Recoil in the 12 ga. or lack-of-recoil in the 20 ga. always seems to enter into the Ultra Slug Hunter threads. I recently purchased a 12 ga. USH for myself and a 20 ga. for my son. We haven't had a chance to shoot either one of them yet. And as luck would have it, my son fractured and received 12 stitches in his trigger finger last week. That being the case, it might be some time before we can get to the range. So I'm asking this question rather than testing it for myself.
Anyways, let's make this comparison:
A 2-3/4" 12 ga Barnes Expander 438 gr slug with a MV of 1450 fps has 1428 lbs of energy at 100 yards.
A 3" 20 ga Barnes Expander 260 gr slug with a MV of 1900 fps has 1420 lbs of energy at 100 yards.
Since the 20 is a smaller, lighter projectile than the 12, greater velocity is needed to achieve equivalent energy. Regardless if it is a 12 or a 20, a 1900 fps slug is going to have more kick than a slower slug in the same gauge.
This may be difficult to answer unless you have shot both, but: "Is the recoil from a 1900 fps 20 ga. slug any less than the recoil from a 1450 fps 12 ga. slug?" In other words, has the "reduced recoil" benefit of the 20 ga. been negated by shooting a high velocity slug to achieve the equivalent energy and range of a 12 ga.?
Just my opinion, but if the recoil and range is comparable, the nod should go in favor of the 12 ga. over the 20 ga. with a hot load. The target has been hit with the same amount of energy but the 12 ga. is going to leave behind a much bigger damaging hole than the 20 ga. will.
Appreciate to hear anyone's thoughts.
The debate goes on!
