Shotgun for upland birds and pheasants?

[harv3589]

Question for the avid bird hunters....

Which is a better gauge to use for upland and pheasant hunting? 12 or 20 or ?

Thanks for any help with this!

[elkhunter11]

I would definitely go with a light weight 20 gauge. Less weight to carry is nice when walking for hours, and the 20 gauge is plenty for upland birds. For grouse and partridge, a 7/8 ounce load is plenty, and you can get up to 1-1/8 ounce 2-3/4" loads, if you want a heavier load for pheasant. If you are hunting over a dog, and the shots are close, even a 20 gauge can ruin a lot of meat.

[catnthehat]

As far as wright goes it really is subjective .
My main bird gun is a 12 bore that I shoot BP loads going about 1150-1200 FPS
And it carries as light as most 20's do
I also have a couple of very light 20's but the majority of my upland guns regardless of gauge are within 1.5 pounds of each other .
Cat

[curtz]

20ga is perfect grouse, I have a nice CZ overunder that's nice and light to carry.

[ward]

A relatively light 12 if you can find one that you like. If you are in reasonable shape you can carry a medium weight 12 gauge all day and not everyone shoots light guns well. As far as damaging birds, I shoot 24 gram loads more than any other in a 12.

[fps plus]

I've been shooting birds since 1966 and still trying to figure what's the best gauge to use. If I had a line of 12 16 20 28 to choose from , for all around use iwould probable pick a light weight 12 ga semi auto

[sns2]

It's a balancing act. When a rooster or sharpies flush a ways out a 12 is nice, but you can also gut them pretty bad in close. I suppose a 20 is the way to go if it is just for upland.

I hunt with Elk a fair deal and he is a helluva shot, best i have ever seen, but he also shoots thousands of rounds of skeet and sporting clays a year, so take his talk of 28 gauge with a grain of salt

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by fps plus

I've been shooting birds since 1966 and still trying to figure what's the best gauge to use. If I had a line of 12 16 20 28 to choose from , for all around use iwould probable pick a light weight 12 ga semi auto

"Best" has nothing to do with what II choose too hunt with on a given day-
eeny-meeny-miny-mo has everything to do with it.
Sometimes I haven't chosen until I get out of the truck!!
Cat

[WHMS]

I use a 12 with 1 1/8oz loads and my girlfriend uses a 20 with 7/8 & 1 oz loads and kills lots of pheasants.

I've been mulling getting a 20 just because I want one and will use it with complete confidence.

All guns are o/u's. If you can't hit them with 2 shots, the third is just flinging lead.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

"Best" has nothing to do with what II choose too hunt with on a given day-
eeny-meeny-miny-mo has everything to do with it.
Sometimes I haven't chosen until I get out of the truck!!
Cat

If I am hunting with my regular hunting partner, I usually take a 28 gauge, if I am hunting with people that don't shoot as well, I often take the 16 gauge, so I can back up the other shooters to finish off cripples. The 16 gauge with the improved mod barrel, has a longer effective range than the 28 with the mod barrel.

[covey ridge]

My vote is for the 20 but I have tons of respect for the 24 gram 12 that Ward mentions.

[densa44]

I'm old 74 years, fat, weigh more than Mr. Trump and shoot a .410, with do it myself shells.

I don't shoot skeet or trap anymore. I never was all that good at it anyway.

I train the dogs every day!

I don't miss pheasants and any cripples the dogs get.

I shoot a cz sxs, with 2 triggers.

I think if you point the gun in the correct direction when you shoot it won't matter what gauge you use.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by densa44

I'm old 74 years, fat, weigh more than Mr. Trump and shoot a .410, with do it myself shells.

I don't shoot skeet or trap anymore. I never was all that good at it anyway.

I train the dogs every day!

I don't miss pheasants and any cripples the dogs get.

I shoot a cz sxs, with 2 triggers.

I think if you point the gun in the correct direction when you shoot it won't matter what gauge you use.

I agree with you, but what shot size do you use?

[oldgutpile]

Early season, before they wise-up, I like the 28 gauge. Later on, I take out the 20's for a bit more lead in the air when they flush wild.
Which gun hits harder: a 28 gauge with 7 1/2 shot going 1200fps, or a 12 gauge with 7 1/2 shot at 1200 fps????
Just like asking which is heavier; a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?
The 28 is as deadly as a twelve with the right loads, just carries significant less lead in its pattern. This is also why gun "fit" is critical.

[coyoteman]

The common murre is a tough skinned diveing seabird,they migrated in the spring in there hundreds of thousands.Usually shot on the water.the weapon of choice 12ga.The 20ga not that common.A friends son got one for xmas,we came up with 20-30 boxes # 4 .he came with us for a days hunting.we were5-10 miles off the coast birds everywhere.when his turn came to shoot,well its a pea shooter.That wasnt the case,birds being on the water you could see the shot hit,less shot,but tight killing patterns,at good ranges.100-150 birds a day not that uncommon,The 20ga is an excellant ga,It as per usual comes down to the shooter.Sadly during the market hunting days we though it would never end-----It did.

[coyoteman]

Originally Posted by harv3589

Question for the avid bird hunters....

Which is a better gauge to use for upland and pheasant hunting? 12 or 20 or ?

Thanks for any help with this!

There is no "better" It comes down to the shooter.I like the 12ga when the griffon flushes at point blank,with improve cyclinder,i hesitate,track,no quick shot,give the pattern a chance to open rarely a damaged bird.My friend with the 20 ga when his turn to shoot about the same.Pheasant hunting,is not about the gun but the dog.I am luckly to hunt with a well trained griffon,Its a joy to watch him in action.

[covey ridge]

When I was a kid and started hunting pheasants 12 gauge 30 inch full choke was common and 1 1/8 oz. of shot was thought of as light. I was a strong kid and hunted with a model 12 trap gun. I didn't miss much in those days but sure ruined a lot of good meat.

Now my body aches at the thought of carrying the big 12 and for sure less is more. With less gun, I get more meat that is suitable to eat. For me, big guns are only to be carried from the cart to the shooting stand.

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

early season, before they wise-up, i like the 28 gauge. Later on, i take out the 20's for a bit more lead in the air when they flush wild.
Which gun hits harder: A 28 gauge with 7 1/2 shot going 1200fps, or a 12 gauge with 7 1/2 shot at 1200 fps????
Just like asking which is heavier; a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?
The 28 is as deadly as a twelve with the right loads, just carries significant less lead in its pattern. This is also why gun "fit" is critical.

lol

[pvh]

For pheasant, it's a toss up between my 28 or 20 over/unders by CZ, both are very effective, light to carry and a natural to shoulder.

[shooter12]

Originally Posted by harv3589

Question for the avid bird hunters....

Which is a better gauge to use for upland and pheasant hunting? 12 or 20 or ?

Thanks for any help with this!

Get 16 gage , if you can find a good one .
1oz of lead will do anything 20 or 12 will do .
It could also be increased up to 1 1/16 or 1 1/8 if needed or go down to 7/8 for some applications in the field.
But I personally can not imagine 1 oz/28 gr of lead matched to your game fail you in the field.

[32-40win]

These days, for versatility, it is hard to beat the Turkish 20ga SXS's or O/U's if that turns your crank. You can get double triggers, maybe an English stock, chokes and can be had with 3" chambers, so they can be used for bats to turkeys if you want to. Toss slugs in them and whack other stuff as well.

[Groundhogger]

I used to be semi-serious about hunting grouse here in Ontario, but it was almost all thick bush/close-ish shots you had to make awfully quick. Since getting even a crack at one or two birds for every 5kms of hiking was considered a good day, the physical weight of the gun was as big a factor as anything. With that said, the season I shot the "most" (and believe me...that number wasn't big ) and had the least amount of meat damage, I used a CYL bore 20ga. I've since inherited a 20ga Citori (which I hunted once just before Christmas) and a 16ga. Ithaca Featherweight and honestly...both are absolutely awesome guns for long carries. My first 2 years of grouse hunting I shot an old 12ga and while it did the job, there was allot of meat damage even with a MOD choke and a little distance involved.

Next fall I plan to let all of life's other distractions on the back burner whenever the weather favors some bird hunting...and if there is little threat of rain, the Citori will be what I carry. If the weather is at all questionable, the Ithaca. So...20ga/16ga would be my opinion on the question if you got this far.

[densa44]

The reason is because it patterns well in my gun and anything that gets hit comes down.

One or two other points, I know exactly when and where the bird will appear. The dogs tell me. The second point, I'm not a good enough shooter to "wait until the bird gets out there a bit" I lift the gun and when it covers the bird, I fire, and I keep swinging the gun.

BTW if you ever get a chance to pull a trigger with Cat, get a look at his ammo. He makes the nicest BP, 12 ga. card over shot, roll crimped shells you'll ever see. The shot gun with Damascus barrels is pretty cool too.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by densa44

The reason is because it patterns well in my gun and anything that gets hit comes down.

One or two other points, I know exactly when and where the bird will appear. The dogs tell me. The second point, I'm not a good enough shooter to "wait until the bird gets out there a bit" I lift the gun and when it covers the bird, I fire, and I keep swinging the gun.

BTW if you ever get a chance to pull a trigger with Cat, get a look at his ammo. He makes the nicest BP, 12 ga. card over shot, roll crimped shells you'll ever see. The shot gun with Damascus barrels is pretty cool too.

I am a fan of #6 nickel plated shot. It penetrates like shot a size larger, it drags less feathers into the flesh, it patterns really nice, and I like a denser shot pattern, as I try to place the pattern over the head/neck area. There are about 70% more #6 pellets in the same load compared to #4.

[WHMS]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I am a fan of #6 nickel plated shot. It penetrates like shot a size larger, it drags less feathers into the flesh, it patterns really nice, and I like a denser shot pattern, as I try to place the pattern over the head/neck area. There are about 70% more #6 pellets in the same load compared to #4.

I use the same thing, although, sometimes I'll use #5's in the late season for farther shots (hunting over Springers )

[gitrdun]

Of the 2 choices mentioned, a grab my 20 every time.

[Justfishin73]

Is the weight difference between 12 and 20 ga really a big deal? Hell, I usually carry a 30 lb pack, doubt that extra pound or two would break me, especially using a sling.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Justfishin73

Is the weight difference between 12 and 20 ga really a big deal? Hell, I usually carry a 30 lb pack, doubt that extra pound or two would break me, especially using a sling.

Quite often it is , it can make the difference in bringing a gun up to bear quickly
and to swing quickly as well, nit just carrying it.
My big 12 bore hammer Pedersoli is extremely heavy compared to my 20 bore F.A.I.R hammer gun !
Cat

[Justfishin73]

I think y'all are just getting old.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Justfishin73

Is the weight difference between 12 and 20 ga really a big deal? Hell, I usually carry a 30 lb pack, doubt that extra pound or two would break me, especially using a sling.

My first Citori weighed over 8lbs, my Citori Feather weighed 5-1/2lbs, and my current SxS guns weigh right around 6lbs. I carry my shotgun broken over my shoulder, and after a couple of hours, you do notice the difference. As well the lighter gun swings much quicker, which can be an advantage, especially when you have been walking for hours, and are getting tired.