doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Getting older, the 20 gauge option.

Mike, anyone who feels undergunned in a dove field with a 20 is badly mistaken. There's not many things that I feel I know a lot about, but dove shooting is one of them. I farm and grow several crops that attract doves, and we shoot them a lot. I'm 59, and celebrated 50 years of dove shooting last year, growing up on Grandaddy's farm shooting doves and quail. I started out as a kid with a Rem. 11, 20 ga., went the 12 ga. route for many years, and for the last 8 seasons haven't even touched a 12 for doves. As a matter of fact, for 98% of dove shooting 7/8 oz. loads is aplenty. I have a Beretta 687 SP II Sporting that has killed nearly 8000 doves here and abroad in the last 8 years. I have a group of friends that get together with me each year for doves. We shoot a lot. They have been amazed for awhile now at the effectiveness of a 20 on doves. An IM choke with 7/8 oz. of 7 1/2s will kill a dove dishrag dead so far out that it still amazes me sometimes. I kill doves regularly out to 60 yards, occasionally out beyond 75. Not wounded, killed dead in the air. Not just a golden BB in the head either.

As to sporting clays, I compete regularly during the spring and summer. Though I use a 12 for the main events, my regular shooting buddy tells me that I ought to use the 687 with 1 oz. loads in the main events. It is very effective.

If you take a leap of faith and get a really good 20 that fits you, that you can choke to suit the situation, you should never feel undergunned. I certainly don't. OTOH, I DO NOT consider it a true duck gun for anything other than teal or beaver pond woodies.

Stan

Although personally a staunch 12 bore deliever, I often shoot clays with a fellow who is a dedicated goose hunter, killing a lot of geese with steel shot through a 20. I haven't hunted with him, so I don't know all the details, but he is not an expert shot, usually scoring nearly as badly as I do at sporting clays. For some reason, he uses a 12 for clays.

I'm very much entrenched in the use of the 16 ga. I have a Rem 1900 12 ga my father gave me years ago and a Rem model 11 12 ga that was given to me, which I use for trap now and again.

A good friend of mine uses an old 870 20 ga he bought new in the early 70's, for everything. He, generally being a better shot than I, couldn't keep from commenting on how I was kicking his butt(and it was killing him), shooting geese at Izembek Lagoon using a 12 ga. Of course, I'm sure the 20 ga steel loads are much better now, than what they were 20 years ago.

I was a one gun 12ga o/u shooter for a long time. Then I got a 20ga Parker VHE. Last time I took the 12ga afield I thought I was swinging a shovel. I now have another 20 I bought specifically for clays and it is 6lbs 5oz. The 20ga with 1oz loads worked well on S.D. pheasants, and everything else I have hunted. I much prefer a muzzle easy to move quickly. By the way, I passed 70 this year and the shooting is just fine. The group I shoot clays with are all younger 12ga, premounted gun guys. I shoot low gun and most of them have a goal of one day beating the 20ga.

I like 12s and 20s but wouldn't most model 21s weigh as much as a light 12?

I shoot a 1100 fps 7/8 ounce load in my 12s and they're a pleasure to shoot. I see no need to go to smaller gauges that weigh the same as a larger gauge. I really don't see the need for the 28 either unless it weighs less than six pounds and I wonder if less than that is just getting too light to shoot well anyway.

Ultimatly, the trick is to put your money into what you want. Owning guns if supposed to be fun. Talking and writing about it's fun too, but the thing to do is buy what you want and enjoy it.

When we go dove hunting in the early season, the 20ga is the "big" gun that we save for windy days. Our group has gravitated to .410's and 28's over the last few years, including the younger guys. The only time we feel handicapped is when we are surrounded by guys with 12 ga pumps.

I am the same as you and have been thinking about a change too. You're sayng you want less recoil so you really need to think less shot or less velocity not less weight. Your 12 with a 3/4oz load is going to recoil less and since clay birds and doves don't need you walking around much a lighter gun is not needed. I on the other hand am having trouble shouldering a gun when at my worst, so a light gun and light loads are my plans. If you want a 20 though, get a 20! I just wouldn't get a light one if you want less recoil.

Agree with Ben. If gun weight is the issue, or you just want a 20, then perhaps that's the way to go. But if you like your 12, just not it's recoil, load up some 3/4 oz weenies. Most MEC 7/8 oz bushings throw just over 3/4 oz magnum shot. Something like a clear Duster wad along with Red Dot or Clays at 1100-1250 fps and you will have 20 ga performance or better without the outlay for a new gun and reloading equipment.

Sam

None of my light twelves weigh more than a few ounces over six pounds even with 30" barrels. I shoot RSTs, Polywad Vintagers, AA Featherlights or similar and never have a problem killing birds or having to visit a physical therapist afterward. I have a few sub gauge curiosity guns but the light twelves are, and likely always will be, my go to guns.

I will admit that there are more and more parts of my body that sometimes experience tinged of pain. My doc always starts my consult with......."Now as we age"........I hate it but, of course, he's right. I'm certain though that none of it is caused by my guns, at least yet.

At your age you (hopefully) have many more years to cary a gun!! I am 70 and still schlep guns around.

A few things make age easier. You need to make certain that your gun fits you very well. Then, recoil is no problem. People who complain about recoil or truly get beat-up shoulders mot often have guns that are poor fits and they have adapted themselves to the gun rather than the other way around.

One of my favorite guns is the Merkel 1620. It's a 16 ga built on a 20 ga frame. It is superb and I can carry it all day without fatigue. It is lighter than my 20 ga Merkel.

It's also good to try to keep fit - I am not an exercise fanatic but I "train" on my elliptical a few months before I go on a big hunt and it really makes a difference. Losing even 5 or 6 pounds makes a big difference, too.

Screw age! Keep on trukin'