Low recoil 20ga ammo - 03/04/24
Growing up I was forced to suffer a single shot 410 for the first few years of my dove shooting career. I managed to get lucky and kill a bird or two on the wing per year but it was frustrating and it’s a miracle I didn’t give up and quit.
When I was big enough for a single shot 20 it was night and day, I’d kill 7-8 birds an evening then sometimes. I swore at a very early age if I had a kid I’d never saddle them with a 410.
And of course a couple years ago my son was dying to dove hunt and I picked him up an old Savage 410. It has been an effort in frustration. Birds shot at on the ground at under 20 yards are far from a sure thing and the old Savage is built on the frame big enough for a 12ga and weighs a ton so shooting them on the wing is about as likely as hitting the Powerball.
So wanting to do better for him and promising that we’d find a better solution I’ve been on the scout for one of the old Beretta folding single shots. I like that they don’t have a hammer to deal with, I once accidentally shot a broom weed when lowering the hammer on a single shot, thankfully I had been trained to always point it in a safe direction. And being alloy framed they’re lightweight.
Lo and behold last week I swing by the gun counter at a farm and ranch store and they have Charles Daly Turkish made knockoffs of the Beretta folders, 12,20, or 410, a 100 dollar bill will take one home. So I bought him a 20, surprisingly it even has a decent piece of walnut on it. I ordered a Kickeez pad from Brownells and I’ll cut it off about 2” before I put the 15/16” pad back on and grind it to fit.
So I guess now that that’s all out there. Does anybody know of a good low recoil load and if so a line on where I can get a flat. Winchester lists a 7/8 oz at 850fps that gets good reviews but I can’t find any in stock. Fiocchi lists a 3/4 oz load at low velocity that would probably be great, none to be found of it either. Is there anything else similar out there?
I just want to get him out there to start shooting some easy clays to practice and build confidence then hopefully we have a good dove flight this fall.
When I was big enough for a single shot 20 it was night and day, I’d kill 7-8 birds an evening then sometimes. I swore at a very early age if I had a kid I’d never saddle them with a 410.
And of course a couple years ago my son was dying to dove hunt and I picked him up an old Savage 410. It has been an effort in frustration. Birds shot at on the ground at under 20 yards are far from a sure thing and the old Savage is built on the frame big enough for a 12ga and weighs a ton so shooting them on the wing is about as likely as hitting the Powerball.
So wanting to do better for him and promising that we’d find a better solution I’ve been on the scout for one of the old Beretta folding single shots. I like that they don’t have a hammer to deal with, I once accidentally shot a broom weed when lowering the hammer on a single shot, thankfully I had been trained to always point it in a safe direction. And being alloy framed they’re lightweight.
Lo and behold last week I swing by the gun counter at a farm and ranch store and they have Charles Daly Turkish made knockoffs of the Beretta folders, 12,20, or 410, a 100 dollar bill will take one home. So I bought him a 20, surprisingly it even has a decent piece of walnut on it. I ordered a Kickeez pad from Brownells and I’ll cut it off about 2” before I put the 15/16” pad back on and grind it to fit.
So I guess now that that’s all out there. Does anybody know of a good low recoil load and if so a line on where I can get a flat. Winchester lists a 7/8 oz at 850fps that gets good reviews but I can’t find any in stock. Fiocchi lists a 3/4 oz load at low velocity that would probably be great, none to be found of it either. Is there anything else similar out there?
I just want to get him out there to start shooting some easy clays to practice and build confidence then hopefully we have a good dove flight this fall.