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20 gauge or 12 gauge?

Young Hunter
Is a 20 gauge shotgun more suitable for young person than a 12 gauge? Are there any advantages or disavantages? Thanks
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Comments

46 comments

Date Votes
  • Marc1301
    What is it going to be used for?
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  • Young Hunter
    Dove, rabbit and squirrel.

    quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
    What is it going to be used for?
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  • Marc1301
    Depending upon your age, I would say go for the 20 gauge.
    It will be fine for everything mentioned above, and if you wanted to shoot trap, also suitable.
    The 20 will beat you up a lot less than the 12.
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  • gearheaddad
    20
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  • fishkiller41
    quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
    Depending upon your age, I would say go for the 20 gauge.
    It will be fine for everything mentioned above, and if you wanted to shoot trap, also suitable.
    The 20 will beat you up a lot less than the 12.


    This is, taking for granted, you DO NOT LIKE, to be beaten-up..[;)]
    If you DO like to be beaten-up...


    STAY TUNED!![B)]
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  • badcompany
    when i was young i loved my 20 gauge, more so than any 12 gauge.
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  • Marc1301
    quote:Originally posted by fishkiller41
    quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
    Depending upon your age, I would say go for the 20 gauge.
    It will be fine for everything mentioned above, and if you wanted to shoot trap, also suitable.
    The 20 will beat you up a lot less than the 12.


    This is, taking for granted, you DO NOT LIKE, to be beaten-up..[;)]
    If you DO like to be beaten-up...


    STAY TUNED!![B)]

    Guess that means something,........all I have are 12's![:0][B)][:D]
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  • SCorvers
    I've got 4 different shootguns, 3 12's and a 20. The 20 gets used more than the others.[:D]
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  • Permanently deleted user
    Most of my younger 4-H shooters in trap prefer the 20 gauge.. Our club sponsers the 4-H and we provide them with 2 12 guage and 2 20 gauge semi autos. Some have their own and most shoot the 20.

    The 20 is just as effective as the 12, just a bit less of shot being thrown around..[:)]

    Actually get em a 410 for birds, squirrels, and rabits,, [:D][:D]or for shooting Skeet..[^]
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  • Hollywood
    I'd go with the 20. Less weight and recoil. It will also probably fit the yougster a little better.
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  • duckhunter
    Buy the 12 ga. Can be used for many different shoots. Use light loads of practice and heavy loads for ducks and geese.
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  • Odawgp
    I'd buy a 12ga, some say the 20 kicks less i say BS. a 20 ga will be lighter thus it will not absorb as much of the recoil. a 12 ga will also be more appicable later on down the road. ie duck hunting,turkey hunting. you can hunt ducks with a 20ga but finding factory loaded steel is a bear around here.

    if you reload you will be able to load the 20 down a little bit more

    but reloading for 12 or 20 really isn't cost effective if you only shoot a couple 100 rounds a yr.
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  • charliemeyer007
    I think the gun needs to fit the shooter first. What you load it with is next. A heavy 20 mag load will beat them more than a super lite 12. When I turned 12 dad said you are ready for 12 ga.. He loaded 12's not 410's. Yes the H&R Topper beat me some but I didn't mind. My last season at pass shooting doves when I was 14, I could limit out in less than a box of shell. That was less than 2 rounds per bird when the published F&G data was 5 per bird.
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  • Mk 19
    In my opinion, there is no reason for a 12 gauge accept to cover up poor shooting with large amounts of shot. The 20 has the same power as the 12 and it dosen't kick as hard. But with the 20 you have to put your shot on the target.
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  • select-fire
    Start them on a 20 gauge. They will probably end up with a 20 when they get older..


    GW.. the 20 guy..
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  • jwb267
    mossy 835 3 1/2"[:D] kills from both ends[;)]
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  • iluvguns
    No one has mentioned what is obviously the best choice to start a youngster on. THE 16 GAUGE!!! Can't beat it, and it's making a very strong comeback. My son has an 870 youth in 20 and a Browning A5 "sweet sixteen." Guess what he shoots ALL the time? The 16. He obviously has fine taste in his gun choices! [:D]
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  • HavegunJoe
    Go with the 20, you want their first shooting experience to be fun and successful. Better odds with a 20 of that happening.
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  • 11echo
    Actually I started with iluvguns's 16ga! I'd still be shooting it if trying to get ammo wasn't such a pain! Then I went to 20ga and loved it! Dad got me my first "new" gun in that gauge and I have it to this day! ...Mossberg 500 ...shoots 3" mags (which kicks harder then any 12ga!) I've shot ducks with guys shooting 12ga. and 16ga. on either side of me, and I knocked ducks down after both of these have given up shooting! ...BUT then came the lead band! So trying to shoot "steel" thru a 20ga. is like going goose hunting with a .410!
    ...These days I would suggest a 12ga.! ...It doesn't kick any harder then 20ga., you'll be able to find ammo just about anyplace, and as my Dad said, you'll grow into the gun. So it'll serve the young person longer then if he grew out of the weapon! My $0.02 anyway! Good Luck!! ...Mark
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  • farmplinker
    A youth semi-auto in 20 gauge is about impossible to beat for a young shooter. I found a Remington 1100 Youth 20 gauge and it is a GREAT little gun. Hardly kicks at all. Nice compact size.

    How young/small is the person in question?
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  • bayl778
    My dad gave me a model 12 20 gage for my 14th b-day in 1954. It made me very happy for years. I currently have 20's and 12's because the ammo is cheap. My original 20 gage is still a prize!
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  • Nighthawk
    Seems to me that some youth are afraid to shoot a 12 GA, I think its because some people talk about how bad the recoil is. Which its really not bad at all. But the 20 GA is more comfortable to shoot for youths and should do most anything you mentioned very well.
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  • jabronij3
    20 for hunting 12 for unwanted house guests
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  • GuvamintCheese
    Yep, I agree, the 20ga. is hard to beat. A 1# difference in weight makes a big difference when your small.
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  • SCorvers
    The only things I use my 12 for is ducks and deers. That Ithica 37 Featherlite 20 is the pigs nipples when it comes to small game.[8D]
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  • oldgunman
    20 gauge!
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  • ladams
    I learned to shoot with a 20 gauge, and am a better shot for it. In fact very rarely to I use a 12 at all, I find I do too much damage to the birds and rabbits. Plus a 20 is going to be lighter so a lil guy will be able to carry it longer without complaining. If you reload a 20 can easily be beefed up to near 12 gauge field shot charges.
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  • reddnek
    Unless your state requires a 12 for deer I recommend the 20.Except for my grandfathers Ithaca double and my Winchester model 97 pump gun I havent owned or used a 12 since I left Jersey
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  • tacking1
    I am currently on a 16 ga phase. I shoot remington model 11s and sportsmans in 20, 16, and 12. I dusted off the 16 this dove season and really liked her.

    personally I have to admit that I have killed more quail, duck, and geese with a 20ga, but feel like I need to shoot 12 to be competitive at sporting clays.....
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  • andersk
    I grew up shooting a 20 GA SXS and I'm still using the same gun for everything that I do with a shotgun. (Yes, it is a tad light for Canada goose, but that is OK with me. I might try to git me a couple of those pests this year.) I sold my Model 12 in 12 in GA 3 inch magnum in order to get a muzzle loader to go deer hunting down here in MA.)
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