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Different ammo. 12 gauge has a larger bore, uses more powder, has more pellets, and is overall more powerful. It will also have more recoil but lighter loads can be used to mitigate this. For a defense gun, 12gauge would be my choice.

Only the size and power of the shell. The lower the gauge number the bigger the shell. !2ga vs 20ga shown here : https://sites.psu.edu/smeltzpassion/2020/01/27/the-first-hunt/

If you need to ask you probably shouldn't even consider buying a shotgun, especially a Shockwave style shotgun.

I have two 12 guages and two 20 guages. The 20 guage is my home defense shotgun. It's handier and has plenty of power. Most home defense encounters are very close range. If I need to chase them out of the house and long distances, I'll grab my AR-15,

Michael, the 12 gauge has a bigger bored barrel and uses the larger 12 gauge shotgun shells. The 20 gauge barrel has a smaller bore and uses the smaller 20 gauge shells. They both have 14.375" barrels, while the 12 gauge is a bit heavier at 5.25 lbs compared to 4.95 lbs for the 20 gauge. Both have a capacity of 5 in the magazine tube +1 in the chamber, and both will shoot either 3' or 2 3/4" shells. Have a great day!