Is just me, or is 20ga ammo not any cheaper than 12ga?

[zahc]

I'm looking at buying a new shotgun, and trying to decide on whether to go 20guage or 12guage. I had been leaning toward 20guage simply for cheaper ammunition. When I bought my XD I got a 9mm instead of 40 strictly because 9mm is cheaper, and haven't regretted it once. But after looking at prices online (surprisingly difficult), it doesn't seem like there is much of a price difference? For example Academy's website has the same price for "12/20ga dove loads".

I'm kinda leaning toward 20guage. I won't use it for slug hunting. I have never really turkey hunted either and probably won't. It will mostly be used for sporting clays and HD. My family has always used 20 guages because they mostly do rabbit hunting, so that's what I'm familiar with. And my petite wife is more likely to shoot a 20 guage.

 

[throdgrain]

Where I live 20 gauge is considerably more expensive than 12g.


If I were doing sporting clays (which I do) I'd go for 12 personally, whenever I see people shooting a 20g they always seem to be missing

 

[PJR]

12 and 20 are similarly priced. But they usually are a bargain compared to 28 gauge and .410.

 

[texfed]

I'm with him..by us, seems 20 is more expensive than 12!

 

[oletymer]

It is because 12 ga. shells outsell all the other gauges combined. The same applies to 9mm. It outsells the 40 by a huge margain.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Usually 20 ga is MORE expensive. But in the cheapest bulk dove/target loads, they are the same. Makes no sense, but it's supply and demand.

 

[3pairs12]

I have never seen 20 ga cheaper than 12ga.

 

[ArmedBear]

Unless you want special loadings you can't buy in bulk, it's hard to justify reloading 12 Gauge practice and field loads. My reloading setup is gathering dust, since I haven't been shooting anything exotic. It's no more expensive to go to Wal Mart and buy bulk ammo than it is to make my own, and it's easier. (7/8 oz. loads actually work well in 12, have low recoil, and require less lead, but I haven't been shooting enough to deal with them lately.)

Factory 20 Gauge is the same, or more expensive, than 12, and uses less lead and powder, so it's a good deal cheaper to reload. It can be worth reloading.

28 Gauge costs a lot more than 20 or 12, and uses even less lead. Unless you have lots of money and not a lot of time and real estate, it really makes sense to reload 28. It doesn't make sense not to; the fact that you seldom ever see 28 gauge hulls around, even when guys are shooting a lot of the stuff, attests to the fact that nearly all 28 Gauge shooters, even the ones with five-figure shotguns, reload their ammo.

.410 is a different animal. Stupid expensive in factory form, but also the hardest to reload. But you don't need much powder or lead, though, so once you get the hang of it, you can make the stuff for cheap. Some day, I may get a .410, but I don't see one in my near future at the moment.

 

[Crazy Fingers]

20 gauges usually just feel better to me. They are almost as capable as 12 gauges, if you do your part.

Sadly, there's no such thing as cheap shotshells any longer. If you shoot them regularly, you must reload (and be very particular about how much you pay for your components!)

 

[ArmedBear]

20 Gauge. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.

 

[NCsmitty]

If you do not reload, 12 Ga is the best deal for the money. You have the advantage in shot string and range and the prices are about the same as 20 ga.
I went to an informal skeet shoot yesterday and shot a variety of guns and gauges. My friend had just bought a new Charles Daly 28 Ga auto and we broke it in well. It is a real nice shooting gun. Ya, he bought a new Mec loader for it too. Shells were around $14 a box for Win AA. We can reload it for about $3+ a box.
It was great fun.

NCsmitty

 

[oneounceload]

12 and 20 ammo in all the common loadings have been, and still are, the same price - where I used to live out West, and now here in Florida

12 will give you more options from target to hunting ammo, some of which gets very pricey for particular use...

I have never felt undergunned using a 20, even when lead was good for ducks....and I never used the 3' shells- they patterned poorly in my 20's....YMMV

 

[toivo]

In my expereience, 20 and 12 gauge are priced the same, box for box. 28 and .410 are so expensive that it's ridiculous--unless you're reloading, and I'm not.

 

[ARGarrison]

I've always bought 12ga and 20ga shells at the same price. This year was the first time I noticed 20ga was more, be it a small margin, but more then a similar case of 12ga.

 

[brasskeeper]

Around hear they are the same price.

 

[Quoheleth]

One thing to consider is that a 20 ga gun will weigh less than a 12. If you're jump-shooting quail, rabbits, or walking for dove you'll appreciate the difference.

I'm a big man - 6'4", 280lbs - and while my brother (same size) likes his 870 12 ga, I prefer my Mossy 20. Now if I were going after ducks, geese, turkey or planning on a slug gun then yes - I would up to the 12. For me, the 20 is plenty.

Q

 

[MCgunner]

20 gauge costs the same for dove loads at my local wallyworld. 20 is readily available as 12 is. I have both, really, really like shooting the 20. Actually, I have 3 12s and one 20 and the 20 goes dove hunting the most for me. Love that thing, light, quick, deadly. It ain't ammo costs that make the decision for me. Ain't givin' up my 12s, of course, not so long as most of my hunting is for waterfowl, but I ain't ridding myself of the 20, either. Sweet shootin' gun.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW, if you worry about ammo costs in dove loads, just go look at hevi shot prices. You'll learn to appreciate dove load prices. Personally, I remember giving near 3 bucks a box back in the friggin' late 60s, early 70s! shotgun shells have not appreciated in costs compared to other stuff like pistol ammo and such. I quit reloading long ago as I could not see any economical reason for it. I still reload pistol and rifle for a multitude of reasons, cost being a big one for pistol ammo.

Back in the early 70s, when I was working my way through college, I didn't have a lot of money for ammo. I mean, I made like 2 bucks an hour and a box of ammo was over an hour's labor. Well, that's about like steel shot for me today,15-25 a box depending on load. Dove loads are a friggin' bargain, like buying .22 ammo was back then. LOL!

It's just all in your perspective, I guess.

 

[Oldnamvet]

Check out the prices of .410 or 28 ga. Wow!