New to hunting

[Stilly bay]

Ok guys.... quit with the speeches.
He's new.
REALLY NEW.

Oh good, Big Luke is here now.
OP - just disregard all the other bits of information in this thread from here on out, Luke will set you straight.

[BiggLuke]

 

you know it....

[dmv9]

Is a 20 gauge adequate for upland birds? I've seen a few articles that it would work well and be light.

I'm still thinking about the Rem 870 Express but now in 20ga.

I'm just considering options.

[bobcat]

The 20 gauge is great for everything except pheasant. Not that it won't work, but you'll have to pass up the longer shots that you could have taken with a 12 gauge. I used to always use my Remington 1100 20 gauge for opening weekend, and then switch to a 12 gauge for the rest of the year.

I remember one opening day in eastern Washington, 5 minutes after legal hunting hours, I had one rooster jump up in front of me at about 35 yards, dumped it with the 20 gauge, and when I shot, about 30 more roosters got up and I dumped two more.

I got to hunt for 5 minutes and in 3 seconds of shooting I had my limit and was done for the day. So I will never say the 20 gauge is not adequate, but later in the season the closest shot you may get will be 50 or 60 yards, and for that you need a 12 gauge with a full choke and heavy loads.

[bearpaw]

Unless you have an issue with recoil I would go 12 gauge, you can hunt any bird with a 12, the 20 has limits. You can even get light loads for the 12 if desired. Mossbergs are fine for the average person but the Rem 870 will last longer and doesn't cost that much more. I own both and like both. There are several other inexpensive brands that will work fine for the average person as well.

[Stilly bay]

  :twocents:Stick with the 12gauge for now. A 20 is adequate for pheasants up to around 40 yards, but as the season progresses most of the pheasants will flush further and further out and really test the range of a 20gauge slinging lead. Until you can learn to pass up shots that are just a little too far away, you will probably cripple a few birds and crippled pheasants are damn near impossible to run down unless you have a good dog.

If were talking wild pheasants and steel shot out of a 20- I would forget about it entirely. Unless you want to shoot 3" 20 gauge steel shot, a 20 just can't begin to compare to what a 12gauge can do with steel.

If were talking release site pheasants (steel/non toxic required) that usually flush from right under your feet go ahead and use a 20 with steel shot all you like. Your shots will usually be very close and well within range of 20 gauge steel's poor ballistics. Heck I even use a 28gauge from time to time at the release site, but I have dogs to root out the cripples for me if I don't make a perfect shot.

If your only going to have one gun and plan on using it for everything especially duck hunting a 20 just isn't going to go the distance.

[bear hunter]

Unless you have an issue with recoil I would go 12 gauge, you can hunt any bird with a 12, the 20 has limits. You can even get light loads for the 12 if desired. Mossbergs are fine for the average person but the Rem 870 will last longer and doesn't cost that much more. I own both and like both. There are several other inexpensive brands that will work fine for the average person as well.

Well said  If you are getting the combo. I would go with the slug barrel with iron sights and 28in vent rib set. Just in case you want to hunt deer or bear.

[dmv9]

Thanks for all the help. I guess I'll be going with a 12ga remington 870 express. I'm really only interested in birds, so I won't need a combo. If I decide to go after deer then I'll worry about that later.

[fethrduster]

The most important thing you can bring is desire.  You'll refine your gear as you go, but the most important thing is just getting out there, making mistakes, having some victories, and making great memories.  I remember starting out as a kid with a 30" full choked Browning BPS pump 12ga.  I missed and crippled some roosters at close range because it was choked too tight, and I lugged that monstrosity up chukar mountains because it was all I had.  But you know what?  Those memories are still with me, and they wouldn't be any more meaningful if I had been using a fancy double gun.  Oh, and one more thing:  don't forget to load your gun.  I remember a quick hunt as a kid on the last hour of the last day of a 3 day rooster hunt near Othello.  My springer and I headed out into a plowed dirt field, and out in the middle, he flushed a rooster and it got up, and my gun went "click."  Then another rooster. I pumped the gun, then "click."  Then another rooster.  Same thing.  3 big wild roosters, all flushing in sequence seconds apart, 25 yds away, and I forgot to load my gun.  I still remember that vividly.

[BiggLuke]

The most important thing you can bring is desire.  You'll refine your gear as you go, but the most important thing is just getting out there, making mistakes, having some victories, and making great memories.  I remember starting out as a kid with a 30" full choked Browning BPS pump 12ga.  I missed and crippled some roosters at close range because it was choked too tight, and I lugged that monstrosity up chukar mountains because it was all I had.  But you know what?  Those memories are still with me, and they wouldn't be any more meaningful if I had been using a fancy double gun.  Oh, and one more thing:  don't forget to load your gun.  I remember a quick hunt as a kid on the last hour of the last day of a 3 day rooster hunt near Othello.  My springer and I headed out into a plowed dirt field, and out in the middle, he flushed a rooster and it got up, and my gun went "click."  Then another rooster. I pumped the gun, then "click."  Then another rooster.  Same thing.  3 big wild roosters, all flushing in sequence seconds apart, 25 yds away, and I forgot to load my gun.  I still remember that vividly.

Well said.

[dmv9]

So based on reading and re-reading the regs. It seems that there is no hunting for upland birds until Sept 1st. Is that correct?

[BiggLuke]

Grouse and Dove open on the first. Yes. Unless you're a youth?
or Unless you go to a private hunt club or resort that raises them.

[Huntboy]

Ok guys.... quit with the speeches.
He's new.
REALLY NEW.

Oh good, Big Luke is here now.
OP - just disregard all the other bits of information in this thread from here on out, Luke will set you straight.

 

[AspenBud]

  :twocents:Stick with the 12gauge for now. A 20 is adequate for pheasants up to around 40 yards, but as the season progresses most of the pheasants will flush further and further out and really test the range of a 20gauge slinging lead. Until you can learn to pass up shots that are just a little too far away, you will probably cripple a few birds and crippled pheasants are damn near impossible to run down unless you have a good dog.

If were talking wild pheasants and steel shot out of a 20- I would forget about it entirely. Unless you want to shoot 3" 20 gauge steel shot, a 20 just can't begin to compare to what a 12gauge can do with steel.

If were talking release site pheasants (steel/non toxic required) that usually flush from right under your feet go ahead and use a 20 with steel shot all you like. Your shots will usually be very close and well within range of 20 gauge steel's poor ballistics. Heck I even use a 28gauge from time to time at the release site, but I have dogs to root out the cripples for me if I don't make a perfect shot.

If your only going to have one gun and plan on using it for everything especially duck hunting a 20 just isn't going to go the distance.

Don't limit yourself to steel for non-tox. Hevi-Shot is good stuff. It's a little more spendy but you'll get better results. There are some other alternatives out there that work ok as well.

In a perfect world I would shoot a 16 gauge for everything. Carries like a 20, hits like a 12. But ammo is harder to find.

[Stilly bay]

Don't limit yourself to steel for non-tox. Hevi-Shot is good stuff. It's a little more spendy but you'll get better results. There are some other alternatives out there that work ok as well.

In a perfect world I would shoot a 16 gauge for everything. Carries like a 20, hits like a 12. But ammo is harder to find.

 Don't you know talking about high filluting, fancy pants ,$3 a shot ammo will get you tarred and feathered around here? come on man!

Hevi shot is great stuff, but I would want to be a proficient shot on clays and live birds before I made that kind of investment in ammo.
Hevis Shot really impressed the heck out of me last season when I used it in my 28 gauge and  folded a good sized green head at 40 yards, there were nine complete pass throughs that hit the bird.

I agree about the 16, I am a born again 16 gauger and really don't need much else for the uplands, although its a bit light for some waterfowl applications.