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20 gauge vs 10 gauge for turkey

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SHhhhh.......don't say that out loud.:eek: Some states limit shotgun hunting to 12 ga. as the largest legal. My Ped. BB is one of those of the size you mention. BTW, I carried it in the woods many times for many years until health and age issues intervened.
Here in Washington I think 10 gauge is the maximum...but now that you mention it, I'm not sure. That is strange, not too many years ago the 10 gauge seemed to be getting popular, I think there was even a 10 gauge magnum for a while. ??? Must have been so effective that species were going extinct, children were starving, game departments going broke, shoulders were dislocated...the ten-gauge had to be stopped!
 
Here in the Republic of TEJAS the max gauge is 10. Ironically, original 10 ga cartridge loads were MUCH milder than our modern 12 ga cartridge loads. I think they were a short shell, like 2 1/2" IIRC.

I have a 10 ga underhammer with a 32" full choke and a dbl bbl 20 gauge in cyl bore. I too have seen several talk of loading the 20 with 2 oz shot, which puts it in the 10 ga neighborhood with a heavy powder charge. The 10 would have a shorter shot string, but I don't think it makes much nevermind if the bird isn't flying.

I loaded the 10 with 120grs of fffg and equal shot load of 7 1/2s. At 40 yards it shredded a cardboard box and bruised my shoulder, I cant wait to do more testing with it. I'm dreaming of a spring Turkey
 
Thanks for all the comments. As it seems no one really has any experience with the shorter barrelled 10 gauges it appears I will have to do some experimenting on my own! I have a Brown Bess with a 40”+ barrel so I will have to find one with a barrel in the 28”-30” range.

Actually I do have experience...both in 11 gauge "bess carbines" as well as in Pedersoli 30" 10 gauge SxS, which is cylinder bore, and improved cylinder choked...not on turkeys, but on upland birds, waterfowl, and skeet. Let me share what I was taught....

You might want to rethink your 10 gauge choice..., unless you have your heart set on an 11 gauge Bess carbine 'cause they're cool, which then defaults into that large gauge area, that's fine. :thumb:

The reason being, bigger isn't always better. A 10 gauge ML shotgun is for waterfowl, since the idea is a) the bird is in flight and you are moving the gun b) the bird is about 40 yards away (less if you're lucky) and c) the bird has to be hit with enough pellets to penetrate through the body feathers at 40 yards to bring it down since you can't count on a head shot. So you must use much larger shot, at least #2, or larger. What the 10 gauge gives you is more shot of the larger size, so if you're using 2 ounces of #2 lead (back in the day) that was launching 174 pellets, and because you're swinging the gun you'll actually toss an oval pattern. Great for geese on-the-wing, and with plenty of umph when those pellets get there at 40 yards from that cylinder bore.

Now with the turkey you must use #4 in most states, or smaller. You're shooting at a target on the ground not moving much, and you're going for a very small target, the head..., since them feathers act like a ballistic vest for the bird's body. Plus you're probably going for a closer shot. So if you use #4 shot in a 20 gauge you toss 168 pellets using 1¼ ounce of shot, which is almost the same number of pellets as the 10 gauge shooting two ounces of #2 shot. Remember no shot size restrictions a couple centuries ago.

But LD, how about shooting two ounces of #4 from the ten gauge, so tossing 270 pellets...., hmmmm? ;)

That's fine on paper, but..., the ten gauge starts with a 21% larger opening, so the shot column in the 10 gauge barrel is shorter and wider, and thus thee pattern starts wider too. So there are more pellets per ounce of shot in the center 1/3 of the 20 gauge shot column than in the center 1/3 of the 10 gauge shot column...., which is then offset by adding more shot to the 10 gauge...but how much advantage do you get ???. o_O

So figure 270 pellets, take 1/3 for the center of the shot column and you get 89. Now adjust for 21% less in that shot column for the wider 10 gauge barrel, you get a potential 70 or so pellets you hope stay centered enough in the pattern to do the job.

Take the 20 gauge, 1¼ ounce of shot, and you get 56 pellets in the center 1/3rd of the pattern that you hope stay centered enough to do the job. So with the 10 gauge you're shooting 3/4 more of an ounce of lead, AND more powder, to get an advantage of a mere 14 pellets.

For some folks that makes a big difference..., but for you, who can say?

This is all very crude, since it also depends on the actual gun. My 20 gauge trade gun loves #4 shot, but doesn't like #7 for distance. YOU may find that the paper model doesn't ring true for your gun shooting a specific shot size loaded a specific way. "The pattern board doesn't lie." So you will in any case have to pattern the gun and try a bunch of different variations on the loads.

LD
 
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Actually I do have experience...both in 11 gauge "bess carbines" as well as in Pedersoli 30" 10 gauge SxS, which is cylinder bore, and improved cylinder choked...not on turkeys, but on upland birds, waterfowl, and skeet.

You might want to rethink your 10 gauge choice..., unless you have your heart set on an 11 gauge Bess carbine 'cause they're cool, which then defaults into that large gauge area, that's fine. :thumb:

The reason being, bigger isn't always better. A 10 gauge ML shotgun is for waterfowl, since the idea is a) the bird is in flight and you are moving the gun b) the bird is about 40 yards away (less if you're lucky) and c) the bird has to be hit with enough pellets to penetrate through the body feathers at 40 yards to bring it down since you can't count on a head shot. So you must use much larger shot, at least #2, or larger. What the 10 gauge gives you is more shot of the larger size, so if you're using 2 ounces of #2 lead (back in the day) that was launching 174 pellets, and because you're swinging the gun you'll actually toss an oval pattern. Great for geese on-the-wing, and with plenty of umph when those pellets get there at 40 yards from that cylinder bore.

Now with the turkey you must use #4 in most states, or smaller. You're shooting at a target on the ground not moving much, and you're going for a very small target, the head..., since them feathers act like a ballistic vest for the bird's body. Plus you're probably going for a closer shot. So if you use #4 shot in a 20 gauge you toss 168 pellets using 1¼ ounce of shot, which is almost the same number of pellets as the 10 gauge shooting two ounces of #2 shot. Remember no shot size restrictions a couple centuries ago.

But LD, how about shooting two ounces of #4 from the ten gauge, so tossing 270 pellets...., hmmmm? ;)

That's fine on paper, but..., the ten gauge starts with a 21% larger opening, so the shot column in the 10 gauge barrel is shorter and wider, and thus thee pattern starts wider too. So there are more pellets per ounce of shot in the center 1/3 of the 20 gauge shot column than in the center 1/3 of the 10 gauge shot column...., which is then offset by adding more shot to the 10 gauge...but how much advantage do you get ???. o_O

So figure 270 pellets, take 1/3 for the center of the shot column and you get 89. Now adjust for 21% less in that shot column for the wider 10 gauge barrel, you get a potential 70 or so pellets you hope stay centered enough in the pattern to do the job.

Take the 20 gauge, 1¼ ounce of shot, and you get 56 pellets in the center 1/3rd of the pattern that you hope stay centered enough to do the job. So with the 10 gauge you're shooting 3/4 more of an ounce of lead, AND more powder, to get an advantage of a mere 14 pellets.

For some folks that makes a big difference..., but for you, who can say?

This is all very crude, since it also depends on the actual gun. My 20 gauge trade gun loves #4 shot, but doesn't like #7 for distance. YOU may find that the paper model doesn't ring true for your gun shooting a specific shot size loaded a specific way. "The pattern board doesn't lie." So you will in any case have to pattern the gun and try a bunch of different variations on the loads.

LD

There is always an option of screw in chokes. Not PC but works great for hunting different game birds
 
There is always an option of screw in chokes. Not PC but works great for hunting different game birds
Yes and if the barrel is thick enough (and India barrels on Loyalist Arms muskets are thick enough) you could have them jug choked. Choking changes the game, but it also would change the game for a 20 gauge too.. ;)

LD
 
Yes and if the barrel is thick enough (and India barrels on Loyalist Arms muskets are thick enough) you could have them jug choked. Choking changes the game, but it also would change the game for a 20 gauge too.. ;)

LD

Yes. One gun with different chokes work great. Jug choke is good too
 
SHhhhh.......don't say that out loud.:eek: Some states limit shotgun hunting to 12 ga. as the largest legal. My Ped. BB is one of those of the size you mention. BTW, I carried it in the woods many times for many years until health and age issues intervened.


Just looked it up for Arkansas. Ten gauge or smaller is legal. #2 shot largest legal for turkeys.
 
I believe AZ says 10 GA largest and no mention of anything but "shotgun shooting shot". So a 10 GA with a load of shot say size..... .32cal?

How thick must the barrel be for jug choking?
 
I believe one can get satisfactory patterns just through loading methods, without resorting to choking a barrel.
 
I believe one can get satisfactory patterns just through loading methods, without resorting to choking a barrel.

Then...., why did they start choking barrels? o_O

:D I agree with you btw..., but our idea of satisfactory, isn't the same for all shooters, even when using the old guns, right? ;)

LD
 
Perhaps the choke was so the average man would not have to resort to load development. ?? :) Yes, for some satisfactory is good, but for others perfection is better. Or good enough, is the enemy of perfect, or something like that.

And of course if the game is ducks and geese, might want any and all the advantage you can get. (hey...maybe that's why they started choking barrels.....ducks and geese!!!!)
 
I've built 2, 10ga fowlers with 46" jug choked barrels. Both put 16 "kill" pellets ina turkey head target at 50 yards.
While I don't advocate shooting a turkey at 50 yards, ya could.
Yes, there is recoil!!
I was just wondering as I went back over this thread, what load of powder and shot do you use? That will give me a place to start.
 

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