WTB 20 gauge OU

Looking for a reasonable priced 20 gauge over under for my son who wants to join a trap league this fall…any brand as long as its functional and reasonable price…

IMO, get him a 12 gage, less felt recoil.

If he wants to win… get him this one

onestout wrote:

IMO, get him a 12 gage, less felt recoil.

I don’t know what 12 gauge you’ve been shooting, but that’s never been my experience on any automatic, and definitely not on any Over Under.

Jackfish, if you don’t find one here stop by and chat with the guys out at the local ranges like Minneapolis Gun Club and the Horse and Hunt Club, the guys out there may know of people looking to sell something.

munchy wrote:

I don’t know what 12 gauge you’ve been shooting, but that’s never been my experience on any automatic, and definitely not on any Over Under.

Yes, felt recoil is gun-specific, but in an O/U of equal weight the 20 will have less.

The used market is crazy this time of year. I’d camp out on the auction sites, but also consider seriously the brands like CZ, Stoeger, and Mossberg in a new model.

Stoeger makes some very nice O/U trap guns in the Condor series that can be had in the $700 range. Don’t take any advice regarding Stoeger from anyone who does not actually own one, I have found these shotguns to be excellent performers.

Also, is the O/U required by the club or league? Way more options in pump or auto if it’s allowed.

Grouse

The topic has been well documented on the shooting sites, new shooters are better off with a 12 vs 20 for many reasons, even given the popular reasons each has their own needs and a 20 may be what is needed. Here are a couple highlights for the 12, resale, lower cost for shells, same or less felt recoil (hard to find a 20 with the same weight as a 12), 12 will last a lifetime (most that start on a 20 want a 12 in a year or 2 so the buying process starts over).
I reload my own shells which is a whole other topic between the 2, i like being able to customize my loads, i keep my speeds around 1050fps which is a little low for the autos. I invested in a decent gun 20 years ago that currently has around 500,000 rounds through it with no issues. Friends that i shoot with all have 20, 28, 16, and .410 but they shoot these in order to make the game more of a challenge, which requires a seperate reloader and very expensive hulls. Also the standard round for 20 is 7/8 and for 12 it’s 1 ounce which equates to more “bb”s and a better chance of breaking the bird, which in turn helps to keep kids from getting demoralized (actually anyone starting out).
Again, IMO, buy a good 12 and you will be using it for life.

The main thing to remember is to have fun, no one gets them all.

onestout wrote:

Here are a couple highlights for the 12, resale, lower cost for shells, same or less felt recoil (hard to find a 20 with the same weight as a 12), 12 will last a lifetime (most that start on a 20 want a 12 in a year or 2 so the buying process starts over).

Shells are exactly the same cost when it comes to 12 or 20 for factory target loads.

No generalizations can be made about felt recoil as far as the 12 being less, it depends on the specific gun. A 20 may be lighter, but then it also firing less powder and a lighter charge of shot. The lightest recoiling gun I have ever shot is a 20 gauge Beretta, which has as close to no recoil as I believe a shotgun could possibly have.

I have found the progression not to be from 20 to 12, but the other way around. As many shooters progress and gain skill and experience, they tire of lugging around a weighty 12 gauge all day. Most experienced shooters also come to realize that bird that just got killed with 7/8 ounce of shot from a 20 can’t get any deader by shooting it with an extra 1/8 ounce from a 12.

If the competition league allows 12 gauges and the young shot would be shooting a 20 against others using a 12, then obviously that places the 20 gauge shooter at a disadvantage. If a 12 is allowed, I’d be looking for a gas operated 12 like an 1100 or a Beretta. The recoil reduction of gas operation would be the key to this decision.

Grouse

Ill echo Grouse.

I’m in Onestout’s camp on the 12. Today’s target loads in 12 are pretty meager when it comes to recoil and its harder for a kid to move up to a 12 after playing with a 20 for a couple years.

So….who has a youth 20 gauge shotgun to sell? Not really interested in debating what gun everyone thinks he needs…I have a half dozen 12 gauge guns he could shoot (and has)but they are all too cumbersome for him to feel comfortable with..(he’s 12 years old)…also have a 20 gauge he is comfortable with so would like to find a good trap/upland gun for him to have as his own…

Jackfish wrote:

So….who has a youth 20 gauge shotgun to sell? Not really interested in debating what gun everyone thinks he needs

Well, that’s why we’re debating what gun everyone thinks he needs–it’s a heck of a lot easier than FINDING a used 20 gauge, in good condition, at a fair price. That’s just hard work!

Cabelas in Woodbury had a used Franchi 48 last week in 20. Obviously, an auto, not an O/U, but this illustrates the problem nicely. $749 was the price. I’d give it an NRA grade fair or to do the usual seller’s stretch, a marginal “good”. IMO, that’s overpriced by $100-$150. No O/Us in 20 that I saw.

What’s the budget here? Reasonable used options are hard to find and the ones out there in O/U tend to start near $1,000 and go up from there. The most plentiful used bracket in 20s is the $1000-2000 for O/U. Not an obscene amount if this is to be a lifetime investment.

The auction sites are your friend. If you’re in the east metro, I know of a good transfer FFL guy in Woodbury who is reasonably priced and reliable.

Grouse