20-gauge shotgun
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The 20-gauge shotgun, also known as 20 bore or 20 gauge, is a type of smoothbore shotgun. 20-gauge shotguns have a bore diameter of Template:Convert, while the 12-gauge has a bore diameter of Template:Convert.[1] 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns are the most popular gauges in the United States.[2][3] The 20-gauge is popular among upland game hunters, target shooters, and skeet shooters.[3]
Description
Twenty lead balls of a 20-gauge shotgun bore weigh one pound, while just 12 lead balls of a 12-gauge shotgun bore weigh the same.[1] A 20-gauge shotgun is more suitable for hunting certain types of game or for some hunters because it may have less felt recoil than an identical shotgun in a larger gauge, [4] and guns may be smaller and weigh less, though this has changed since the introduction of the 3-inch magnum shotshell.[2]
Regarding the yellow body tube color that 20-gauge ammunition usually has, it has been reserved in SAAMI documentation saying "SAAMI has reserved yellow for 20 gauge ammunition" "This ammunition shall have a body tube that is primarily yellow" "Yellow shall not be used for any other gauge/bore shotshell body" "No other recommendations are made as to the color of service body tubes for other gauges/bores"[5] This color designation may be designed to aid in identifying 20-gauge shells. A 20 ga shell, if mixed in with 12-gauge shells, will enter the chamber and lodge inside the bore at the end of the chamber. The result is catastrophic if a 12 ga shell is loaded and fired behind the lodged 20 ga shell. [6]
Specifications
20-gauge shotguns are especially suitable for hunting game birds such as quail, grouse, and mallards when using lead-free birdshot. A 20-gauge buckshot load would most commonly be utilized in close- to mid-range self-defense scenarios.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". While slug loads are ballistically less accurate than rounds used in rifles, powerful, high-grain slug loads can provide improved ballistics for hunting deer when paired with a rifled barrel.[7]
Recoil
On average, 20-gauge rounds will produce less muzzle energy than 12-gauge rounds, resulting in reduced perceived recoil. However, there are many variables that affect perceived recoil, including gun weight, action type, stock pattern, shot weight, shell size, etc.[8][9] There may be little to no difference between the two when using target ammunition. Loads for waterfowl will tend to produce more felt recoil in a 12-gauge shotgun than in a 20, but this may not be the case depending on the gun used.[8] Full-power 20-gauge shells fired from a light Template:Convert gun will have more felt recoil than those fired from a heavy Template:Convert gun.[10] For a fair comparison, two identical shotguns, one in 12 and one in 20, with identical ammunition (other than gauge) have to be compared. In those cases, the 12-gauge does generate more recoil energy than the 20.[8][11]
See also
References
External links
- Cartridge & Chamber Drawings ANSI/SAAMI Cartridge & Chamber Drawings PDF links page
- [1] ANSI/SAAMI Cartridge & Chamber Drawings, 2019-04-23 PDF for Shotshells
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- ↑ The Danger of Using Wrong Ammunition Hunter-Ed Template:Webarchive
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- ↑ Twenty Gauge versus Twelve Gauge: What is Best?. Randy Wakeman Template:Webarchive
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