20-gauge shotgun

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. 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, and guns may be smaller and weigh less, though this has changed since the introduction of the 3-inch magnum shotshell.

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" 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. Full-power 20-gauge shells fired from a light 5 lb gun will have more felt recoil than those fired from a heavy 7 lb gun. 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.

References

References

1. Saami pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm
2. "Introduction to Shotgun Gauges".
3. Barsness, John. (August 3, 2016). "The All-Around 20-Gauge".
4. Bourjaily, Phil. (February 4, 2022). "12 Gauge vs 20 Gauge for Hunting Just About Anything".
5. DeRosa, A. J.. (May 5, 2023). "What is the Best Youth 20-Gauge Shotgun?".
6. "ANSI/SAAMI Cartridge & Chamber Drawings, 2019-04-23 Shotshell, PDF page 50 MISCELLANEOUS: BODY TUBE COLOR".
7. [https://www.hunter-ed.com/national/studyGuide/The-Danger-of-Using-Wrong-Ammunition/201099_92854/ The Danger of Using Wrong Ammunition] Hunter-Ed {{Webarchive. link. (January 1, 2024)
8. Maddox, Brandon. (January 22, 2021). "SHOTGUN AMMO TYPES: BUCKSHOT VS. BIRDSHOT VS. SLUG".
9. (December 31, 2021). "Shotgun Recoil Table: 12-gauge vs 20-gauge vs .410 – Backfire".
10. [https://chuckhawks.com/twenty_vs_twelve.htm Twenty Gauge versus Twelve Gauge: What is Best?]. Randy Wakeman {{Webarchive. link. (March 3, 2023)
11. Bourjaily, Phil. (August 2, 2023). "Will the 20 Gauge Shotgun Ever Replace the 12 Gauge?".
12. "12 Gauge vs 20 Gauge: Shotgun Caliber Comparison by Ammo.com".