# 20 guage on geese



## kylemckeil (Jan 8, 2008)

Can a guy use a 20 guage to use therw the goose season would it work good enough or will i need the 12 for this upcoming season? will the 20 gauge be better for ducks than gesse or will it be the same


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## possumfoot (Nov 7, 2006)

you can, i would not suggest it though..


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

First year shot all my geese with a 20 gauge, just make sure you shoot 3 inch !


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

20 gauge is better than a 12 if you can shoot good with it... I've shot 100's with a 20. Try the 410 if you want a little better challenge.

use the 3in. shells though like WS7 suggested


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## RobertKruzan (Jul 25, 2008)

I have seen several birds fall victim to a 20 guage although I have never owned a 20 I have been using a 12 guage winchester my dad won for 3 dollars in a raffle drawing.If a 20 is all you got dont sweat it you should do just as good as anyone else in my opinion.Like the other guy said I would use 3" shells.If I ever get employed again im going to hopefuly get a gun that will shoot 3 1/2" I am currently living off ebay so its not a good time to be spending money for me.I had a 12 guage ithaca semi auto 12 ended up trading that for a dog boy do I regret that.


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

kylemckeil said:


> Can a guy use a 20 guage to use therw the goose season would it work good enough or will i need the 12 for this upcoming season? will the 20 gauge be better for ducks than gesse or will it be the same


If you can find a 12, (preferably a 3.5") you stand a better chance, especially when shooting steel. In any event, a strong hit with a 20 will work better than a poor shot (or miss) with a 12. Shoot at thier heads when you see the whites of thier eyes ! 

It really gets down to pellet counts. A 20 just can't hold enough steel for a good pattern. Lead 2's, different story. For the giant honkers, the 12 3.5 with a Patternmaster is a good all around gun.

My SP10 works great as well, just a little more expensive to shoot, and really, with the same steel payload as the 12 3.5, kinda unnecessary.

Now, start talking 2 oz+ lead loads, and the SP10 is a whole different animal. I miss lead..........

NDMax


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

buckseye said:


> Try the 410 if you want a little better challenge.


Actually, a .22 shotshell at close range is the ultimate challenge !


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

> A 20 just can't hold enough steel for a good pattern. Lead 2's, different story.


In a 1oz load of #2 lead, there are 87 pellets. In a 1oz load of #4 steel, there are 192 pellets. I would say that is more than enough.

A 20 shooting steel will work fine for geese as long as you know your limitations.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

NDMAX why do you miss lead? I kill twice as good as I ever did will lead. These new loads that are out are awesome!


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## glen (Nov 26, 2007)

Used 20GA on canadian geese and others,. i use Bismuth shot in a 10z reload it is buffered and kills clean gives good patterns.
I am looking at steel right now. . 
Glen


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

huntingdude16 said:


> > A 20 just can't hold enough steel for a good pattern. Lead 2's, different story.
> 
> 
> In a 1oz load of #2 lead, there are 87 pellets. In a 1oz load of #4 steel, there are 192 pellets. I would say that is more than enough.
> ...


I would agree on knowing your limitations with a 20ga. Very true.

However, quoting #2 lead vs #4 steel is not apples to apples.

Using #6 lead, and #4 steel is closer, however #6s in my opinion would still be more effective.

Using #4 lead to #4 steel is not even close. I'm not advocating breaking the law, but try switching a few shells to lead to really see the difference. Or better yet, shoot some Hevi Shot, for a very close approximation. (Other than $2 a shot or course)

NDMax


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

shooteminthelips said:


> NDMAX why do you miss lead? I kill twice as good as I ever did will lead. These new loads that are out are awesome!


I agree with you up to a point. The fast 1450 /1550 fps loads really help to alleviate swing issues relating to the proper lead. However, downrange power is severally limited with steel.

Now Hevi Shot / tungsten take care of some of the power issues , but is it really used effectively?

When I recover steel shot from a bird, there is no deformation of the sphere. Same with Hevi Shot / Tungsten. Lead however, does deform, causing a larger wound channel, and more power transfer to the bird.

Don't get me wrong, I like Hevi Shot, especially the Dead Coyote loads for swans, but $2/$3 per shot is rediculous when you hunt as often as I do, other than for a swan tag.

If you are using, and liking a #4 steel load, think about the performance of #6 lead. More pellets, more downrange residual, (in gross) and more effective power transmition to the bird. Steel has come along way in the past several years, however, physically it can't compete against lead.

NDMax


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

> However, quoting #2 lead vs #4 steel is not apples to apples.
> 
> Using #6 lead, and #4 steel is closer, however #6s in my opinion would still be more effective.


My point was simply that you CAN fit enough steel in a 20ga to be effective. :wink:


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

:eyeroll: :stirpot:


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## goosehunternd (Mar 10, 2006)

The way I look at it if I am going to spend all that time and gas to find a "money" field, I am going to try eliminate all the variables that could mess up a hunt, including showing up with 20 guage, Im sure they will get the job done but I have seen my fair share of geese getting wacked with 3 1/2" 12 guage and flying away.

To me hunting geese with a 20 is like sending a boy to do a mans job :2cents:


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

If the geese are decoying well and all of your shots are going to be 30 yards or less, the 'boy' will do the job just as well as the 'man'.


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## goosehunternd (Mar 10, 2006)

It all comes down to personal prefrence, I just wouldnt feel confident pulling up on some honks with a 20, how often do they hit the ground when hit with a 12 and run and still have way to much life left. I have better things to do than chase birds around in the field, that goes for my dog as well

Exceptions- I have absolutley no problem with youth hunters and women using one in my spread.


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

What about a guy that can routinly kill geese with a 20, efficiently?

As for cripples, a goose well hit from a 20 is going to die faster than one poorly hit with a 12. 

That said, inside 30 yards there shouldnt be a lot of cripples either way.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

haha alot of speculating going on here... how many of you have shot at least 20 boxes of shells at geese with a 20? I like how fast it is, I have no problem with shooting geese in the head with a 20 big fat targets they are.

Actually I shot 410 and 20 because its all I could shoot because of back injury back then.. now it's none of them for a while yet. You should have seen how long it took me to get on doves and pheasant with the 410, but once I started hitting every time with the 410 the 20 was a real cannon.

The most geese I ever shot in a day (65) was with a 20, the second best day was 12 gauge 2-3/4.. 16 birds 24 shots hahaha. I used 12g 3-1/2 for awhile but just isn't necessary for me to overkill like that. The first honker I ever killed was with a 10g 3-1/2 #4 buck at 75 yds.


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## cm3geese (Dec 28, 2006)

I would say 20 Ga. is fine for "hunting geese". If you are not hunting, but shooting at geese........ie Fence lines, ditches and so on it is not hunting but shooting and no I would not use a 20 gauge to wound geese, but then again I do not agree with the whole pass shooting thing myself.

Just my opinion.

What the hell is this????????

"*The most geese I ever shot in a day (65) was with a 20, the second best day was 12 gauge 2-3/4.. 16 birds 24 shots hahaha. I used 12g 3-1/2 for awhile but just isn't necessary for me to overkill like that. The first honker I ever killed was with a 10g 3-1/2 #4 buck at 75 yds.""
_________________

If this is true I am hoping it was snows during the unlimited season?

I agree with the statment you made below.

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's watching." *


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

yep with e-caller too.... it was nuts, we ate 60 of them that day at a big drunken party. haha the damn cooker came unplugged and we didn't know it so we ended up eating raw goose and chokecherry wine woohoo!!! lookout!!



> What the hell is this????????
> 
> "The most geese I ever shot in a day (65) was with a 20, the second best day was 12 gauge 2-3/4.. 16 birds 24 shots hahaha. I used 12g 3-1/2 for awhile but just isn't necessary for me to overkill like that. The first honker I ever killed was with a 10g 3-1/2 #4 buck at 75 yds.""
> _________________
> ...


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Some food for thought, some people still think a pellet out of a 20ga will not kill the same as an equal size pellet of the same speed out of a 12 and they also think a 10 shoots farther than a 12!!!!!!!! This in an ********* tale as shot is shot and reacts the same to gravity regardless of which gauge gun it comes out of. Increased load does not automatically mean increased range because many fail to pattern their guns and have no clue as to what it is doing at any range!!!!!

Simply put, steel loads of 3"" 2"s in 7/8 or 1 oz is a good load for geese. Pattern density range is likely limited to 35 yards using an IC or Light Mod choke. Range can be extended with tighter chokes but a tight choke is not my recommendation for a new shooter.

My load of choice on geese with a 20 is 2 3/4 "4 or 5 Hevi shot in a Skeet or IC choke. In the hands of a good shooter this will give you ranges out to 50 yards.

The advantage a 12 or 10 have is increased capacity of shot. For some this increase helps cover up mistakes made while shooting. The increased size of the pattern will cover up the fact they are not on target properly. A few years back I had a group of mallard come into the decoys. I dumped two and swung on the third. I hit the bird and feathers flew, the duck dropped from about 35 yards and just before it hit the ground caught air with its wings and flew away. I laid there wondering what happened. The duck dropped dead about 400 yards away and we retrieved it when we packed out.

The first two bird where hit in the head and neck area causing death before they hit the ground. The third had 9 pellets of #2 steel hit it. but the pellets entered the body behind the wings. No broken wing, or punctured lung, but a pellet did hit the liver which caused it to bleed out. I butt shot that bird. 
I point this out, because the load and choke and pattern where all OK, but my shot placement was off.

Take that 20 out and pattern test it to see what loads work the best. Then go kill some geese!!!!!


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

my first year of hunting for the youth season i used a 20 gauge 870. I managed to find some federal 1 1/8 oz. #1 shot. first goose that came was toat. Greanted i wasnt a very good shot then and it would normally take about a box of shell to shoot a few birds, but the point I'm trying to make is that it is possible to use it on geese, but the thing is I would only use it in the earl season or when they dont have all the fat and feathers ion the late season. But i still enjoy using it on Geese and sucks. Sometimes I think it performs better than my 12. But just find #1 steel shot and It will do the work! :beer:


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## Preds21 (Feb 12, 2008)

This is just my opinion, and no offense to anybody but, why talk about the lead shot? it cannot be used for waterfowl anymore so y bother to compare it for waterfowl. anyway i have only shot geese with a 12 gauge, and i never thought about a 20 gauge cuz i have had slim to non luck shooting geese with steel 2's with a 12 gauge, and that is the biggest steel load i can find for a 20 gauge.


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## goose_caller (Jul 5, 2005)

Ya know the best shooting I have done was two years ago when I got 40 boxes of Federal Tungsten 1oz 2 shot......I shot a TIGHT choke and once I figured out the pattern size I was dead on.....well most 20ga is also 1oz of shot, if your shooting steel you would have more pellets then out of my tungsten 1oz......bore size does not equal energy out of the end of the barrel......hell I killed my first 15-20 geese with a single shot 20ga with 7/8oz 1's.......then probably another 100 with my 20ga wingmaster.....it ain't the gun, its the shooter. I used to have a group in Texas that would all shoot 410's, we would kill our 30-40 geese every day....they where crackshots.


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

Ron Gilmore said:


> Some food for thought, some people still think a pellet out of a 20ga will not kill the same as an equal size pellet of the same speed out of a 12 and they also think a 10 shoots farther than a 12!!!!!!!! This in an ********* tale as shot is shot and reacts the same to gravity regardless of which gauge gun it comes out of. Increased load does not automatically mean increased range because many fail to pattern their guns and have no clue as to what it is doing at any range!!!!!


Assuming that barrel length, choke, velocity, etc is the same, the statement that a pellet is a pellet is a pellet, does make sense.

Now distance. There is a mathimatical advantage to the larger bore sizes in regards to the number of pellets available in the pattern. As pellets lose velocity, and therefore power, more pellets are needed to kill cleanly at a distance.

Most guys sight in thier rifle prior to deer season. How many guys pattern thier shot guns? At 40 yards? 60? 80? BIG DIFFERENCE in spreads.......... Lots of pellets make a lot of difference.

NDMax


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

Preds21 said:


> This is just my opinion, and no offense to anybody but, why talk about the lead shot? it cannot be used for waterfowl anymore so y bother to compare it for waterfowl. anyway i have only shot geese with a 12 gauge, and i never thought about a 20 gauge cuz i have had slim to non luck shooting geese with steel 2's with a 12 gauge, and that is the biggest steel load i can find for a 20 gauge.


If you can shoot a few cases of Hevi Shot this fall, a person can see the differnce vs steel. Of course, you'll be almost spending the equivilent of a new Citori, but hey, that's life from the Democrats.

Sorry, I got carried away. The point that I was making was that lead was very effective, and very affordable. $3 a shot if pretty expensive.

NDMax


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

I vote 20 G is a great goose gun! The pellets kill a goose just as dead! :beer:

Shoot um' in the face!


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

NDMax my daughters both use 20's for hunting. Both have been pattern tested and both will provide adequate patterns for killing ducks and geese at 45 yards. Neither of the girls will be shooting at that range because they simply are more likely to miss. They have not put in the time needed to shoot at that range.

In regards to more pellets in the pattern you might be surprised that many 12 ga especially guys who shoot fast loads and do not test pattern there guns are actually getting a lot less pellets in a 30" circle than we are with the 20's!

Now I do agree that a properly choked 12 will give you the advantage of more pellets, but bigger bore does not equate to more killing advantage all the time. Nor does shooting a 3 1/2" shell over a 2 3/4" load simply because of increased load size. It is all about holding the pattern together!


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## NDMax (Jul 23, 2008)

Ron Gilmore said:


> Good to hear that you're getting your daughters out in the field. They'll appreciate it for many many years. Internet, X-box, and Ipod, can't compare to time alone with dad.
> 
> I think that almost everybody has started with a 20, and for many people the 20's are primary, especially with pheasants.
> 
> ...


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I agree... it's all about the pattern. I recently switched to 20 ga for ducks and my success has improved dramatically. I'm able to get 87-89% patterns at 35 yards with #2 steel shot. #1's drop that down to about 65% so I've given up on them. I'd love to see what #3's would do but I have not been able to find them. I may pick up a couple boxes of heavyshot #2s to see what they will do in geese but I expect if I can hold a pattern they will be effective to at least 40 yards.

FWIW I STARTED waterfowl hunting with a ss 410 when you could still use lead. Many a duck and a few geese fell to that 410. I wish I could still shoot that well.


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