Printable View
I am considering giving up my 12 gauge and using my 20 gauge for duck hunting over water. I know lots of hunters are using 20s for turkey hunting but I haven't heard of 20s for duck hunting. Have you tried this? Comments on relative effectiveness compared to hunting with 12 gauge.
I've used a 20 for waterfowl for years.
When I started hunting, my 1st shotgun was a Stevens 58 bolt gun in 20 gauge. Using 2 3/4" shells.
Spend some time patterning the gun, and breaking some clays before season opener. If you do your job, it will do its.
I love my 20 gauges! Plenty of gun for ducks. Not ideal for field goose hunting when everyone else is trying to blast them at 50yd:whacked: but aside from that no need for a 12.
Thank you Bluebulldog and Oxaye! You have given me exactly what I was hoping to hear ;-)
If you can centre the bird in your pattern a 20 is plenty for ducks. No difference than a 12 if you can centre the bird.
S.
20 ga is plenty for waterfowl. Out of the four guys I run with, at least one will be shooting a 20 ga in the goose field. An ounce of 1's @1550 fps is an oz of 1's out of either as 12 or 20. The pattern is a bit different, so spend some time on paper. You will be amazed how effective they are. And so much fun. Really make the dude smashing away with a 3 1/2 in load of BBB's look at you like you got three heads , as you make a double on geese at 30 yrds with your wife's gun...
I haven't shot as much waterfowl as most of the guys on here have but I usually get a few hunts in every year, maybe 5 or 6. I use a Benelli Nova 20 and it works just fine, even taken a few geese that came into the duck decoys.
20 is fine, pattern it at 10,20,30,40 yards to understand it's performance at each range. I use a 43 yr old 12 gauge in 2 3/4" fixed choke. It works just fine as long as I respect the limitations of this gun. To boot it is a semi.
no problem in the corn field and over water pattern your loads at different distances as other have said
I own 6 20s now. It'll do just fine for ducks and geese in fields or on water. Just pattern the gun first.