Chestle
Well-known member
When I was first starting out back in the 60s, the old days of fixed chokes and comparatively limited ammunition choices, the 28s and 20s were the "quail guns", 16s were "pheasant guns" and 12s were the "duck guns". Or so the discussion went.
For the well to do, it was like having a bag of golf clubs. You pick the right club for the job at the moment. They had multiple shotguns and (depending on the gun) multiple barrels so they could change choke if necessary. For the poor folk (me), if you were going to hunt all three you just got a 12; it could do it all. I did have a spare barrel for my Winchester 1200 pump 12; I had IC and MOD. La-dee-da! eh?
Nowadays the changes in ammunition alone blur the lines. 20s can throw shot charges that decades ago you could only get in 12 ammunition. Shot shape (Black Cloud!), material (Hevi-Shot!), buffering...all ammunition variables that change the capability of a particular gauge. No need for extra barrels; we just change our screw in chokes.
For me, at this stage, I have a safe full of various 12s and 20s. I could have 16s (and there are some nice 16s out there that I have cast my eye upon) and 28s and 410s if I wanted. But just keeping stocked with the various ammo for 12s and 20s is enough of challenge in these times.
Probably overall weight has more to do with what comes out of the safe when hunting. I tend towards lighter guns these days = 20s. But when the pheasants get wild and the ranges get longer, the 12s come out of the case. To the "spare gun" thread, I take 3 shotguns to SD; 2 20s and a 12.
Clay bird games, I take and use both; weight is not an issue.
YMMV.
For the well to do, it was like having a bag of golf clubs. You pick the right club for the job at the moment. They had multiple shotguns and (depending on the gun) multiple barrels so they could change choke if necessary. For the poor folk (me), if you were going to hunt all three you just got a 12; it could do it all. I did have a spare barrel for my Winchester 1200 pump 12; I had IC and MOD. La-dee-da! eh?
Nowadays the changes in ammunition alone blur the lines. 20s can throw shot charges that decades ago you could only get in 12 ammunition. Shot shape (Black Cloud!), material (Hevi-Shot!), buffering...all ammunition variables that change the capability of a particular gauge. No need for extra barrels; we just change our screw in chokes.
For me, at this stage, I have a safe full of various 12s and 20s. I could have 16s (and there are some nice 16s out there that I have cast my eye upon) and 28s and 410s if I wanted. But just keeping stocked with the various ammo for 12s and 20s is enough of challenge in these times.
Probably overall weight has more to do with what comes out of the safe when hunting. I tend towards lighter guns these days = 20s. But when the pheasants get wild and the ranges get longer, the 12s come out of the case. To the "spare gun" thread, I take 3 shotguns to SD; 2 20s and a 12.
Clay bird games, I take and use both; weight is not an issue.
YMMV.
