20 gauge slugs and buck

[Lost River]

As we have discussed previously, for defensive uses aside from a dedicated Brenneke launcher, the 1301 has pretty much wrecked the argument for 20 gauge shotguns.

Just so nobody gets the wrong impression, I simply saw the ammo and grabbed some. This little 20 gauge is going to compliment my other HD choices, not replace anything. My #1 HD shotgun has been the same for years. It is archaic and it kicks, and the polar opposite of state of the art.
It is my chopped Belgian Browning Auto-5.



It is an absolute hammer though and it hits exactly where I want, and I have been using it for 20+years and see no reason to change.

[GJM]

Just so nobody gets the wrong impression, I simply saw the ammo and grabbed some. This little 20 gauge is going to compliment my other HD choices, not replace anything. My #1 HD shotgun has been the same for years. It is archaic and it kicks, and the polar opposite of state of the art.
It is my chopped Belgian Browning Auto-5.



It is an absolute hammer though and it hits exactly where I want, and I have been using it for 20+years and see no reason to change.

Yep, that is what I thought you were doing!

[Doc_Glock]

As we have discussed previously, for defensive uses aside from a dedicated Brenneke launcher, the 1301 has pretty much wrecked the argument for 20 gauge shotguns.

I was shopping kind of hard for 20ga due to recoil sensitivity before getting and trying the 1301. Absolutely it converted me to the 12 ga.

[mmc45414]

It is my chopped Belgian Browning Auto-5.



I have been using it for 20+years and see no reason to change.

ETA: Tried to jump to here:
https://youtu.be/jevEf3U7Kws?t=54

[mmc45414]

As we have discussed previously, for defensive uses aside from a dedicated Brenneke launcher, the 1301 has pretty much wrecked the argument for 20 gauge shotguns.

I was shopping kind of hard for 20ga due to recoil sensitivity before getting and trying the 1301. Absolutely it converted me to the 12 ga.

I had an A400 and an LT-20 and wouldn't describe them as low recoil. Seems like those (typical) two pounds that makes them easy to carry matters. Folks talk about getting a 20ga so their wife will like shooting it, sometimes I reply it would be better to get the 12ga and a loader and some 7/8oz wads.

And on that hijack topic, reloading shotgun shells can be a PITA, but there sure is a lot you can massage. Not too hard to do 3/4oz in 12ga and 1oz in 20ga, I also do a lot of 3/4oz 20ga loads in my 686 (I call those loads my 28ga training bra...). My well broken in 391 will chug along all day with 7/8oz loads, not much lower recoil than a 20ga load in a 12ga chassis. Many people loved 16ga, but all the guns (I think) are 12ga frames, and a 1oz 12ga load is a nice sweet (Sweet Sixteen?) spot.

[paul105]

Picked these up from either Midway or Grabagun (can't remember)


.

.
Remington 1100 20ga Special Field (LT20) - switched out the OEM straight stock with a youth pistol grip for my daughter. When she left home, I just added the light/laser combo and the extended mag tube. Can't remember if it has 22 or 24 inch bbl
.

.
Paul

[Bruce Cartwright]

I was in Billings MT last week during my travels and stopped in the Scheels store there. Long story short, on the shelf they had both buck and slugs for the 20 gauge, which I have not seen for a very long time.

I have had a little LT20 1100 3" magnum since I was a teen, and it is a very lightweight little thing. Many years back I picked up an extra 2 & 3/4" barrel for it and chopped it to 18 & a 1/2"s. I used to hunt small game with it, and my wife kept it loaded with some heavy loads for a house gun, since it did not have hardly any recoil. It is the type of gun you can literally extend and fire one handed (not very accurately, but still..)

Anyways, I found these 3/4 ounce slugs that show a velocity of 1350 FPS. That is roughly a 328 grain slug, at 1350.

I think that will probably wreck someone's day.

The buckshot was

15 pellet #2 buck.

I figured I may as well go shoot a few of these and put this old lightweight gun back in play. It has such light recoil, and is so short and maneuverable that any of the adult women in the house can handle it with ease, and would not make a bad traveling gun as well.




I know some people are down on using the 20s (mostly because people use the wrong ammo) but a 3/4 ounce slug at 1350 has the similar ballistics to "Ruger Only" loads for .44 Mags and .45 Colts.

I would not feel poorly armed having the little 20 gauge in my hand loaded with 5 slugs.

Not a bad "Old Man" gun

Lost River:
I am so disappointed. There is no lightweight Colt Commander with S&W adjustable sights in an old Sparks holster in that photo. Not your best effort.

Lots of folks use whatever is available at the mom and pop sportsman's store and that usually is not stocking optimal stuff for 20 gauge heavy loads, whereas 12 gauge loads such as various flavors of buckshot are fairly common. That is one of the reasons for the thread. I actually found some decent 20 gauge ammo, which I have not seen in a number of years.

I honestly don't remember the last time I walked into a store and saw 20 gauge slugs on the shelf. Now I am thinking I should have purchased a few more boxes. Not that I will use them very often though, in reality. But it is nice to have a couple hundred in reserve.

I do understand what you are saying about shotgun fit. I grew up in the era before the transition to steel shot, and hunted a good bit with a 20 gauge single shot. It never was a handicap. In fact I was fairly good at sneaking along the river and hammering geese with it:



That old 20 gauge lite mag with 3" #4s accounted for a good number as well:

That 'stache.... Damn, that's old school. Reminds me of our mutual friend. What's next? A puffy baseball hat?

Stay warm in God's country.

Bruce

[willie]

I have a Rem 1100 standard weight 20 gauge made on the 12 ga frame. Soon I will have the barrel cut to 20 inches. Being a tad heavy, it recoils less than most 20 gauges. Remington also made a standard weight 870 20 gauge which was on the 12 gauge frame. Recently I sold the last two of these I had. They made in the 60's and were unfired. I could not bring myself to cut one of these. 20 ga slugs make sense. I'm comfortable with 20 ga buckshot but would never recommend it. Sometimes I carry a 380 but don't recommend doing that either.

Stoeger makes its M-3000 in 20 ga. My 12 gauge version recoils brutally.

[Del Gue]

I've got a Remington LT20. I never found the recoil objectionable in the least, but all I used it for was dove and quail, so light loads were the order of the day.

When I think of tough recoil in a shotgun, I immediately think of my Mossberg 835 shooting 3 1/2" turkey loads. I shot 9 of those one time roughly dialing in an Aimpoint I had mounted atop, and when I went home I knew I'd done something. That gun kicked as bad as my Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun handloaded with a Remington 405 SP going out at 1930 f.p.s. I've backed those loads off to 1600 f.p.s.

I just bought a Beretta 1301T but have yet to shoot it. I've got some generic Federal 12 gauge buckshot in 00 and 4, but will be ordering some FFC in the near future.

My first shotgun was a Wards Western Field single shot in 20 gauge and the recoil from that never bothered me, either. Same thing, though...only dove and quail loads through it.

I've considered picking up a 20 gauge Mossberg 500 and throwing a 18" or 20" barrel on it and feeding it buckshot. I may reconsider that on the basis of this thread.

[Dov]

My gf has had youth model 11-87 20 gauge for more than a decade now, she grew up on farm and her brothers introduced her to shotgun with the bullshit technique of heavy load and not making sure she had it mounted firmly, she wasn't willing to try my 12 gauge 11-87's even with low recoil loads.

In her gun nether of us can tell the difference between 2.75" No 3 buckshot vs 3" No 2 buckshot even if shooting mag tube full of mix of them, and none of the common slug loads (5/8 to 7/8) feel any harder kicking than the buckshot loads.

We've got few boxes of the Brenneke Green Lightning 1 oz slugs, which I expect would recoil a bit more but have never gotten around to shooting them.

Personally I prefer slugs to buckshot and IIRC 20 gauge slugs basically match the performance of typical 454 Casull loads (like Hornady/Federal not saying hot handloads or Buffalo Bore) in Carbine/rifle length barrel.

Pretty sure at least some 20 gauge Sabot loads used 454 Casull bullets.

So don't think one can reasonably argue a 20 gauge slug would be lacking.

If situation requires buckshot the 20 gauge is loaded with 3" No 2 buckshot, its not quite the equal of my preferred 12 gauge No 1 buckshot at 29.4 grains vs 40 grains per pellet but like I said my default for shotgun is slugs so buckshot is only selected for very narrow use cases.

Living in the Midwest in shotgun slug only, and handgun, deer zone Foster slugs are easy to find locally even in 20 gauge.

Often stock up on slugs right after Deer season when surplus slugs go on sale locally.

Buckshot I've always ordered online.

On slight tangent, if looking for modest recoiling long arms, finding centerfire rifle gf liked was a challenge. She prefers autos to manually operate repeaters but doesn't like AR's at all.

But she really likes short barreled (muzzle light) leverguns.

So we got her a Marlin 336Y, which surprised me with how soft shooting it was even with Federal's 170 partitions. I hadn't shot 30-30 hardly at all prior to this Youth model Marlin and was worried the lighter weight might make recoil unpleasant.

So had some low recoil loads to start with plus assortment of 125 to 170 loads, and they are all very pleasant to shoot.

She like the Federal 125 JHP the most, so that is the primary load for it with the Federal 170 Partitions on hand if needed. Not sure a partition is needed for 30-30 even if pushing the 30-30 past its comfort zone but figure no way a partition in that cartridge will self destruct.