mont1120 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 This was my first year participating in the USPSA shooting world, and I'm like most who begin, I started with a 9MM Taurus semi and now use a Kimber Custom .45, built an M4 with more parts hanging on it like a Christmas tree,and got into the 3 gun world also. What is have not not quite figured out the shotgun useage on the 3 gun sport concerning 12 vrs 20 gauge.. Before this season began, I had shoulder surgery to repair my shooting shoulder, and had to be careful and will always have to be careful of recoil. My wife had a youth version of the .20 gauge Remington 870 that I thought would work for the short term. I bought a fiber optic sight that attached to the rib, and purchased a 3 round extension to hold more shells. To me it worked perfectly especially in high round slug matches where the 12 can wear you out. The question I have is why the 20 gauge is not used more in this sport. Certainly recoil is reduced, slug recoil is much lower, and accuracy is maintained without losing that much power. I have yet to fail to knock down any steel with it even using Wally World 7 1/2 shot. Is there any reason folks prefer the 12 other than the usual mandate of having your teeth cracked from hundreds of rounds of high recoil ammo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Possibly because the 12ga is more common in most areas and there are usually more aftermarket accessories available. If i break something on my benelli, i know there will be 100 shooters who potentially have a spare part I dont have and vice versa. Shooting a 20 ga, there may only be 1 or 2 guys that could help you out if you dont have something you need. 20ga is certainly acceptable in most 3gun matches, but as you've said, rarely seen. If its what you have, then by all means....bring it out and have some fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthyBlagga Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I'm not sure I agree with the statement "recoil is always reduced". It's true that 20ga is available in lighter loadings, but there is a a fair amount of overlap with 12ga. More critically, 20ga guns are generally lighter in weight, and thus the felt recoil can be almost the same as a 12ga. Knock-down power is reduced proportionally with recoil, meaning a little extra choke (and thus shooting precision) is often necessary.I would say lighter weight and faster handling are bigger virtues of the 20ga than light recoil. Personally I would not consider running one because the loading port is too small on most 20ga guns - my fat thumbs get stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 20ga has a long shot column but not wide so you have to shoot it more like a rifle where a 12 has a wider pattern & you can go faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I bet my 1100 shoots way softer than any pump 20 gauge as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gspfla Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 thinking of biulding up a 20 for the girl wondering if anyone has tried the mossberg sa-20 and knows if there are extended magazine tubes made for that shotgun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Agree with the prior comments, especially the one about loading. As we were developing the TWinS loading systems, I borrowed a friends 20 gauge. For pretty much every kind of loading, the 12 is easier and smoother. This due to the easier to grip size of the 12 as well as the size of the loading port. My 9 year old had trouble with the 20 that he did not have with the 12. When Jim at Firebird was kicking around ideas for a new Open shotgun platform, we discussed at length the various merits of the 12 vs. the 20, they were few and far between. In a size restricted autoloader with box fed magazines, there were some benefits, and Jim got one working. He is building 12 guage open shotguns along the same concept, so that might be a clue. Given the same weight gun, the 20 kicks a tad less than a 12. But given the platforms, recoil is about the same. My wife and 10 year old both prefer the 12 guage SLP to the 20 guage 1100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mont1120 Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 Agree with the prior comments, especially the one about loading. As we were developing the TWinS loading systems, I borrowed a friends 20 gauge. For pretty much every kind of loading, the 12 is easier and smoother. This due to the easier to grip size of the 12 as well as the size of the loading port. My 9 year old had trouble with the 20 that he did not have with the 12. When Jim at Firebird was kicking around ideas for a new Open shotgun platform, we discussed at length the various merits of the 12 vs. the 20, they were few and far between. In a size restricted autoloader with box fed magazines, there were some benefits, and Jim got one working. He is building 12 guage open shotguns along the same concept, so that might be a clue. Given the same weight gun, the 20 kicks a tad less than a 12. But given the platforms, recoil is about the same. My wife and 10 year old both prefer the 12 guage SLP to the 20 guage 1100. Thanks for the comments gentlemen, I did notice the loading port issue for sure. I ended up with a cut after a high slug count round. I have not shot a .20 gauge auto loader, but on consideration and more study, I found there really are very few shellholder accessories made for .20 gauge. I can say after my surgery, I got to be a really good judge of recoil levels, amazing what a cut on the shoulder will do. I did try shooting a Benelli, an SLP, and I think it was a 930 if I remember right, and the Benelli brought water to the eyeballs. I have built the shoulder back up, and now am trying to figure out the best deal, the Mossberg or the SLP. At my age I'm not going to win any grand master awards, so what is the opinions of all here on the selection between the two? I have read the Mossberg 935 has issues from a plastic piece that keeps breaking in the stock to a problem of cycling on low power shells, so the 930 is the preference over the 935. So, the question would be is the SLP worth the extra cost over the Mossberg? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianATL Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I have a Benelli M1 20 gauge that has had the Benny Hill treatment which opened the loading port some. Gun is light and fast handling, recoil is probably a smidge less than a 12 gauge. I had a Remington 1100 youth 20 but those are a good bit heavier than the Benelli so you lose the 20's virtue of being light. Having done a little experimenting with the chokes I find imp cylinder is the best with the possible exception of long heavy steel, which I think is contrary to some of the previous posts, I think the 20 needs less choke compared to a 12. And as others have touched on it does take a little more dexterity to weakhand load the 20 gauge shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) I bet my 1100 shoots way softer than any pump 20 gauge as well. But I bet it doesn't shoot softer than my 20ga 1100. Easy to hold 4, even 5 20ga shells in one hand. Just adding counterpoints, I don't use 20ga in matches (though I have a bunch of them and love 'em) Edited December 14, 2011 by cas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) Big difference is in the loading port size. If your recoil sensative there are a couple things to do. 1) get a gas gun and not the benelli. The gas gun has much less felt recoil than a recoil operated gun. 2) weight is your friend. The heavier the gun is the less recoil your going to have from the said gun 3) good recoil pad. This really helps the felt recoil quite a bit. 4) light ammo. Low recoil slugs and 1oz 12 ga shells are your friend. The super hot 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 shells just beat you up without the gain. I have taken some pretty long shots with them and havent had trouble taking steel down with them Gonna disagree with having to shoot the 20ga more like a rifle. The pattern difference in a 20 and a 12ga is very slight and I would bet a miss with a 20 would have been a miss with a 12 ga as well Edited December 15, 2011 by EkuJustice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowShooter Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 For a 20-Gauge, One annoyance I have found is there are no quick shotshell carriers for the belt that come in 20-gauge sizes. Like these Safariland and others that are only in 12 gauge: I am reduced to using the simple "box of loose shells" hanging off of my belt. I envy the 12-gauge carriers that keep several lined-up for quick access. I've searched online but can't find any in that style for 20-gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Um, I've found that with a little bit of velcro (the fuzzy kind, not the hook part) I was able to modify my 6 pack shotshell belt holders to use 20 gauge loaded ammo. The capacity went up by 1 to 7 rounds from 6... they work fine.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Since there is no capacity advantage in a tube gun, recoil difference is negligible, and the extra power from the 12ga trumps 1&2 for the 20ga, 12ga it is. In a magazine fed gun that might be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 here are the 20 ga ones. http://shootersconnectionstore.com/Prog-Machine-font-colorblue20-GAUGEfontShotShell-font-colorblue20-GAUGEfontQuickStripper-font-colorblue20-GAUGEfont-P1935.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpeltier Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 The 20 ga is to shotgunning, as quiche is to lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Buchnat Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Hello, Does anyone have a sling quick disconnect stud (10/32 or 8/32) for a Benelli Legacy at a reasonable price -like $2.00. I only need the stud. Brownells has the part for .99 cents, but they want $5.95 for shipping. That's a major rip off. The stud weighs only 1/4 of 1oz. A .44cent stamp should do it. Benelli wants to sell me the hole barrel cap assy. which is another rip off. My local gun smith in Griffith, IN. will sell me the Brownells part for $5.00- so he's making 400% profit. Boy would I like to make 400% profit of the things I sell on Ebay. I'm not CHEAP by any means, but I really hate getting ripped off. Thanks, Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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