12 gauge vs 20 gauge Shotgun

Is 12 bore old news?
12 and 20 used to be very different calibres, but nowadays how different are they?
Enjoy
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[@mikeproctor3664]

At 69 years of age now I have switched over and do all my hunting / shooting with 20 bores and no way feel slighted. I regularly shoot a Perazzi MX20 with 31 1/2" barrels at clays and a 30" MX8/20 at doves. Modern 20 gauge shells now perform just as well.

[@Turbo-wj9qc]

I could never tell any difference between 12&20 on my score cards, 28ga was a little drop off but 410 is the most fun even with the lower scores

[@felixd7818]

It seems like the 12/20 thing has been done a lot over the years. The most important item coming out of this is a good explanation of gun speed relative to weight and length.

[@terryburian7057]

Take it from someone who has been around for a while, gun speed is almost never a factor, hitting what your shooting at is, which is why I prefer 30in. barrels on my double barreled shotgun, you can't miss fast enough to win.

[@chadnolte9134]

Great video. In my opinion, the 12/20 debate you have demonstration on a clay course is also a education of sporting vs game guns. Game guns made for speedy quick adjustment to birds flying in all sorts of lines and the sporting gun for deliberate moves to a known target line.

[@mijoizagas3747]

Well put.

[@dandylion1987]

Can break pretty much all the same targets, but 20 is even more expensive plus the recoil isn't really any different because the guns are lighter. so its 12 for me

[@Turbo-wj9qc]

12&20 are the same price for shells in wi

[@buckfizzard291]

@@Turbo-wj9qc fellow wisco and yeah

[@brentbusick2245]

I’m from WI also. I have never paid more for 20 than I have for 12. Recoil all depends on the gun. I can certainly tell you all of my 12’s have more recoil than only one of my 20’s. That one 20 is very light

[@timd729]

In the south USA it's the same price for either caliber.

[@robertfrapples2472]

For bird shot, the prices aren't that different, but when you get into any kind of home defense or exotic rounds, the 20ga goes through the roof.

[@markwierzbicki5307]

I do love your videos with Ant. Your friendship shines through, and the fun you have together is so entertaining to watch. The you go and pay the bills with the “ShotKam”, which I have to say a really great bit of kit, and for all the reasons you stated. Especially the documenting of “that pair I hit which you missed” lol. Then when I take friends who don’t shoot to the clay ground, they get a nice set of videos of their hits.

[@stog9821]

As American upland bird hunting usually requires a lot of walking and sometimes scrambling over rough terrain, there’s a lot to be said for the lighter weight of most 20s.

[@wholeNwon]

Absolutely right.

[@michelt4390]

Yup, but you can get some pretty nice (and pretty light) French or English double in either 12g or 20g

[@mcbridecreek]

I have always used a 20 gauge. In the past, I did a lot of upland hunting mostly Chukars. My uncle wisely pointed me to a Ithaca model 37 pump in 20 gauge. It weighs about 6lbs. I bought a MEC 600jr reloader and only bought new shells to get fresh hulls. Can’t tell you how many chukars I shot with 20 gauge reloads. Nice light gun. Still own it! Btw if you need a Chukar dog, make it a Vizsla.

[@brgessner]

The only time I felt undergunned with my 20 is goose hunting, the extra reach of a 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch would of been nice.

[@wholeNwon]

@@brgessner Somewhere out there the birds just have the right to fly.

[@muskett4108]

Great fun. I do think a whole lot of 20b of old were it seemed tighter choked, to the point they do seem to demand higher precision...a better shot. 20bs can seem uber tight; though they do seem to pull off some fantastically long shots. One thing that gave me the heeby jeebies is having 12 and 20b shells around each other, in the same pocket. Make a loading mistake by putting a 20b in a 12, and then loading a 12 on top because you have a brain faze, is an explosion waiting to happen. I only comment because this safety issue cannot ever be repeated often enough. Twitchy light or deliberate heavy? Have fun with either.

[@Ldavis2033]

16 gauge! Do the 16 gauge next!

[@robertfrapples2472]

They'll have to bring it back from obscurity and resuscitate it first.

[@teamflanneloutdoors5631]

SO 20 is the new 12💡 Love my 20ga.! (My shoulder loves it as well)

[@kennywolfjr.6413]

I have to say I agree with y'all. With load technology advancing as it has 20 and 12 are pretty well neck and neck until like highly specialized water fowl loads and maybe some turkey loads, they're neck and neck.

[@jemsmay2167]

Been hunting for almost 60 years and rarely carry anything other than a 20 (usually my Ithaca) in the field. The 20 kill rate is as good as the 12, and it is a lot more fun to carry on 4 hour hikes. Agree with others, 16 is a great gauge too having most of the advantages of both the 20 and the 12. My 12 (trusty old mossberg pump) is reserved for the duck blind. I actually use a 16 ga bolt action as a slug gun.

[@rogerramjet7567]

I went to the 20 due to shoulder surgery. I have never looked back!! LOVE MY 20ga. 725😀👍👍

[@gerarddresch712]

My K-80 has Carrier Barrels with full length Kolar Tubes and screw on chokes. Feels the same no matter what Ga. and Love It

[@CaptainRon513]

28 bore rules...I stopped shooting the 12 & 20 for registered skeet due to fact my 28 average was much better than my 12 & 20...My last World Skeet in 1981 I broke 646/650...shot the 28 for the 12, 20 & 28 events and of course the 410 for that event...The 4 targets I missed were all high 1 misses in the 12, 20 and 410 events and high 1 in doubles event...That must be termed not having your head screwed on correctly...Just plain stupid to miss one of the easiest targets on a skeet field!

[@Trumplican]

im all about the 16 gauge. it sucks they are fairly rare though I dont think ive seen a box of 16 gauge in the store in over a decade. Definitely want to be a reloader if you have a 16 gauge.

[@wallacerose7499]

On line 16 ga Federal Prairie Storm #5 shot , I’ve harvested many a pheasant with my Grandmother’s Savage Fox 🦊 sterling worth 16 ga 😊

[@karlsailor]

After shooting a friend's 12 bore DT11, I tried adding barrel and stock weights to my 20 bore, 30" Guerini Magnus. It now weighs in at 8.3lbs. It was just an experiment, but I haven't taken them off again either.

[@tgsoutdoors]

How did the experiment go?

[@pbp6741]

16 bore has entered the competition …

[@tgsoutdoors]

Who let him out of the retirement home

[@JB-ls5pq]

My great granpa thats who !!!

[@wholeNwon]

It fills the hand better in SxS configuration. That was probably said about the 14 ga., too.

[@JHruby]

Hits like a 12, carries like a 20. Best western US wild bird cartridge ever.

[@eliast2351]

14 bore is warming up. 11 bore is stretching.

[@bigB6flyer]

I enjoy the 20 especially for field work & for sporting clays alone or w the wife, but if I take new shooters to sporting clays I bring the 12 bc of the slightly larger spread & more opportunities for success.

[@garyK.45ACP]

My wife and I use 20 ga. guns for sporting clays all the time. We both shoot O/U guns with interchangeable chokes. If I miss a target I don't blame it on shooting a 20 ga. I have many shotguns, O/U, SxS, autoloading and pump in .410, 28, 20, 16 and 12 gauge. even a couple single barrel trap guns. We use 20 gauge O/U guns by choice. FWIW, I'm in the USA and the 12 ga. shooters are using 1-1/8 oz. of shot (32 grams). My wife and I are shooting 7/8 oz. (24 grams) loads. A quarter ounce of shot won't fix a 2-bit aim. The 20 ga. guns are lighter, have less recoil, the ammunition is lighter...overall much more pleasant to shoot. And, IMO, the 20 gauge guns just LOOK better.😁

[@shanestewart9528]

My perants bought me the gen 4 shot cam last week for my birthday I waited months to see if you were gunna do a offer out for the shotkam I opened it on my birthday 28th to then see you same day post an offer. Gutted

[@jgsnipe1]

Guy I grew up with always shot 10 gauge for geese. It was a absolute cannon.

[@danjamison3727]

Just bought a 20 bore love shooting it but not doing very well at the moment great video as usual gives me hope

[@wholeNwon]

Have you patterned it? Sometimes produces real surprises.

[@biagiocozza8875]

Great video guys. To me there has been only one gauge shooting shotgun, and that is 12 gauge.

[@BeatRock253]

It's ironic that Ant talks about being mostly deaf while we doesn't have his hearing protection installed correctly.

[@haydenwilkins4252]

Absolutely, I have noticed the same thing in the last few videos they have done.

[@arthur703]

Guys, you're just funny. I like these conversations.

[@AF-O6]

40 years ago as a low talent youth I shot a 20ga SxS. Now with even less talent, I swapped my whippy fast handling guns with a portly 12ga stack barrel gun, and have much more fun doing it!

[@dude28405]

That looks like a lot of fun. The last thing I shot with my 12 gauge side-by-side. Was that Uppity copperhead that wanted to chase me around the shed. It may have been overkill, but so satisfying.

[@garywright7324]

16 ga does it all! Citori White lightning!

[@jeffreese4194]

You guys I believe were shooting same velocity shotshells. That makes a 20ga much similar to 12ga

[@peterreece2340]

I have been shooting a 12 for 54 years. Last Friday night my Club put on a 20/28b 0nly Five Stand Shoot and I shot a 20b. Broke the targets ok but kicked like a mule. I will stick to my 12, thank you very much.

[@michaelplank8966]

The 20gauge auto is the greatest at 5 half pounds and no kick i have a few but i normally stick with one i dont want recoil and unsporting and a 12 is both those things regalar clay shooting should be in different levells depending on gauge with 4.10 being the easist

[@patmcdermott8547]

I have a bad shoulder, thinking about a 20 bore Silver Pig, doesn't look like I would be giving up much. Thanks for another great video, looking forward to part two!

[@deanjohnson9414]

Y?U can buy the lighter loads mutch the same then

[@echosierra9990]

I don’t understand people saying the 20 gauge kicks more than 12 gauge. Unless you are shooting some ultralight four pound shotgun, 20 will kick less than 12. Same with price. 20 is the same price or slightly cheaper than 12 gauge shells.

[@robertblackley2134]

Really enjoyed the slagging. Another great video. Cheers!

[@fullchoke01]

20gauge is a wonderful thing if the gun is built to suit, 12 is just so much cheaper for some reason!!! that cd is 😍😍😍 can only imagine what the kodensha plants guns would have been like today if stayed in business

[@TheDarlowiak]

Deals on guns superior English ammo selection is a DREAM, here in US.

[@scottsellers9039]

Breaking clays and killing birds are two different things. I've shot 12, 16, 20, 28, and.410. There's just not enough real world difference between the top 3 for me to justify having anything but a 12, the real difference comes into its own with the 28 for me, and I'm not a fan of the .410 for hunting. The 12 shines in its versatility when it can carry heavy payloads of larger shot that increase effective killing ranges. I've probably ran just as many rounds through a 28 in my life, with plenty of game to show for it.

[@royjennison3916]

can we see more of you at your work bench , after buying a cheap shot gun . i loved seeing that . great channel keep it up

[@brenthall6554]

If you are "90% deaf" , it might well be that your ear plugs are barely inserted. Roll them tight, and push them in until they are mostly in your ear canal, not mostly out.

[@MarkRobinson-fg3tm]

Is it a 20 ball or gauge it's smaller than a pepper isn't it a black pepper will you cook with let me know

[@CaptGus]

Ok I bought my first 20g today, 30”RIZZINI S2000 not only is it my first 20 gauge is my first over and under. My question is what’s the best ammo for skeet, I’m in the USA and this is part of your fault that I bought this

[@turtlebeach93]

Very curious to see the differences with barrell length

[@hueysegura6956]

I like the 20. I don’t like the lack of ammo selection.

[@rbgfishboy]

Great video, as always! Can you tell me what brand both these guns are?

[@markbateman703]

26 come on we need to see the 25 inch on test.😊

[@switch666.]

600 quid is absolutely ridiculous for the shotkam. Definitely know there market !😂

[@sha6mm]

12ga is Superior. The 20ga Ok and the 28ga is my Fun Gun.

[@pauljames970]

28 bores rule Johnny !!!

[@tgsoutdoors]

Agreed

[@tomswulf_lv6217]

Can you please tell your opinion about Fair premier?

[@michaelplank8966]

12 gauge stand for the big guns 8 yards in forbthe normall gun the 20 then 5 more yards for the 4.10 real sporting

[@Bitis11nasicornis]

This is where I wish I could join the both of you, in the middle with the legendary 16 gauge. You may have to have a perfect form when shooting this perfected gauge, but it is better than 20 and 12 gauge. The 70 birds this year I have hunted proved that 20 gauge had a lot to be desired and I have officially retired it from hunting for myself. Too much shot stringing, inconsistencies and issues leading to the meat always being struck by one or several pellets despite aiming at the head of a standing bird. But for clays, I love a 20 gauge. 12 gauge is just well, it's 12 gauge. The gauge nobody brags about for a reason. Everyone's got one, we know what it is, how it performs and is as boring as eating plain oatmeal in a grey room. Ok, but honestly, a 7-8lbs 16 gauge double with 30" barrels would destroy the competitors using 12 and 20 gauges with a proficient shooter. The 16 gauge is always the gauge that impresses me at every turn. I love all my 16 gauges and am in a love hate relationship with my 20 gauges. By 12s collect dust literally, that's how much I use them or go out of my way to buy one. I haven't purchased a 12 gauge in over a decade, but have purchased several 16s, 20s, a 28 and .410. I am thoroughly impressed with 28 and 16 gauges performance out of all the gauges I have hunted with and shot clays with. Too bad ammunition is pricier for both of those. Another great video, and a fun watch. I would love to see more gauge versus gauge videos too, or gun versus gun.

[@edwardkujawa]

myfirst 16ga was a disaster kicked like dickens was tooooooooooooooo light stock didnt fit reciver kept slamming in the face

[@Bitis11nasicornis]

@@edwardkujawa What kind of shotgun? The average 16 gauge that's well made is 5.75lbs to 6lbs. I have never had this issue and I own some lightweight and one really trashy 16 gauge single shot. I do know the Browning A5s and some ammunition are harsh, and if your gun has a metal butt plate, that's gonna suck

[@frankmorris4790]

Might I suggest a book , SURE HIT SHOTGUN WAYS by FRANCIS SELL 12 or 20 an ounce is an ounce is an ounce....

[@ChowMien123]

.10 bore big daddy's here!

[@user-gm4bn7ql6u]

It’s not the tool but the man that wields the tool that scores

[@nonoririko2056]

What are those tech pants he is wearing?

[@terryburian7057]

I never really could understand Americans fascination with the 20 gauge, and I'm a 59yrs old American. If your satisfied with 7/8oz. of shot then I could understand, but I don't think I've ever encountered such a person. 16 gauge makes perfect sense, especially with 1oz. loads, which growing up I used in my double barreled 12 gauge with perfect satisfaction.

[@timd729]

16 gauge doesn't make sense money wise. But some people don't care about money when they shoot birds or clay. I do so either 20 gauge or 12... If I wanted to spend more money it would be 10 gauge. 16 gauge is just not popular enough to find ammo for these days.

[@terryburian7057]

@@timd729 Agreed, however what I meant is that I never could see why the 20 Guage became so popular to begin with, I'm not sure I've ever known anyone who was satisfied with 7/8 ounce of shot and I'm 60yrs old.

[@-B_G-]

Heavy field loads in 20ga are 1 oz of shot around 1200fps. Perfect dove shell. No different with 1oz of shot at 1200fps out of 16ga or 12ga or 28ga.

[@kevinmeir1635]

What make is the 20?

[@tgsoutdoors]

A classic doubles

[@theclassiccountryman7484]

‘I shot some stuff I didn’t think it would be capable of pulling down; I missed some stuff I should of absolutely mullered’… everything that is wrong with the sport

[@glenns7139]

Great video as always Jonny. Never shot a 20g but gonna have a go. Very entertaining too. 👍👍🍻🍻😁

[@leepeffer1304]

Do you recommend the Gen 4 over the Gen 3 for an additional 100 quid or so?

[@tgsoutdoors]

For image quality, battery life and storage capacity- 100% On a base level they both give you the info for training you need, so unless the above are factors that are important to you, you can save yourself the money

[@basshnter1997]

​@@tgsoutdoors My only disagreement is storage capacity. The gen 4's higher image quality requires more storage so its actually the same as the gen 3.

[@kenlansing1216]

The 12\20 controversy seems a lot like the .30-06\.308 controversy in the rifle realm.

[@allensharp6876]

There is an old saying, “It’s the Indian not the arrow.”

[@matthewdeepblue]

I still feel like its a personal thing, or maybe a "horses for courses" as y'all say; depending on the person, depending on the clays, depending on the birds. 12 has always seemed unnecessary to me. Yet i still view a 20 guage pump as the ultimate field gun, so idk

[@Scooter-dm3qo]

IMO the caliber really doesn't matter, what matters is the Balance and Barrel selection. Put some long and slightly heavy barrels on a well balanced gun and you can have a 410 that feels and shoots like a 12 gauge. What would have made this a pretty interesting clip would have been a comparison between a 30 inch 686 Sporting in 12 gauge and a 30 inch 686 Sporting in 20 gauge. In addition to make it really interesting use 1 ounce shells for the 12 and 7/8 ounce shells for the 20. On paper the 12 would seem to have an advantage but in the real world you will probably find the 12 and 20 are very very close. BTW, I'm getting old so my choice for Sporting Clays is a 6 1/2 lbs 30 inch 687 Silver Pigeon III Sporting in 28 gauge. Because when you compare the weight and bulk of the 12 versus 28 shells and guns the 28 come down as the clear winner if you are walking a 100 round course of fire.

[@johnbobson3642]

Damn , never this early

[@woodstock6792]

Is Britain only crack shotguns?

[@tgsoutdoors]

No

[@user-km2iv2qs5n]

For each miss, run 1000 meters in under 4 minutes. Learn to shoot in the GDR too slow again

[@nzmarkb8713]

90% deaf because you don’t put your ear plugs in properly

[@spades1080]

You are so right! I’ve been saying the same thing every time he appears in these videos. So ridiculous to see.

[@wellthatsunfortunate2387]

*laughs in american*