my dad is getting tired of the thump on his shoulder from his Mossberg 835 we have been looking at getting a 20 gauge we want to shoot the federal heavyweight 7 couple questions the 20 gauge is new to us...is there a particular gun choke that tends to shoot better than the rest, is the 20 capable at killing same distances as the 12, and maybe describe some gains or losses with the 20 any help would be greatly appreciated
All I have hunted with this year has been a 20 ga and I have loved every moment of it. I am not using the fed HWs but I would not hesitate to do it and you will lose nothing. The 20 does all the 12 will do.
With the 20 I have killed my largest overall tom and my first Rio plus another tom.
You will not regret the jump to the 20 if you do it.
Sent from the Strut Zone
The 835 are shooters is there a 20 gauge that's known to be better
Build your 20 ga. from the Remington 870 youth with the 21 in. barrel. look at the Trulock chokes i have a 565 in my 20 ga. and i really like the choke with the federal HW 7 also look at the sumtoy chokes. I killed my first 20 ga. turkey Tuesday and i agree it will do everything a 12 ga. will do.. i will carry the 20 ga. from now on...
Go to allaboutshooting.com. The gentleman whose site it is, first name is Clark. He and his wife are competition shooters. He has done all kinds of evaluations of different chokes and loads in different gauges in most models of guns. He will promptly answer any questions you might have. I just purchased a 20 gauge Benelli M2 and contacted him about his recommendations. He responded the same night with his top 3 chokes for that gun and 3 loads as well ( one of which was Federal Heavyweight ). I think you will find him to be a wealth of info and a fine gentleman.
ok thanks guys
Quote from: Dirt nap on April 29, 2016, 04:59:27 AM
ok thanks guys
For the price of the M2 Benelli ...Dirt nap you can build 2 Remington 870 youths and still have 2 good shooting guns..I'm not cutting Benelli down because i own one myself..
I doubt we go with benelli due to price but the 870 has our attention anyone hear of a stevens 320 pump action screw in chokes...? found one new for $165...?
A lightweight 20 with turkey loads will kick harder that an 835 with standard 3 inch. If recoil really is the concern I would try the Federal Heavyweight low recoil for the 835. That load is adequate to 40 from my wife's OU with factory full.
My little 870 youth weights 6.12 lbs. And shoots as good as my 3" 870 12 gauge, I added a pistol grip stock and red dot sight. I absolutely love carrying this gun.
That 20 ga. will kick no were the same as a 3 in. 12 ga. load.. i've shot mine ways to much and it doesn't have half the kick of a 12 ga.
Quote from: Dirt nap on April 29, 2016, 11:47:25 AM
I doubt we go with benelli due to price but the 870 has our attention anyone hear of a stevens 320 pump action screw in chokes...? found one new for $165...?
stay with the remington 870 or mossberg 500 it's a lot easier to fine after market stocks and stuff for these guns include a lot more information on chokes and shot patterns of these 2 guns on this forum..
once you get a 20 set up and rocking you will never want to go back, it didn't take much effort at all when I set up a weatherby 459, dropped a fast fire III on and screwed in a carlson choke and it went right to shooting 155-175 in 10" at 40yds right away with the HW#7.
I just officially went to the 20ga and I'm very impressed with the results. My first bird with it was 35 yards and it shattered his neck bone in multiple pieces. This is shooting 3in HW 7's. My 870 12ga with 3in LB 5's kicked harder and the 20 performed as good or if not better.
Jump in feet first. You'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner. I can promise my 21" barrel 870 20ga with TSS will out pattern ANY 12ga with over the counter ammo. I kill birds consistently at 40 yards.
Quote from: Greg Massey on April 29, 2016, 01:10:43 PM
That 20 ga. will kick no were the same as a 3 in. 12 ga. load.. i've shot mine ways to much and it doesn't have half the kick of a 12 ga.
Agree.
I have a mossie 500 in 12, and a maverick 88 in 20, I use both for turkey hunting and I can guarantee the 20 doesn't have near the recoil as the 12
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
I too shoot the Weatherby SA-459. If you really want to lower recoil, the auto will lessen the effects. With that said, the youth model 870 I set up for my daughter with a limbsaver pad on it is about as light shooting as the 459. You are shooting lower ounce shot in the 20 than the 12 with similar 40 yards patterns when dialed in (less shot load equals less recoil according to Sir Isaac Newton!). I will kill one with the 870 one day, but want my daughter to kill one with it first. My son took his first bird with the gun years ago.
I honestly will probably never shoot a 12 gauge at a turkey again. 3 birds have fallen from the 459 - 38 yards, 35 yards and 25 yards. All were quite dead.
The 835 is a much heavier gun than these light 20s. It is even significantly heavier than a 500. The recoil from the lightweight 20, meaning around six pounds or less, is not only more than a standard shell from the heavy gun, it is faster. That speed of recoil is most of what makes them hurt more.
Have both an 835 and an 870 youth / 21" 20 ga , I promise you there is considerable difference in recoil between the two !! That's shooting 3 " loads out of both guns , haven't shot 3.5" loads out of the 835 in 19 years !!
Quote from: howl on April 30, 2016, 06:19:48 PM
The 835 is a much heavier gun than these light 20s. It is even significantly heavier than a 500. The recoil from the lightweight 20, meaning around six pounds or less, is not only more than a standard shell from the heavy gun, it is faster. That speed of recoil is most of what makes them hurt more.
Maybe to you (felt recoil). No possible way is the actual physical recoil (force = mass x acceleration) actually greater in the 20. I get what you are saying though, not arguing with ya on that. I much prefer shooting my 45 cal semi auto over my 380. The 45 is full frame and the 380 is small and it just feels sharper. Not a harder kick, just not as comfortable. The 835 is harder to accelerate due to it's weight, but it is harder to deccelerate as well, the 20 accelerates faster, but also deccelerates faster. The force of the recoil is caused by the load, not the gun. 2 ounces at 1300fps has a greater recoil than 1.5 ounces at 1300fps.
Best thing to do is try out shooting a 20 and see what he thinks. What kicks to some, others do not mind.
Quote from: g8rvet on May 01, 2016, 09:07:01 AM
Quote from: howl on April 30, 2016, 06:19:48 PM
The 835 is a much heavier gun than these light 20s. It is even significantly heavier than a 500. The recoil from the lightweight 20, meaning around six pounds or less, is not only more than a standard shell from the heavy gun, it is faster. That speed of recoil is most of what makes them hurt more.
Maybe to you (felt recoil). No possible way is the actual physical recoil (force = mass x acceleration) actually greater in the 20. I get what you are saying though, not arguing with ya on that. I much prefer shooting my 45 cal semi auto over my 380. The 45 is full frame and the 380 is small and it just feels sharper. Not a harder kick, just not as comfortable. The 835 is harder to accelerate due to it's weight, but it is harder to deccelerate as well, the 20 accelerates faster, but also deccelerates faster. The force of the recoil is caused by the load, not the gun. 2 ounces at 1300fps has a greater recoil than 1.5 ounces at 1300fps.
Best thing to do is try out shooting a 20 and see what he thinks. What kicks to some, others do not mind.
After setting up my 20 gauge last year after hunting season and carrying it last week and killing my first bird with it you couldn't trade me my nice 12 gauge that i.ve been hunting with over the years back for my 20 gauge now. love this little gun and carrying it was a lot easier and i'm 60 year old.
A 20ga kicking more than an 835 is ridiculous. Totally not the case and I have went from shooting a 10ga, to a 12ga now to a 20.
I have three 20's set up:
870 with a truglo ssx shooting hw 7
1187 with carlson .575 hevi 13 7
franchi with a carlson .575 fed hw 7
I shoot the franchi just because it's newer, but out of the three my 870 has the best 10" #, in fact probably too tight. It is hitting on ave 190-200 at 40. My 1187 will do 150's with hevi shot 7. My franchi actually has the least # of pellets in the 10, BUT it has the most even pattern and allows for shooter error more than the other two.
If money is an issue get the 870. If not I would look at the franchi as they are basically an m2 only 400-600 cheaper.
Quote from: darron on May 05, 2016, 08:07:59 AM
A 20ga kicking more than an 835 is ridiculous. Totally not the case and I have went from shooting a 10ga, to a 12ga now to a 20.
I have three 20's set up:
870 with a truglo ssx shooting hw 7
1187 with carlson .575 hevi 13 7
franchi with a carlson .575 fed hw 7
I shoot the franchi just because it's newer, but out of the three my 870 has the best 10" #, in fact probably too tight. It is hitting on ave 190-200 at 40. My 1187 will do 150's with hevi shot 7. My franchi actually has the least # of pellets in the 10, BUT it has the most even pattern and allows for shooter error more than the other two.
If money is an issue get the 870. If not I would look at the franchi as they are basically an m2 only 400-600 cheaper.
I killed bird number 3 yesterday in Tenn with my new 20 gauge. it was 45 yards using federal HW number 7 and a trulock 565 choke. I will not go back to my 12 gauge. Love this 20 gauge for a old man.