Shot choices for 20ga smoothbore

[WALKERs210]

I have been looking at picking up 20ga barrel for one of my rifles. Just because I have way to many 50cal rifles now and changing the barrel would be the easiest. What would be the best choice for shot for the 20ga, single maxi or #1 or #00 buckshot.

 

[longrifle78]

I would stick with a round ball, i dont think a maxie would shoot to well in a smoothie and buck shot cuts your range way down. Just my opinion :thumbsup:

 

[missionary5155]

Good morning
What will you be hunting and at what range ?
If you are considering buckshot you would do as well with a RB if you are sitting. Stalking and slipping up on bedded deer is where I might consider buckshot under 20 yards.

 

[wy0mn]

Dad always used #4 buckshot in a 12ga for whitetails, in the southern forests, back when it was legal.
Little brother had no problems with the more common #3 buckshot in his 20ga.
Growing up in the rural south I never saw anyone actually use 00 buck. We always thought that was for 'dangerous' game.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I have been looking at picking up 20ga barrel for one of my rifles. Just because I have way to many 50cal rifles now and changing the barrel would be the easiest. What would be the best choice for shot for the 20ga, single maxi or #1 or #00 buckshot.

Neither one. As mentioned, maxiballs will not be accurate from a smoothbore, even if you could find a .62 caliber maxi. Smoothbores may shoot a roundball just fine up to 50 yards but any sort of conical slug needs rifling, else it will tumble and shoot wild.
Twenty gauge is too small to handle 00 buck. Buckshot, to pattern reasonably well, needs to fit the bore in uniform layers. 00 buck is .33" diameter and thus too large for two pellets to sit side by side in a .62 caliber bore. That is why #2 buck is the largest size loaded in factory made shotshells. Larger buck will only form a random jumble in the bore and will be badly deformed by being squashed against each other by the force of powder gas during the incredibly rapid acceleration up the bore. Pellets so deformed will not fly straight once out of the bore.
Your best bet is a roundball.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Your question seems to suggest you want to use the new barrel to hunt deer. If you already have .50 cal. rifles, what is the point?

The main benefit of having a 20 ga. smoothbore barrel for your rifle stock, is that it allows you to use smaller BIRDSHOT( #1-#9 shot) to hunt smaller game. For the once a year deer hunt, you can shoot PRBs in that smoothbore and reliably hit deer-sized targets out to 50 yards or so. That makes the 20 gauge a "2-season" gun, something that rifles fall a bit short on.

I agree with others who have already advised you that neither large "BUCKSHOT" nor any conical bullet will shoot well in a 20 gauge smoothbore. Stick to the Patched Round Ball.

A Nominal 20 ga. barrel is .615" in diameter, and can be used to shoot .600" diameter lead balls. Those balls weigh in at about 325 grains, or 3/4 oz.! That's a lot of lead. :v Use powder charges in the 80 grain range of 2Fg and recoil is a mild shove with most guns. You won't need more velocity at the ranges you can reasonably expect to hit deer using a smoothbore. :hmm:

You can expect Pass-thru hits on the chests of most deer hit out to 75 yards and further. Its rare that any RB is recovered by deer hunters using this size RB. I don't know how to kill any deer deader than that! :shocked2: :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

We were taught growing up that #4's was the way to go. Patterning them from a 20 bore flinter I can understand why Paw-Paw said that...he was half blind and wanted meat.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Over the years, I have tested fired, and patterned loads in #4, #5, and #6 shot. By far the best patterns in most of the guns has been achieved with #5 shot.

Each barrel is different from another, and it will tell which shot it likes the best, if you take the time to pattern the barrel many times. Its tedious work, but well worth the effort, because good patterns let you kill more game, and kill them cleanly.

I also had uncles who told me one thing or another. I took the advice of a good friend and actually patterned the loads, before making up my mind. For instance, I was beginning to learn how to shoot a shotgun with a 12 ga. modern shotgun, and tried both 7 1/2 shot, and then #8 shot. I found the #8 shot gave more uniform patterns in that barrel. When I told that to an older, Championship level Trap Shooting friend who was coaching me, he just smiled and told me that if my gun likes #8 shot, then it will probably also like #5 shot better than #6 or #4. It took a bit of time to find a bag of #5 shot, but when I patterned the shot, and compared it to my #4 and #6 shot patterns, he was correct. He got a big smile when I told him so. Then he told me that he had other gun barrels made by the same company that preferred #7 1/2, #6, and #4 shot, and didn't pattern as well with #8 or #5 shot. It didn't matter what choke the barrel had, nor what powder was used, or powder charge used.

That is the lesson I learned that day, many years ago, and the lesson I am trying to pass on. Pattern shot loads in the gun, and choose what the gun likes best. Maybe you can teach your "elders" something about their own guns. :haha: :surrender: :hmm: :thumbsup: