Looking for 20 gauge suggetions

[jd950]

A family member asked me if I could recommend a "defense" load for a 20 gauge shotgun that he has. It is an 870 and I don't know barrel length or choke, but I could find out or probably get him a different barrel. Actually, I suppose it probably has interchangeable choke tubes.

He is not really a shooter, and I suspect recoil could be an issue with a "magnum" load. I know very little about 20 gauge capabilities; my experience has been limited to using light shot for training the kids to shoot clays a while back. Are there slug and/or buck choices that I could recommend to him for use in a defensive capacity? I did not ask, but I assume from his comments that he is talking about human and not animal threats.

Thanks.

[Duelist]

Just have him get 2-3 boxes of the same 2 3/4 inch #3 buck load, I prefer the Federal for no really articulable reason, maybe add a couple boxes of slugs, and a bunch of light birdshot. Use the birdshot to familiarize with shooting the gun and whatever practice he’s going to do, run a box of the buck to see how it patterns and spreads, and a box of slugs to see how they group. Then he can load up buck or slugs as is appropriate for his situation at home, and use the rest of the birdshot for practice, small game hunting, and pest control.

[diananike]

The 3” buckshot loads recoil quite a bit.
I think they probably have very similar horsepower to a 2 3/4” 12 gauge load.

Federal offers a copper plated #2 buckshot load in 3” 20 gauge unfortunately it recoils in my light 20gauge just as much as any 12 gauge full powered buckshot load.

Stick with the shorter buckshot loads to take advantage of the 20s soft shooting if your friend is at all recoil shy.

I have yet to find buckshot in 20 that patterns worth a damn

[peterb]

3” buckshot in a light 20 gauge was deep in my No Fun Zone the one time I tried it. 2 3/4” loads should be plenty. Also, if it’s an older 870 it may not have a 3” chamber.

Definitely get some light target loads for familiarization and practice.

[jd950]

3” buckshot in a light 20 gauge was deep in my No Fun Zone the one time I tried it. 2 3/4” loads should be plenty. Also, if it’s an older 870 it may not have a 3” chamber.

Definitely get some light target loads for familiarization and practice.

I agree, but I probably won't say much other than recommending something and suggesting he shoot it with the chosen load a bit to be familiar with it. Since he has the gun I would guess he has some familiarity with it. I think it is one of those "load it and keep it handy just in case" situations or maybe he just just have a box of shells available to load it up in an emergency....

Probably hunted quail with it or something in the past. I don't know him that well....wife's uncle that we don't see more than once or twice a year.

[RevolverRob]

They're all going to suck from a small-framed 870 without proper technique.

I wouldn't go 3" because you'll lose a full shell of capacity. Because ammo pickings are slim, whatever they can get and adjust the choke in the gun to shoot it (you can get shotgun chokes easier than buckshot right now). IF you can get an ammo choice the following buckshots are what I have used in for my wife's 870Y and they all work okay - some better than others -

Buckshot:

Federal Vital-Shok #3 (buffered and copper plated pellets) <- My First Choice
Spartan Ammunition #1 (9-pellets, non-buffered, non-plated pellets) <-My Second Choice
Remington Express #3
Winchester Super-X #3 (buffered)
Federal Power-Shok #3 (buffered)

Slugs:
Federal Tru-Ball 3/4-ounce slugs <- My First Choice
Brenneke KO 3/4-ounce slugs <- My Second Choice
Remington Slugger 3/4-ounce

____

In #3 buck sizes most of these shells are containing 15-17 pellets which is great, except most of them don't offer plated pellets, resulting in a lot of fliers out past 15-yards. With proper choke selection you can mitigate this to a degree, but you'll pretty much always get a pellet or three off of USPSA standard target at 25-yards.

The exception to this is the Federal Vital-Shok - which is the choice in 20-gauge in my opinion. The Spartan #1 shot is my second choice, because it is a 9-pellet load, so with proper choke selection you can keep all the pellets on a B8 at 25.

For recoil management - push-pull is mandatory for pump guns of any gauge -

[Gearqueer]

If your (edit)family member is asking you for advise I’d send him a couple links and be done with it. If he can’t do simple internet research like this himself he isn’t going to watch training videos and tune a load/ choke/side-saddle/and night vision setup that will make his home impenetrable to groups of ninjas who will, with uncommon valor, fight their way through shotgun blasts of birdshot.


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[Wendell]

[jd950]

If your (edit)family member is asking you for advise I’d send him a couple links and be done with it. If he can’t do simple internet research like this himself he isn’t going to watch training videos and tune a load/ choke/side-saddle/and night vision setup that will make his home impenetrable to groups of ninjas who will, with uncommon valor, fight their way through shotgun blasts of birdshot.


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Yeah, well, okay.

But FWIW, this is my wife's fairly elderly uncle. He has a 20 gauge shotgun. He knows what I do and my interests so he reached out to me for advice about what he should put in his gun for home protection. I am not going to send him links or tell him to research or to get a different gun or get training or whatever, and I really don't know much about the "capabilities" of a 20 gauge. I figured someone here would have good information on this and I would get some suggestions and pass it or them along. I have no idea if the guy will even go buy what I suggest to him...he may well just use whatever bird shot or whatever he has already, but I will have done what I was asked.

Based on the prior posts, I will suggest he get some Federal #3 buck.

[willie]

Use what you can find. Learning to operate the shotgun correctly is more important than load or choke, but if the barrel has choke tubes, install an improved cylinder or modified tube. You will not locate enough ammo to pattern loads.

Two pieces of critical advice: Clean chamber with 000 steel wool wrapped around a bristle brush. Then emphasize moving the slide or pump with speed and force. Slam it all the way back. Then slam it all the way forward. Moving it slowly is not slamming. Note the part about "all the way".

For some, slamming(my term)is counterintuitive. They may think that the 870 is fragile. They may think that it is a precise instrument. It is neither fragile nor precise. Babying it when operating the slide action can result in malfunction. When its cousin the 1100 is fired, the gas operated mechanism slams the action bars back and forth with more force than does the 870 user.

I am a life long 870 user. I shoot the gun with finesse. If operating a security 870 with buckshot in a defense situation, I would forego finesse and slam the hell out of it.