Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
I've been a 12 gauge guy ever since I started hunting and really never gave the 20 gauge much thought. That is until I purchased a H&R Pardner in 20 gauge not to long ago. Now I just can't seem to put the 20 gauge down, everytime I go out I reach for that handy little H&R Pardner and leave the 12 gauge behind. Right now I have to make my mind up on what to do. I am set up to reload for the 12 gauge but I also have a nice Nikon Monarch scope mounted on it and all zeroed in for slugs.
I can't make up my mind as to what I want to do with it now that I have this 20 gauge I'm not sure why I short changed the 20 gauge in the past, in the short time that I've had it it has already accounted for itself with getting me a deer. The performance certainly wasn't lacking in any way, now I plan on using it for upland game but what should I do with the 12 gauge. Should I just leave it as is? or take the scope off and rotate it out with 20 gauge and re-mount and zero the scope next deer season? Oh decisions decisions.
Last edited by 336A on Fri Nov 29, 2013 12:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Upland game birds are what the 20 was made for. I picked one up in Europe many years ago just for that purpose. Keep the 12 for water fowl, and deer. Though there are quite a few who take deer with a 20, used that same 20 while in Florida.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
I love the 20. My all time favorite shotgun was a Remington 1100 LT-20. I very foolishly sold it to help finance some taxidermy work quite a few years ago. I regreted that decision almost instantly. Been on the prowel for a deal on another one ever since. Also would like a Red Label 20 ga.
Funny, for years I didn't care much for the twenty, prefering to use 16 doubles. A couple years ago I realized in spite of myself I'd shot more game with a twenty than with the 12 & 16 combined. Now I just roll with it and use em 90 percent of the time. I'm currently enjoying an 870 exp magnum with a 21"bbl. Quick pointing doesn't begin to explain it!
"Oh bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.
Watch out for those H&R and NEF Handi-rifles and shotties, They have a way of over crowding a safe.
30/30 Winchester: Not accurate enough fer varmints, barely adequate for small deer; BUT In a 10" to 14" barrelled pistol; is good for moose/elk to 200 yards; ground squirrels to 300 metres
250 Savage... its what the 223 wishes it could be...!
This H&R 20 gauge replaced the Marlin 1894SS .44 that I sold. I just didn't like the on game performance that I was getting with it. That and ammo as well as components are hard to come by and expensive right now. It just didn't seem to matter whether I was using factory 240gr JSP or handload consisting of a max charge of H110 and a 240gr Hornady XTP-HP the deer always seemed to travel 100 yards or more after the shot. Deer taken with my 30-30 never went more than 50 yards and those taken with my 12 gauge dropped on the spot. I hunt in heavily timbered forrests and swamps where 50 yards is a long shot and most will be under that. The last thing I want is a deer to run deeper into that unforgiving terrain. I used to have a 12GA Pardner 20 years ago but didn't want to put up with the bone jarring recoil of one of those again. So the 20 gauge is filling the woods bumming/foul weather/camp gun niche that the 1894SS once held.
Here is a doe that I took last week with the 20 gauge. She was shot at roughly 50 yards in thick timber, the Remington Slugger did a splendid job. She made it about 20 yards before piling up.
Last edited by 336A on Fri Nov 29, 2013 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I currently have three different 20ga guns that I use, along with a .410 single & a 28ga double: an Ithaca Deerslayer M37 pumpgun w/extra 28" bird bbl that hasn't failed me since I started using it about 20 years ago; an auto-loading Franchi AL-48 Deluxe 26" multichoke I won in a raffle about 6 years ago, that replaced a 24" VR/fixed choke (IC) Franchi that I had sold in error; and a 26" IC/Mod Stevens 311/Sears SxS that I bought cheap due to a hallf-missing buttplate.
Although each is different (pump/auto/double), each has it's place/use - and I haven't noticed any change in hitability since I pretty much stopped using a 12ga about 35 years ago.
I sorta miss the 16ga LC Smith Featherweight (it had a 20ga-sized scaled frame) I used for awhile - but I since I never "did" waterfowl, I can't say I miss any of the 12ga's I had for shooting. (Eye candy is an entirely different issue )
It's weird cause not only did I not use a 20ga, I didn't use pumps either, prefering side by sides. I still do like the doubles but don't seem to use them much. Now I use mostly pumps, the 870 above and a model 12-20ga. I use an H&R single in 20 sometimes also. Funny how things change. I will say, and I'm sure OS can attest, that 870 swings like a feather duster.
"Oh bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.
I don`t bird hunt much but my old riding buddy in Washington gave me his Ithaca 20 side by side last time I was out there.
Nice light gun to carry , I also like the 16 gauge.
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
Again with Oldwin on the handling. Mine looks right where I do. I have shot duck, quail, chukar, pheasant, rabbit, trap sporting clays and skeet with it. Light target loads to magnums. Seems great for 90%+ of what I might do.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...
If I ever see a grouse in Western Washington again (scarce as hen's teeth anymore ) I'll use an H&R 410....I have an H&R 12 that I shortend to about 19", and I'll never shoot that bad boy again I have a 20ga Uplander with hammers and normal length bbls (Improved Cyl and Modified, I think) that I think I bought off Joe R......Swings nice, and I seem to hit clays pretty good with it....I think it's what I'd use if I ever take up shotgunning again.
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
I was hoping to try it out on some grouse after deer season. Lately though I haven't seen any, the only thing that my friend seems to have on his woodlot is a abundance of those pesky red squirrels.
if the 12 gage wasn't a required armament and a yearly qual for the LE Agency I serve I would be all over the 20 gage...before I got sucked into LE stuff I owned nothing but 20's...as a kid it was my duck, deer, pheasant grouse big bore...the 12 gage has it's place... :)
Shoots like a 20, hits like a 12... but finding ammo is a PITB...
(Did I mention I own nothing but 16 & 410 shotties?)
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
I have shot a lot of grouse with my 20 ga. It was my Dad's a Remington 870, 26" modified choked barrel. I take it the the barrel you have now is a rifled barrel and would not shoot shot very well. Can you get a smooth bore barrel for it? If not keep your eyes open for a good used 20 ga of your liking. Another option would be to use the 12 but that would be too easy.
Happiness is a comfortable stump on a sunny south facing mountain.
Iceman, it is plain smooth bore modified choked barrel with a bead sight. I like the smooth bore due to simplicity, load er' with slugs and I'm set for big game, switch out to birdshot and I'm good for upland game. That and I highly detest the $2+ price tag that accomopanies sabot slug ammunition.
Not really,
I'm a 20 gauge person.
My Mossberg with ghost ring sights is .20 gauge.
I should do a Vang Comp on it this winter, the mill is just sitting there doing nothing.
Mescalero wrote:Not really,
I'm a 20 gauge person.
My Mossberg with ghost ring sights is .20 gauge.
I should do a Vang Comp on it this winter, the mill is just sitting there doing nothing.
You have an accord....
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
If it is not an issue to remove the scope then have at it and enjoy. I am also thinking of a simple break open in 20 ga for a kicking around gun. I have a single 410, but prefer the 20.
Happiness is a comfortable stump on a sunny south facing mountain.
Here is the 160pound almost 7pt that was taken with my scoped Mossberg 12GA and 20" field barrel with IC choke installed. Ammo was Win Super X slug distance was a whopping 30 yards in very thick brush.
336A wrote:Here is the 160pound almost 7pt that was taken with my scoped Mossberg 12GA and 20" field barrel with IC choke installed. Ammo was Win Super X slug distance was a whopping 30 yards in very thick brush.
That's what it's good at....
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
The second saturday of the Virginia dove season I used a circa 1930 AH Fox A grade 16 gauge and a circa 1951 Browning Superposed 20 gauge for my 15 birds .
Took two hours and 45 shots to get those 15 birds . Killed 9 with the 16 gauge and the last 6 with the 20 !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
Back when I lived in Western Kansas, I bought a Remington 870 Wingmaster in 20 gauge and shot a lot of pheasants with it. My son now has the gun, and I had a gunmaker adjust it to him. If he keeps his down and puts his cheek on the stock, he hits with it. It is perfect for upland birds. A 12 gauge is fine for upland birds, but not necessary. A 20 gauge will pile up a pheasant like it hit a brick wall just as well as anything. I have a 12 gauge Mossberg now, and it has the second barrel with rifling and a scope. Should the chance to get back into a milo field after a pheasant come back up, I am sure that my son will be with me and that the 20 gauge will do as well as the 12. Any Duck bigger than a teal might be getting into the territory of a 12 gauge, but Pheasant and quail are easy to kill.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
piller wrote: Any Duck bigger than a teal might be getting into the territory of a 12 gauge, but Pheasant and quail are easy to kill.
No game bird as such is "hard" to "kill" . But some are "hard" to "hit" . Now with that being said back when I chased grouse , quail , chukars and pheasents I never saw one of those birds I thought I had a chance of killing I couldn't have done in just as easily with a 28 gauge as with a 12 gauge . Matter of fact when I still kept grouse setters I generally hunted with a 16 or 28 gauge .
Truth be told in the dove field I've used all of what most people call traditional gauges to kill the little grey devils 10 , 12 , 16 , 20 , 28 and believe it or not the 410 .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
I hope to use my Western Auto 16ga mag-fed bolt gun in my local "shotgun/smokepole only" area next year...
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
Old Ironsights wrote:I hope to use my Western Auto 16ga mag-fed bolt gun in my local "shotgun/smokepole only" area next year...
I assume thats a "kill only" area "no harvesting" allowed LOL's !
Naaah... Me? I just Shoot things and drag them home.
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
OldWin wrote:6pt,
I love your Fox 16. Just.....wow
Thank you , the gun shoots where I sim it that's for sure . The first time I shot it on the skeet field I went 48 fir 50 shooting low gun . Only problem I have with it is that it's a Utica Fox instead of a Philadelphia made gun . At the moment I have this gun and four Sterlingworths . The Sterlingworths are a pair if 12's and a pair if 20's all Ohilly guns except one of the 12's . So now I'm thinking I need to find a nice Philly Sterlingworth 16 !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
6pt-sika wrote:The second saturday of the Virginia dove season I used a circa 1930 AH Fox A grade 16 gauge and a circa 1951 Browning Superposed 20 gauge for my 15 birds .
Took two hours and 45 shots to get those 15 birds . Killed 9 with the 16 gauge and the last 6 with the 20 !
I admit it, had to use the drool rag.
That Fox got me
Yeah I've always liked 16 doubles. My dad has an old Wards Hercules that I always liked to handle when I was very young. I shot my first partridge with that gun. I've got a couple more 16 sxs' s now but nothing as nice as yours.
"Oh bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.
Oldwin - that brings up a pleasant experience from a few days ago - after the head on about 16 months ago I find I have some Swiss cheese in the memory banks and I think somebody changes the slices now and again - looking through some golf equipment what do I find but that I own a Stevens 16 Ga. double that I did not know about. Ah, it all comes back to me now - I bought it from a buddy not long before the event.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...
OS,
Yeah that would freak me out too bud. I hope it gets better. I've got one of those Stevens 311 16's too. I bought it when I was in high school for 150 bucks and thought I owned the world.
"Oh bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round.
OldWin wrote:Yeah I've always liked 16 doubles. My dad has an old Wards Hercules that I always liked to handle when I was very young. I shot my first partridge with that gun. I've got a couple more 16 sxs' s now but nothing as nice as yours.
Hmmm at the moment my 16 gauge arsenal includes the AH Fox , a Parker GH damascus , a Kettner german gun , three german drillings with 16 gauge barrels , a Remington Sportsman 48 with a Cutts Compensator and a recent addition of a circa 1940 H&R top lever 16 gauge single barrel !
I need a Parker VHE , Philly Fox Sterlingworth and a LC Smith Ideal grade all in 16 gauge !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
6pt-sika wrote: three german drillings with 16 gauge barrels , !
Would you care to elaborate on the drillings? I have always liked the idea, but have never indulged the urge own one, yet.
1. Kerner 16-16 and 7x57R
2. Kettner hammer gun 16-16 and 10.75x65R Collath while it's a hammer gun this one is highly engraved and has of all things a left hand cheek piece !
3. German Guild gun 16-16 and 8x57J the one thats .318"
Also have a JP Sauer 12-12 and 7x57R that was made during the East/West German days in East Germany . This one has really nice engraving of a Roe Buck and a Caperacialle .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
I'm not sure why I short changed the 20 gauge in the past, in the short time that I've had it it has already accounted for itself with getting me a deer. The performance certainly wasn't lacking in any way, now I plan on using it for upland game but what should I do with the 12 gauge. Should I just leave it as is? or take the scope off and rotate it out with 20 gauge and re-mount and zero the scope next deer season? Oh decisions decisions.
)
) I'll use an H&R 410....I have an H&R 12 that I shortend to about 19", and I'll never shoot that bad boy again 
I have a 20ga Uplander with hammers and normal length bbls (Improved Cyl and Modified, I think) that I think I bought off Joe R......Swings nice, and I seem to hit clays pretty good with it....I think it's what I'd use if I ever take up shotgunning again.
in very thick brush.
