I shoot a 20 ga alot. My theory is #5 at 100 p's is the same energy out of a 20 or 12. The 12 ga you get for pellets at that speed.
Looks like a nice gun, congrats!..Get a little closer to the game and you should have no issues.
I could not ever get close to the ducks where i hunted..so the 28" full choke 12 really helped out.
That was back in the days of lead shot.
I could not ever get close to the ducks where i hunted..so the 28" full choke 12 really helped out.
That was back in the days of lead shot.
I don't have much use for a shotgun but I seem to recall reading about a couple of experiments they did involving shotguns with short barrels and the long barrels. The longer barrels offer very little if any velocity increase and it seems like they didn't pattern any better either. The conclusion was that the longer barrel allows you to aim a little better and that's it.
The shot from a 20ga is just as fast as that shot from a twelve and can kill at the same distances as a twelve. There just isn't as many pieces of shot and the same pattern will have more holes than from a twelve.
The needs you have described are fine for the gun you have.
The needs you have described are fine for the gun you have.
Just to distinguish between lead and steel shot usage:
Why waterfowl hunting is different, or THE STEEL DILEMMA. (Where did my effective range go?)
Lead #5 shot has killed tons of ducks and turkey, and it is still fine for turkey. However, lead is now illegal for waterfowl hunting, and the usual first choice is steel shot.
Steel shot is LESS DENSE than lead, and is lighter for a given size. Therefore, #5 STEEL shot is too light, and will only penetrate ducks reliably at close range: so there goes about 15 yds of effective, drop dead range.
The obvious answer is to use larger shot, with more weight and more momentum to penetrate the ducks, and that works...BUT now there are fewer shot, which means the pattern thins quickly and you still can't reach reliably as far as lead's dense pattern (still about 15yds shy of lead for a sure kill), so now you need MORE SHOT.
In order to put in MORE SHOT, you need a BIGGER SHELL.
And that's the only reason there are so many 10ga and 12ga 3" waterfowl guns are used: to compensate for the ballistically inefficient steel shot, use larger shot, and get back to the 45yds that used to be an easy shot with my 20ga and lead #5 on ducks.
The study to justify steel shot was done in the flooded corn fields of Crab Orchard Lake, IL, where the ducks ate the lead with the corn, and that kind of place is the only real hazard.
Everybody say "Thanks EPA!!"
Why waterfowl hunting is different, or THE STEEL DILEMMA. (Where did my effective range go?)
Lead #5 shot has killed tons of ducks and turkey, and it is still fine for turkey. However, lead is now illegal for waterfowl hunting, and the usual first choice is steel shot.
Steel shot is LESS DENSE than lead, and is lighter for a given size. Therefore, #5 STEEL shot is too light, and will only penetrate ducks reliably at close range: so there goes about 15 yds of effective, drop dead range.
The obvious answer is to use larger shot, with more weight and more momentum to penetrate the ducks, and that works...BUT now there are fewer shot, which means the pattern thins quickly and you still can't reach reliably as far as lead's dense pattern (still about 15yds shy of lead for a sure kill), so now you need MORE SHOT.
In order to put in MORE SHOT, you need a BIGGER SHELL.
And that's the only reason there are so many 10ga and 12ga 3" waterfowl guns are used: to compensate for the ballistically inefficient steel shot, use larger shot, and get back to the 45yds that used to be an easy shot with my 20ga and lead #5 on ducks.
The study to justify steel shot was done in the flooded corn fields of Crab Orchard Lake, IL, where the ducks ate the lead with the corn, and that kind of place is the only real hazard.
Everybody say "Thanks EPA!!"
...........first they took my lead, more $$$, less efficient steel........then they took the sulfur from my diesel, more $$$$ to refine, less efficient, more problematic fuel systems........................I believe the EPA has a pretty consistent trend, next they'll want to regulate dust and bovine farting................oh wait? I think.......yep, they're working on that too it seems.
Nice shotgun OP, looks like you got a good deal!
