12 gauge reduced recoil vs 20 gauge

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agent00

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I am moving together with my girlfriend and we are planning to get 12 or 20 gauge coach for self defense purposes.

Why just coach gun you way ask? Well that is because of legal reasons. My gf does not have special weapons permition like I do so the only weapon that can be kept loaded in reach for every person abvove 18 years old is a double barreled coach gun or a bolt action rifle. Other guns have to be kept locked and unloaded in safe which make these other guns not very suitable for an ermengecy situation.

I have lots of experience with shooting a 12 gauge baikal at the range. I used to own one of them before I had to sell it. I took my gf to the range to to use the Baikail. To cut the long story short she did not enjoy shooting the baikal due to the strong recoil the 12 gauge full power buckshot round.

For me the recoil was manageable but also more on the stout side.

So I am thinking know of getting a 12 gauge coach gun using reduced recoil loads or to get a 20 gauge.

is there any significant difference between a reduced recoil 12 gauge round vs the 20 gauge in the power and recoil department?

Concerning the price 20 gauge rounds would be more common place and cheaper than the special tactical rounds.

An another advantage would be that you get 12 gauge with 00 buckshot unlike the 20 gauge were I have not seen any 00 rounds.

The only buckshot size I could find in my local gun store besides birdshot (not so good for self defense) were the #4 buck rounds. I do not consider that fact as drawback.

#4 buck should more than enough for a short range indoor self defense scenario I suppose. it also recommended in many articles in the net as one the best shot sizes for self defense.

Would be pleased hearing a few opinions on that matter.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Greetings from Austria
 
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In my opinion the 20 ga. kicks about the same as a 12ga. with the same type of load.
I really like the 12 ga. personally I used a 12 ga. when I used to do Cowboy Action shooting with Winchester Low report Low recoil loads.
As for home defense I really like Federals mini #4 buckshot loads but in some pump guns they may not feed well; but in a side x side they should be fine and do kick a lot less and should work fine at self defense ranges.
 
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Thanks for your feedback. in that case going with the 12 gauge is the better option due the better ammo avaibility. 20 gauge ammo is way scarse here in Austria compared to the 12/70 rounds.The federal mini shells sounds interesting. Federal is great brand for shotgun ammo anyway. The 12 gauge 00 buckshot from federal was my to go ammo at the time I had my first baikal 12 gauge.
 
When my wife and I competed in CAS she started with a 20 ga. and hated stages that required several shotgun rounds. They beat her shoulder to pieces. I kept trying to get her to try my 12 with Winchester AA light loads. She finally did in one match..... and I had to find myself another shotgun since she immediately “claimed” mine.

I see often people loading buckshot rounds for home defense. Take some light recoiling 12 ga. loads with 7 1/2 shot and shoot a silhouette target at “inside the home” ranges. The single hole you will blow in the target might surprise you. They are more than adequate for home defense. A double barrel 12 ga. coach gun with a few spare rounds in a sleeve on the butt stock may well be the perfect home defense combo.

Best of luck with your choices.

Dan
 
Most 20 gauge shotguns are lighter than the equivalent model in 12 gauge. All else being equal lighter guns kick more than heavy ones. Go with the 12 gauge and reduced recoil ammo.

If you can find them the mini shotshells from Federal, Aguila and other companies will have even less recoil but still be powerful enough to be effective. Their biggest drawback is many guns do not feed them well but that will not be an issue with a coach gun.
 
@BigMuddy Thx for your very interesting feedback.

@sureshotbob I also like 12 gauge. It is an interesting shotgun gauge and i really enjoyed using my 12 gauge baikal when I had it. It was really fun shooting it even though the recoil is quite stiff compared to my first shotgun a single shot 28 gauge gun.

I personally would always prefer the 12 gauge compared to the 20 gauge because I personally consider the 12 gauge a more versitile caliber compared to the 20 when the avaibility of ammo is concerned. I was just thinking about the 20 gauge to give my gf a better entry point in the world of shotgun usage because she really disliked the kick of the full power buckshot. But as I have learned here in the forum there are decent options to minimise the recoil issue there is no reason not to go with the 12.
 
You may also want to look at an American company's website called Limbsaver. They manufacture recoil pads (fixed and slip-on types), and they have a pretty good reputation here for reducing recoil on many different types of firearms. Good luck.
 
If you can buy 12Ga shells and 20Ga are scarce, 12 for sure!
And for short range home defense you don’t need to load up with the really heavy loads.
And you both need to practice with the New Shotgun.
 
Dave Lively said:
Most 20 gauge shotguns are lighter than the equivalent model in 12 gauge. All else being equal lighter guns kick more than heavy ones. Go with the 12 gauge and reduced recoil ammo.
Click to expand...

That has always been my thought for people that have a problem with recoil and then if in the future they want more power and can stand the recoil they already have the gun. Larry
 
Have you thought about a 12 Ga. with..................

mercury pills or extra weights added to it, to help reduce the recoil, even more ??

Embedded in the foreare or placed inside the rear stock can add Lots of weight, if needed.

Tungsten Bass weights, if nothing else, .......... smaller and heavier than lead !!
 
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Gruess Gott Agent00. Wo in Oesterreich wohnst du? Ich habe Verwandtschaft in Wien und Graz.

As noted in a post above, keep in mind that 20 gauge shotguns are usually made on a smaller and lighter frame than 12 gauge shotguns. The reduction in weight may equalize the recoil between the two gauges.

Perhaps a good double barrel skeet shotgun with 26" barrels would be useful. It would still be handy, yet you could hunt with it as well as shoot it at the skeet shooting range at clay pigeons.

By the way, No. 4 Buckshot is certainly useful for self-defense.
 
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There are reduced recoil loads that are designed to also provide tighter patterns. 8 pellet 00 is one. I think Federal has the broadest line of such, but that memory is subject to correction.
 
agent00 said:
... birdshot (not so good for self defense)...

... short range indoor self defense...
Click to expand...

Not to start that debate up again, but for "short range indoor self defense" I wouldn't feel a bit under-gunned with birdshot. Police work or military duty would be a different story, but birdshot is pretty darn effective at room range.

But back to your original question, I'd go with the 12 gauge. Generally larger and cheaper ammo selection available and you can shoot anything from 20 gauge level loads up to full magnum 12 gauge. We used to hunt doves with pretty much 20 gauge level loads in our 12 gauges just to save costs and wear and tear on our shoulders.
 
Well OP,

You being a Baikal fan. Mine would suit your needs,
if you could find one. TOZ-66, 20" 12 gauge they made back in the 80's, a bit crude, but built like a tank.

Light 12 gauge loads are perfectly adequate for home defense distance.
 

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diyj98 said:
Not to start that debate up again, but for "short range indoor self defense" I wouldn't feel a bit under-gunned with birdshot. Police work or military duty would be a different story, but birdshot is pretty darn effective at room range.
Click to expand...


Yes that makes sense. I just repeated what many articles about self defense with shoguns that birdshot is just for bird but after watching some ballistics tests with gel and other test media and I also do not see why some heavier birdshot should not be effective for short range self defense at room distance. It looks way more devestating than the articles that belittled birdshot for self defense scenarios. They are not the best and for sure not suitable for longer ranges but for short range they should be effective.


@rb1200 Thx for the recommendation. The Toz66 really looks awesome. I will check out if I can find one.

Scharfschuetzer I live in Klagenfurt
 
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Allow me to make a couple of points about birdshot and results in various test media.

First and foremost, the reason many people choose birdshot is the belief that any stray pellets won't pass through interior walls and endanger others. That's simply nonsense in the age of drywall. The only projectile I've tested that reliably stops in a simulated drywall interior partition is a .177 pellet at about 300 f/s. Now there are various types of drywall, there might be a fire barrier or other heftier version that would keep birdshot from passing through, but it's safer to assume that it will.

Perhaps the major issue of those tests is that, in the real world, the birdshot has to crush it's way through the rib cage before it reaches vital organs. There might be some tests that attempt to introduce something similar to a rib cage, but the only one I've seen was laughable.

In addition, the rib cage on a living critter has considerable flexibility. In the case of a human rib cage, the body can also move with the impact to further mitigate penetration. The gel blocks have niether the flexibility to move with impact nor the flexible rib cage to help mitigate penetration.

Having said that, I don't doubt there are instances where birdshot did what some folks claim it does. However, there are also folks who hit the lottery. I should also point out that buckshot has occasionally not lived up to the myth and legend. Repeating an old bit of advice: one doesn't shoot someone until you think he's stopped. You shoot them until they know they're stopped.
 
Agent 00 - neat question and wonderfully well reasoned. I gained some interesting information from your question and the responses.

My experience follows the general consensus - minor differences at best between 12 and 20 gauge when applied to your situation.

Personally, I enjoy no shotguns, except that semi-auto gas guns which make 12 gauge pretty tolerable. I have yet to find a single or double gun that was fun to shoot, but some recoil pads for the shoulder and anti-vibration gloves for the shooting hand help too.

All wish you the best with the new roommate!
 
Everyone is talking Lead.....................

I would hate to get hit with BB or #T steel pellets at close range !!

If they drop Honkers at 65 yards.......................
I am pretty sure they will work at 10 yards for SD use ?? !!
 
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