Who Needs A 12 Gauge?

I can easily recall a time when the 20-gauge shotshell was nowhere near as popular as it is today. When I was growing up in the Deep South, more hunters used the 12 gauge than anything else and the 16 gauge was not all that much behind it in popularity. The 20 gauge remained somewhat of a stepchild until a couple of things happened. One was the introduction of shotguns scaled in weight for the 20 gauge. Prior to that, the 20 was commonly available in guns sized for the 12 gauge and most hunters figured if they were to carry a heavy gun it might as well be chambered for the bigger shell.

There was also the matter of shot charge weight. During the 1930s and into the 40s, the heaviest charge loaded in the 20 was 7/8-ounce but the gradual improvement in propellants eventually changed that. When the 1950s rolled around, the one-ounce charge was common and Remington had even gone a step further by developing a magnum load with 1 1/8 ounces of shot that duplicated the standard loading of the 16 gauge. At the time, 2 3/4 inches was the maximum length for the 20 gauge but that changed in 1954 with the introduction by Winchester of a 3-inch version loaded with 1 1/4 ounces of shot. Now that you know a bit about 20-gauge history, it is time to take a close look at what it is good for.

Wingshooting In The Uplands
The first shotgun I bought with my own money was a Browning Auto-5 in 12 gauge. The Browning was a marvelous gun but it took only a short time for me to arrive at the conclusion the 20-gauge Auto-5 used by my father at the time was, in addition to being lighter and more comfortable to shoot, all the gun required for collecting a limit of mourning doves or bobwhite quail. I sold the Browning and bought the a 20-gauge Winchester 101 over/under. I still own the 101, and have used it on hunts from Alaska to Uruguay and many points between.

Soon after buying the 101, I stumbled onto something some hunters seem to never discover--for most upland wingshooting, you don't need to throw a handful of shot into the air with each tug on the trigger. For birds up to the size of grouse, 7/8-ounce of shot is plenty and anyone who cannot get the job done with an ounce of shot has himself, and not the shotshell he is shooting, to blame. The only time I use a heavier shot charge in the 20 is when hunting pheasant. For ringnecks, I prefer No. 5s and 1 1/4 ounces is required in order to reach what I consider to be a high enough pellet count for adequate pattern density.

Bumping Off A Gobbler
Anytime the choice has been mine during the past several years, I've chosen the 20 gauge for turkey hunting. To be more specific, my favorite turkey gun at the moment is a 20-gauge Remington Model 870 weighing almost two pounds less than the 12-gauge autoloader I used to carry. Come spring and the blossoming of dogwoods and redbud, I enjoy being in the woods with a 20-gauge gun mainly because it is lighter and its kick is milder than a 12. Since I also enjoy calling a gobbler in close before pulling the trigger, the maximum effective range of my 20-gauge gun--about 10 yards less than a good 12 gauge--mattered not. I use the past tense here because the 12 gauge no longer has the edge when three-inch loadings of the two are compared.