Should I start clayshooting with a 20-bore?

What’s the difference between shooting a 28 and a 12-bore?

• The 12-bore is still by far the most popular bore size out there.
• As most people use one then the suggestion is that they probably shoot better with a larger shotgun.
• There’s nothing at all wrong with smaller bore guns like the 20-bore and 28-bore.  There might be fewer pellets in the shot charge compared to a 12 bore but ballistically the pellets – size for size – travel the same distance with the same striking energies regardless of which gun they’re fired from.
• Each is as potentially lethal as the other so they should all be treated with the greatest of respect and handled safely.
• Apart from some slight differences in the stringing effect of the shot pattern, the only real difference between bore sizes is (or should be) the weight of the gun.
• A man or woman of average build will be able to cope quite easily with a standard 12-bore but if – through physical strength, infirmity, stature or choice – a lighter gun is preferred then a smaller bore will prove effective within the limitations imposed by weight of shot charge.