Should I do it?

[BottomLand54]

I just bought a brand new Weatherby sa-459 turkey 12 guage, I installed ff3 on factory picatinny rail that came with it, only due to the fact I would have to drill another hole for a sumtoy mount or I would have installed one of those. Also have shot it with a sumtoy .650 and it throws nasty patterns.

However after shooting my new t/c encore pro Hunter 20 guage I am in love with a 20 guage. Would I be crazy to sale my 12 guage sa-459 and buy a 20 guage? Wish I would have ordered the sa-459 in 20 guage now!

I would love to trade for a 20 guage if I knew someone who had something I'm interested in.

After my rant this is my question what is the best option for a 20 guage gun I already have a single shot I would either:
A) want an automatic(browning silver, 11-87,(you tell me?)
B) a pump (you tell me?)

Fill me in.

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[Greg Massey]

I started shooting a 20 gauge 870 youth i built last year , man what a gun... Now i'm going to order another 20 gauge and it's going to be the Weatherby SA - 459 in the future... I have always shot 12 gauges until the 870 youth 20 gauge build ...

[357MAGNOLE]

Another user of a 870 Youth here.  This was my 4th setup in 3 seasons and I am finally happy.  I previously tried:

Charles Daly 12 gauge (did not throw great patterns)
Winchester SX3 (Did decent, but did not enjoy 28" barrel)
Stoeger M3500 (heavy and felt kind of cheap)

Settled with the 870 youth in 20 gauge.  Good enough patterns to kill out to 35-40 yards all day, light enough and short enough barrel its not a hassle in the woods.... My shoulder also says thanks....

[Ridge Rooster]

I got an 11-87 and an 870 youth. I like them both but lean towards the 11-87. I have been hunting with an Old School 11-87 for 30 years and just like the auto loaders a little better. The 20 11-87 is just a lighter version of what I am use to hunting with. The only down side is that they usually cost about 200 more and there has only really been a few times in the past 30 years that I have needed the second shot. I usually rest the gun on my knee when setting up for a shot and the 11-87 allows me to be ready a little quicker if I need that second shot as the 870 I have to slightly raise the gun and make sure that I rack the slide. I would be happy to hunt with either for the rest of my turkey hunting days. The reason that I chose the remingtons over any of the other brands is ease and availability of finding parts. You can order a Timney spring and sear for your trigger that will make the trigger feel like a rifle trigger, and after market stocks, chokes, etc are readily available.

Good luck with what ever you choose just wanted to share my opinion with you.

Ridge Rooster

[BottomLand54]

Thank you guys, keep them coming. I posted my sa-459 12 guage on armslist for a great price with no response yet!

How is the quality with say a brand new 870 20 guage youth? I seen you can get a new 11-87 20 guage already in camo.

Curious to what it would cost to have an 870 youth 20 guage dipped in mossy oak bottom land.

Have it drilled and tapped and a sumtoy mount with a ff3

Have sumtoy 562-5 choke and some federal heavyweight 7s

Drooling at the moment hahaha!

Also thought about same with the 11-87, would the 11-87 offer even less recoil being a gas gun. I know my 11-87 sportsman 12 guage throws nasty patterns with a suntoy .650 and recoil is very mild compared to others I've shot. Only keeping that gun because it's what I have killed all my birds with!

Keep on sharing guys!

[BowBendr]

Thank you guys, keep them coming. I posted my sa-459 12 guage on armslist for a great price with no response yet!

How is the quality with say a brand new 870 20 guage youth? I seen you can get a new 11-87 20 guage already in camo.

Curious to what it would cost to have an 870 youth 20 guage dipped in mossy oak bottom land.

Have it drilled and tapped and a sumtoy mount with a ff3

Have sumtoy 562-5 choke and some federal heavyweight 7s

Drooling at the moment hahaha!

Also thought about same with the 11-87, would the 11-87 offer even less recoil being a gas gun. I know my 11-87 sportsman 12 guage throws nasty patterns with a suntoy .650 and recoil is very mild compared to others I've shot. Only keeping that gun because it's what I have killed all my birds with!

Keep on sharing guys!

I set up a brand new 870 youth as a dedicated turkey gun for my Daughter 3 years ago. I am extremely impressed with the performance and function of the gun. I've killed 5 gobblers with it myself at various ranges and absolutely did not miss the 12 gauge one bit. I liked the fact that I was carrying less weight in a more compact rig, but you do have to do some work to get there. My Daughter is small and it is still a bit big for her now but she'll grow into it finely with plenty of room to grow as she ages.

The quality of the gun new out of the box was decent. It's hard to mess up the general function of the gun or the plastic stock/forearm but the quality of the finish on the metal was horrible. I don't know what Remington is doing as far as their finishing process but it stinks. The gun would literally rust while you watched it sit in the corner. From prior research I knew this, and knew going into the build that it would need to be dipped. No biggie, it was going to happen anyway since they don't offer a full camo model. The rest was straight forward, just order parts, but just because it's a smaller platform the parts aren't any cheaper. You aren't saving any money, just getting a more compact package.

* Gun NIB at local gun shop - $315
* Full camo dip in Obsession by Camo Solutions - $225 incl. shipping both ways
* Drill n Tap by local gunsmith - $40
* Burris 336 base - $33
* Burris FF3 - $215
* Warbird guard - $40
* Carlsons .575 non-ported - $30
* Trigger job $0
* Barrel polish - $0

I did save a little money by tearing the gun completely down before shipping it out for the dip. Most companies will charge a little more for the tear down/reassembly. When I say tearing down I mean a full break down including the action bars from the forearm. I just shipped out a box full of pieces and that's how they returned it. I wanted to do all of the assembly myself, I'm just picky and OCD'ish that way, plus it gave me a quicker turn around time.

I also saved a tad more by doing my own trigger job and barrel polish, very straight forward and satisfied my OCD's even more by doing it myself.

She does have a nice gun, it performs like a champ, kills with authority and meets our every need, but it was a project that I wanted to do just because I could. I probably wouldn't do it again, my next 20 will be pretty much ready to go out of the box. I'm really thinking of getting a new Sa-459 for myself, although I could hunt the 870 for the rest of my life without reservation. I also have no qualms about it being a pump gun, I cannot recall ever being disadvantaged by not carrying an auto gun. 1 shot 1 kill.

[SKFOOTER]

Check out the Franchi Affinity.

[wvnut3]

Get yourself another weatherby , but in 20 gauge. I love mine . Also if i am not mistaken the chokes should be the same thread as your TC 20 gauge ( unless they changed my TC 12 gauge uses the win choke ). So you can use them on both. Lee

[surehuntsalot]

Thank you guys, keep them coming. I posted my sa-459 12 guage on armslist for a great price with no response yet!

How is the quality with say a brand new 870 20 guage youth? I seen you can get a new 11-87 20 guage already in camo.

Curious to what it would cost to have an 870 youth 20 guage dipped in mossy oak bottom land.

Have it drilled and tapped and a sumtoy mount with a ff3

Have sumtoy 562-5 choke and some federal heavyweight 7s

Drooling at the moment hahaha!

Also thought about same with the 11-87, would the 11-87 offer even less recoil being a gas gun. I know my 11-87 sportsman 12 guage throws nasty patterns with a suntoy .650 and recoil is very mild compared to others I've shot. Only keeping that gun because it's what I have killed all my birds with!

Keep on sharing guys!

you need to check out your local wal mart if they sell guns, you can get a fully camo'ed 870 youth for 327.00 (no express rust)

[Tail Feathers]

If you want to tinker and build, the 870 is a good option.  If you want to buy and shoot, the Weatherby is a pretty a turkey gun as I've seen.
I have an SX3 that is a wonderful gun, but I find myself carrying my single shot because it's so light and compact.  It's a pleasure to hunt with.

[Boykin Hollow]

If $$$ is no object then look at a Benelli M2

[BottomLand54]

If you want to tinker and build, the 870 is a good option.  If you want to buy and shoot, the Weatherby is a pretty a turkey gun as I've seen.
I have an SX3 that is a wonderful gun, but I find myself carrying my single shot because it's so light and compact.  It's a pleasure to hunt with.

Love my 20 guage t/c encore pro Hunter 20 guage here is results from today .575 Carlson, federal heavyweight 3" 1.5oz, 7shot 20 yards and 40 yards.

Shot the weatherby sa-459 12 guage today as well threw excellent patterns as well. Put it on armslist no one has contacted me so may remove it and keep it and buy we a new sa-459 20 guage this summer for next year.

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