Originally Posted by
Todd1700
And I love guys who think that because one exception to a rule can be pointed out that it changes the rule. Sorry but 95 percent of the time if you invest the same amount of time and money into guns of the same type a 12 gauge will out pattern a 20. I shoot heavier than lead shot through mostly Indian Creek chokes. No matter how good DTL shot and good chokes might make a 20 gauge they will typically make the 12 gauge that much better still. Volume of shot, it's a good thing.
But by all means go compete in a NWTF shoot with your 20 gauge against all the 12 gauges on the line. If you beat them you can come back and give me all kinds of heck about it. You won't though. Sorry.
So lets review. What's the only advantage a 20 gauge has over a 12 gauge? It's lighter just like I said before. Class dismissed.
I believe the original question was "what is the better gauge for turkeys?" - not which gauge shoots the densest patterns.
Given the broad criteria of the question asked by the originator of this thread, the "better" gauge would then be that which an individual hunters considers "best" for them.
If you are using denisity of the pattern at 40 yards as the sole criteria by which to judge "best" then, certainly, the 12 is better than the 20. Similarily the 10 is better than the 12 and so on.
On the other hand how much deader can you kill a turkey at 40 yards than what a properly set-up 20 gauge with appropriately tested hevishot can do? Dead is dead.
I would simply offer that the twenty may be "better" for some people because it offers a nice balance between lethality, weight, handling, and recoil. Stating that does not mean that the 12 or 10 gauge is any less lethal.
Adrian never said his 20 throws a denser pattern than a 3" or 3.5" 12 gauge. He, myself, and others were simply pointing out that the twenty is a fully capable turkey gun in the hands of a hunter that is willing to invest the time to make it one.
Respectively, we're not talking about winning still target championships here.
For the record, I shoot a Mossberg 835 with 3.5", 2.25 oz Nitro 4X5X7s.