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Shotgun 12 vs 20 opinions..

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I am currently looking for a new pump action shotgun. I need a gun that my youngest son (not old enough to hunt yet) can use later on and also something that would be good for general home defense or camp defense. I found a couple of cheap black guns but i am having a hard time deciding on 12 ga vs 20 ga

I already have a Mossberg500 12ga and an 870 wingmaster in 16ga. both guns are way too long to be considered for Home defense or just just have around camp. I want to make sure i am not lowering the effectiveness of the 12 going with the 20. I also never owned a 20 so i am not sure if ammo like buckshot is available. Any opinions? is 20 ga enough?

nope 20ga won't even kill a mouse.

Not even a little one?

Semi,

OK, in seriousness a 20Ga can be adequate for what you describe. My suggestion would be to acquire as much knowledge as you can. Printed, video, and hands on.

The replies you get may be varied, most of it accurate, and well meaning.

Neither of the two you already have are too long for what you describe. You just have to know how to use them. Something shorter would be of little advantage if you don't know the how or what they are capable of.

Slugs and buckshot are available for the 20 the same as the two you already have.

You will not be able to learn what you need to know from this thread. What you need is hands on experience that can only be gained from being around those who use shotguns and using them yourself.

Well, he DID mention using buckshot...

If you want a dedicated home defense weapon, in the form of a shotgun, you pretty much just need to be willing to use it for only that.

You are going to be unhappy all around if you want to buy a home defense weapon, that will later be used by your son for hunting.

A short barrelled shotgun, with open choke and ghost ring or rifle type sights, is a formidable weapon inside a room. However, the same things that make it well suited for use inside the home, also are negatives when it comes to a hunting gun. And vice versa.

Compare handguns the same way. I love my 1911 and Glock for concealed carry and self defense, but don't hunt with them. Conversely, guys that are shooting Contenders at long range hunting targets aren't carrying them for self defense.

Sometimes you need to prioritize and sacrifice, rather than trying to find a compromise that just isn't going to work. I think this is one of those times.

With all of that said, a 20 ga will work fine in a self defense role. You are only talking a small difference in payload, still traveling at the same speed.

Well put ColdBore!

What he said.. I'd only add that your selection should include a model with switchable barrels.. I.e., Rem 870. Use a standard, longer barrel for general hunting/or sports, then switch to a short, open-choke barrel to use for home defense..

Much cheaper than buying two, use-dedicated, shotguns..

And on top of that, your 500 or 870 could also be outfitted with a youth stock if necessary to start out your son, then switched back later on.

Exactly - and a good point to add..

Battue you know I don't know anything about shotguns, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Bought a 12ga mossberg pursuader. I have 3 barrels for my 500 that are interchangeable. Now i have an18"barrel with interchangeable pistol grip.

I think a 20 is better than a 12 for home defense especially if your wife and children might use it also.

I'd go with the 20-ga. It will do anything the 12 will do for home defense, shoots slugs and various sizes of buckshot. The recoil is noticeably less, and the ammo is cheaper, both of which encourage more practice. Practice is especially important with young or beginning shooters, such as your wife and kids.
Sign the whole family up for a hunter safety course with your state game and fish agency, then get yourselves into an Appleseed shoot with a .22 rifle each. Hang around the local skeet range and get acquainted, find out if/when they are having classes for beginners and get wife and kids, and yourself, into that too.
Learn all you can wherever you can.

Nonsense a 12ga can have less recoil then a 20ga. It comes down to the loads you are shooting, the weight of the gun, the guns fit to the shooter, and the operating system in the case of an auto. Sadly I have seen too many people like yourself sell that to a woman, child, or recoil sensative shooter.

While I don't disagree with the "get the 20 ga" part, I do disagree with your reasoning.

As MCH points out, recoil is dependent on a few different things. I load my 12 ga with 7/8 oz loads that kick less than a lot of factory 20 ga loads.

As for cheaper ammo, nope. 12 and 20 ga, when comparing equal stuff, is going to cost the same. Go look at the shelves. Cheap promo stuff, or the 100 rd bulk packs, are the same at about $5-6 and $21-22 bucks respectively, 12 or 20 ga. Target ammo is gonna be about $8 or so, 12 or 20 ga. Same across the board for most anything that's a level comparison.

I do agree though with go practice and get comfortable with whatever your choice is.

A 20ga with a youth stock and 18 1/2" bbl would be formidable in the house, and even more powerful than a .357 magnum.

I picked up a YOUTH MODEL M870 Composite COMBO to shoot, but also for dedicated home defense, along with four (total) barrels.

I agree a dedicated gun is much easier to manage/maintain for HD, than swapping barrels and stocks that keep family members guessing whether the 'Remy house warmer' is ready for serious duty!

But regardless, youth length stocks are frequently found (used) on eBay or GunBroker.com, or similar locations.

Also, for home defense I would skip any buckshot and only stoke it with a 1-ounce #4 or #2 (if available) birdshot load, if not a slug or two for your final shots (if needed; the larger birdshot pellets at the ranges such a gun would be used would be plenty lethal where the range would be measured in "feet," and would still penetrate the chest, or certainly the neck area of a bad guy!).

ADDED: I also agree that "cost of ammo" should not be the determinate factor when choosing gauge. Rather, which features/advantages are more or most important versus not so important or not at all! 12ga is more powerful, popular, with ammo easier to find. The 12ver also has greater recoil and harder to recover for follow-up shots (for small shooters). Conversely the 20ga is lighter weight, can be slightly more compact in a tight hallway, and easier to handle with a more moderate recoil! 20ga ammo is still popular altho not as much as the 12ga.

While the 12-ga "can" have less recoil, in the parameters the OP stated (a pump gun for home and camp defense, that can be used by his son, and asking about buckshot and slugs) the 12-ga slug does recoil more than the 20-ga slug, and 12-ga buckshot does recoil more than 20-ga buckshot. For home defense a 20-ga slug will be just as effective as a 12-ga slug, same with buckshot, and be more pleasant to shoot.
That is merely based on my personal experience of 29 years LEO and firearms instructor and also hunting and target shooting most of my life.
I wish I could find around here 12-ga slugs and buckshot that is priced the same as 20-ga slugs and buckshot. I'd stock up on them.

20 gauge ammo around here is usually more expensive than 12. Sometimes lead slugs are cheaper in the 20 by a little bit.

'Duck,

I took the same route. Got a slip-on pad & 26" Remchoke barrel for clay birds & doves; lose the pad and reinstall the shorty with open choke for general carry at the lease and HD use. Other barrels are forthcoming. Frankly after giving this a lot of thought, I came to the conclusion that this one pump 20 Ga. could probably handle just about anything I'd ever need a firearm to do, assuming the appropriate barrel/ammo. It would probably be the the very last firearm I'd part with.

Best Regards