Guess I'm just a little different but I never really let the size hole in the barrel determine the amount of Fun I was having. I shot for several seasons with a pre 1900 J P Clabrough 12 ga Damascus using 1 oz loads. This gun had 28" barrels with choke in both barrels. I killed quail, rabbit & woodcock with this gun. I simply can't imagine any more fun than I had with that gun. I have just always believed in using a tool which I felt was best suited for the job at hand. I have just never had a desire for a 28 which weighed much over 5 lbs nor a .410 much over 4 lbs. If I am going to carry a gun weighing 6 lbs or more I simply don't want it to be smaller than a 20.
As to recoil I was never particularly recoil shy. I have shot a 6 lb 20 gauge with full factory 3" mags with 1 oz oz shot with no problem. Using the old 96:1 ratio of gun weight to shot charge 1 0z needs a 6 lb gun. thus 3/4 oz can be fired with comfort from a 4 lb gun but 1 oz of shot would need a 7 lb gun. I have exceed these on many occasions. The 3/4 oz load I mentioned shooting from a 4lb 2oz single did kick harder than a 3 DE-1 1/8 oz load but the 12 was a 7+ lb Parker Trojan which I was using at the time (probably close to 7 lb). The kick from the 28 did not bother me but was more than the 12 because of the weight difference. I had just put that in to point out that recoil is not Gauge specific but load VS gun weight specific. If you fire 1 oz of shot from a 6 lb gun at similar velocities it really doesn't matter what the gauge is its going to "Kick" about the same. A smaller hole is not going to automatically reduce kick.
I have no problem with anyone who uses a small gun within its limits, which I truly believe that both of you do. I guess I have just been somewhat prejudiced by so many who try to make out like they are some kind of "Super Sportsman" by taking a small bore out of its class & Bad Mouthing those of us who use a larger gauge. These seem to be the ones I have mostly encountered personally. I have always enjoyed the time I have had to go afield & while the most of my hunting did not call for heavy loads I didn't use them. I have fired many 1 oz loads from 20, 16 & 12 gauge guns. Heaviest I ever shot from a 28 was 3/4 oz & truly have no desire to use more from that size gun.
When loading black powder the old timers were pretty well limited by case capacity as to the max load they could use. I have a tendency to follow those loads for my own use. Thus if I am going to exceed 3/4 oz I want to go up to a twenty & if I "Need" 1 oz I truly prefer the 12 over magnamizing either a 20 or 16. Although I do not have one I think that 1 oz would be ideal for a Light 10. My only 10 is a 10 lb circa 1889 Lefever.
Taking 1 oz in a 12 then loads with similar shot column lengths in the various gauges are .410=3/8 oz, 28=.7 oz, 20=7/8 oz, 16=1+ oz, &
10=1 7/16- . While I realize all these loads have been exceeded with generally good results I find the smaller bore to be loaded heavier in relation to bore capacity than the larger ones. I like to keep the shot column short & find this to be generally speaking going in the wrong direction. I much prefer to load Down a larger gauge than to Load Up a small one.
Sort of like if I had 1,000 acres of crop to get planted I would much prefer a 200 HP tractor than a 20 HP one. If on the other hand I were only going to plant 10 acres I would prefer the 20 HP. As I said I like a match, to me the small gauges are for small game at short range. I simply do not feel the need to make 12 or 16 out of the 28 or .410 when the larger guns are much more readily available at more economical prices for both the guns & loads. As I said just presenting the "Flip" side of the coin.
Last edited by 2-piper; 03/31/18 10:58 AM.
