club they only sell one cartridge in 20 bore that's suitable for shooting clays with an auto. And those cartridges are more expensive than their 12 bore equivalents. As a guide it may be useful to glance at the Just Cartridges website : http://www.justcartridges.com/cartridgesearch/?g=20&b=&p=Product&x=14&y=12 Have a look at the prices and then compare with the 12 bore versions. Naturally it's all down to how many shots you fire per year. If it's a lot then the cost may become an issue. I love mine, and won't be swapping back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 This is where snobbery sneaks in! I have seen to many high birds come down from smaller gauges to ever look down my nose at them! If a 12g is mandatory in order to achieve top scores in the totally pointless exercise of shooting bits of clay why stop there, why not a 10g, gotta be better yes? After using 410 on driven days and muzzleloaders I have suffered the scoffing snobbish remarks, but by the end of the day it was not me whom had to adjust my thinking! U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dashman1 Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 Utter rubbish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 I work as a metal fabricator and carry work with big heavy lengths / sheets of metal so no wimp here. Last December I treated myself to a nice silver pig delux in 20 bore. I love it and it is now my main clay gun. Other shooting eg pigeon goose duck I use a browning maxus in black synphetic. I also only use 21 or 24 gram loads through the 20 bore with very very good results. My wife shoots a 12 bore and gets on very well with that and she is not all manly. Use what you want and enjoy yourself that's what is all about Dom Similar here. I spend the day holding up horses, so am used to a fair bit of weight I have a Sliver pig field in 12g. Last year, I bought a Silver Pig 20g field, M/C 30" barrels. I absolutely love it. Ok, so on paper, its a pound lighter, but that's 17% and the difference in real terms is huge. Its a joy to carry for a long walk round, very fast to get on target. The difference in total weight with carts on a days shooting, lugging around is immense. It does everything my 12g does, but somehow, with a lot more excitement and refinement. I understand some of the comments about the 12g feeling a bit of a lump by comparison as those are my findings too. I use 28grms in mine, so compared to using 30grms in the 12g, there's not much in it. Give it a go, I'm sure you will be surprised at how much more it will give you than you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hornet 6 Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 20 bore Beretta 686 for me, does all I need, and as far as live stuff goes, so far nothing has complained I'm not using a 12 If my pockets were a lot deeper, I'd go back to a 12, but it would need to be a nice light SxS of decent quality. Neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPhantom Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 We are not all good enough, or even interested in shooting in the Olympics, the vast majority do it as and entertaining hobby! As it happens, one of the best clay shooters I know uses a 20 for everything! ATB! Yes, fair point. Precious few of us will ever reach that kind of standard, more's the pity. That doesn't mean we don't always keep one eye on the scores. I just think that if the OP only ever has one gun and he uses it for clays then he will be better served with a well fitted and balanced 12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 you all must be whimps! there is only about one pound weight difference on a lot of guns. come on man up, your sounding like a whinging woman! I've mostly moved over to 20's,not because I'm a whimp but purely due to arthritis in both wrists and hands(and elsewhere). The lighter guns suits me perfectly, making a days shooting on clays or pigeon/crows much more enjoyable simply down to the pain factor. As I see it, it's shoot 20's or give up and that was never going to happen!! I still have a 12g 391 but would like to change that for a 20 eventually. It comes down to personal circumstances and preferences rather than being whimpish in my view. GH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkfanz Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 by choice I use 20g for most things,including pheasant/ pigeon/crows,12g o/u only for steel carts on flight pond,an 12g sa for geese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdsallpl Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 Does anyone know why the 16g isn't popular anymore? As a Wildfowler the 12g is a small gun to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 I use 20b exclusively, have done for years, don't know why really, but I definitely see that a hit with a 20 is more definitive, that's not conjecture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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