Picking a 20 gauge - Maybe Mossberg SA-20?

[Skeet]

Beretta ultima great gun

 

[Blowdowner]

I have an sa-20 compact. It was awful before some work. Heavy filling to the action bar and then polishing to near mirror finish.

Then installed a greatly improved bolt release from FCW. https://www.shopfcwguns.com/fcw-/mo...70/fcw-mossberg-oversize-bolt-release-4850200

The bolt looks like some guy in Kabul held it in between his toes and hammered it into shape from an old pipe.

 

[Fowl Play]

Guess I'm jumping on the band wagon, but it's hard to beat the A300 for what you want. Provided I have the 12 gauge version of it, but would imagine similar performance for the 20.

 

[Mrwoodard]

My son uses a sa-20 compact that I bought for $200.00 several years ago. It wouldn't cycle light loads at first but after 2 or 3 boxes of heavier loads it now works with everything. It has been a good little gun.

 

[Blcktail56]

My dad had a weatherby 20ga (the element I think) and hunted it very hard for quite a few years before upgrading. Held up good to salt water and sand hunting ducks on the coast.

 

[WRO]

I got a raytay for my daughters that cycles every thing just fine.

I’d buy a used silver pigeon though for 1k and be done with it.


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[Bidwell]

Pros
Super lightweight- makes it great for a long day carrying in the field

Simpler - no gas system to worry about or clean, could be helpful if shooting a lot or in cold weather

Two Chokes - could be helpful shooting on the wing if you miss your first shot and need a tighter choke to reach out further as the bird is flying away

Wood and Blued - a classic stock and barrel finish if you want that

Cons
Super Lightweight - increases the felt recoil

Double Barrel - only 2 shots vs 3 (or more) depending on the use

Barrel Swap - can’t change to a rifled barrel with an O/U (that I’m aware of).

Wood and Blued - might not be resistant to dings in the stock or weather resistant as a synthetic cerakoted shotgun


There’s probably several more Pros and Cons but these are the ones that came to mind at the moment.

Thanks! Appreciate that.

 

[Bidwell]

My son uses a sa-20 compact that I bought for $200.00 several years ago. It wouldn't cycle light loads at first but after 2 or 3 boxes of heavier loads it now works with everything. It has been a good little gun.

Interesting. I also read that the fast 7/8 loads will also work a bit more reliably.

 

[Bidwell]

Any thoughts on 20 gauge in general for ducks and geese? I was watching a vortex nation video on budget duck hunting and the guest said the 20 gauge was a little light for it.

 

[Loper]

Any thoughts on 20 gauge in general for ducks and geese? I was watching a vortex nation video on budget duck hunting and the guest said the 20 gauge was a little light for it.

I think a lot of it depends on the ammo and distance. If using TSS or Bismuth there shouldn’t be a problem. Additionally, keeping shots to a reasonable range will also increase lethality with the 20 gauge.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Not to derail this thread too much but I'd be curious to hear some pros/cons of this vs semi

semi/pump you can have the gun ready and still thumb in a shell or two. Not something I would have thought about, but I sure noticed that when I hunted with a O/U for a season.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Any thoughts on 20 gauge in general for ducks and geese? I was watching a vortex nation video on budget duck hunting and the guest said the 20 gauge was a little light for it.

If you are going to be hunting decoying birds, the 20 gauge will be just fine. If you are planning on pass shooting, then a 12 with 3.5" shells may give you better results as you can increase both your effective range and your pattern size.

I am a 16 and 20 gauge guy myself.

 

[Ice_man]

Big fan of the Franchi affinity in 20 gauge if you are looking for something sub $1000. Probably the one gun I always seem to reach for. Had a beretta a300 ultima in 20 as well but ended up getting rid of it. Fit, finish, ergonomics and cycling issues all started to contribute to that. I am a big believer that how comfortable a shotgun feels in your hand directly correlates to how you shoot it. While I have always shot berettas pretty well, but I can never get over how much better my benelli's or franchi's feel in the hand.

 

[Bidwell]

If you are going to be hunting decoying birds, the 20 gauge will be just fine. If you are planning on pass shooting, then a 12 with 3.5" shells may give you better results as you can increase both your effective range and your pattern size.

I am a 16 and 20 gauge guy myself.

Got it. Makes sense. I wish the 16 gauges were more popular, hard to find anything affordable. Seems like it splits the difference real well.

 

[Weldor]

I ended up buying a Churchill Gobbler, came with turkey choke and 4 others IC mod full skeet. Came with a red dot too. Been a great shotgun, digests everything.

 

[Blowdowner]

Interesting. Seems like their guns have a large comb drop. Which could be good for an adult using a smaller gun.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Got it. Makes sense. I wish the 16 gauges were more popular, hard to find anything affordable. Seems like it splits the difference real well.

I picked up a Tristar Viper in 16 gauge on a whim from Cabelas last year. They were having a sale on them and with my MIL discount I believe I got it for just over $600 out the door. It shoots pretty well, but it did have some issues cycling lower power loads until I got it broken in. Grafs and Palmetto State (I know, right?) have a good selection of ammo for the 16s, so I don't have to worry there.

As your plan is to hunt waterfowl with it, I wouldn't recommend it. It is limited to 2-3/4" shells and the waterfowl options for 16 gauges are not great. For an upland gun, however, it would be a solid choice for a budget friendly autoloader.

 

[chizelhead]

A used Benelli Montefeltro is a nice option. There are quite a few available on Gunbroker.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

A used Benelli Montefeltro is a nice option. There are quite a few available on Gunbroker.

before they redesigned the shell elevator, the 20 gauge montefeltro would try to rip your thumb off when you loaded the mag. new ones are apparently better, but it is something to be aware of.