Store Bought Shotgun Ammo

[Wandering Man]

I'm a newbie who's never actually shot CAS, yet, and so I am gathering info.

I reload cartridge, but do not plan to handload shotshells any time soon.

The only shotgun rounds I've ever bought or paid any attention to are for dove. 

When I get ready to shoot CAS, what am I going to be looking for in the way of shotgun ammo?  I understand I'll be looking for a lighter load, but I don't know who sells these, or how they will be identified on the boxes.

I've not yet bought the gun, and am debating 20 gauge vs 12 gauge, as I will be sharing guns with my wife.

Any disadvantage to 20 gauge in terms of price or availability of rounds?

Thanks for shedding some light down a very deep (for me) well,

WM

[Bow View Haymaker]

If you want light recoil and are willing to spen a bit more for it then go with the 12 GA (easier to find) winchester LOW NOISE/ LOW REDOIL or "featherlight" loads.  They ae lighter than the winchester light target and Remington STS loads.  The featherlights are between 7/8 and 1 oz of shot and MIN dram equiv.  The other light target loads are 1 1/8 oz  and more powder. 
There is a significant difference.  The felt recoild is more with the "aimed "shotgun shots in CAS compaired to whats felt during hunting or clay target shooting.  So your shoulder will thank you. 

[Wandering Man]

Thanks.

That's exactly the info I was looking for.

WM

[Advertising]

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Wandering Man 

            Welcome to CAS, you and your Wife are in for a lot of fun, you ask about shot shells and shotguns, The 12 gage is used by females too, but if you like the 20 gage thats ok too, everything is a matter of what you like the best, or what is best for you.
            I shoot the 12 gage and I use 7 1/2 shot you can use 7 1/2 or lower in CAS , and they also sell a reduced load too.
            I have two guns that I use , one is a Winchester model 97 clone from IAC. and the other is a TTN side by side, both in 12 gage. Where I live they seem to have better deals on the 12 gage shell than they do anything else, so you might want to consider that , I load cartridge ammo but not shot shells, right now and for a while now, the shot shells have been pretty cheap, to a point, that it wasn't worth it to me, to load my own. 
            So this is just my quarters worth, I'm sure there will be others with different ideas on this, also to if you like lever actions, you might want to look at the 1886 Clone their a nice gun also. 


                                                           Hope I was of some help on this 


                                                                      tEN wOLVES 

[Tensleep]

There are some light loads from "Estate" around here that lots of folks use.

Just look for minimum dram equilent.

My wife finally switched from 20 to a 12 when she shot one and found that it had less felt recoil.

[Curley Cole]

I have hated shotguns from the time my daddy let me shoot his old 12ga double, and it had 00 buck in it and he talked me into settin off both barrels at the same time (this was the guy who would test spark plug wires by have me hold one while he would start the engine...ifn I jumped a foot he would replace it..) anyways after I picked me self up off the canal bank, I said I wan't never gonna shoot one of them again...

Here I now with 2 of me own doubles, and I shoot Winchester FeatherLites...However, I started reloadin just before the prices started goin up. Got me a LeeLoadAll and Clays powder and I have a load that matches the F/L, which I really like. Don't punish you but will knock down what ya need to knock down, that is if you do your part..

So get FeatherLites when you can afford them, and stuff yer own when ya can't..
curley