Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Anyone use a 20ga. for Phesant?

Either the pattern is larger with a larger gauge or it's not. IMO the notion that the pattern is larger in a bigger bore due to shot deformation is utter bull puckey. That argument would have to be based on a very specefic bore diameter and shot charge to have any relevance and can not be applied IMO with such a broad stroke. If this were the case perhaps we should ask ourselves why competition shooters lengthen forcing cones and back bore the tubes. This decreases the effects of deformed shot and makes a tighter shot strand although the pattern will still be larger in most cases than a smaller gauge due to shot capacity. In the field copper plated shot helps reduce the effects of deformation. I think the relevant point on the whole is that the pattern will most likely be more dense and have a larger pattern with a larger bore due to shot capacity.
I did manage two grouse this weekend with the 20 and several flushes. Every weekend so far this season has been plagued with rain. I doubt they had much time to think about what hit em. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

A .410 throws a larger pattern than a 12 ga., that is well-documented.

That is a bit of a trick statement, as a larger effective pattern size is what counts, as in pattern efficiency-- which is where larger gauges have the advantage in a generic sense.

One of the best patterning gauges is the 28 ga. with 3/4 oz. of shot, patterning as well (or better) than larger gauges. But, while a high pattern percentage of 3/4 oz. of shot may be interesting it does not compare with 1-1/4 oz. loads.

I have a real soft spot for the 28 bore. Now there is a light, fast, small frame grouse gun. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I use a 20 gauge Browning Superposed choked Skeet and Skeet for hunting with pointers. 1-1/8 oz. of 7-1/2 shot in the first barrel, 1-1/4 oz. of #6 in the second. Got all 9 I hit this weekend.

I wish they made 1-1/4 oz. loads in 7-1/2 shot.

Indy, I use a 28-ga Citori, bored SK/SK for quail, and it kills as many birds as my 12 gauges do.

I shot my limit every day hunting last year with a 28 ga. SXS with an ounce of 5's. This was in SD after Thanksgiving last year, so certainly not early season birds. I have killed the majority of the pheasants in my life with a 20 ga. and no. 6 shot, although I have come to believe that 5's are the perfect pheasant shot, no matter whether 12 ga. or 20 or 28.

My opinion: if you shoot 20ga shells loaded with 12ga shot charges and 28ga shells loaded with 20ga shot charges you're throwing away all the advantages of using a smaller bore, plus getting the crap kicked outa ya' as punishment.

Gas guns take the recoil out of the equation;

The reason I carry 20's is light weight and fast-handling. The recoil is "unfelt recoil" when a rooster flushes, and this is not trap-shooting.

I shot a 12 ga. for years beginning in my teen years. The main reason I shot a 12 was I shot competitive trap, and I could switch barrels on my 870 trap gun and hunt birds. I used my standard 1 1/8 oz. trap loads for dove and quail and even loaded 1 1/8 oz. high-antimony #4's for duck with great success (This was in the late 70's and 80's).
I eventually started hunting quail over dogs. I found that with the 1 1/8 oz. load, I was really wrecking alot of birds, so I began loading 1 oz. and even some 7/8 oz. shells. One day it occured to me that I was carrying and 8-8 1/2 lb. 12 ga. and shooting the equivalent of 20 ga. shells. So, I began using a 20 ga. exclusively except for spring turkeys. I have a very soft spot for side-by-sides and have been using an AyA Matador for a couple of years now. I've found that if I use high antimony shot in my handloads, that my 20 will do everything I want.
FWIW, I went on my first pheasant hunt last week in Iowa. I carried my AyA 20 ga. Since I'm in the process of moving, all my loading equipment is packed away and I had to buy factory loads. I wanted copper-plated 5's, but could only find standard 1 oz. #5's. I killed 3 birds with four shots. Two of them had to be caught by the dog, but I believe that had I been using hard #5's, I'd have had no trouble at all.
35W

Being from Iowa I cut my hunting teeth on pheasants and have used everything but a 28 ga. which I wish to correct someday soon. I would use that in some of the preserve hunting I do.

But to the point, I've killed hundreds with the 20, starting with an old Stevens 311 as a teenager and just yesterday took three big roosters with an L.C. Smith 20 sxs and a Benelli Montefeltro 20. I've used most loads out there and wouldn't criticize anyone elses's choice but I've found a premium load of ! oz of copper coated 6s at 1300 fps work very well for early season birds; obviously the 11/8th short mag loads would work well too as long as they pattern well in your gun.

Later in the season I usually switch to one of my 12 ga sxs.

A 20 ga. might not be ideal in every situation you find yourself in while hunting pheasants but if you don't push the range, use premium shot shells, you will do just fine and of course depending on your choice of guns, you can hunt with a much lighter shotgun than you would with a 12.

You know, thinking back, as a kid I killed a truckload of ducks with my 20's. Even the big ones were no problem with my typical 1 oz. #4. Of course there was no one around to tell me that I wasn't using enough gun either!!
To me, it's like the deer rifle argument. I say you're far better off using something you can reliably hit with, than using something more powerful just because it's more powerful.
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It took all day yesterday, but this morning we were limited out by 8 AM.

I dropped this rooster right at 55 yards with a B-80 20 ga., Fiocchi GP #5's, and the help of a Trulock PH extended choke. They don't get much deader better.

Yea, the BB of the same size and speed flys just as far and hits just as far regardless of gauge; it's just the smaller the gauge, the fewer of them in the pattern. Therefore, that rooster was pretty unlucky.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />!

As were another 20 of them. 1-1/4 oz. of NP shot and a good choke tube is all.

Good shooting!

With a lot of standing corn still left in this area, it was a lot more walking than normal for opening day.

Ever read the myth of wide-open chokes for early season pheasants, and tighter chokes for 'late season'?

Illinois pheasants forgot to read that part. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Congrats. Looks like you had a great hunt.

Same story here. 'Though most farmers here are of Dutch extract and therefore obsessive-compulsive, there still is a fair amount of corn in. That, combined with warm, very mild weather keeps the birds spread out and "catch-as-catch-can".

However, my first trip out I managed to chill five big roosters in a couple of hours. I also had two or three more shot opportunities that I passed as a little too far with a 20 ga.

got back opening weekend in ks. dad used a stoeger o/u in 20 gauge with nitro pheasant loads from remington. he hit some that were easily out past 40 yds! he was choked mod/full. I pretty much used my pet cz ringneck 12 gauge, but switched to a rem 1100 sporting 20 the last day. used the nitro pheasants also. never had a problem or felt I was undergunned. I was using a light modified choke. I got a couple that were out there also in the 30+ range. I think that the real question is in your ammo selection more than gauge. the nitro pheasants are loaded with copper platted pellets. we used #5's. I know a few guys used fiochi golden pheasants loads with the same results.

I'm leaving mine in the case for the first day since I just bought a Browning O/U but I really enjoyed carrying the lighter 20 last season; although I was out shot by my counterparts carrying 12s until I unpacked my 870. I'm hoping to come back next weekend with some nice pics of a successful hunt!