Traded 12 GA. for 20 GA.

[noodle one]

I live in 7s which is shotgun only and only 20 min away from zone 40 which is rifle . I have both rifles and shotguns for deer hunting. I do most of my time in shotgun only country because I like the areas that I hunt better than in rifle country. For years I always used 12 GA. shotguns. Every year before season I would go out to shoot my guns to make sure they were still on target. When I was young i didn't mind shooting the 12 GA. but now that I am getting older I just hate shooting them and taking the beating from the kick from the 12 GA. For the last 4 or 5 years I have been telling myself that I was going to buy a 20 GA.

About two weeks ago Dick's had A sale on a mossberg 500 with the rifle barrel and a ventiated rid field barrel with three chokes. Both barrels are ported and shoot 2 3/4 or 3in. The rifle barrel has an integral scope base and rings, plus a cheap scope. all for $299.00. I went down and got one.

I have been very busy and have not had the time to get out to give it a try and hoping that I can get out this week to do so. Today a friend of mine called and wanted to know if I had any guns that I might want to sell , I told him that I had a Win 1300. 12 GA. 2 3/4 or 3in. rifled barrel shotgun for sale. He told me that he would be right up. When he saw the gun he asked why I was selling it and I told him that I was tired of having it kick the snot out of me every time I was just shooting it at a target and that I had got myself the mossberg 500 in the 20 GA. He told that he has another friend that got the same gun and that he loves it and was very happy with the groups he is getting with it.He told me that his friend was getting 3in groups out to a hundred yards. I have a Bushnell Trophy Multirecle Red/ green Dot that I am going to put on it to give a try this week. Has anyone else on here have the Mossberg 500 20 GA and how do you like it?.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I just retired my Mossy 500 20ga in favor of a Remmy 870 12. I hated the side saddle scope mount, as it always had problems staying tight. It was a decent gun with iron sights though, took down alot of deer with it including one or two at 125+ yards. She isnt a pretty gun, but was the first gun other than a BB gun that I ever owned. Its been put away until my daughter is old enough, then it will be given to her as her first shotgun. After she has her years with it, it will get passed to my son as his first shotgun. I plan on picking up a cantilever barrel for deer duty.

[the blur]

I use reduced recoil slugs in my 12 ga. dead is dead is dead. and it's 1/2 the kick.

[BUCKrub91]

Have you considered getting one of those lead sleds?

[phade]

A dialed in 20 ga. will kill a deer just as well.

I'm not that old but even when I was a kid, shooting a 20 gauge was a cause for group teasing. But, that was when there were few loads for them. Now that the technology has caught up, a nice 20 gauge is no slouch. Heck, look at the performance using a Hornday SST 20 ga...I've was in a blind with a friend who shot a shot at 163 yards...bang flopped stone dead. The friend was a good shot regardless of implement, but still, the performance was there.

[Fletch]

Heck I am not old yet, I think anyhows!, and I switched to a 20 years ago. A nice Ithica Deerslayer shooting Lightfields. I got sick of target shooting a 12. The 20 is a joy to shoot and it will kill any whitetail and shoots flatter.

[Jennifer]

For what it's worth, my 20 ga. 870 tosses slugs more like a rifle than any of our 12 gauges do! It has a shorter range but you know, the type of terrain and habitat we hunt, it'd be rare to have a shot at over 60 yards anyhow.

[Dom]

My son said his kicks like a mule havent shot myself i hunt with 16 guage and for being older gun holds a good pattern every year i re site and same results its a gbolt action from mossburg only 1 that i know of or used i do have multi selection this is my favorite im shooting 80 yrds and hit the same area every time allso shooting offhand