Bull hockey on the hands down MORE lethal.
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Sell me on why 20ga?
- Thread starter Setterman
- Start date
Of course you'll win the pellet count. You're shooting 9 shot. But you didn't say more pellet count. You said more lethal.
I don't see the reason for a 20, unless you just want it. You're already shooting overpriced ammo. So...........
But that is not what you posted!
If you want to say a 20 ga with the pixie dust will equal a 12 ga with lead, I'll buy that all day long. My two birds both succumbed to a 20 ga 870 with the pixie dust this year. It will be my turkey gun of choice in the coming years because it is lighter and more compact and much easier for me to carry in the woods.
But, saying it is much more lethal than the 12 ga I have carried for years is bull hockey.
And, there is much more to terminal lethality than pellet count.
No reason to switch UNLESS you wanted a shorter barrel, shorter buttstock, maybe pistol grip, maybe drilled and tap if your 12 isn't already but you can do all that with your current shotgun and just buy the stuff yourself.
In your case absolutely zero reason to switch.
For a long time the main advantage was weight reduction and TSS loads. Those gave it a big advantage to a 12 gauge
If the weight of your sbe2 doesn't bother you at all and you already shoot tss from it then there is no real reason to switch unless you just want something fun to mess with.
Different discussion - for primarily "woods hunting", why shoot 3.5" TSS in a 12G? Lead is more than plenty if one wanted to shoot 3.5" 12G. My last hand loaded 12G turkey shells (2016) were 3" shells with 1 ounce TSS #9s duplexed with 1 ounce lead #7.5s, so 2 ounces of shot total. I misjudged a turkey in Ozark mountains one morning and killed him graveyard dead at 52 of my steps, so roughly 50 yards in the timber. Food for thought.
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If you want real lethality do what I do. Shoot 3.5 TSS in a 12 gauge. "When just dead isn't dead enough."
I shoot both an 870 youth model 20 gauge with #9 TSS and a Browning Maxus 12 gauge with 3 1/2 inch #6 Hevi shot. Both are very lethal out to 40. My Browning has about a 10 yard advantage but is a bit heavier and not as compact, obviously. . It all depends on what I feel like carrying that day.
No real reason to swap, my sbe2 with 24" barrel and pistol grip stock will always be my go to. That said I've got a mossberg sa20 tactical turkey that is amazing. Lightweight, short, and patterns great, that will get hunted alot. For comparison, my 12 ga handload with 2.25 oz of 8.5s puts up around 380s at 40 yds. My 20 ga handload with 1-5/8ths oz of 8.5s puts up around 310.
Huntaholic
Well-Known Member
I aint gonna try to talk you into ANYTHING. I made the switch to 20ga because I got tired of toting that 12 ga cannon around. Truth be told, this 20 will shoot better than ANY 12 Ive ever patterned with ANYTHING and thats saying something. Before next year, just for shats and giggles, I will probably try my 12s with #9 tss and see how they do but Ive killed 6 so far this year with the 20 and I dont ever see me going back to a 12. In fact, I will probably sell my 11-87 Supermag before next season before folks wise up.
Why would a 20 gauge shooting 3" TSS pattern better than a 12 gauge shooting 3.5" TSS? That doesn't seem right.
Huntaholic
Well-Known Member
If you read further, I never said I had tried TSS in a 12, I havent, but I probably will just for shats and giggles. I have shot everything under the sun up to and including hevishot in a 12 and the 20 beats them all for pellet count.
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
Nothing really to add that's hasn't already been said. I switched to a 20 in 2017 because of weight, compactness, and recoil. If those don't bother you, the there's no reason to switch. I never really thought a whole lot of the weight of a 12 ga until I started carrying my son's 20 ga. I realized real quick how much lighter and easier it was to carry in the hills. That was in 2016, and I made the switch in 2017.
TSS is so yesterday, I just bought a 10lb bag of size # 12 depleted uranium shot for $63,000.00, Now I can really kill turkeys! 
FLTENNHUNTER1
Well-Known Member
All you 20 Gauge guys, who is carrying your turkey? 
My wifeAll you 20 Gauge guys, who is carrying your turkey?
woodsman04
Well-Known Member
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Ive only had 3 turkey guns in my life.
Started with a 12g 11-87 in 1988. Killed a bunch of birds, crippled a bunch of birds. Switched to the 10g in 1996. WAY more effective and only rarely crippled a bird. Switched to the $ 230 20g 870 youth compact in 2018 or so. Same efficacy as my 10g, but literally HALF the weight and 6 inches shorter. That was night and day for me.
But if TSS were out back in 1988 when I started, I would probably still be hunting with my 12g 11-87 and 3in 1.5oz #9s.
I'm not much of a shotgun aficionado. I view them as just a tool. Me point, gun bangs, animal dead. If animal no dead, I'm looking for something else.
I do enjoy subtle nuances between rifle makes and calibers, however.
Started with a 12g 11-87 in 1988. Killed a bunch of birds, crippled a bunch of birds. Switched to the 10g in 1996. WAY more effective and only rarely crippled a bird. Switched to the $ 230 20g 870 youth compact in 2018 or so. Same efficacy as my 10g, but literally HALF the weight and 6 inches shorter. That was night and day for me.
But if TSS were out back in 1988 when I started, I would probably still be hunting with my 12g 11-87 and 3in 1.5oz #9s.
I'm not much of a shotgun aficionado. I view them as just a tool. Me point, gun bangs, animal dead. If animal no dead, I'm looking for something else.
I do enjoy subtle nuances between rifle makes and calibers, however.
