20 guage too small
 

some people say that a 20 gauge is too small for hunting deer
What do you guys think?

RE: 20 guage too small
 

when i was younger, i shot alot of deer with 20 gauge buckshot. honestly, a couple of people i hunt with still take them when we do drives.

i think 20 gauge bushot is good enough as long as you are within 40 yards or so. i would rather have the extra "oomph" of a 12 gauge if i was using buckshot, but to each their own. this year, on a drive, i took a buddy's gun that was shooting 3 1/2" 12 gauge buckshot and it put a hurting on the two deer i shot. dropeed the first doe, second deer tripped over the first, got up, and i knocked him down.

now, 20 gauge slugs i hear work really well, and many people prefer them. i know my 20 gauge gun (now my brother shoots it) will outgroup my 12 gauge gun at 70 yards.

just my $.02

RE: 20 guage too small
 

i killed 3 or 4 deer with my 20 guage 870 when i was younger. in fact, with 3 inch #3 buckshot, i dropped all in their tracks on the first shot. its a very capable gun at resonable ranges.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

20 gauge is plenty to kill deer with. With a rifled slug barrel and the newer saboted bullets, you should be good out to 100 yards.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

A 20 with the rifled barrel will drop them in there tracks!

RE: 20 guage too small
 

My first deer was a button buck shot at 30 yards with a 20 gauge slug in 2 3/4". It was just a regular, smoothbore. The entry hole was little, the exit hole was huge. At reasonable ranges, a 20 gauge will do the job. I have a friend who's killed deer with a .410 and buckshot at close ranges, but I wouldn't recommend it (it's illegal in MD too).
-- B

RE: 20 guage too small
 

My kids both have youth model 20 guages, both have shot duck, geese, turkeys and one has shot a deer (other one missed last Saturday [X(])

RE: 20 guage too small
 

A .44 magnum and a 410 shotgun slug are very similar ballisticaly, but for some reason people are very impressed the the .44 and not so impressed with the 410. Maybe Dirty Harry had something to do with it. Anyway, another fact is that buck shot is very limited in power and accuracy. Go ahead and fire back at me, but do your research first. Having studied buck shot, I would never take it hunting, unless slugs were not allowed.

That said, if I had a twenty and wanted to go deer hunting, I'd load it up with slugs. No reason in the world not to. If slugs were not allowed, I think I'd have to go buy a 12 or even a 10ga.

Not really realated, but just thought you may want to know. I just bought my son his first shot gun. It is a twenty ga. 870. It is what he requested for X-mas.

Good luck.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

I would go with the 10 guage. Federal makes 3 1/2 magnum loads with 18 pellets of 00 buckshot for the 10 guagewhich is twice what the regular 12 guage 2 3/4 inch buckshot load has.

Caldoc

RE: 20 ga too small
 

i started with a Mossberg 500 20ga and kill a couple of deer with it would still be using it over a 12 but hunt with50caliber muzzleloaderyou cant be serious California

RE: 20 guage too small
 

Ive shot many deer with my 20 gauge but i limit my shots to 100 yards.I shoot a H&R ultra slugger with 2 and 3/4 lightfields.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

I second that. I've seen patterns of buckshot through 12 gauges that were "good." It works, but I'd much rather use a slug, especially with as few buckshot pellets that would be in a 20 gauge.

Your son should love his 870, Killer. I love mine.
-- B

RE: 20 guage too small
 

calaforniadoctor..........good god thats gotta hurt! i have a 20 gauge 870 and i load it with either tru balls or winchester super x's. you gotta love the 870s.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

I have a Remington SP-10 Magnum which is a pretty heavy semi-auto shotgun (11 pounds) so the recoil is more of a hard push than a painfull jolt.

Caldoc

RE: 20 guage too small
 

why not use a slug caldoc put a big hole in them 12 or 20 a rifle slug is going to work well then there's sabots and rifle barrels stretch that range out both types of slugs have a lot more range than buckshot even it its from a 10ga

RE: 20 guage too small
 

I have shot alot of deer with my 20 ga Mossberg mdl 500. I have a fully rifled barrel, and I use 3" saboted slugs, took a doe at 175 yards, double lung, clean through. my cousin uses a 20 but with a smooth barrel, and he shoots good, kills deer, so I say Fire away!

RE: 20 guage too small
 

absolutely not. i was taught to hunt by my grandpa who gave me my first gun at about 8 years of age, the gun wasa .410 single shot with slugs. it was not a long distance shooter but my grandpa did not want me shooting long distance when i first started out. it was more or lessfor learning gun safety and responsibility. however i did take a couple deer with that .410 before i graduated to a 20 gauge a couple years later.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

A 20 guage was more than enough for me to get a buck last year .

RE: 20 guage too small
 

a 20 gauge with a slug barrel and slug is a deadly combination i have taken an adult doe with that set up at 200 yards it is not to small it hits hard and provides a quick clean kill like any other hunting rifle

RE: 20 guage too small
 

Plenty of gun for deer. I have 12s that stay in the gun safe. My 20 is an Ithica Deerslayer II and it is a joy to shoot. 12s just suck during practice. I shoot lightfields through it and it has killed 4 deer in the 2 years I have had it and none went more than 30 yards.

RE: 20 guage too small
 

I hunted with alot of guys over the yrs that swore on their Ma-Ma by a 20g on Deer.Heard alot of great things about the 20's.

Sooo - Last year bought a nice used H&R Ultra 20.Put a Nikon Scope on it w/some lightfields.Took me about 4 rounds to zero at 65yrds! Great gun to shoot and a real tack driver.

This year I went with the Hornady SST.Have not taken a Deer with it yet but was told by the trusted Gunshop/Gun Smith I bought it from and dealt with for years the gun was accurate and lethal to 180yrds.BTW he stated this months after I bought the gun from his wife.

I might not ever try a shot that far but will certainly not hesitate to try a 125-150 shot with the gun.IMO - With the advancement of sabot slugs in past years these 12 & 20's can be accurate and deadly well in excess of 100yrds with rifled barrel and good scope.

Matter of fact if this 20 performs well on deer I will retire my all my 12g's for deer and buy a 20 pump or auto.Screw the 12g.

My .02