question about 20 guage range

[Carolina Counsel]

I took a young man on his first turkey hunt on saturday. While it ended with no shots fired, it will be a hunt he remembers for the rest of his life. Located a bird on a ridge across the drainage from us mid-morning and closed the distance to about 100 yards. Set up with him and his father on a tree about 3 yards in front of me. Put a hen decoy down a logging road to our left and had a big blow-down in front of us with a drop off to our right. Once set up, I let go with a series of yelps and the bird immediately cut me off. I have never heard a bird spitting and drumming from such a long distance- must have been 80 yards. We watched him strut back and forth down the ridge for at least 5 minutes, putting on a hell of a show. Once he got to about 35 yards, he had to decide on going to the logging road or around the drop-off side of the blow-down. For some stupid ass reason, he went around the blow-down, rather than to the decoy, which meant the little man was going to have to shift his youth model 20 to the right. At about 28-30 yards, the gobbler saw the movement, putted a few times, and you know the rest, headed for the next county. Apparently, the boy's father was whispering directions and didn't want his son to shoot beyond 25 yards.

So, to my question: what is the effective range of a 20 guage with 2 3/4" plain jane number 5's? I figured it was 35 yards or so, but I have never hunted turkeys with a 20.

[Palmetto Duck]

I'd take a 30 yd. shot w/ a 20 if that was all the situation allowed. That's about max I'd want though. Patterned my first gun from when I was a kid, a .410, a few years ago just messing around. It blew a hole through 1/4 in. plywood at 15 yds. So just saying the smaller guages will get it done if you can hold it on them.

[ziggy]

His dad was doing a good thing telling his soon not shoot past 25 yards with only a 20. While it might reach out farther than that, 30 would be about my limit as well.

[Swamp Rat]

It's all about pattern density. It all depends on how far out your pattern is what you consider lethal.

Keep in mind... magnum 20 gauge ammunition has ALMOST the same muzzle velocity as the equivalent 12 gauge load. The PAYLOAD is what is smaller.

[2thDoc]

how many pellets are in a 3" #5?

[wackemandstackem]

Depends on the size of the BB's and the weight of the shot.

[Mergie Master]

It's all about pattern density. It all depends on how far out your pattern is what you consider lethal.

Keep in mind... magnum 20 gauge ammunition has ALMOST the same muzzle velocity as the equivalent 12 gauge load. The PAYLOAD is what is smaller.

Well said. A 20 will carry about as far as a 12, but once it gets there it won't have as many shot. It starts out with less shot and will lose some on the way out, hence there won't be as many in the target. Even if each shot from the 20 has the same energy as a 12 of the same shot size, the fact that less shot will be on the target, less energy will be absorbed by the target. Energy kills.

I've killed 2 gobblers with one of my 20 gauge Ithacas, but they were close. The first one was around 10-12 yards, the second was a max of 20 yards. Both birds went down hard, you couldn't tell any difference from a 12.

I was shooting 3" copper plated #4 Federal Premiums through a modified choke (my older Ithacas don't have screw-in chokes). In my 12 gauges I shoot the same shell in # 6 shot.

Before I killed those two birds I had made up my mind that I wouldn't shoot unless I could get a bird inside 30 yards. I probably would shoot one at 30 now that I've seen how hard it put them down, but I'd be nervous about it.

[Swamp Rat]

Federal has a 3" 20 gauge load that advertises 1 3/16 oz of shot. With #5's, that's about 223 pellets.

They also have a 3" load with 1 1/2 ounces of shot - but it's not available with #5s. In #6 shot, that would give you 337 pellets.

Neither of these shells is particularly fast - I'd have to take that into consideration.

[Swamp Rat]

FYI ... pellets per ounce (plain lead pellets)

#4 - 135
#5 = 170
#6 = 225
#7½ = 350
#8 = 410
#9 = 585

[Carolina Counsel]

That's all good information and it sounds like they made the right decision. I am confident that the gun had never been patterned and the kid has never killed a turkey. I doubt his shooting skills are terribly perfected. I just the bird had come down the logging road- would have been 20 yards or under.

[dixieretrievers]

Back in the day my brother killed two in one shot by mistake, the gobbler was at about 20-25 and the jake went down at 52 if i remember correctly, but the golden BB got that one. one pellet behind the eye. Id say 30 is max for an inexperienced hunter.

[Wing Nut]

Good call by the father, being an inexperienced hunter 25-30 yds max.


I patterned my 20ga gun at 40yds with a Kicks choke and #5 Winchester Extended Range, 180 pellets in a 10" circle.

I would take a 45-50 yd shot as long as I feel comfortable with it.