I'm not one to keep a lot of different guns. The main reason I chose 20 gauge is because it will pattern better with smaller, lighter loads that my kids (12 and 13) can shoot more comfortably than a 12 gauge, and I can buy those light loads as factory ammo for lower cost than I could make handloads or buy 16 or 28 gauge factory loads. They'll never outgrow 20 gauge and for the foreseeable future, we won't have a 12 gauge that someone can accidentally put a 20 ga shell in the create a barrel obstruction.
For quail and chukar, which is what I'd rather be hunting, I would have been content with a 28 gauge but both the guns and ammo are $$. The 12 is better for ducks, geese and turkey. I'd still use the 20 on ducks with a tighter choke but I really don't care for duck and geese compared to upland birds. There just isn't enough turkey in my current state to make it worthwhile. They've been introduced here. Most recent count was 1200 and their range is very limited. I suppose turkey really call for a specialty gun
or barrel anyway, but I'm not bothering unless I move to another state.
20 is fine for cottontails and squirrels. A bullet might be better but not a 12.
12 wins for turkeys, geese, long-range ducks and civil work. For just about anything else, I'd rather have anything smaller (16 to 28 ga) and 20 is the most practical of those.
