OT- Double Shotguns... What Bore & Why?

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:52 am

I'm doing some long term planning/dreaming and wondering which Double Bore I should get in a custom gun:

12b or 20b?

I'm not really into "big birds"/waterfoul much, and figure I'd mostly be using it for Feild Game/Game birds... which seems like 20b.

20s also seem to swing a little better.

What's the downside of 20 vs 12? (2-3/4 only)

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:21 am

Just to cause more confusion, why not look at the 16 gauge.

Best of both worlds. (if ya can find the right ammo).

Check out 16GA society.

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:24 am

A 16! Still have my old Stevens 311 that my parents gave me on 16th birthday.

As I heard the old timers often say, "the 16: swings like a 20; hits like a 12."

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:24 am

OI,
I've thought several times about switching over to a 20ga. It will pretty much do everything it's big brother does it just doesn't beat you up as much in the process.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:27 am

I prefer 12, but there are so many that do not.......

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:35 am

game keeper wrote:Just to cause more confusion, why not look at the 16 gauge.

Best of both worlds. (if ya can find the right ammo).

Check out 16GA society.

I've got a 16... though it's too old to shoot safely (and a 16x16/9.3x72R Drilling that uses the old "short" 16s...)

I'm really looking at commercial availability of ammo. I CAN reload shotguns, both 12 & 20, but I'm not really INTERESTED in doing so... and 16 would almost force me into reloading.

12 is plenty cheap and 20 isn't too bad - unlike 28 & 410.

Post by **Hobie** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:15 am

I like a 12 with 1 oz loads better than a 20 with 1 oz loads. A 16 is wonderful but, it is more difficult to feed. I've used them all, .410 bore and up and that's just how I feel. I do think the gun makes a difference, too. How it feels and works for you can cover for a lot of shortcomings.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:16 am

12guage. The 20 is generally lighter, and factory loadings are also fairly on the stout side, unless you get the light skeet loads. The 20s seem to kick harder with the same loading as the 12. When my son started shooting a twice-by at age 8, he shot a 26" barreled 12 guage, and even with the stock cut to fit, it weighed about 2 lbs more than my wife's 20 (also with a cut stock to fit her).

12 guage ammo is more plentiful in most places with a much larger selection to fit your needs.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:26 am

I LIKE EM BOTH...
BUT IF YOU ONLY PLAN TO HUNT UPLAND
GAME LIKE DOVES, QUAIL, SNIPE, PHESANT, ETC...
I WOULD GO WITH THE 20...THEY ARE LIGHTER AND CARRY
BETTER IN THE FIELD...
BUT IF YOU PLAN TO SHOOT SKEET TRAP AND SPORTING CLAYS,
I LIKE THE 12...
IF YOU PLAN TO RELOAD YOUR OWN...20 IS THE WAY TO GO...
DOES NOT PAY TO RELOAD 12 ANYMORE...UNLESS YOU WANT
SUPER LIGHT 12 GA LOADS...
WHAT BRAND OF GUN ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 am

RIHMFIRE wrote:WHAT BRAND OF GUN ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

Custom.

bogus bill · Post by **bogus bill** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:40 am

I once read askins stated his ol man a famous gun writer too, prefered 16 gauge. Charlie preferred 12. I was raised on 12 although I started with a 20. I once owned a 16 870 I inherited but never worked out with it. I sold it to a friend that wanted it bad. Now, I know that was a mistake.
Now that I dont have it, I am highly intrigued by the 16!

colo native · Post by **colo native** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:58 am

I dont have a dog in this, but with that said are you looking for a s/s or o/u??
I've used them both, and If I were to go to my home state I would take 2 browning o/u 20s and my old 20 s/s hammer gun, its just fun to shoot, but if the chips were down the o/u's are faster to use.. hope all is well..

Slick13 · Post by **Slick13** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:05 pm

Old Ironsights wrote:I'm doing some long term planning/dreaming and wondering which Double Bore I should get in a custom gun:

12b or 20b?

I'm not really into "big birds"/waterfoul much, and figure I'd mostly be using it for Feild Game/Game birds... which seems like 20b.

20s also seem to swing a little better.

What's the downside of 20 vs 12? (2-3/4 only)

If you're only going to have one shotgun, the answer is always the 12 ga. With a reloading press and the proper components you can load shells for it as light at 3/4 oz of shot (same amount of shot a 28 ga. puts out) or as heavy as 1 3/8 oz. And factory ammo is readily available, with a wide selection of shot charges, shot sizes, and velocities.

But if you're going to spend the amount of money a SxS is going to cost (don't expect to find anything less than $3000), spend a little more and get 12 and 20 ga. barrels for it.

If you're not going to shoot more than a flat of shells a year (10 boxes), I'd get a 16 gauge.

~Michael

Lefty Dude · Post by **Lefty Dude** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:06 pm

game keeper wrote:Just to cause more confusion, why not look at the 16 gauge.

Best of both worlds. (if ya can find the right ammo).

Check out 16GA society.

I have all 16's now.

2 SXS 16's

2 870/16's

For my Cowboy Action 16 SXS I shoot brass shells.

You can shoot loads equal to the 12 and 3/4 oz loads like a 28.

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:19 pm

I have preferred the 20ga for over thirty years now - as long as it has a scaled-down receiver.

I'm currently using a 26" Beretta BL-3 O/U, after my Beretta 686 Black Onyx 20ga was "borrowed" by my son, several years ago.

BTW - There's a new, semi-custom SxS available now in either 20 or 28ga at a very reasonable price from Tony Galazan. It's the RBL-20 & RBL-28.

http://www.rblshotgun.com/

Nate Kiowa Jones · Post by **Nate Kiowa Jones** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:31 pm

I prefer 12ga but only because the variaty of ammo is so much grearter than the others.
As for recoil, an oz of shot a 1100 FPS doesn't care if it is shot from a 12 or 20. It's the same energy. But felt recoil will be more sever from a light 20 compared to a heavy 12. Other factor will be long or short forcing cones, back bore, pads, and mercury comps and stock fit. All of which can be had in either bore.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:43 pm

OK, to answer a couple of questions...

Yes, i have a 12ga - 3" Pump Mossy 500.

I'm thinking Double, because I'm thinking Drilling. My 100y/o 16x16/9.3x72R is too bloody expensive to shoot.

I'm just not 100% on whether a 20x20x.357 is a better field gun than a 12x12x.357.

I've honestly considered an O/U (converting a Red Label is almost a no brainer... but I just like SxS shotgun bores.

Like I said, I'm getting input on a dream gun to be built someday...

jjames · Post by **jjames** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:52 pm

I would go with a twelve. You can download (even with cheap 7/8 oz factory ammo) a 12 to 20 gauge load but you can't upload a 20 to a 12 gauge heavy load. Like others I shoot from .410-10ga and like them all. Most recently picked up a 1901 it is my favorite this month. I can't wait for phesant season. I am looking at drillings these days. One of those will surely become my favorite over the next year.

Warhawk · Post by **Warhawk** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:13 am

I have owned a lot of SxS shotguns, used to live in Kansas where bird hunting is king.

My favorites among reasonably priced shotguns are the Browning BSS and the (Ithaca)SKB 100/200/280 series. With a slight preference going to the SKB as it's a bit lighter.

One I still want to try out is the Ruger SxS, but they are very spendy.

12 ga is the only way to go for me. You can load down a 12, but can only load up a 20 ga so far. Not to mention the variety of ammo available for the 12 ga.

AndyM · Post by **AndyM** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:24 am

Like most others - I say the 12 you can make more out of it and it can "do" more than the 20 - with all that being said - I have a L.C. Smith field featherweight in 20 ga that would be one of the last to go. It was my grandmothers in the 1920's and the gun I started shotgun hunting with - killed my first pheasants with that gun. Sweet as can be...

Post by **Hobie** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:38 am

It must be the bullets that make your drilling so expensive to run as one can load 16 ga. and 9.3x74R fairly inexpensively. But good jacketed 9.3 bullets are somewhat difficult to acquire.

Since you want to make up a combo-gun (drilling) I think that bore makes a big difference. It affects handling big time. I'd go with the 20 ga. for two shotgun over 1 .357 Mag barrel. Frankly, I'd go .357 Maximum in the rifle barrel.

Sounds like a neat project.

crs · Post by **crs** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:59 am

For waterfowl, the 12 with 3 inch chambers, but for upland game with lots of walking, the 20 will do nicely. Here is my sxs 20 ga

It has a 12 ga big brother, with 28 inch barrels and chrome lined tubes.

Why not get both? Seriously, the CZ shotguns shoot great, are well made and very affordable. Choose OU or SxS ===>
http://www.cz-usa.com/products_shotguns.php

Slick13 · Post by **Slick13** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:27 am

crs wrote: Why not get both? Seriously, the CZ shotguns shoot great, are well made and very affordable. Choose OU or SxS ===>
http://www.cz-usa.com/products_shotguns.php

I know a lot of people had trouble with firing pins breaking on the those guns when they first came out, though I think that has been taken care of since then. A couple guys I shoot skeet with just picked up a couple of the O/Us for hunting, and one had his with him at the skeet field last week. Handeled it briefly, and need to check it out again. Looked nice, and I think they'd make pretty decent hunting guns. Would love to have an affordable 28 ga. SxS.

~Michael

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:48 am

Hobie wrote:It must be the bullets that make your drilling so expensive to run as one can load 16 ga. and 9.3x74R fairly inexpensively. But good jacketed 9.3 bullets are somewhat difficult to acquire.

Since you want to make up a combo-gun (drilling) I think that bore makes a big difference. It affects handling big time. I'd go with the 20 ga. for two shotgun over 1 .357 Mag barrel. Frankly, I'd go .357 Maximum in the rifle barrel.

Sounds like a neat project.

I thought about Maximum, but that would be an additional bit of brass... and I'm trying to keep my life simple.

The Drilling bore on my Jager is a 72R, not a 74R. Big pressure/performance difference:

9.3x72R piezo CIP 29 crusher CIP 26
9.3x74R piezo CIP 49 crusher CIP 44

Brass seems to be going for around $1 ea.
Norma 29322A 9.3x72R 92.98/100

Loaded ammo:
9.3x72R* RWS 196 grs. T-Mantle 20 $150.00 Sold Out
9.3x72R S&B 193 grs, SP 20 $68.00

I believe all of these are Berdan Primed.

I haven't found out what primers the Norma brass uses.

.357 is just so much simpler...

OT- Double Shotguns... What Bore & Why?

OT- Double Shotguns... What Bore & Why?

Re: OT- Double Shotguns... What Bore & Why?