[Kentucky Rifle]

Hi Guys.
My wife wants a new 12 ga. So do I. I like both 870's and 1100's. (I'm going to let her pick her own. Kinda take the "safe route".:) You all know what I'm saying.) However for me, I'm still thinking. It's easy to just move my trigger finger and bust those clays, but my father (Quite old now) says there's NOTHING like the 870. Back in the early 50's, when we were dirt-poor, he brought home hams and turkeys every weekend. He used an 870. He still has it. As a kid, I remember watching him working that slide. It was "second nature" to him to work that slide. I don't even think he noticed it.
So, I'd appreciate some opinions here.
Oh, one more thing. I've never shot a 20 ga. It's always been 12's. But a famous pilot told me one time that he preferred the 20 because, even though it's not, it just "feels" lighter. Now, this was Chuck Yeager. I've gotta believe he KNOWS what he's talking about.

KR

[Clemson]

KR: Check out Remington's website, and you will see that 20 gauge guns ARE lighter than 12's -- generally by a pound or pound and a half. Because of the reduced weight, the recoil can be about the same as that of a 12, but they carry much easier. I haven't found anything that I couldn't hunt successfully with a 20 up to pheasants. (I use a 12 for turkeys, but that is a different matter, and I do have a friend who uses a 2 3/4 inch 20 Auto 5 for turkey hunting!) With premium quality 7/8 oz loads (Remington Premier or Winchester AA), the recoil from a 20 gauge 1100 has to be experienced to be appreciated. My 5' 2" tiny wife shoots a youth model 1100 in 20 gauge, and she withstands the recoil extremely well. She is able to hold the gun up well because of the reduced weight.

[jthuang]

Your analysis is basically a "pump vs auto" question. If you run a search here, there is some good advice on which to choose.

Personally, I'd skip the 1100 in favor of a 11-87 -- no pesky o-ring problems.

Justin

[Clemson]

Sorry, Justin. 11-87's have the same O-rings as 1100's.

[Kentucky Rifle]

Well guys...we don't intend to hunt. We just intend to "bust those clays". To both of us, that's a LOT of fun. You really think there's enough pellets in a 20 ga for clays? I've got a real bad back. I don't think the recoil bothers me as much as the walking around with the shotgun. It's getting worse too. Don't EVER (!) take a chance on hurting your back.

KR

[Clemson]

You would be hard-pressed to tell any difference at all in scoring with a 20 vs. a 12 on Sporting Clays or Skeet. Trap might be a little more challenging, but it is certainly doable.

I rarely shoot anything else these days for the reason that you stated. The 20 works just fine, and it is much easier to tote.

[Dave McCracken]

For the record, International trap is fired with 24 gram loads, a bit lighter than 7/8 oz. The shots are longer and the targets faster than our trap. I've invested a box or two of 7/8 oz loads at trap and scored as usual, tho there were more chippy breaks and less smoke.

As for which, it's a tossup. It takes a really good shot to need that little extra from the 12.

I suggest SHE try out a few shotguns and get what SHE wants.

[jthuang]

Sorry, Justin. 11-87's have the same O-rings as 1100's.

Great. Well, scratch the 11-87 off my "recommended" list. :(

[TrapperReady]

Here's the experience my wife and I have had. When she started shooting clays, we got her a 20ga Benelli M-1 with a 26" barrel. It is very light and operates exactly the same as the Benelli Motefeltro 12ga I was shooting.

We shot sporting clays and trap together for a little over a year, and she really wasn't getting any better, in fact she started to suffer a pretty bad slump on the trap field.

So, in an effort to try something new, I had her try the 12ga, which has a 28" barrel and weighs probably a pound more. At first, she didn't like the extra weight, but the first time she shot it she did WAY better.

The 12ga is now hers and the 20ga has become my grouse gun (it seemed only fair).

In any event, I think two things really helped her. The extra length of the gun and the extra weight. Both of those combined to make a smoother swing that is more difficult to stop. I can shoot the 20ga almost as well as the 12ga, but only because I'm experienced enough to force myself to continue the swing. The light gun makes it very easy to stop, which usually translates into a miss.

In my opinion, unless there is a compelling reason to do choose otherwise, guns for clay games should be 12ga. They give you a wider range of options, and normally pack more pellets.

Also, if you both really get into shooting, it is likely that reloading will become part of your future (start saving your hulls now, even if you think you won't need them). It's easier and cheaper to only worry about one gauge.

If you were planning on hunting, and would only have the one gun for her, I might lean toward the 20ga (since that's what I prefer to hunt with these days), but for games, go with the bigger bore.

[Kentucky Rifle]

Yeah. 28" barrel. That's what I was thinking. I thought about it last night.(A LOT.) I just may go with a 20 ga pump. Why not? Nothing says I can't have two shotguns if I decide I want a twelve too. I'll just see how the ol' back does.
(Lordy! Ticks are bad already this year!
I got a deer tick on my leg last year down on the FT. Knox range that I found while I was taking a shower, and it was all I could DO to keep from running naked and screaming down the street. I REALLY hate TICKS!!) You'd better not laugh! :)

KR

[Dave McCracken]

Up to recently I'd have to recommend a 20 gauge for smaller tyros, but....

The recent advances in loads for the 12 and the availability of lighter loads than in days of yore
mean one can shoot a 12 without lots of thump.

Combined with some lighter 12s like the Franchi, that Benelli, and the Special Field 1100s, one can be a pixie and work and hurt less with a full patterning 12.

One caveat, gamer shotguns start at 8 lbs for a reason. Repeated small thumps can build a flinch almost as fast as less large ones. In the lighter guns, please stick to the lighter loads when doing clays.

KR,don't ever hunt the Eastern Shore here. Lyme's endemic,the high deer density has ticks about everywhere, and the state bird should be the skeeter instead of the Baltimore Oriole. E/S skeeters are big enough to molest hummingbirds and always hungry. Then there's the Greenheads....

[Kentucky Rifle]

I thought about that Lyme crapola. (After I could think again!) This is why I ALWAYS carry a SAK or a Leatherman "Squirt" into the field. Both tools have those little tweezers, and those little tweezers are the best thing I've found for getting ticks the hell OFF ME. I swear, if I didn't take so much Coumadin, I'd whip out my knife and cut a plug outa me where the tick is and let him have it!<shudder> I KNOW it's a carcinogen, but I COAT myself in that DEET stuff in an attempt to keep ticks off me.

KR

[Dave McCracken]

I hate DEET, but use it religiously. Near here is a place where Daughter's GS troop did a trash pickup that went to Heck. We now refer to it at Tick Crick. Must have had 50 of those $#%^&*() critters on me.

When shooting Spo'ting at PGC,I use plenty. The local deer population is peaking, and the ticks are everywhere. And, there's places on the Shore I don't go to until after first frost. Lyme's hit Best Buddy, Next Best Buddy, and so on.

BTW, the "Suspicious Growths" and Basal Cell Carcinomas they've been burning off my hide the last few years could be from DEET, but exposure to much sun, Agent Orange, and Malathion is just as likely.

[Kentucky Rifle]

Same here. DEET stinks! And, I've got so many little white spots where my doc has burned off "suspicious rough spots" that I look like a "reverse" Dalmatian. Maybe Agent Orange had something to do with it too.
"TICK CRICK"! Lordy! That sounds bad!

KR

[Dave McCracken]

I'm accumulating those light colored spots myself. Got another on my forehead ready to go next appt.

Tick Crick critters were not deer ticks, but Spotted Fever is nasty too. Chiggers abound too, but I've had few probs with them lately. Maybe the ticks eat them....

[Kentucky Rifle]

I've had TWO taken off my forehead!!
If the doc "freezes" it off, it hurts like you've eaten ice cream too fast. I aways wear a "Molon Labe" hat to the range. I bought the heavy model for winter shooting and the light weight model for summer shooting. The "bill" covers my forehead well.
One time while hunting down in the western part of the state in "The Land Between The Lakes", I heard a scream. I thought my partner had been bitten by a snake. I ran toward the scream and found him. He had sat down and leaned against a tree for support. (I can barely type this next part.) He had deer ticks on him that started at his ankles and went nearly all the way to his butt!!! I tried to pick them off but there were just too many! I rubbed his legs with Coleman fuel, but the nasty things held on. Finally, I made him lay down in the bed of my truck (I couldn't take a chance on getting a TICK in the cab WITH ME!) and took him to the hospital. Somehow, they got the ticks off him. I didn't want to hear about it. True story.<shudder> I ALWAYS used DEET after that. It was a "traumatic experience".

KR

[Dave McCracken]

Had the top of my left ear frozen twice, one off the right hand and another on my forehead. Another two were cut out.

We've kinda drifted off shotguns, let's drop this one...

[Kentucky Rifle]

KR

[troyboy94]

I'm a big fan of both of these guns. It depends what your doing with this gun, for trap i would go with the ole 1100. I would also go with the 1100 for bird hunting (great for doves). On the other hand for deer, turkey, squirrels or rabbits you cant beat the 870.

[hometheaterman]

I didn't like the 870 I had although it was a express model not a Wingmaster. I thought I would get a pump so I wouldn't have to deal with jamming of a semi auto however, that wasn't the case. The thing jams more than most semi auto's. I really wish I had just gotten a semi auto as I much prefer it and after having a pump I don't think I should pick a gun anymore relying on what I think will jam less.

I'd love to have a 1100 and if I find one for a great price I will pick it up.

I'd hands down go with the 1100. They are one of the best shotguns out there.

[Jorg]

I'm going to close down this thread, not only is it over 6 years old, but I'm sorry to say the original poster passed on 5 years ago.

I'm sure whatever Kentucky Rifle is shooting now swings perfectly.