# Last day, 20 gauge, all green



## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

The duck gods smiled on me the last day of our season. Used my trusty 20 gauge Benelli to harvest a beautiful limit of greenies in under 2 hours.


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## Stimmy (Sep 10, 2007)

Nice! I have been shooting my 20 gauge a little more this this year. My next goal is to kill a goose with it in the next couple of weeks.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Very nice. Thanks for sharing! I love the 20. My next upland gun will be a 20.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

20's are deadly in the right hands. I use mine a lot, so far I killed several geese with mine, most with 3" #2's.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Nice, Shane. There's something special about a sub gauge on the last day. You'll need to let me tag along next time with my camera.


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks everyone. That little gun only weighs a little over 5 lbs, it is all I carry for pheasants, chuckars, and of course doves. A pure pleasure in the field.


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## 10Tenner (Oct 7, 2007)

Nice job Shaner! Must have been a fun hunt with the 20. 10tenner


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Very nice!

I think I have not shot the 20 on all but two hunts this year. Fun sub gauge to kill the ducks and geese with.


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

a 20 gauge will kill ducks and geese just fine. it all I use. Just got to be a little better shot.  usually try to find any load in #2's 3"


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

For ducks I use the 2 3/4" load with 3/4 oz. # 4 shot. It crushes birds with a lot of pellets in the head/neck area.
For geese I couldn't agree more with you guys, 3" #2.
One of these days I'm going to fall off my wallet and try a box of Hevi-Shot in my gun.

I read something recently that really struck home with me:
"A hunter is measured more by what he doesn't shoot than what he does shoot".
I think this especially applies when shooting a 16,20,28 gauge or .410 bore shell.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Nice job on the green.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

shaner said:


> For ducks I use the 2 3/4" load with 3/4 oz. # 4 shot. It crushes birds with a lot of pellets in the head/neck area.
> For geese I couldn't agree more with you guys, 3" #2.
> One of these days I'm going to fall off my wallet and try a box of Hevi-Shot in my gun.
> 
> ...


That's one of the reasons I don't shoot Hevi Shot in my sub gauges. Cost also factors into it, because I'm a cheap SOB. But I think it's fine to accept the limitations imposed when you shoot a sub gauge with steel shot. I don't want to extend it's range or try to make it something it's not. Knowing your limits makes patience and shot selection important, and it's gratifying to cleanly kill a limit with a 20 or 28 gauge.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

I never really could tell much difference in killing power between the 3" #4 hevi shot and 3" #2 steel loads in the field, but then again I wasn’t attempting to make long range shots with them.

If a person was going to try for really big birds like swans, I think the hevi shot would be a good choice to use.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Sportsman's has the WW 20 gauge Target Loads for $7/ box, less the 5% case discount. It's nice to have a light recoiling, inexpensive load for ducks over decoys. I have 5-10 years of shells on hand already in 12 gauge, but will probably pick up some of the 20s also. I like using my 28 gauge occasionally, and will continue to do an annual 28 gauge hunt. But those shells are not a good value compared to the 20 gauge. The difference is 5/8 oz of 6s at $12-14 box for the 28s vs 3/4 oz of 6s for $6.50/box. 

The funny thing is, my Beretta 20 gauge SP V weighs 6# 2 oz, vs 6# 4 oz for the 28s. Both are porkers compared to Shaun's Benelli. I handled one at Gallenson's yesterday, those things are light!! That Legacy in 28 is truly a wand.


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## M Gayler (Oct 3, 2010)

Shoot them in the decoys with a 10 gauge. Everybody knows bigger is always better!


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

M Gayler said:


> Shoot them in the decoys with a 10 gauge. Everybody knows bigger is always better!


I have a couple 10"s and yeah I have shot decoying ducks with'em. You don't get many cripples, but it usually ain't pretty. :shock:


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## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

10 gauges don't require as much patience/skill as what we are trying to do here. You will get much more satisfaction from killing birds with a smaller gun. Try it once, you may get hooked. The 10 is awesome though. I go to Britain about every other year. The Brits are rich with wildfowl history. If you ever get a chance to visit old waterfowl areas/museums, do it. Be sure to check out some of the old punt guns, I also saw some huge cartridges. If memory serves, they went all the way up to 4 gauge in all brass cases.
Americans also used some of this huge artillery during the market hunting days when a brace of Cans would fetch you a nickle or three. 
I have to add that driven pheasant hunts are for sissies though.
Sorry, I got off topic.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Since you veered off topic onto driven shoots, Shane, you might enjoy a book on the topic called, "The Big Shots", by Ruffer. It's a very interesting read:

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Shots-Edwardi ... 882&sr=1-1


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

M Gayler said:


> Shoot them in the decoys with a 10 gauge. Everybody knows bigger is always better!


And so much more fun! 8)


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

paddler213 said:


> I don't want to extend it's range or try to make it something it's not.


Paddler,

Interesting choice of words?

I fully understand your desire to shoot birds in close but how is it a 20, 28, or 410 loaded with a particular type of shot making it capable of effectively killing out to a longer distance is making it something it's not?

A 28 loaded with lead shot is very effective on everything from doves to pheasants and sage hens out to 40 yards. I don't see it as extending its range for waterfowl by shooting hevi shot as it's just a better no tox alternative and much closer to lead then steel is. Remember the good old days when we could shoot ducks and geese with lead? I had no problem killing ducks out at 40 with high autonomy 7 ½'s and 6 shot out of a 20 or 28.

I just see shooting no tox loads with densities close to that of lead as a way to get the effective range back to what it was during the good old days of lead


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Maybe it's just that I'm cheap. Steel is the most common and least expensive non-toxic material we have now, the alternatives are much more expensive. And, I can live with the range limitations of steel shot for waterfowl. ITX costs $19.00/lb, Hevi Shot is over $20/lb, while steel is ~$2.00/lb. We're talking over $30/box if you load ITX or Hevi Shot. Factory Hevi Shot is at least $2.50 per round, or $65/box!!! 

I load lead shot in 28 gauge now, and will load steel if I can find a good recipe using the WW AAHS hull. Factory steel in 28 gauge is $14/box, WW Game/Target 6s in 20 gauge is $7/box. On the last day of the season, I killed 7 ducks with 10 shells with that load, so my ammo cost was $2.70 for the day. I don't think I would have done better with Hevi Shot or any of the alternatives.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Man you have got to change that sig paddler :lol: 

I really understand you with your loads and your reasons behind shooting them. I guess after battling the perceptions about the 28 and the 410’s capabilities for so many years I just cringe when I hear or see wording or terminology implying that they are so limited in their capabilities.

I am myself in the same boat as far as being cheap with the ammo now but I would guess unlike you it’s not by choice  The good news is I was out of control the last 7 or 8 years and bought up as much of the designer no tox as I could and I should be able to load and shoot the good stuff out of the sub bores for very long while to come


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Just random to get my post count off that scary number


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## diverfreak (May 11, 2008)

paddler213 said:


> Maybe it's just that I'm cheap. Steel is the most common and least expensive non-toxic material we have now, the alternatives are much more expensive. And, I can live with the range limitations of steel shot for waterfowl. ITX costs $19.00/lb, Hevi Shot is over $20/lb, while steel is ~$2.00/lb. We're talking over $30/box if you load ITX or Hevi Shot. Factory Hevi Shot is at least $2.50 per round, or $65/box!!!
> 
> I load lead shot in 28 gauge now, and will load steel if I can find a good recipe using the WW AAHS hull. Factory steel in 28 gauge is $14/box, WW Game/Target 6s in 20 gauge is $7/box. On the last day of the season, I killed 7 ducks with 10 shells with that load, so my ammo cost was $2.70 for the day. I don't think I would have done better with Hevi Shot or any of the alternatives.


Paddler,
I think its cool that you have the prices per load dialed in for those who might be lower cost minded while hunting.
But and its a big but, i feel if you figure out how much each and every trip costs you or dollar per duck you should probably find a new sport that doesnt cost anything like tittlywinks or chess because i cant put a price on a day waterfowling!
I get it, no one wants to spend more than something should cost. But sometimes it pays to have the best. One time years and years ago during my flyfishing part of my life i had a cheap flypole that i used day in and day out. I fished with an older gentlemen who teased me about having such a piece of crap cheap pole. I just laughed with him as i out fished him 10 to 1 fish. He gave me a sage fly rod for christmas and it sat for 2 years as i thought my cheapness was better. I finally gave in and what a difference i saw in my fishing abilities. I could cast further, i could drop a fly within a square inch of where i intended it to land, i lost less bigger fish as the more expensive pole was quality made for the application i was doing. Long story short. I gave up flyfishing 18 years ago as shooting ducks was my passion but the moral of the story is" you get what you pay for, and if you have to be a cheap arse you might as well not be doing it"!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

paddler213 said:


> That Legacy in 28 is truly a wand.


You ain't kidding.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

It's really a matter of philosophy. I like fooling waterfowl. If you fool ducks, and I work hard to do so, the shooting should be easy. If I don't fool them, I don't want to scratch them down. Also, I'm not a good shot, and missing birds, or worse, losing cripples, bothers me a lot. If you fool a duck, you should be shooting inside 30 yards, probably less. I routinely have birds buzz right over my head or land within a few yards. If I don't fool them, I simply won't shoot. There will be other days, and I may change something up in order to fool them next time.

When you fool ducks and shoot them close, your load shouldn't matter. The cost is secondary, but I really like shooting and killing ducks and geese at close range. I have 10 cases of shells in my basement right now, all of them cost under $7/box. I killed 24 geese and 63 ducks this year, and shot maybe 6-7 boxes of shells. I thoroughly understand the pride in ownership, and using quality gear thing. I am fortunate in that I can afford really nice stuff. But I'll still shoot cheap shells, as they work well for me.


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