Got back into squirrel hunting this year and I'm currently using my Stoeger M3020 which is my turkey gun, but I'm looking for a 20ga specifically for small game. If you guys have any suggestions let me know. Also do you prefer the Winchester Super X small game or Remington Express load? Thanks.
Lots of options here. Over-unders make great small game guns. It all depends on what budget your working with. I like over-unders due to their ease of unloading. Small game hunting is a gregarious event, dogs, fellow hunters, sometimes group gatherings The ease and break open ability lends itself well to that environment. Good luck.....
I have I Benelli Nova that I use for squirrel and rabbit. Good shotgun and not super expensive. Once deer season ends and the leaves are off the trees I switch to a .22lr for squirrel.
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For duel purpose , get you 20 ga . Rem and this can be backup to your turkey gun.. like others have said lot's of options ...and prices ...
Has far has ammo I am a shoot Winchester. Had some bad lick with several light strikes on slugs and some of their rifle ammo. This could be just bad lick on my part. But the slug cost me a nice 10 and after that I said no more.
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My favorite for squirrels is an old mossberg bolt action 410. 3in #6s out to 30 or so yards. Out of a 12 I like #5s better.
I carry a 20g over/under for small game, but if I was doing it all again I'd get a side by side 28ga
I'm a 22 guy. Give me my Browning SA22
Quote from: Gooserbat on August 26, 2020, 06:43:51 AM
I'm a 22 guy. Give me my Browning SA22
I am as well. I'd like to know how many rounds I've put through my Dads old Marlin 39A since I was a kid.
But if I was taking a shotgun in a 20 gauge it would be my old Winchester 37 that I killed my first gobbler with over 50 years ago. Seems like the older I get the more I enjoy carrying my childhood friends. As far as the shells mentioned put a check mark by the Winchester Super X for me.
16 ga SxS for me. But for squirrels I like a .22lr.
1959 vintage Winchester Model 12 28" barrel Modified choke 12 ga for me. Squirrels are strictly a rifleman's game IMO. either 22LR or 17HM2.
Find an older H&R Topper single shot in 20 gauge.
4-10s are a lot more of fun, just got the boy one now I want one lol.
I like a .22 for squirrel hunting as well but not nearly as much as the squirrels like my .22. Those bushy tail bandits are like ninjas with the leaves on the trees and could out Houdini.....well, Houdini. Next time I go I'm taking my 12 gauge. :z-guntootsmiley:
Any shotgun will work. I find myself more concerned about shot size than anything. Nothing smaller than 6's for squirrels but my preference is for 5's and sometimes 4's. Less shot in the pattern = less shot on the meat. I've hunted with guys that often carried the cheaper 7.5-8's that they could buy in the bulk packs. They'll kill, no doubt. But, later in the year, hunting with a dog and watching squirrels timber out from tree to tree, I'll take a harder hitting shot any day. I've seen squirrels pack off some of the lighter stuff and get back to a hole. They'll die but I want them dead before they get to the den.
To answer your question though, if I'm using a shotgun, it's rarely a 12 ga. Most times it'll be a 20 unless I'm feeling like more of a challenge. Then I'll grab the 410. Still kills them just as dead but have to be a bit more selective on shots. If nostalgia comes into the picture, I'll grab the 16 ga. IF I'm taking a 12, it's a SxS dbl bbl. Generally though, it's a 22. Don't get to go much until late in the season anyway. Once the leaves are off, no need for a scatter gun at all.
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I USE A MOSSBERG SA-20 WITH A FULL CHOKE # 6 SHOT WINCHESTER LOW BRASS ...
I mostly carry one of my old single shots for small game anymore. Old Stevens 20 gauge with hi brass 5s or 6s. My old 12 is one of those old imported folding hammerless jobs with a 36" barrel, super light to carry all day. Killed plenty of rabbit an pheasants with those guns, back when we used to have a decent population of wild birds around. Miss those days! Don't do hardly any small game hunting now, except for dove. Loved squirrel hunting as a kid, .22 only, slipping through the morning fog, listening for hickory or acorn cuttings falling down to locate them. Ahh the simple joys of being young and healthy, without a worry in the world, except for the math test on friday in mrs. crabapples class!
Remington 870 with any long brass 5 or 6 is my squirrel gun. 20 ga ammo is everywhere and cheap and comes in a variety or loads. If you want to shoot doves too I'd look at an auto loader in 20 ga.
Picked up a Winchester SX3 20-ga a few years ago and now i take hunting for everything - turkey, quail, dove, duck, rabbit, etc..
The only game I have not hunted with it is deer or coyotes.
For rabbits and squirrels it's hard to beat a .410. I either carry an old model 24 .410/22 O/U or a CZ Redhead. For birds I'll normally move up to a 20, occasionally a 12.
Quote from: Tom007 on August 25, 2020, 07:13:32 PM
Lots of options here. Over-unders make great small game guns. It all depends on what budget your working with. I like over-unders due to their ease of unloading. Small game hunting is a gregarious event, dogs, fellow hunters, sometimes group gatherings The ease and break open ability lends itself well to that environment. Good luck.....
I haven't been here much but this is the best answer. The ga should be 20 or 28. 28 is my choice. A .410 is choked too tight and often rat holes game or doesn't have enough pellets at range to be effective. A 12ga is just too much