X-ray Dave:

You're right about the potential price differential of 12 vs. 20 gauge guns as well as ammo costs.

All the sale fliers herabouts push 12 gauge and rarely mention 20 gauge, although that is starting to change.

For duck, geese, and other long range applications, the 12 gauge offers advantages, but for a rabbit and pheasant shooter like myself, I have been happy with the 20 gauge. Currently I do not own a shotgun or high powered rifle, just three .22 rifles and a small variety of handguns as target shooting at a range is what I do most of.

For the people that may feel a 12 gauge would still be a better bet than a 20 for small game hunting, let me recount a little hunting story. I went hunting one year with a friend and the little Brittany spaniel I had at the time for small game. My friend was slightly behind me and to my left, and the dog was slightly ahead of me to my right. We passed a little cover on my left and just before my friend reached that cover a pheasant exploded into flight. As I turned and brought my Savage to target, my friend had already made his shot. He hit the pheasant on the rise with a flu-flu arrow and brought it down. He got to the bird before the dog did, snapped its neck and put it in his game bag. Bottom line is no matter what the quantity of pellets, or the power behind them, if you don't get a chance to shoot, or if you shoot and don't hit, it doesn't matter what the ballistics say.

As an aside, my friends father was a national archery champion, and had taught his son from an early age the mastery of a bow, and in that one hunt with him I finally decided bigger, faster, farther, and harder hitting do not necessarily matter a whole lot.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />