Light loads 20 ga?

Andy Grant

Andy Grant

Well-known member
It is time to get a shotgun for my son. He is not really big. Three inch 20 ga. will likely be too much. How will the 20 ga. 2 3/4 work?

They have to be better than a .410. I want him to actually have a chance at getting a duck. Recoil is a big factor, but a semi-auto is not in the budget.
 
20ga 23/4 loads work fine over decoys. I have an old 20ga 870 wingmaster with IC choke that I've had since 1976. It was deadly then and still is today! Just restrain from taking long shots.
 
I agree concerning the 23/4-loads. My Depression-era Model 12 of course didn't even come in three inch so I bit the bullet and got some bismuth,and had excellent patterns at decoying-duck range. Took a 12 with just in case, but that little 20 is a dandy
 
Andy, lots of info under Carl's post a few lines below.

http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=228823;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

He asked about 12's, but a bunch of us cheated and talked about 20's.
 
Andy, I've been shooting 20 for years and like Tom said its all about the range.I have shot 2&3/4" and 3" in my 870 and it likes 3" #4 steel (Federals) the best.I have taken a number of geese with said load also. Bottom line is pattern the gun keep shots close,40 yds hold your fire,25 yds dead duck.
 
Andy: A few words of advise on a gun for your son. I bought the 20 gauge remington 870 express youth model gun for my son when he was 12. It is a great gun, but my recommendation is not to buy the youth model. He will grow out of it sooner than you think and you will have a gun that doesn't fit him well. The youth barrel is 21" which I feel is too short. I would recommend buying the 20 gauge express with a 26" barrel and remchoke screw in choke tubes. The standard stock will be too long for him, so plan on buying a cheap plastic stock or pick up one on ebay and cut it down. The difference between the youth stock and full size stock is 1" (length of pull). This way when he outgrows it, you can put the original stock back on and he will have a gun which will serve him well for many years. Don't hesitate on the 20 gauge, it is a wise choice for a youngster. The 20 ga. 3" loads are more than enough for decoying birds. My son loves his and is now quite proficient with it. Good luck.
Tim C.
 
Sam is turning 10 and even a youth model is too big. I was thinking I need to shorten the stock on a youth model down.

I figure a light 12 ga. load might be like a 20 and light-20 even lighter.
 
As others have said, 20 gauge in 2 3/4 is plenty for ducks at close range. I've had some days where I have hit the ducks the other guys missed with their 12 gauge thunder cannons... And even got 3 geese with it this year so far(using #4's in 3 inch). These were in close mind you (one of them looked like Elmer Fudd shot its bill off).

So, yep, I'd say a 20 gauge will do just fine.

I like it because its just so darn quiet.
 
andy, i bought a 20 ga single shot new england fire arms shotgun for my son when he was 8years old. i cut down the stock and reamed barrel to ic from full also took some off end of barrel for balance. i copied his red ryder bb gun for fit as he grew i added shims to stock with different recoil pad thicknesses. the gun new sold for under 70. bucks used 50 or less. the parts to restore are cheap(barrel and stock). the safety factor is you can see if he has the gun cocked to fire if the hammer is pulled back. i still have this gun it shoots good. son would shoot brant out to 35 yards stone dead with 2s hope this helped
 
andy, i bought a 20 ga single shot new england fire arms shotgun for my son when he was 8years old. i cut down the stock and reamed barrel to ic from full also took some off end of barrel for balance. i copied his red ryder bb gun for fit as he grew i added shims to stock with different recoil pad thicknesses. the gun new sold for under 70. bucks used 50 or less. the parts to restore are cheap(barrel and stock). the safety factor is you can see if he has the gun cocked to fire if the hammer is pulled back. i still have this gun it shoots good. son would shoot brant out to 35 yards stone dead with 2s hope this helped
Click to expand...

I did check on one of those. They are about $175 now. I did rather get him a pump of even Stoeger OU.
 
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