Is a 20 Gauge Sufficient for Most Hunting?

[Walker]

Must not be very good shots...

I guess. Only 5 handicap at skeet.

[canny]

A 20ga will be fine for everything you mentioned. They actually tend to throw a more evenly distributed pattern, on average, than a 12ga.

[okrattler]

Oh yeah, with the right loads you can kill anything you could with a 12 gauge. I've killed turkeys, pheasants, quail, dove, rabbits and varmints with the 20 gauge. I don't think you'll have any trouble killing stuff.

[imyomama]

20 for everything except personal protection.. unless you're like kentucky ballistics and like it when it be "kickin!"

[Voodoo]

A 20 will do anything a 12 will do and in some cases better. Don’t be fooled by the less perceived recoil with all guns though.

Really depends on the loads and guns when comparing to a 12 ga concerning birds.

I have to laugh (and will) at anyone thats says a 20 isn’t as good as a 12 for personal protection 😂🤣😂🤣

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

A 20 will do anything a 12 will do and in some cases better. Don’t be fooled by the less perceived recoil with all guns though.

Really depends on the loads and guns when comparing to a 12 ga concerning birds.

I have to laugh (and will) at anyone thats says a 20 isn’t as good as a 12 for personal protection 😂🤣😂🤣

Thank you.

[TacticalCowboy]

And you can tell everyone that you shoot a 20 duck hunting 🤣

[muddydog]

My 78 yo father has proved to me that a 20 will out perform a 12 on just about any of the bird species. We have done extensive pattern testing and have gotten denser more controlled patterns with a 20. Only advantage a 12 has, is shooting buckshot loads for predators.

[Big pig]

I have a 12 gauge for turkey hunting, but a 20 or 28 for birds and clays. Never needed anything else. Not a fan of semi-autos 12 for my casual style of hunting.

That 870 turkey gun is 45 years old and has a thick recoil pad, turkey choke, sling and a scope. Really heavy fully loaded. But I seriously wish I had started with a single shot 20 set up for turkeys. But that REM always kills the turkey no matter who is shooting it.

[Voodoo]

The 3 worst kicking shotguns I've ever shot were all 20 ga. They can shoot the equivalent of a 12ga 1oz load (not even considering a 3"), and if it's a small, light frame 20ga gun, those loads can really push the little guns around. A heavier frame 12ga kicks less.

The light frame is the only reason I like a 20 because they can kick hard. They had that old X frame 870 that was on a 12 frame