Well, I was hoodwinked by the deceitful Hevi propaganda. What I thought I bought was tungsten, because it's advertised as tungsten, says "tungsten" right on the box. I think they sprinkle it with tungsten fairy dust, because it's actually lower density than lead. I paid $33 a box for what is probably a little better than a steel waterfowl load. I'm kind of an ignoramus when it comes to the shotgun market. I used to load my own on a Mec and then just quit shotgunning for a long time. I don't think I could make 20 gauge work well past about 35 yards unless I load my own (that Mec's been gone for almost 30 years), because commercially, there are duck loads and then #3 Buck (with too few pellets) and nothing in-between.
It sort of makes sense because not many people are going to choose 20 ga for swans or even geese, and for fox and bobcat, you'd want something like a swan load but without the handicap of steel. On the other hand, people shooting predators aren't going to want to pass up Coyotes, and 20 gauge just isn't going to have the pellet size and count for those bigger and tougher dogs even if it could be made to work for the fox and cat.
While I see the value of a 12 gauge for all kinds of predators including bobcat, I don't have one already and I'd be reluctant to buy one for that purpose given the range is still limited to something less than 100 yards. Instead, I could get a rifle in a cartridge suitable for predators that would make all those shots between 70 and 200 yards quite practical. Really, it's not limited to that range, but just thinking of all the opportunities that come in at those ranges, it's a lot to miss out on. On the other hand, I have no opportunities for a gun that I don't have.
Last edited by Western_Juniper; 11/16/20.
