INTRODUCTION - 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN
Did you know that 20 gauge shotguns are often considered the "all-around" shotgun? If you want to get a shotgun, but don't know what to choose, then this blog post is for you. This article will give all of the details about 20 gauge shotguns. We'll talk about how they differ from 12 gauge shotguns and why they're worth considering when looking at buying a shotgun. You should also read on if you need more information about cartridges!
WHATS A 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN?
A 20 bore shotgun is a type of firearm that's often considered the "all-around" gun. It can be used for hunting and sport shooting. In comparison to 12 gauge shotguns. Which are popular with hunters because they have the ability to increase shot count per cartridge and a greater spread of shot. The main difference between them though comes down their size. While many people find 12 gauge shotguns too cumbersome if say walking through thick brush looking for game. Whereas 20 gauge shotguns are much lighter, which is why they're often used for hunting.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT USING A 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN
The 20 gauge shotgun is a versatile firearm. Which can be used for hunting and sport shooting, but also in competitions such as skeet or trap where the goal of hitting clay pigeons with pellets becomes more important than sheer power to kill game at greater ranges. These firearms are great because you have less recoil if you use the lighter loads and its a lighter gun!!! Making it easier on your shoulder when firing long strings (more shots) from this type gun.
But you must remember the recoil will actually be more if you use heavier loads because the gun is lighter. This means you wont have as much weight behind the gun to absorb the energy (this is what most people forget). The standard load for a 20 gauge and 12 gauge is 28 grams. This means if you use a 28 gram load in your 20 gauge and 12 gauge you will actually feel more recoil off the 20 gauge. Where you gain a benefit from the 12 bore is by using heavier cartridges such as 32 gram loads or 34 gram loads.
Another important characteristic to remember with the 20 gauge is the pattern. A 20 gauge will shoot a much tighter pattern than a 12 bore simply because its got a narrower bore. This means you will have to use less restrictive chokes in your twenty bore to achieve an equal pattern to the 12 bore. Which isn't a problem at all, its just a case of knowing about it!
20 GAUGE SHOTGUN: HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU
Most brands of shotguns on the market are very good these days. Beretta and Browning are still two very good standout shotguns. They brand of shotgun that you wish to purchase will come down to personnel preference the majority of the time. Pick what you like and then you can have adjustments to make it fit correctly for you.
STYLES OF SHOTGUNS THAT ARE AVAILABLE
The most important thing to consider is what type of shotgun you are looking for. There may be a conventional style or an over and under, single shot break action gun that will suit your needs better than the other types available on the market today? As previously mentioned Beretta has some good options in their line up as well at Browning.
TRADITIONAL STYLES
LESS TRADITIONAL STYLES
"THE BEST 20 GAUGE SHOTGUN SHELLS"
Shotgun shells are relatively inexpensive and can be found in almost any gun shop. Although the prices are going up. The top three shells that I would recommend are:
- 1Gamebore: Game bore are now the stand out cartridge or shell if you ask me. They are hands down better than the rest out there. Particularly their "black gold" shell which is a very fast shotgun shell.
- 2Fiocchi: Fiocchi is a very old company that has been in the business for well over 100 years. They have an excellent reputation and they produce some of most reliable shotgun shells on this list. They seem to of gotten better in recent years too with some of the patterns from their shotgun shells being the best I've seen.
- 3Eley: Eley would have been at one stage the best cartridge that you could buy. However in recent years I've found several of their cartridges under performing. Some of them misfiring, poor patterning, slow and costly for their most expensive cartridges. However they do still produce some good cartridges and boast a very large selection to choose from!
10 DIFFERENT SHOTGUN BORE SIZES
The smaller the bore size of a shotgun the larger the diameter of the barrel. The gauge of a shotgun is determined by: The number of lead balls equal to the diameter of the barrel it would take to weight 1 pound of lead. Therefore a 20 gauge or bore shotgun would take 20 lead balls of the diameter of the barrel to weigh 1 pound of lead.
Different sizes of shotgun gauges:
WHAT TYPE OF SHOTGUN IS BEST FOR MY NEEDS? (12, 20, AND SO ON)
I'll start off with what I personally prefer, and that is a 20 bore. But to understand why I like that you must know what my use of the shotgun entails. And mys uses for the shotgun is mainly for shooting pheasants, ducks, rabbits, crows, pigeons. And occasionally I do some clay pigeon shooting. I love the 20 bore, it is so much lighter and smaller than your 12 bore but you don't really lose much at all. You have a little bit of added recoil when shooting heavier loads but then I'm not shooting all day either.
To me a 12 bore is massively overrated and a 20 bore would be my choice of gun every time in these scenarios. However, they do have their uses one of which being providing more recoil if your shooting all day. For example in a pigeon hide or clay shooting!! Or if you're after larger game often such as geese and foxes then you have the ability to up your load significantly. Here they can become beneficial.
There are other bores that have some popularity to an extent too. Such as your 16 bore or your 28 bore. But the truth of it is you don't really gain much by using these. You simply have much less choice when it comes to ammunition for no real benefit.
WHAT'S THE BEST SHOTGUN FOR BEGINNERS?: "MY FIRST SHOTGUN"
Without a doubt the best gun for you to buy as a beginner would be a .410. They are affordable and they can be used for a variety of game. Mine was a little single barreled Baikal which i shot extremely accurately.
I was 10 years old when I received my 410 shotgun off of my Father at Christmas. It was a brilliant first gun and I never missed much with it at all. My father took us out into the woods to go hunting for rabbits and pheasants.
20 GAUGE VS 12 BORE: PROS & CONS
Lets take a look at all the pros and cons of a 20 gauge shotgun. The pros and cons of the 20 gauge are being compared to that of a 12 gauge:
PROS | CONS |
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