While deer hunting didn't go well this year, I can say small game hunting has been pretty decent. We have a storm and cold front coming in for the weekend so I decided to head out to a spot where there's normally a fair amount of squirrel and I had my Husqvarna Model 20 12 gauge from 1905 with me. Even though I can use smokeless ammo, the chambers are only 2 5/8" so I handload for it, using light 7/8 ounce loads, using # 7 1/2 shot for small game.
I hadn't been able to get much of a shot all day long, but then I was able to line up a couple of nice size greys later in the afternoon. One of them falling out of the tree and rolling down into a stream that thankfully was only a few inches deep. I don't know how long it's been since this gun was out in the woods, but it's such a nice gun to carry and very light, I plan on taking it out more often.

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Vaya con Dios

Very nice.
Had an Eastern Arms, 16 ga. hammer double with steel barrels years ago. Despite outside hammers it accounted for a bunch of partridge here in Maine.
Stupidly traded it off because I thought I needed to step into the 20th century.

Good way to spend a January day. Good looking old hammer gun.
I have an old A5 that I load 2 5/8 16 ga. for.

Nice gun, that’s great you hunt with it. Love a good old SxS shotgun. Keep enjoying it, the interest in a gun like that is fading away with the new shooters. Great feeling after a day in the woods with an old gun of some sort. Larry

I have its little brother in 20ga. I rented a reamer and recut it to 2-3/4" chambers. Piece of cake and much easier to load for.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Had to dig out the book on that one. You must have a Modell 20 Senare Modell (Model 20 Senator Model). That's the only 20 gauge Husqvarna underlever I can find. All the others came in 12 or 16 only.

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I always take precautions

Do you load Paper, Plastic, or All Brass hulls for it? Do you use fiber wads or shot cups? What are the chokes? and of course, How does it pattern?

The reason I asked, is that each component effects the pattern, with minor changes in velocity and shot size you can open one "Choke size", By using over shot cards with roll crimps you will be 1 to 1.5 chokes more open compared to folded crimps and shot cups.

I don't have dogs to hunt with so rabbits are pretty close and a tight chock destroys too much meat! My 1/1954 hammerless Saur & Shon 20 gauge is Mod/ Full (marked 2/4 & 4/4) I would prefer IC/Mod, so in the full barrel I used a modern reload with a "X" inside the shot cup. From a full choke it gives a Lt. Mod. pattern. So that is both my hunting and Sporting Clays load, and usually in 7.5 shot size for Rabbit and Mr. Squirrel! Pheasants require 4's or 5's (I've never used a 5 in my life!)

Last time I went Goose hunting, was about 10 years ago. The requirement for non-toxic shot has almost done away with the classic SxS's! The tight chokes can't handle the Steel or Tungsten. I had a Brazilian made Greener action 12 gauge that someone before I owned had honed the chokes to IC/IC. It had 3" chambers, so I used Winchester "Dryloc" #2 Steel, geese fall from the sky with regularity! I was hunting Non-Migratory Canada Geese (special early season) at my brothers farm pond. These Golf Course geese came in and the flock landed ALL AROUND ME! I aimed at a Gander in the lead, (I did hit him) but the geese were so densely packed I hit 2 others also with that one shot. I ate two of them and my brother got the third. I'm not allowed to hunt that pond any more, it is beside one of the show horse pastures. The horses were lined up along the fence watching me. When I took that shot, the prize horse saw the geese fall and us recover them, It went into a type of shock for 4 days. It hears gunfire all the time! No big deal, right? Who knew smart horses can suffer emotional distress? PTSD for horses? That was my best goose pond too!

Ivan

Right now I am using Cheddite 12 gauge 2 1/2" shells, the chambers are 2 5/8". The wads are Winchester field wads, the shot is #7 1/2 chilled, I would have to look to see who made that. I don't have a press, so I load these by hand, and I load them powder, wad, shot, overshot card, and then I use some sodium silicate (waterglass) which helps hold the card in place. So far I've had good results with a light charge and 7/8 ounces of shot. Here's what it looks like at 30 yards. Not sure what the barrels are choked for.

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Vaya con Dios