Sometimes, in the relationship between firepower and enjoyment afield, less really is more. For many turkey hunters, the lighter carry and gentler recoil of the 20 gauge is just the ticket.
The 20 gauge has long been a favorite among clay pigeon, small game, dove and upland bird shooters, both beginners and seasoned pros alike. Its smaller size makes it easier to carry and less cumbersome to maneuver. As handy as these attributes are on a rabbit hunt, they’re even more valuable in tight turkey setups. The remaining question, then, has long been whether the 20 gauge was enough gun to get the job done.
Once upon a time, before specialized turkey loads and chokes were commonly available for 20 gauge guns, that point may have been seriously in question, but that’s a question that has long been put to rest. Manufacturers of shotguns, aftermarket chokes and turkey loads have combined their arts over recent years to make the favored upland and small game gun a player in the spring turkey woods as well.
The physics of the equation have never been in doubt. A number 6 shot launched at a given speed will deliver the same energy downrange whether it’s fired out of a 20 gauge or any other shotgun larger or smaller. Larger shot carry more energy and are thus effective at longer ranges. Because of this, larger bore shotguns have always made their argument for turkey hunting priority through pattern density.
Because a 12 gauge carries a larger payload, it can be tuned to pattern larger shot and extend the gun’s effective range to distances well beyond 50 yards. A 20 gauge can launch the same shot of course, but the smaller diameter of the pipe has meant comparatively fewer shot along for the ride, allowing concerning holes to develop in the patterns all along the way.
Evolving technology
In the past five years, though, manufacturers have built 20 gauge guns with forcing cones designed to give magnum turkey loads their best possible start. Choke manufacturers have given the 20 gauge the same attention to detail once reserved for the 12, and shot shell makers have developed loads that now allow 20 gauge patterns to cover the spread across all ranges reliably out to 45 yards with great certainty.
Edward “Bubba” Bruce, of Natchez, marked 48 years of turkey hunting experience when the season opened this spring. In that time he’s seen the technology develop along with the resource and, today, is a proud member of the school of the lighter load.
“With this 20 gauge, with the shells and chokes they’ve got out now, if you match the right ones together, they’ll shoot just as well as a 12,” Bruce said. “It’s just a lot of fun to shoot. It’s just the way to go nowadays, and it’s all to the manufacturers’ credit.”
Bruce shoots a Mossberg SA20 that he’s matched to an Indian Creek choke tube, which he’s found to favor Hevi-Shot Magnum Blend.
Experimentation, Bruce said, is the key. Different brands of shells loaded with the same size shot pattern very differently from one gun to the next, so it’s crucial to spend enough time at the range to land on the right combination and establish its maximum effective range.
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