The appropriate load for a 20-bore
David Turner gets a weight off his mind by talking about appropriate shot for a day in the field with a 20-bore
Last month we looked at the benefits of using a 20-bore, having moved up from a 12 and how, in many cases, our shooting results improve (Sporting Gun, September). In this article I look at which cartridge is best for which quarry species and which load is best for you.
Most 20s are used for game shooting and although they can easily and convincingly be used to shoot clays, most dedicated clays Shots use a 12. This, I must stress, is not a cartridge test or review, but intended to give an overview of the most appropriate cartridge loads for differing quarry types.
The most significant handling characteristic of a 20-bore is ease of movement, making the gun far easier to swing and helping to get ‘through’ and in front of targets, particularly faster birds, thus improving hit rates. This quickly lifts confidence levels and we know we are shooting well when we are congratulated by our fellow Guns. So it’s easy to use and swing, easy on your shoulder, lighter to carry over your arm let alone in a slip, and you will most likely be on target more.
Don’t use a heavy load
In so many cases shooters seem to think the more lead they put in the sky the more they’re going to hit. Wrong! ‘Punchy’ loads can be detrimental to your shooting regardless of whether your gun is a 12- or a 20-bore. This causes all sorts of unconscious and unhelpful habits such as stopping to fire, jerking or giving a little push, or flinching.
I have taught hundreds of shooters over the years, both new and experienced, and seen many examples of how excessive recoil can adversely affect some people. In a lot cases — particularly with long-term shooters — this can be overlooked and become accepted as a trade-off for hard-hitting cartridges to ‘do the job’, at the expense of performance and poor results. This is as true for 20-bores as much as for any other calibre.
When we teach women and younger Shots we use lighter loads to try to minimise recoil and help them have a good experience, particularly first-timers. There is also a case to support the cartridge-to-gun weight ratio, which can play a part. The lighter the gun the more you will notice recoil. This is very true when it comes to 20-bores, which are usually about 25% lighter than a 12. Thus, if we were to use the same shot load the recoil would be greater.