Iver Johnson PAS20 20 GA Shotgun

Iver Johnson's PAS series covers the plain working end of the pump shotgun market: a 20 gauge repeater with a 3" chamber and no features that need explaining. Pump guns earn their keep by being indifferent. They cycle light target loads and heavy magnum shells with equal disinterest, they do not care about cold or grit, and there is no gas system to strip and clean after a wet morning. That combination makes a gun like this a reasonable first shotgun, a farm gun, or something to keep behind a door.

The 20 gauge sits in the sensible middle of the shotgun world. It patterns well enough for upland birds, throws a serious buckshot load, and takes deer with slugs inside honest distance, all while hitting the shoulder noticeably softer than a 12. Smaller framed and younger shooters shoot it better because they are not fighting it, and experienced shooters carry it because a long day walking a field with a light 20 beats the same day under a heavy 12. The 3" chamber leaves the heavier turkey and waterfowl loads available when the season calls for them, so nothing is given up by choosing the smaller gauge.