20 gauge for ducks

GADawg08 · Nov 29, 2011

well my 12 gauge semi-auto has decided it does not want to cooperate this year. It has gotten to where the action will not close completely when cycling shells. Ive cleaned it good and still doin the same thing. Its gas operated so my guess is that it has leaked somehow. I dont have a local gun smith and dont know when i will have the chance to take it to someone. i have my trusty 20 gauge wingmaster that i dove hunt with but have never duck hunted with it. You guys ever use a 20 ga for duck hunting? If so whats the best choke? I normally shoot a modified and have shot doves out to 50 yards. I always shot skeet with it when i was younger and its probably the gun that i have the most confidence in but i have always said that it is too nice of a gun to take to the duck blind, but now im starting to think to heck with it

alphachief · Nov 29, 2011

GADawg08 said:
well my 12 gauge semi-auto has decided it does not want to cooperate this year. It has gotten to where the action will not close completely when cycling shells. Ive cleaned it good and still doin the same thing. Its gas operated so my guess is that it has leaked somehow. I dont have a local gun smith and dont know when i will have the chance to take it to someone. i have my trusty 20 gauge wingmaster that i dove hunt with but have never duck hunted with it. You guys ever use a 20 ga for duck hunting? If so whats the best choke? I normally shoot a modified and have shot doves out to 50 yards. I always shot skeet with it when i was younger and its probably the gun that i have the most confidence in but i have always said that it is too nice of a gun to take to the duck blind, but now im starting to think to heck with it

I love carrying a 20G...especially when I'm hunting flooded timber/swamps and shooting up close and personal. Since I normally carry it when my shots are closer, I normally use a modified or sometimes even an IC choke (like shooting Full with a Mod. or Mod. with IC using steel shot). I shoot 3" out of mine...dont know if I could even find 2-3/4 20g in steel shot.

Dupree · Nov 29, 2011

I carried my 20 opening day. I had some hevi 13 #5's laying around that I had gotten on clearance. Put ducks down better than my 12 with steel.

beauluckie · Nov 29, 2011

Here's a 20 gauge story for you: Had a friend get invited to a timber hole on Sunday after opening day. The guys had shot limits the previous day with .410 o/u. They gave him a youth model 20 gauge and 9 shells. Told him if he couldnt' kill 6 ducks with that, he didn't need to be in there anyway. Now granted the old rascal is a good shot, but he killed his 6 ducks and gave them back 2 shells!! So to answer your question...it can most definitely be done!

emusmacker · Nov 29, 2011

My son dropped a goose on opening day with his 870 20 gauge, and2 wood ducks on opening day of duck season. Yess they will kill ducks. He uses a sumtoy custom choke in his gun.

swamprat93 · Nov 29, 2011

I hunt with a benelli 20 gauge cause my 12 is doing the same thing but honeslty im a better shot with the 20 gauge

grizzlyblake · Nov 29, 2011

It seems that the "little" 20ga is enjoying a resurgence among all types of hunters now with more turkey/duck/deer hunters using them. I no longer own a 12ga because they're so big and the recoil is just no fun. The smaller 20ga guns are great and with today's different loads they'll do just about everything a 12ga will do.

GADawg08 · Nov 29, 2011

thanks guys!! yall have made my mind up. The 20 gauge will be in the duckhole with me on 12/10

KlineWhitley2054 · Nov 29, 2011

my little cousin shoots a 20 gauge pump with a barrel on it that looks like it could fit inside your boot and lays out more birds than half the people who hunt with him, oh did i mention he uses 2 3/4 number 7 steel shot?

Dustin Pate · Nov 29, 2011

I have killed plenty of ducks with my Winchester 1300 20 gauge. I like Kent's #4 through a modified choke.

GABASSMAN · Nov 29, 2011

I shoot 3" number 2's out of my 20 ga with a full or modified and it's deadly.. I've dropped ducks out to 50+ yards this year.

pignjig10lb · Nov 29, 2011

My girl put the hammer on a goose for Thanksgiving with her 20ga shooting #2 Kents. She's so cool :banana:

little rascal · Nov 30, 2011

is it a remington?

It has gotten to where the action will not close completely when cycling shells. Ive cleaned it good and still doin the same thing. Its gas operated so my guess is that it has leaked somehow.

You might just need a new o-ring (barrel seal).

GADawg08 · Nov 30, 2011

its a verona sx. i bought it about 6 years ago to turkey hunt with but i have started using it for ducks the last few years. if its the o-ring, do i just replace it or would i have to take it somewhere and let them put more gas in it? i dont know how the whole gas-operated deal works....never had this problem before.

DeweyDuck · Nov 30, 2011

Gas operation is done when the gas pressure in the barrel is forced down through 2 holes in the bottom of the barrel into a cylinder at the end of the magazine tube which then forces the barrel backwards to eject the shell. A common prob is those 2 holes get stopped up with carbon residue and you must clean those holes with gun cleaner and something like a pipe cleaner. This prob usually causes the shells to hang up in the reciever and not get thrown out properly. If the bolt is not closing, and you have cleaned the 2 pressure ports, some thing else is wrong with the bolt and the tracks it slides on.
Not a gunsmith which is prolly obvious but this may help you get to the correct problem.
Hope it helps and have a great season.

GADawg08 · Nov 30, 2011

Thanks DeweyDuck. i will look into this tonight.

Sea dawg1978 · Nov 30, 2011

im kind of having the same issue with my gun, 1187, except it wont shoot low brass shells. i tried to shoot quail with it last year and it would hang up on the second shot. I did as you mentioned DD and the gas ports were pretty clean but it still wont shoot low brass.. any suggestions on this?

Wishin I was Fishin · Nov 30, 2011

I was having an issue with my shotgun this past weekend while hunting crows. It would fire the first shell and the gun would eject and put another one in, but it wouldn't throw the bolt far enough forward to fire nor would it recock the hammer. I took the bolt out and oiled everything to no avail. Eventually I took the trigger out and found a small seed (one of the long ones that stick to your clothes like the devil) sitting in the spring that keeps tension on the sear. Apparently it was just enough of a problem to keep the hammer from catching, and I guess it wouldn't let the bolt get far enough back to gain enough oomph to shut all the way. I removed the seed and she is as good as gold. Probably slim to none chance that it's the problem you are having but it's an idea.

turkeys101 · Nov 30, 2011

i use a old model harrington&richardson 20 gauge break action...yes it is a one shot...but you defientley have to have them in range...i have made shots before that i regret even thinking about haha

DeweyDuck · Nov 30, 2011

Sea dawg1978 said:
im kind of having the same issue with my gun, 1187, except it wont shoot low brass shells. i tried to shoot quail with it last year and it would hang up on the second shot. I did as you mentioned DD and the gas ports were pretty clean but it still wont shoot low brass.. any suggestions on this?

If the gas ports are really clean, trouble might be with the piston in that cylinder at the end of your magazine. Clean the shaft really good and be sure the O ring is in good shape to ensure a tight seal. Also, the thing that holds the o ring is directional so be sure about it.
One caution about those ports, they may seem clean but I've found the carbon to be so hard I had to use a small drill bit to remove it. Do not put the bit in a drill motor, just use your fingers to twirl it around. Those ports really have to be the correct size to allow the proper amount of gas to enter the piston; this problem applies especially to light loads. I hope this helps because I'm out of ammo!!! Good luck to you.

20 gauge for ducks

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