20ga convert waterfowl

[CobraChicken]

So I want others experiences on 20ga. I wasn't a believer until last season. My winchester sx4 needed a spring for the trigger ordered. I used a 20ga. Federal tungsten.

I have never stoned so many geese and ducks 40 yards or so with the tungsten loads or in general with a 20 ga.

Any others have ammo recommendations besides federal in 20ga? Maybe cheaper? Maybe not tungsten?

It was a blast.

 

[dtrkyman]

I would look into Bismuth, I have killed plenty of ducks with a 20ga and steel but if I were going primarily 20ga I would look into it.
Nothing performs like tungsten!

 

[KurtR]

Boss worked good for others

 

[MarlinsDad]

I run 3” boss 3/5 blend in mine and love them, teal to geese they work on them all. Beat the hell out of steel shot and are much cheaper than tss for turkey.

 

[CobraChicken]

I guess I haven't heard of boss or seen in local in central wyo. What's the mix?

 

[MarlinsDad]

Shot Shells

View Shot Shells product at Boss Shotshells

bossshotshells.com

 

[Holocene]

20 gauge can be made to work fine ballistically, but I don't understand the love for subgauges as primary duck guns now that the average 20 gauge is around 6#. That's a light gun.

Tungsten in shot sizes 9 and smaller is a terrible idea for waterfowl. I understand that it hammers birds, but I'm scared to chomp down on those stray teenincey pellets in birds that were hit but not killed.

In turkey hunting, I continue to find TSS 9s in the breast and even legs of birds shot in the 40-55 yard range (extended range is one reason you convince yourself you want to pay 6x the cost and shoot tungsten over say Longbeard XR #5).

Not trying to be a hater -- trying to be a realist about the tradeoffs in gun and ammo selection for every day waterfowling.

Sure, if you want to take a kid, wife, or just dork around with subgauges then the 20 or even 28 with high density shot is a cool option. A best bud uses 20 gauge Boss bismuth and crushes ducks all day long.

The most compelling cases for subgauges and HD shot to me are 1) you need a lighter gun because you don't want to or can't hold a heavy 12 gauge 2) recoil reduction and 3) fun of trying something different.

On recoil, I'd be super excited to see a duck load that utilizes HD shot in 12 gauge to reproduce the 17-18 ft. lbs. of recoil you feel in typical target loads. Hard to find wads to reload that and nothing is available commercially as of yet.

 

[t_carlson]

I shoot Boss 3" #4's in my 20. DEADLY.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I'll echo everyone else; they are not cheap compared to others, but they outperform tenfold.

Boss Shotshells

Originally crafter Copper-Plated non-toxic shotshells freely made in the USA.

bossshotshells.com

 

[spur60]

I'm always on the look out for a semi-auto 20 gauge for a steal of a deal, but so far no luck. I'd simply use it for the "something different" mentality, and to also play with TSS and HW15 loads until my daughter grows into it then it would be hers. Recoil doesn't bother me at all...I'm the guy with the mag extension loaded with 3.5" 2's, 1's, or BB, and running it dry on every flock of snow geese I pull up on.

 

[WCB]

Look into Hevi Shot...they have different types and blends of shot.

 

[YungHoneydew]

So I want others experiences on 20ga. I wasn't a believer until last season. My winchester sx4 needed a spring for the trigger ordered. I used a 20ga. Federal tungsten.

I have never stoned so many geese and ducks 40 yards or so with the tungsten loads or in general with a 20 ga.

Any others have ammo recommendations besides federal in 20ga? Maybe cheaper? Maybe not tungsten?

It was a blast.

Glad you have discovered the fun of the waterfowl subgauge!

I would implore you to try opening up your chokes to light mod. or IC (if you havent already) and trying some 2-3/4" Bismuth #5 or #6. Pattern density is generally supremely even in all of my guns, and that load has stoned some birds at some pretty impressive distances.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Hunting partner switched over to 20 ga a few years ago. He shoots mostly Kent 3in and swears by it.

 

[ianpadron]

I've been shooting a 20 for ducks almost exclusively for about 5 years now. Even with steel I don't see the need for a 12 unless you're strictly pass shooting.

I like my ducks feet down in the dekes sub 30 yards, steel #3s #4s and BOSS #5s and 6s sure do stone quackers with authority.

I think my favorite thing about the 20 is how much more frequent doubles and triples became. The lack of recoil makes shot 2 and 3 much more fluid than getting the snot kicked out of you by a 12.

 

[CobraChicken]

Glad you have discovered the fun of the waterfowl subgauge!

I would implore you to try opening up your chokes to light mod. or IC (if you havent already) and trying some 2-3/4" Bismuth #5 or #6. Pattern density is generally supremely even in all of my guns, and that load has stoned some birds at some pretty impressive distances.

I noticed this going from a mod down.

 

[CobraChicken]

I've been shooting a 20 for ducks almost exclusively for about 5 years now. Even with steel I don't see the need for a 12 unless you're strictly pass shooting.

I like my ducks feet down in the dekes sub 30 yards, steel #3s #4s and BOSS #5s and 6s sure do stone quackers with authority.

I think my favorite thing about the 20 is how much more frequent doubles and triples became. The lack of recoil makes shot 2 and 3 much more fluid than getting the snot kicked out of you by a 12.

Not the lack of recoil for me but it's an added bonus for the lack of. I shot a 300wby without a brake for years so no one call tell me shooting is fun shooting lots of powder. Handy to be competent in 3.5 ga shells though even though I ditched those awhile ago. I always seem to go for the 20 now (yes I stole my wife's gun, time to buy another ).

I agree, I'm not pass shooting unless in a pintail or woody around here on the river in Central wyo.

 

[CobraChicken]

Hunting partner switched over to 20 ga a few years ago. He shoots mostly Kent 3in and swears by it.

Kent is good stuff. I have piles of it. I've had luck with some remington too

 

[CobraChicken]

Look into Hevi Shot...they have different types and blends of shot.

Will do!

 

[Novashooter]

So I want others experiences on 20ga. I wasn't a believer until last season. My winchester sx4 needed a spring for the trigger ordered. I used a 20ga. Federal tungsten.

I have never stoned so many geese and ducks 40 yards or so with the tungsten loads or in general with a 20 ga.

Any others have ammo recommendations besides federal in 20ga? Maybe cheaper? Maybe not tungsten?

It was a blast.

It isn't so much that the 20 gauge is great, as much as steel shot is terrible. Does steel shot kill within its limits? Yes. Is it even close to any other kind of shot? No, not at all. If all a person did was decoy birds and shoot them inside 30 yards tops, then steel is fine. Beyond that and it just isn't it. I also don't believe steel shot can ever really be effective on Canadian geese, not at 40 yards and beyond anyway. "I shoot BBB, it breaks their wing" That's all I heard growing up. That's about what you can hope for too.

Sorry, rant over on that. Yes, a 20 gauge can work fine. A lot of the tungsten loads are around 12 g/cc which is very close to lead shot, a smidge denser actually. That's what makes the 20 gauge really viable for ducks and geese beyond spitting distance. I gave up on steel shot about 2015, and have gone almost exclusively to bismuth shot which I've been loading myself. Even today there are not many bismuth loads out there that are honestly good. No, I have not seen any impressive patterning results from Boss shells either. Bismuth behaves a lot like lead, and as such it really performs best at moderate or low velocities. You just are not going to get peak patterns from it at 1400 fps. Buffer is also a really helpful thing, which nobody except Winchester is using right now. That said, I'm not sure bismuth is as impressive in 20 gauge as you would be hoping for. I have a really mean buffered 20 gauge load of 1 1/8oz at about 1275 fps. Best shot size would likely be #2 for Canadian geese in this load. It would probably work at 40 yards, but not much more than that. It's much better as a duck load with #4, still probably not much beyond a 45 yard load. #5 bismuth will not get the penetration you need at that distance. I've had really poor results with #6 bismuth on ducks. It would probably be great on teal and similar, but on mallards you are not going to reach the vitals unless they are really close. I don't consider head shots anything other than luck. If a pellet can't penetrate to lungs it fails. I can't disagree more on the choke. If you use a more open choke with bismuth, and patterns tighten, your load is really, REALLY poor. You are almost certainly shooting one of those 1400+ fps wiz bang nonsense loads. Treat it like lead, get a proper load under 1300 fps, nothing wring with 1150 fps either. Choose a buffered load if you can. Bismuth responds really well to choke. Unless I know I'm getting close shots, I use full choke. The only shotgun I have anymore with removable choke tubes is my Benelli Nova, and it performs best with a turkey choke. All of my loads pattern about 95% at 40 yards with a full choke.

My advice is if you want that kind of performance from a 20 gauge, stick with tungsten type shot.

 

[ianpadron]

It isn't so much that the 20 gauge is great, as much as steel shot is terrible. Does steel shot kill within its limits? Yes. Is it even close to any other kind of shot? No, not at all. If all a person did was decoy birds and shoot them inside 30 yards tops, then steel is fine. Beyond that and it just isn't it. I also don't believe steel shot can ever really be effective on Canadian geese, not at 40 yards and beyond anyway. "I shoot BBB, it breaks their wing" That's all I heard growing up. That's about what you can hope for too.

Sorry, rant over on that. Yes, a 20 gauge can work fine. A lot of the tungsten loads are around 12 g/cc which is very close to lead shot, a smidge denser actually. That's what makes the 20 gauge really viable for ducks and geese beyond spitting distance. I gave up on steel shot about 2015, and have gone almost exclusively to bismuth shot which I've been loading myself. Even today there are not many bismuth loads out there that are honestly good. No, I have not seen any impressive patterning results from Boss shells either. Bismuth behaves a lot like lead, and as such it really performs best at moderate or low velocities. You just are not going to get peak patterns from it at 1400 fps. Buffer is also a really helpful thing, which nobody except Winchester is using right now. That said, I'm not sure bismuth is as impressive in 20 gauge as you would be hoping for. I have a really mean buffered 20 gauge load of 1 1/8oz at about 1275 fps. Best shot size would likely be #2 for Canadian geese in this load. It would probably work at 40 yards, but not much more than that. It's much better as a duck load with #4, still probably not much beyond a 45 yard load. #5 bismuth will not get the penetration you need at that distance. I've had really poor results with #6 bismuth on ducks. It would probably be great on teal and similar, but on mallards you are not going to reach the vitals unless they are really close. I don't consider head shots anything other than luck. If a pellet can't penetrate to lungs it fails. I can't disagree more on the choke. If you use a more open choke with bismuth, and patterns tighten, your load is really, REALLY poor. You are almost certainly shooting one of those 1400+ fps wiz bang nonsense loads. Treat it like lead, get a proper load under 1300 fps, nothing wring with 1150 fps either. Choose a buffered load if you can. Bismuth responds really well to choke. Unless I know I'm getting close shots, I use full choke. The only shotgun I have anymore with removable choke tubes is my Benelli Nova, and it performs best with a turkey choke. All of my loads pattern about 95% at 40 yards with a full choke.

My advice is if you want that kind of performance from a 20 gauge, stick with tungsten type shot.

I agree with you on choking a 20. I shoot a Full or Xtra-full for decoying ducks, steel or bismuth/tungsten. Bang splash guarantee. I save the IC and skeet chokes for busting grouse with my 28 gauge