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dirc
, I haven’t shot a shell through a 12ga. in probably 15 years and almost always use a 20ga. I say almost because I also have a 16ga. and a .410 to use lol. I shoot clays with friends, hunt grouse, rabbits, squirrels, crows, pheasants and shoot barn pigeons. I’ve never needed more firepower, but that’s understandable in my current situation.
I don’t turkey hunt but wouldn’t have an issue using a 20ga at all. A deer will die just as fast from a 20ga slug as it will from a 12ga and you’ll do it cheaper, with less recoil. I wouldn’t leave the 12ga home though if I was duck or goose hunting, that’s where I’d want the extra pellets and down range velocity.
If hunting is totally out of the equation and you’re just gonna be shooting targets, clay pigeons, pop cans, dead limbs out of trees etc, you won’t need a 12ga. For home protection, a 20ga will work perfect as well.