{"id":517,"date":"2022-01-09T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-09T07:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edcfirearms.com\/?p=517"},"modified":"2024-02-20T00:47:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T00:47:40","slug":"what-is-the-best-lightweight-20-gauge-shotgun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edcfirearms.com\/what-is-the-best-lightweight-20-gauge-shotgun\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Best Lightweight 20-gauge shotgun?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have spent any length of time in pursuit of upland game, then you know how heavy a shotgun can feel in your hands by the end of a long day afield. For this reason, many hunters choose a 20 gauge<\/a> as their weapon of choice for grouse, quail, rabbit, and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In times past, most repeating shotguns were weighty beasts. A light gun was an expensive item (besides a single shot). However, advances in metallurgy and machining have made it possible to produce a lightweight shotgun that is affordable. So, what is the best lightweight 20-gauge shotgun<\/a>? Let us have a look at some contenders for the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging Criteria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For our purposes today, I am defining lightweight as sixish pounds or less unloaded. The average American shotgun weighs somewhere around seven pounds empty, so dropping a pound gives us a minimum fifteen percent weight reduction. That can make a big difference when hiking long miles in bird country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Contenders<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stevens 555<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Turkish-made over\/under hit the U.S. market in 2014 and quickly established itself as a reliable budget o\/u with good looks. With its aluminum receiver and trim barrels, the 555 weighs just 5.5 pounds. I sold about one a month of these when I worked the gun counter of a large retailer back in 2015, and the only complaint that I remember is that we could not keep enough of them in stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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