20-gauge shotgun

The 20-gauge shotgun is a type of smoothbore shotgun that is smaller in caliber (.615) than a 12 gauge(.729). It takes 20 lead balls of the diameter of a 20-gauge shotgun bore to equal 1 pound, while it only takes 12 lead balls of the diameter of a 12-gauge shotgun bore to equal the same amount. A 20-gauge shotgun is sometimes considered more suitable for hunting certain types of game, because it damages less meat,which makes it suitable for most game birds. The 20 gauge is also well suited for turkey hunting because you are only aiming for the neck and head.

20-gauge shotguns are especially suitable for hunting game birds such as quail and grouse, and other small game when using shot shells. A 20-gauge can also shoot slugs and thereby become an effective deer-hunting gun. 20-gauge shotguns loaded with slugs are usually less accurate than rifles, but they often have better stopping power at short range—although this depends on the amount of gun powder in the shell's load.

Deer and upland birds are not the only suitable game for the 20 gauge, its very common for a hunter to use this firearm to hunt for squirrels, rabbits, and waterfowl. In addition to this, many sport shooters will participate with the 20 gauge at sporting events such as skeet and trap tournaments.

The 20 gauge shell is the only shell with a mandated color: Yellow. This was to help people not load the 20 ga shell into a 16 ga shotgun and cause a very dangerous situation. Other than 20 ga, the color of the shell is up to the manufacturer.

This is the second most popular shotgun and the price of ammunition is usually identical to that of a 12 gauge. However the most common buck load for the 20 gauge is #2, which is smaller than the common #00 found in 12 gauge, however more rare, there are larger buck shot loads available for the 20 gauge. Most other shotguns will have a higher cost of ammunition, however sometimes the .410 at certain dealers will be just as cheap, but is usually limited only to bird shot.

In addition, a 20-gauge shotguns can often have less recoil than 10, 12 or 16-gauge versions on average, and may be more desirable to those who want to experience less recoil for prolonged shooting. The lower recoil also makes a 20-gauge appropriate for younger shooters who may have a difficult time firing a larger shotgun. However recoil is largely dependent on the weight of the gun itself, for instance, a 4.5 pound 20 gauge can have more recoil than an 8 pound 12 gauge. This is widely considered a flaw in the design of so called 'Youth' guns.