Originally Posted By: The Famous Grouse Originally Posted By: HidalgoOriginally Posted By: AWS
A 20ga is a very effective waterfowl round if you stay within its limitations.
I can remember days afield with the 20ga when I wished I had brought the 12. But I never had a day with the 12ga when I wished I had brought the 20.
I have.
After about 3 miles of walking with a 12 gauge that is a 2 pounds heavier than any of my 20 gauges, I often find myself wishing I could have brought the 20. I only use a 12 when it's very windy or pouring rain, but I hate lugging around heavy shotguns, the avoidance of which is the whole point of having a 20.
The 20 is not without tradeoffs, the reality is that a higher pellet count can make up for a variety of shooting sins in some cases. The margin for error is less with a 20, there is no doubt.
But carrying one just FEELS so good. My little Browning 625 Superlight almost floats away if not tied down.
Grouse
WHOOOOOOOOAH. Read the entire thread. I was talking specifically about WATERFOWL guns.
I have a XS Citori in a 20 gauge and a Browning in a 28 gauge that I dearly LOVE to use for upland birds and on the skeet range at times. But they're not a good choice for serious waterfowl work.
And as for your bragging on the reliability of the Stoegers, that's totally lack of experience. You stated 300-400 round reliability over the course of 6-7 years. LOL ... that happens in the first DAY I own a new shotgun. Shoot your "reliable" Stoegers several hundred rounds a week for a couple of years and then come back and tell us how reliable they are. They don't last a month. I shoot regularly with guys who go through several hundred rounds a week, and if you can find a single Stoeger on our skeet fields I'll eat it ... without any seasoning. And they are not present for a reason ... they are NOT reliable and are NOT a quality firearm. And while I admittedly have not been exposed to their autos for any period of time, I have actually seen their O/Us come apart in the field. And not from operator error. When the ejectors break and fall out, or the gun suddenly refuses to lock when closed, or the firing pins break after a week ... that's crappy quality. Heck, there are entire websites devoted to methods of fixing their known problems! If that's the way they build an O/U, I can only deduct that their autos are trash also. They might be OK (and i said "might") for the person who only goes through a few rounds in a year's time, but my time afield is important enough to take a quality gun into the blind with me. A Stoeger ain't it. If you have one that you think is reliable consider yourself fortunate.