Been in the market for a shotgun for months. Been leaning Mossberg 590a1 or Rem 870 both in 12ga. I was talking to an experienced gun guy. He suggested that for HD and Trap I'd be happier with a 20ga. Cheaper to feed, lower recoil and my 3 kids under 12 can shoot it. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

No problems with 20 at all --- My 12 year old son has been shooting skeet with a 20 for over a year. We have 2 20's sized for him.

 

Current remington 870s in 20 use a smaller receiver than the 12 so finding accessories became problematic. No one makes anything for the small receiver.

 

From what I understand Mossberg uses the same receiver size for both 12 and 20.

 

I'm not sure what the current market is for shells -- I reload my own -- 20 is cheaper because I put less shot in the shells --- 5/8ths of an ounce of # 8.5 goes in our skeet loads.

 

I've got my 12s down too -- 9/16ths of and ounce in them seems to break clays just fine

I have two 20gauge side-by-sides as my bird hunting guns (lighter frame and less recoil than 12), and they are great. Just remember that 20gauge ammo is usually pricier than equivalent 12 gauge.

I had a 12ga and sold it to get a 20ga, very happy with it.

I have the 590A1 in 12 gauge. If you want your kids to enjoy the shotgun too I can tell you that the A1 version is kind of heavy. I manage it and really like it , but I can see it being too heavy for an under 12 year old. The recoil is not that bad on it , but again it is there and may scare a younger child.

Cheaper to feed, lower recoil and my 3 kids under 12 can shoot it.

 

Couldn't have said it better.

 

I have both 12 and 20ga. The 20ga. is used much more often and is much more fun to shoot.

No hesitation to use it as an HD gun.

 

Since I got the 20, I've been playing with the idea of selling the 12.

Is a 20 good for deer hunting or should one use a 12 instead?

Is a 20 good for deer hunting or should one use a 12 instead?

 

The truth is 20ga slug guns are the hot set-up today. Lighter projectile, higher velocity, and flatter tragectory. No lack of knock down power.

I love 20 gauge I wish I had the spare cash to buy my own. My friend has a bolt action type. It's probably older then me with a rifled barrel. Shoots slugs at 50 yards with rifle sites and is very accurate and fun to shoot. I'm sure a lever action or pump is just as capable if I ever Come across a lever action one it's mine but I have yet to see one or bothered to really look into It

The best 20's for kids are Youth Model gas-operated semi-autos like the one I have. I've taught many a Scout/Kid/4-H'er how to knock clays out of the sky with the light-weight 20 that swings easily and has a smaller LOP.

 

Great for smaller-framed women too! And I can use it all day long on quail or pheasant and not know I'm even carrying anything!

 

I've had mine more than a decade now......

Either will work for hunting r self defense scenarios

The truth is 20ga slug guns are the hot set-up today. Lighter projectile, higher velocity, and flatter tragectory. No lack of knock down power.

 

Just to nitpick a little, Frank. Most 20ga slugs when compared to their 12ga counterpart have worse trajectory, but a ton less recoil, and still do the job nicely.

The only time I vote for a 20ga is for a recoil-sensitive woman or child.

 

Other than that, 12ga all the way. Whoever told you that 20ga ammo is cheaper than 12ga is incorrect, at least around this area in terms of price. Plus 12ga ammo is always abundant, and you can always find a ton of different bird loads as well as HD loads versus not much of a variety of 20ga.

To me the big advantage of the 20 gauge is the lighter frame makes it much easier to carry in the field all day bird hunting. If I thought a 28 gauge could do the job effectively and (more importantly) humanely, I would carry that instead for even more weight savings.

Can't beat an older Ithaca Model 37 in 20 gauge. I would love to get one and shorten the barrel to 18-20 inches for home defense.

The 20 ga. is a nice little number, and in certain platforms can work well on clay targets (but NOT all clay target games,) big game and small game. But of course, the 12 ga. is more favored because of its greater versatility. If you handload, you can make a lot of variables in the 20 ga. There is an article in this September's Sporting Clays magazine titled "Soft-Kicking 20-gauge loads," highlighting some of the lighter recoiling target loads available.

 

 

Can't beat an old Ithaca Model 37 in 20 gauge.

 

I agree! They are light and handy.

 

http://www.americanh...thaca-model-37/

http://www.shotgunli...k-pump-gun.html

The best 20's for kids are Youth Model gas-operated semi-autos like the one I have. I've taught many a Scout/Kid/4-H'er how to knock clays out of the sky with the light-weight 20 that swings easily and has a smaller LOP.

 

This.

 

Because of their lightweight/smaller receivers, perceived recoil in anything other than semi-auto is as much or more than a 12ga. Of course, you can load your own to make that much less at the sacrifice of performance. If you're on a budget, the CZ/Stoeger/TriStar semi-autos are fine. Of course, I always recommend a Beretta 300 series but they are more expensive(holds value though).

I have 2 12's that my wife tried and they were too much for her. She is into clay shooting so I got a 20; (Mossberg 500, no frills, $195 on sale at Dicks), I shoot it more then she does. It's a nice gun for sporting clays, bird hunting and throwing clays. It's nicer for Quail and just as effective for phesant. I haven't done and deer hunting with it but I have shot slugs and buckshot and it patterns well.

I'm happy with the 20.

A 6.5 lb. 20 ga. is ideal. (I prefer 6 lbs. but that's simply my preference.) It would serve well as both a field and target and young shooters can wield a shotgun that weight.

 

If you are shooting slugs and adding a scope, your 20 ga. won't weigh 6.5 lbs. after you're done adding mount, rings and scope. But it will handle the added velocity surge slugs and sabot loads are propelled at and recoil will be tamed.

 

Perceived recoil of fixed action 20 ga. guns is not more than a 12 ga. as long as you moderate your velocity and charge weights in the 20 ga. (Just check a recoil calculator.) You can make the 20 ga. shooting light loads a pussycat by selecting appropriate field and target loads. I'll reference the British "rule of 96," that a shotgun must weigh at least 96 times the weight of a one-ounce charge being fired to be comfortable to shoot. In the 20 ga., light target loads of 7/8 oz. running at 1,100 FPS are very comfortable in a 6 lb. field gun and pussycats in a 7 lb. skeet gun.

 

The Beretta 3-series semi-auto's with their aluminum receivers are well-balanced, nice handling clay and upland shotguns. I can't say the same for the 1100/1187's. The Benelli's are trim and handle nicely if you can justify the scratch to procure one. The sun rises and sets on a Browning A5 Belgium series when it comes to a 20 ga. semi-auto. JMHO