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Which gun should I get.


Deanandtheratpack

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I am deciding between a ultralight and a monefeltro? Also 12ga or 20ga? I really like the feel of the UL. I am short so the light weight and 24" barrel feel good. I mainly hunt Pheasants and quail. I have heard people talk about how good they do with their 20ga and I have heard people complain about 20ga. So I am confused please help.:confused::confused:

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Welcome, Dean! I don't think you'd be diasppointed with either of those and a 20 gauge would be just fine for most, if not all, upland game birds (remember, turkey is a game bird). I almost always carry a 20 for dove, quail and pheasant but I do have a 12 gauge when waterfowl and turkey seasons roll around. If this is going to be your only shotgun then I would strongly suggest looking at a 12 gauge otherwise, buy both, one in each gauge!

Edited by Mr. Mac
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Mac, I know for quail 20 would be fine but pheasant is what I would be concerned with. I say this because I have very little experience pheasant hunting but I plan to get more into it starting next season. I have a good turkey gun (12ga) but it is to heavy to carry in a field all day. What is the story with barrel length? How much does barrel length affect pattern or distance?

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Mac, I know for quail 20 would be fine but pheasant is what I would be concerned with. I say this because I have very little experience pheasant hunting but I plan to get more into it starting next season. I have a good turkey gun (12ga) but it is to heavy to carry in a field all day. What is the story with barrel length? How much does barrel length affect pattern or distance?

 

 

Almost no differance. Remember most all 20 gauges can use 3 inch shells.

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First, Novaking is correct in that a good 20 load can do everything a 12 can (using same shot size and weight) for pheasant. As far as barrel length is concerned, again, if your only purpose is quail and pheasant then a 24" will be fine. Put the right ammo and choke combination and you can do a lot with a 20 gauge! You have to be comfortable in what you're doing otherwise what's the point, right?

Edited by Mr. Mac
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  • 1 month later...

I dont know if I can help you much but I bought a Montefeltro in jaunuary. I plan on using it for mostly geese and clay sports. I got it in 12ga. It holds 2 3/4 and 3in shells, it is a light, fast smooth gun. I would suggest getting the montefeltro, just incase you want to go for geese some day, but you can still shoot 2 3/4 in loads. hope this helped a little bit.

 

 

-Klay

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I bought a 20 ga Monte with the 28" barrel in January of last year for pheasant. Mainly so that I could shoot 3" 20 ga steel for pheasant in Iowa and North Dakota. Loved the gun. It holds five 2 3/4 inch shells and four 3" shells. I sold the Monte to my hunting buddy in October on a pheasant trip to North Dakota because he needed a gun that could shoot steel. All he had was a couple inherited Belgian Browning A5 12 ga and steel is a bad idea in an old 12 ga. He has gotten used to the Monte and now he loves it. I used the money that he gave me for the Monte to trade up to a 28" 20 ga SuperSport that I like even better than the Monte.

 

Suggestions: 1) Get the 20 ga 28" barrel - the Monte is so light that the extra barrel length will not affect your swing and the extended sight length makes shooting easier. It also adds mass to the gun which helps with recoil and followthrough - the Monte is so light that followthrough becomes a bit of a problem that needs to be praticed ; 2) get the Monte (or SuperSport if you have the dough) - again the 20 ga Monte is so light that the Ultra light is only 0.2 lbs lighter and the Monte can hold 5 shells; 3) A 20 ga Monte is a great gun for pheasant BUT you will need to be more accurate in your shots - not nearly as much leeway as with a 12 ga. So shoot some skeet with the new gun; 4) Both the 28" Monte and SuperSport with the extended Crio chokes pattern both lead and steel extremely well. No after market chokes needed. I believe the 24" barrel does not have the extended chokes.

 

PS: I would not use a 20 ga for ducks, geese or turkey. I have a 12 ga SBEII for those birds.

Edited by BlackDogs3
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12 ga or youll regret it

 

 

why? he has a 12 gauge now. 20 gauges are more useful than you think. My buddy hunts with just a 20 gauge and drops a deer every year. Every turkey he has pulled the trigger on has went down. quail,doves,pheasants, and ducks are no problem. Clays birds don't know the differance between the two. So again, why?

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Dean,

 

I am shopping the same guns right now, including the Sport 2 and will offer my ten cents on guage. I am a bit on the fence between the Silver Monte and the Sport 2, but I would personally choose a 20.

 

I started out with a .410 before I was 10 years old (Grandpa's of course) and have since owned a couple of 12's and a 16's. I like the balance, handling and frankly the aesthetics of the twenty better than any other bore. I hunted a lot of ducks with 12's, 16's, & 20's, pheasant, quail & dove, plenty of clay birds.

 

Personally the 12 is just a little overkill and I really enjoy the smaller guns. I would have no qualms using a 20 for everything and if I was limited to one shotgun...

 

It would be a 20 guage mag and a Benelli, just not sure which one yet.

 

Be interesting to see what you choose.

 

I would love to see the Silver Monte with a ported 26" barrel and the choke tubes from the Super Sport / Sport 2.

 

Plenty of people would be happy to argue the virtues of the 12 vs. the 20, but as one wise old man already pointed out, it really does come down to what you feel best with. At the margins you will have a bit more gun with the 12. You need to decide if the trade offs are worth it for you.

 

The 20 is just such a sweet and pleasant shooting gun. If you reload you may even notice it's a bit more economical to shoot too.

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i have an AL-48 Franchi 20 that i love.if a person knows how to shoot a shotgun, i cant see what it matters what gauge you shoot.my wife has a 410 Fausti o/u. and i can bust as many clays on the five stand with it as i can my 12 ga or 20ga.most of the guys that shoot trap at the Ft Worth skeet n trap club shoot 28 ga.

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i have an AL-48 Franchi 20 that i love.if a person knows how to shoot a shotgun, i cant see what it matters what gauge you shoot.my wife has a 410 Fausti o/u. and i can bust as many clays on the five stand with it as i can my 12 ga or 20ga.most of the guys that shoot trap at the Ft Worth skeet n trap club shoot 28 ga.

 

True, a lot of very accomplished shooters love the 28 in the field & particularly on the range.

 

Look at this one splash:

 

http://www.herosarms.com/HA150_Weatherby_Athena_III_28-26/HA150_Weatherby_Athena_III_28-26.htm

 

SKB makes a really sweet 20 & 28. Maybe it will still be around next month.

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well if your waterfowling at all you should go with a vinci or sbe becouse you dont want to get that fancy engraving wet and a vinci is light enough for catching up to pheasants and upland game, the reason alot of people like 20 guage for upland is weight and recoil my grandpa said you have to be dead on the bird with a 20 guage

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  • 5 weeks later...

I bought Vinci off the internet from Jaqua's Fine Guns. Good people and they are selling the Vinci at a reasonable price. There is a lot written about the vinci in these forums and the internet about the vinci, but almost ALL the negitive posts are from people who have never actually seen one, held it in their hands or shot it. The people who have actually fired one absolutely love it.

 

=Go Figure=

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It's nice to ask advice on this forum, but when picking a firearm, how it fits YOU is what is important. You've mention you liked the fit and feel of the UL...and since recoil is a perception of the user of the firearm, maybe you can shoot a friends 12 / 20 guage to determine which you prefer. Both calibers will take game and break clays the same.

 

My choice for upland game has been a Stoeger Uplander sxs in 12 guage...that I've been using since the 80's. Works for me...

 

 

Let us know what ya get !!

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I shoot the Montefeltro Silver in 20. In Texas, we are allowed five shots for quail season, and when the covey does not flush all at once, you often need that. The Vinci only holds three. And, the Monty is much lighter that the SBE. Look at the specs on the Benelli web-site. I can carry the Monty all day and not get tired, it only weighs a little over five pounds... can't say that for my 7 lb. Sweet Sixteen or my 10 lb. 1100. I have downed pheasant with the Monty while quail hunting with my quail loads (7 1/2 shot), 1 oz. You don't need a cannon to down pheasant. And, you don't really need the Silver... that would save you @$400+ bucks! This was the LAST shotgun I'll buy (I am older) so I wanted to "go out" with something "pretty." It's a piece of art ! I really like it.

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