Why do you pick 20 over a 12?

[DirtNap647]

Was wondering your guys thoughts on why you chose a 20 over a 12 gauge. Most of the time they are about the same length.  weight can be lil heavier not much. Just got to thinking with all the 20 gauge and smaller hype...why this started? Wouldn't you be better off just dropping to a 2 3/4 or 3" shell? Just kind of curious to your thoughts?

[USMC0331]

Some of the reasons are due to weight, more compact, they load their own ammo (TSS) which in most cases will give better patterns over  the 12 using less oz of shot, and you have another turkey slaying platform.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Some of the reasons are due to weight, more compact, they load their own ammo (TSS) which in most cases will give better patterns over  the 12 using less oz of shot, and you have another turkey slaying platform.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Pretty much how I feel.  I like small, lightweight, handy guns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DirtNap647]

I understand compact. But there is 12 gauges almost just as compact. You take a Remington 870 youth 20 gets alot of praise. Then they add shurshot that gun becomes just as big as 12 not counting barrel length

[bushangler]

Light, compact, minimal recoil, fun. My mossberg 510 weighs 5lbs 2oz with 3 shells and a delta point and a sling.

I'm a run and gun guy, have never shot a Turkey over 25yds. I've had and used a litany of guns and shells and now use the lightest smallest 20ga made and I shoot 2 3/4" high brass plated 6's.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Yoder409]

I ended up picking the 20 over the 12 mostly because......... I had to, at the moment.  Had a dot sight (an expensive one) crap its britches in the middle of a Wyoming/Nebraska hunt.  Had to go from my 3.5" SX3 12 gauge to my spare gun on that trip which was a 20 single.   The performance of the 20 in filling my final tag in Nebraska was enough for me to slide the SX3 into the back row of the safe.

Let's face it................. The capability of the 20 with today's chokes and shotshell technology is beyond what ANY 12 gauge would do 20 years ago.  So, if you want to, there's no reason NOT to.  Sure......... An NEF Pardner 12 gauge can be had in every bit as light and compact a package as the 20 (I have one that's actually MORE compact than my 20) and with a 2 3/4" shell would have nearly identical recoil.  I just have seen over and over and over again what my 20 will do and I have COMPLETE confidence in it.  So, now......... I chose it over the 12 simply because I can.

[the Ward]

I understand compact. But there is 12 gauges almost just as compact. You take a Remington 870 youth 20 gets alot of praise. Then they add shurshot that gun becomes just as big as 12 not counting barrel length

I prefer a 12 or 10. I briefly toyed with the idea of getting a 20 for turkey, but i really don't have a reason to do it. Weight is a non issue to me, my 12s are plenty light enough,and I like the overall versatility of a bigger bore.Nice not to be locked into trick of the week ammo to have an effective 40 yard turkey gun. Still have a 16 gauge browning a5 on my "do want" list though.

[Ol timer]

I think both gauges have a different outcome when it comes to cost of buying shells these days, reloading a 12 gauge vs a 20 with TSS is expensive compared to lead shot if you can find any TSS factory loads, if you had not put the TSS factor into the mix today and only shot lead today like in the past what gun would outperform 12 vs 20 with factory loads.

[Paulmyr]

Decided to try the 20 route this year. My 12 weights in at around 7.8 lbs. The 20 of the same manufacturer weights in at 5.6 lbs. That's over a 2 lbs difference. 2lbs might not make a difference to a guy sitting in a gobbler lounger, pretty sure it's going to make difference for me when toting it up and down ridge lines all day. Holding steady for an extended period waiting for a gobbler to step out from behind that thicket will be easier as well.

[ol bob]

If it will kill a turkey and you like it what difference does it make what gauge it is?

[PALongspur]

My motivation initially was a lighter overall platform. Another nice thing is reducing felt recoil. I admit to being somewhat recoil sensitive. I'm a big believer in a lot of preseason practice and my 20s are just more pleasant to shoot.

[Dtrkyman]

99 percent the weight.  Also when I started loading my own shells there were no commercial loads I liked in 20ga and the 12ga offering I liked best was changed, hevi shot changed and winchester stopped making the xtended range.

I always liked a 20ga for any of my wing shooting as well.

[cpreeves]

Weight was my driving factor to get into the 20 gauge craze. My franchi is a fun little gun to carry around all day. They also pattern as good as my 12 gauges do

[Greg Massey]

I prefer the 20 ga. over the 12 , just because i can ... I use what i want and with the new shells and chokes , no need to carry 12 ga. anymore ... If people want to carry a 10 ga. go for it, i trying carry one of those ball and chain gun's one year, never miss the day i got rid of that gun.. LOL..

[RutnNStrutn]

Was wondering your guys thoughts on why you chose a 20 over a 12 gauge.  weight can be lil heavier not much.  Wouldn't you be better off just dropping to a 2 3/4 or 3" shell?

I didn't chose one over the other. I still use both. Sometimes I hunt the mountains, and sometimes I hunt public land where I have to walk or bike miles. When I do those, I take my little lightweight 20 ga. It weighs less than 5 pounds, compared to my 12 gauge land cannon. LOL!! Switching down from a 3-1/2" to a 2-3/4" or a 3" doesn't change the weight of the 12 gauge.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk