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Advice needed


Adam2340

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I have used both 12 ga and 20 ga for pheasant. Right now my favorite pheasant gun is a 20 ga Super Sport. The 20 ga is much easier to carry all day on long hunts in North Dakota and Iowa. A twelve gauge is a bit of overkill for pheasant and definite overkill for quail. I use a 28 ga for quail or grouse. Since I switched to 20 ga, I am getting almost no "blown-to-hamburger" birds and a lot fewer "downed birds with legs" (i.e. birds you knock down but outrun the dogs once they hit the ground). My assumption is that the 20 ga is more of a kill or miss gun. I think that the increased number of pellets in a 12 ga gives more wounded birds on the outsides of the pattern.

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I agree the patterns are pretty much the same size between a 12 and a 20 ga. That's why I said that I think that the increased number of pellets at the edges of the pattern leads to more wounded birds with legs using a 12 ga. My current assumption is that the bird flies through the holes at the edge of a 20 ga pattern pretty easily so that you don't knock as many birds with an off center shot using a 20 ga. This season the boys only lost 2 birds that I knocked down using my 20 ga. When I was shooting 12 ga, I was constantly knocking down birds with legs in Iowa and North Dakota that four very good dogs could not find. This was a real big problem with a 12 ga in Iowa where you can only shoot steel loads in the public areas. I think the 12 ga becomes an asset late in the pheasant season when the birds are flushing wild at distance and 40 yd or longer shots become the norm.

 

I have actually shot a Browning "Sweet 16" hunting pheasants. It kicked my ass. The 16 ga has almost the kick of a 12 ga with the weight of a 20 ga. The browning had a horrible kick with 2 3/4" 16 ga field loads.

Edited by BlackDogs3
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CLAYS?do you mean skeet ,trap or sporting , skeet i have seen some shoot a 20 fore sure ,trap i havent seen many shoot a 20 ,and sporting there are a few also that can shoot a 20 , but i think and its my opinion if you are going to shoot a lot of clays you would enjoy the hits from a 12 and you can load it down fore the lighter hunting ,if you are only going fore one gun.:) enjoy what ever you decide to get.

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I like to use my 20 gauge for upland game birds (except turkey) simply because it's a lot more sporting and does take a bit more skill over a 12. I also like it at the skeet range.

 

I use my 12 gauge for turkey and waterfowl just for that extra bit of shot in the air. The 12 gauge is also pretty good to have at the trap side of the range.

 

As for reloading, get another press, some wads and empties and you're in buisiness for 20 gauge!

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