A 20 bore is far more than a "fun gun"! It's performance at game, except on the really high bird shoots, is equal in all respects to a 12 bore, recoil with modern cartridges is insignificant, 28 or 30 gram shot loads are no problem at all, and more than adequate for typical driven shooting in the UK. I would say they are gradually replacing the 12 as the calibre of choice amongst discerning shooters.
Exactly my thoughts on the subject. I really do not understand why David refers to a 20 gauge as a "fun gun", why is it more fun than a 12 gauge? I have shot and competed with most calibres and there're all fun to shoot. I can't see the differential between calibres in having fun. Referring to any shotgun as a bit of fun is quite a misleading comment.
I’ve always shot a 20bore. Now own a browning 525 in 28inch multichoke with a rare straight hand stock gorgeous gun with high grade wood shoot everything with it. Thanks for sharing.
I purchased a browning heritage 20 with 30 inch multi choke barrels several years ago and it transformed my game shooting, it feels great in the hand and it’s the only gun I use for driven game and pigeon. When I regularly miss a bird it’s not the gun at fault, it will be my no 1 companion for the rest of my shooting days
Greetings from Southern Arizona, USA. Love your show. 20 bore shotguns are very popular over here because they are LIGHT, approximate 12 ga. pellet loads and can be carried-all day when hunting Gambel's quail in 30 deg. C. weather in the desert in October, or hunting all day in rough, steep and extremely rocky hillsides for Mearn's quail in winter. Having owned various O/U 20 gauge shotguns (Browning 425, Beretta Silver Pigeon and SIG/Rizzini TT25) over the years, I finally settled on a Browning 725 20 bore with 28 inch barrels. No other shotgun fits me better. My favorite pheasant gun is a Winchester Model 23 SXS in 20 bore with 28 inch barrels. I can carry it all day while hunting grain fields in Kansas.
Hola Joaquin! Shout out from Tucson. Ditto on everything you've said above. I'm currently shooting a 20 gauge Beretta 686 Onyx and a gorgeous 20 gauge Franchi Instinct Side Plate (I'm American-Italian, what can I say!) Doves, Gambel's, Scalies, Mearn's and I also have an annual pheasant hunt in North Central Kansas!
My first gun was a CZ Teal 20 gauge. It’s been a great gun. I have since bought a Browning Citori XT 12 gauge for trap. My sons shoots the 20 gauge and loves it..
I've got Browning 12s and 20's. Love them all. One of the 20s is a Browning Lightning which is great fun and ideal for walking up over pointers. Super light and pointable. The other is the B525 Black Gold which I have had fitted to me and I now use it more or less for everything including virtually all my driven shooting. Love both of them and long may the 20 bore reign!
So I do a lot of long range shooting at live pigeons and crows. I'd say a 20ga does 70% of what my 12ga does but for cottontail rabbit hunting I've happily made the switch to 20ga. Easier carrying and quicker snap shooting
I have several 20g shotguns across the brands reviewed, my whole family (wife - daughter - son & I) love shooting them. Nothing a 12g can do that a 20g can’t copy in the right hands!
Very interesting analysis. Thank you. Owning 2 Beretta (692 and 686) and a Benelli SBEII 12 ga. I wanted to try a 20 ga. for hares, grouses and ptarmigans. I just bought, a month ago, a Franchi Instinct L 20ga. I’ve shot it only once since snow took over. It’s light compared with my Berettas. I long to shoot more often next spring and summer. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us. Regards from Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada.
The 3 inch 20 bore using tungsten shot has the ability to shoot as far as a 12 bore and take the same game. Francis E. Cell proved using lead shot shooting double barrel shotguns in 3 inch 20 bore that it was a supreme pass shooting shotgun.
But your 3” Tungsten out of a 20ga can’t match a 3” magnum 12ga loaded with tungsten. Also, your 20ga tungsten load costs 4x’s the price of 3” 12ga, using steel loads (which gets the job done effectively and nicely).
I bought my Yildiz Pro 20 from you David. I have shot both game and clays with it, but mainly game. The verdict? I just love it! I would say game shooting with a 20 bore. Use a little more choke than you think you need. I originally thought narrow barrels, narrow pattern. That is not as much as you might think.
I have a Yildiz 20 gauge ( yes I'm in the US) HPS. It has the steel reciever, 28" barrels, with extended chokes. Really nice to shoot clays with. $539.
I'm glad I got my Charles daily shoot everything in the land of the free moves great 300 dollars hit 90persent have ingrave guns no can't shoot them as well and I fit my guns
In the age of steel, 12 all day for your first shotgun. 6lb 12 gauges have been around forever so the light 20 doesn’t really hold water. However, once you’ve owned a few shotguns, 20’s & even 28’s can be wonderful in the higher grade guns. Personally I’m currently searching for a heavier 3” 20 that can take a ton of pounding. But even then I don’t expect it to replace a good 12
I for one have always loved a good 20-bore. Have three that get the majority of field and target use. they are a joy to carry and shoot and are easy to reload for as well. ^~^
I have a zabala hermanos 20 bore and a new FAIR 20 bore. The zabala is the best one of the two its havy like a 12 bore. I love to hunt with it. My 12 bore winchester select elegance i only use for fox hunting because i can't hit annything else with it. Now i have a new browning b525 16 bore for the fun.
I’m a fan of the 20g and I would have liked to have seen one of the 725 Black Gold/ Hunter range included in this review because these guns in 20g are a bit special if you like the the London style forend, Prince of wales grip and grade 4 woodwork. I bought a used 30” black hunter the moment I noticed it in a gun rack - it looked in perfect condition but very gradually a problem with the trigger became apparent and after being returned to the “reputable” dealer several times for “repair” in desperation I put it into the hands of an independent gunsmith who returned it to me with a small plastic bag containing a component that didn’t belong to that model and which he’d had to replace. Weirdly my love affair with that particular gun had hit the buffers and I sold it on and I vowed never to buy 2nd hand again ( although as with previous loves I did keep a photo😢).
I have owned 12, 16, 20, 28 gauge and have thinned out to just 12 and 28. The 28 is a hoot to shoot, and is my preferred upland gun. I find the 28 better than the 20, and the 12 can do what the 20 can and can't do. Also the 28 is a lot less fatigue on a long day of sporting clays. I would think in the UK with driven hunts the 12 gauge would be king? Never done one, but would love to.
My friends carry their heavy 12 ga shotguns all day long over "hill and dale" ... I carry a 20ga, 3" chamber , using 3" high brass, copper clad ... and I let them shot first ... bang bang bang ... you guys done ??? ... BANG ... feather fly !!!! My O/U weigh between 5 3/4 lbs up to 8lbs .... I have a 12ga O/U for sale ....
I purchased a browning 525 gr1 20 bore last year, previously had a kofs 20 bore for a bit of fun, but found it to light, so went with the browning . The main reason was a shoulder injury and couldn't shoot my 12 bore without pain. My browning went game shooting with my local syndicate , managed to shoot without pain and accounted for a fair few pheasants very happy with my 20 bore and it will be a gun that will be staying with me
4 gun skeet not popular in UK, using 12 20 28 410? We have a hard time keeping good 20gauge semis in stock... they dribble in from manufacturers and are gone within hours of hitting shelf.Same as the BPS.. see it buy it or you're out of luck
As always , I really enjoyed the video so cheers. I never tire of shooting my mid 1980's Beretta 686 Special in 20 bore ........ That said I love the Mid 1980's 20 bore 626E as much.......... Although I have my 12 bores I prefer the 20 bores. 🙂
Liked your review but don’t see any Miroku here in the states. I’ve owned several 20’s over my years and don’t hesitate to stand next to 12 ga shooters on a sporting course and hold my own. I’ve had SXS and 1100’s but my heart lies in the brownings. Lightning, 425 in 30”, fixed choke early citori hunting models. As I write this I own 3 CXS models in 12, 20, and 28 ga. With 30”, 28”, and 32” respectively. A neck injury has forced me to downsize and I will sell the 20 and the 12, leaving me with the softer shooting 28. If push had come to shove and I had t found the 32” at the right price I would be handloading 28 ga loads in the 20 guage and calling it done. I can do almost anything with a 20 that I can with a 12 except very long distance shots that take a heavy load to dispatch the target or bird properly. There’s no shame in downsizing to add a bit of challenge to the game. Injuries aside, I’d own one for the rest of my life.
It depends of the sort of money you want to spend if you give the team at Oxford Gun Company a call on 01844 238 308 they will be more than happy to chat to your about this. Thanks TSC Team.
The one to avoid at all costs 2nd hand is the Browning Medallist. It isn't a real Browning, and it will win you no medals. I couldn't wait to get shot of mine. Horrid gun with unreliable 2nd barrel cock and fire.
@@michaelplank8966 I was only joking Michael. No offence implied or intended. If anyone that shoots in our sport is a shooter, with whatever gives pleasure.
@@michaelplank8966 Probably 4 or 5 years ago I bought a Kofs 28 bore and a Kofs 4/10, really to see if enjoyment was to be had shooting smaller calibres. Which indeed, I found there is. The hilarity caused on the shoot was very entertaining. Remarks were aplenty such as. Have you got a Kofs? Which Peashooter have you brought today? Are you shooting a Turkish Delight today? The Hammeright finish on the barrels is really interesting. There where many more as well that I can't remember. But despite being on the butt end of the jokes, people were genuinely interested in my 500 quid a piece guns! I have since given both of the Kofs to my son and bought another 28 bore and 4/10 with a more familiar name. However I must say no one has shown half the interest that they did with the Kofs, and the humour that came with it. I nearly feel obliged to turn up once a year with a Kofs to give them satisfaction?
I mainly hunt my 28ga for bird dog training and woodcock hunting and I keep my 20 ga for clay shooting. Love that gun! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I just love your show. Greetings from Quebec, Canada.
I bought a Kofs Cavalry 20 in December. It has a beautiful light colored fiddleback stock. 5 chokes. It kicks a little. I may put a better recoil pad on it next year but I couldn't be happier.
Had there day? Um, no. Aside from carrying weight in the field all day, when your in the pucker brush, you need to get up quick, because you're not exactly standing at the range In the ready position.
The 20 gauge is fun but I do like the 16 gauge for game it’s just a bit more interesting. There’s no advantages or a leg up over the 20 with it though.
For game shooting I would use one all day long for average pheasants a sporting spec would be my choice in a 32inch barrel when i was teaching an x girlfriend to shoot i always said there’s nothing to gain by using a 20 bore a lighter 21 or 24 gram cartridge in a 12 will give little to no recoil.
David, that Beretta Silver Pigeon you used is actually a 687 Silver Pigeon III, I know the gun well because I have one in a Sporting model with 30 inch barrels in a 410/28 gauge 2 barrel set. Used it today for a round of Sporting Clays with some friends and we all chose to shoot 28 gauge shotguns. I'll also note that here in the USA the Silver Pigeon III models feature a higher comb which provides a Browning Fit on a Beretta. You may want to take your example out and do a bit of shooting with it, it just might surprise you.
We are sorry we know this gun is a 687 we should of said 686 and 687 we wanted to just show viewers that they are the same sort of gun that was all so sorry. Hope you enjoyed the film anyway. Thanks TSC Team.
John I have a Perazzi MX8 SC3 Trap. My son has a Yildiz Pro Trap. Barrels, Stocks, fully interchange with each other??? I have shot it and it shoots beautifully. My son won the West Midlands Automatic Ball Trap championship event last Summer with it 96/100. My friend had a go with my sons Yildiz and was convinced that it was indeed an MX8. My 20 bore Yildiz Pro is lovely to shoot. It's probably not the lightest 20 bore on the market, but the feel of it and the way it moves is just as good as it gets.
I was on a clay shoot today, used a 12 bore and a 20 bore, I did marginally better with the 20, than I did with the 12. Especially on the flurry (team of 2, 2 rounds, 34 with the 20, 30 with the 12), and the rest of the stalls, did 1 or 2 better per 10 shots with the 20, than I did with the 12...but in fairness, was my first time handling a 12.
