28 SXS for Dove and Quail. 16 SXS for pheasants....

I like my old beater upper bikal 12. Thing is a damn tank.

12 gauge for waterfowl
16 gauge for pheasant
20 gauge for dove
28 gauge for quail
yes, I am spoiled.

I have a Yildiz (correct spelling) and couldn't be happier. Some of the earlier guns I have read had issues but supposedly they have been ironed out. I use mine in the duck blind, skeet range, quail and it does well, very well for the price. About 200 round through it and had some issue with the top barrel not always ejecting. Seem others at the range with theirs and no issues.

Just picked up a CZ Upland Ultralight O/U. 12ga w/ 26" barrels and weighs 6lbs and a couple of ounces.

I figured why not go with a 12 that feels like a 20? Its actually lighter than the CZ Woodcock 20ga i had.

Hope to knock down some chukar with it this fall...

I pick up my 20 for quail, my o/u 12 for doves (i love using it) its mod and full and with 6 and 71/2 i enjoy shooting at passing doves far, where my buddy shots with a pistol in 410 ! Thompson center for the closer ones.....
Geese i wont even think my 12 auto. Ducks with my 20 except for the first day out when im just too eager to get it done.

shoot what you got and shoot it well.

Most Skeet Competitive Shooters..shoot the 20 in the twelve gauge
event...but then again quite a few shoot the 12 in the Dbls event. If you look at all of them and their scores, you will find that they shoot the 20 better..less recoil and noise..and
these folks usually shoot tubed guns that wgt. at least 10 to 13
lbs..w/recoil reducers ect..Not light 5 to 7 lbs hunting weapons.
The twenty will do it all...but you have more shot w/the 12 if hunting waterfowl..The 28 is even better..no recoil and great
patterns..Don

I use a 20ga until real late in the season for pheasants until I moved here to TX. Now a 20ga will run all season with the exception for large waterfowl and turkey, they see 12ga loads

Laying in a field hunting goose hunting where I'm going to shoot multiple boxes of heavy loads at moderate to long distances, I like a nice heavy semiauto 12 ga to get good patterns and soak up the recoil. 11.25 pounds of A5 Mag to be exact.

Walking for miles hoping to flush a few birds/critters where I may shoot half a box of shells, I prefer a nice light 20ga. I used to use a 6.7 pound browning silver, but I picked up one of those real light Yidlitz SXS 20ga earlier this year. Can't wait to try it. It was just under 6 pounds before I sent it to have the stock cut from 14.7 LOP to 14.2 LOP with a 3/4 inch decelerator recoil pad.

Once my arms get tired of carrying a heavy gun, I'm not going to be able to hit anything anyway.

+1

I have a older 1100 12 that was first year for rem chokes that I love. When preserve hunting I use my grandads 1100 20 that he gave me before he passed and love it as well and means alot also.

I read somewhere, maybe here that I will pass along. "Anything a 20 ga will do a 12 will do better". It is very true but I still have a 20 and 2 16's.

That was a Peter Capstick quote.

I have hunted with the Benelli Nova 12 ga. for several years now and love it. I am hunting upland game only and a lot of my friends that hunt water fowl swear by there 20 ga. I think most of it is a matter of experience and preference.

I have hunted since the age of 13 with a 12 gauge for just about everything. Now I bought an older remington 1100 20 gauge. I am going to give it a try this dove season.

I shoot my Saiga 12 with 24"bbl. Why?
1. I like it a lot. It is reliable.
2. It is a heavy beast that absorbs recoil very very well. Can shoot 200-300 rounds and never have a bruise.
I actually prefer to get my hands tired of carrying rather getting beaten up by mersiless recoil of regular shotty, especially O/U or pump.
3. I have polychoke = can change choke in a matter of seconds by turning dial.
4. It shoots 2-3/4 and 3" shells. From #8 to buckshot to slugs. Thus I need only one shotgun for all games.
And last but not least THE COOL FACTOR. Shooting AK47 chambered for 12ga always gets me dirty looks from snobby shooters with overpriced O/U.

Just my $.02

Tater getter? You sure you need to show that tater who's boss before eating it?
haha, jk.

Shoot what you got and shoot it well.

Just when I think I'm good I go to 20 gauge and then realize I'm not as good as I think.

I think personal preference is far more important that gauge. Shoot what feels good to you and you'll be happier. Personally, I learned to hunt with a .410, then graduated to a 20 gauge. Nowadays I shoot a 12 simply because most of my buds shoot 12s and I want to be able to borrow shells from them. (And loan them mine, when they run low.)

and by the way -- the worst kicking gun I ever owned was a beautiful German 16 gauge double. Took me a couple of years to get over the flinch I got from that gun. The moral -- make sure the gun fits you and forget about how it looks!

I shoot a 20ga and a .410 on all dove a quail hunts. I usually have a 12ga on all duck and goose hunts.

A 20ga is my favorite to shoot, much more sporty and my O/U swings much better than any of my 12 gauges.

I love my 20, but after missing several opportunities with it on pheasants last year, I may carry my 12 until I get a bird in the bag.

12 gauge all day long more lead flying