Quote:
Originally Posted by BPman
Day and day out you will find a 12 ga outperforms a 20 ga for hunting upland birds on the prairies. There will be too many times that you will pass up shots with a 20 or risk wounding birds at the longer ranges often encountered on less than ideal days. For the number of shells you will shoot, the cost of ammo is irrelevant. Good pointing and balance means 28" or 30" barrels and 3" chambers are a nice option but not essential unless you want it also for waterfowl. Interchangeable chokes are useful but not essential and Full/Modified will cover most of the shooting but you could get by with IMP Cyl/Modified ( a good combo for steel shot) too especially with heavier loads on the days when birds get up long. If you shoot Sporting Clays, skeet or trap you could adapt to one of those styles of guns but they will usually exceed 8 lb and that is heavy to carry all day so look for a field gun closer to 7 lb. All the other features are just bells and whistles to suit your fancy and wallet. Do your best to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. Good luck.
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Given that you can purchase up to 1-1/8 ounce 2-3/4" loads for a 20 gauge, if you can't get the job done on upland birds with a 20 gauge, then a 12 gauge isn't the solution. When it comes right down to it, the ability of the shooter is by far the most important factor.. Unfortunately, many people try to make up for shortcomings in their shooting, by throwing more shot at the bird.