20 gauge vs 12 gauge

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For what purpose?
As AF says, 20's are great upland guns. They can also do most of what 12 gauges can do, but as AF says, you can load a 12 down, it's hard to load a 20 up past a certain point.
The things you are asking are more individual gun specific than gauge specific.
 
From reading your other thread on this, sounds like you want to shoot slugs from one. As AF could tell you, they buck a bit, but it can be done. Note he has a scope on his, they make scopes specifically for shooting slugs. Every advantage you can get to improve accuracy with slugs should be taken. Look at his H&R slug gun (the bottom one) and set one up like that. Hatfield would not be my first choice.
 
As to your first post:
12 gauge has more loads available, is heavier to mitigate recoil and is generally easier to find
20 is lighter, nice for upland where you carry more than shoot, defensive/heavy hunting loads not as available

I am not a fan of those cheap single shots as they never fit anyone, so the recoil is horrible, and the quality is marginal
 
Man, if only there was something like a hot 20ga or a downloaded 12ga already on the market, like for the last 100+ years. Ok, ok, I get it...16ga isn't the belle of the ball, and the ammo selection isn't the widest, and it isn't available in 3⅞ tactical extreme super magnum loads...but 2¾ slugs from a 16 bore are pretty darn effective, not awful on the shoulder, and the platform is a bit nicer to carry than 12ga. Just a thought
 
From reading your other thread on this, sounds like you want to shoot slugs from one. As AF could tell you, they buck a bit, but it can be done. Note he has a scope on his, they make scopes specifically for shooting slugs. Every advantage you can get to improve accuracy with slugs should be taken. Look at his H&R slug gun (the bottom one) and set one up like that. Hatfield would not be my first choice.
I'm not hoping for superb rifle like accuracy, just minute of paper plate at 65 yards.
 
It’s been said that given similar payload mass, the 12 will pattern shot more evenly than the 20. I’m not clear on the physics behind this, but my experience in the upland game woods leads me to believe the difference is academic. I’ve killed just as many grouse with the 20 as with the 12.

That said, for hunting game that requires larger shot sizes (geese, coyote, etc) the 12 is the winner as the higher pellet counts in the larger 12 gauge shells will result in noticeable better patterns.
 
The 20 gage is more of a finesse weapon. I like to use it when walking a lot with my hound. Its lighter and the noise and recoil is less. 12 gage is a more effective killer. When I absolutely wanted to kill something I use it. Always felt that patterning, etc. was more a function of choke, shell power, and barrel than gage, but the 12 can definitely throw more lead out there.
 
Everything else being equal a 20 is about a pound lighter and is a lot easier to carry around. A 12 CAN put more pellets in the air which increases the probability of a hit on game, or a clay target. But if you start looking at loads available there is a lot of overlap.

A standard 20 ga load is 7/8 oz of shot, a standard 12 ga load is 1 1/8 oz shot. That can mean 100 more pellets in 12 ga vs 20 ga with 7 1/2 shot. But I can buy 7/8 oz, 1oz, 1 1/8 oz and 1 1/4 oz shot weights in both 12 and 20 ga. If I need to put more than 1 1/4 oz of shot in the air I have to go with a 12 ga where up to 2 oz loads are available in 3" shells, even more if your gun will take 3 1/2" shells.

In guns of equal weight 1 oz of shot from a 20 ga recoils just as much as 1 oz of shot from a 12. BUT... since 20's tend to be lighter, a 20 will actually recoil MORE than a 12 if the same weight loads are used. If you are using the standard loads it is about a wash. Now a 12 loaded with some of the heavier charges will kick a lot more than a 20 with the heaviest loads available.

And as others have stated if you're using bigger pellets the 20 is at more of a handicap because it is limited in how many pellets it will have in each shell.
 
In guns of equal weight 1 oz of shot from a 20 ga recoils just as much as 1 oz of shot from a 12. BUT... since 20's tend to be lighter, a 20 will actually recoil MORE than a 12 if the same weight loads are used. If you are using the standard loads it is about a wash. Now a 12 loaded with some of the heavier charges will kick a lot more than a 20 with the heaviest loads available.
Well stated and totally true.
I am not a fan of those cheap single shots as they never fit anyone, so the recoil is horrible, and the quality is marginal
Yep, I grew up with single shot break actions and have no desire to own or shoot one.

If a person has one shotgun for everything then 12 gauge is the way to go IMO. If a person has several then give me a 20 gauge too. Other than for ducks and geese I used a 20 gauge exclusively for a long time. I’ve been using a 12 gauge a fair amount the past couple of years but not because of gauge. I have a FABARM L4S and I shoot it more accurately than any shotgun I’ve used in my life. I wish they made it in 20 gauge.

If I were to have a dedicated slug gun for hunting it would be a Savage or Browning bolt action and it would definitely be scoped.
 
I’ve got a mini red dot on my turkey gun and one of these days I’m going to take it off and scope it.
 
I can remember from Greener's book and some other writings that for a given payload, the larger bore will produce more even patterns. The common load for 10 ga field and trap around the turn of the century (1900) was 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 oz. We have patterned a number of trap 12 ga guns with 20 ga adapters and 7/8 patterns much more evenly for us than out of a 20 gauge shotgun. I used to use a pair of Savage 410ers in a 101 12 ga and the 3/4 oz loads were o.k. but the 1/2 weren't. My great uncles 10 ga C.S.Shattuck with 2 7/8 inch chamber helped me win a b.p. cartridge championship years ago with 1 1/4 oz.
The guys above know whereof they speak. If you want to shoot slugs, they are all going to kick. Especially in a light Turk gun.
The right answer is:. Depends. On what you really want to do with it. Me, I've graduated to a Savage 220 for slugs, an Ithaca 100 20 for birds and my old, old 870 for trap. And an 870 Express for turkey.
 
I have both, the twelve is easier to find loads for and is cheaper to shoot as well as more effective. However I do like 20's to carry and for fast action like grouse. For slug guns, I have tried a few and I settled on a 11-87 Remington 12 gauge with a rifled barrel and red dot scope. Pretty accurate to 50 yards ok to 75, 100 is stretching it as the slug is dropping like a chunk of lead. I shoot Sabot slugs. I haven't like 20's in slugs but new ammo and rifled barrels might make them pretty good.
 
I have shotguns in 12, 16, and 20. I grew up shooting a sweet 16 and loved it. Since the 16 is a 1959 model and ammo is more expensive, I have mostly retired it; it is a beauty. Clays and the occasional dove hunt are my uses and I don’t shoot slugs. The Citori twelve had been the gun of choice until I tried one of my friend’s 20 gauge Benelli. I shot it just as well as any of the 12 gauge I have and it was much more handy and had less recoil. He wanted to sell it, so I bought it that day. The 20 gauge has been my go to since. I still shoot the 12 gauge on occasion, but the 20 is the first choice. It may not be the best at all things, but it works very well for me.
 
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