410 Pumps

Of the two you mentioned I would go with the Wingmaster. You might look at the BPS which is available in 410. With the cost of ammo though you might want to consider a 20 ga semi. It will have soft recoil and the ammo cost will quickly make up the difference in the price of the guns.

I've got a Remington 870 express in .410 and it's a great gun, but expensive to shoot compared to a 20 or 12. I also would go with a 20 and low brass shells. Get her a recoil shield and I'd bet she would be fine.

+1 on a 20 ga. gas operated auto & lighter loads.


The reason your Ithaca Featherweight 20 ga. kicks like a 12 ga. is because it is a ehhhhhh,
a Featherweight!

It only weighs 5 3/4 pounds!
That's less then most .410's!

BTW: She will become very discouraged, very fast trying to learn to shoot skeet with any .410.

rcmodel

the 870 is a good sollid little gun. One of my Dove hunting buddies plays around with one early in the season before the birds get smart. The most important thing to remember is to get her something she will shoot. Is she going to shoot a 1000 rounds a month? or a year? Also remember a .410 is really a gun for a seasoned veteran. A novice can quickly become disenchanted if they are not seeing results. I too would try to put her on a soft shooting 20 ga. (just my .02)

Might be time to invest in a 28 gauge (and a reloader)...

She thinks a gun weighing less then six pounds is too heavy?
Well then, you're gonna have to give her an Attitude Adjustment on how much shotguns must weigh to reduce felt recoil before any change in guns is going to do any good.

I personally don't think a 28 is much better then a .410 for learning to shoot skeet.
It is also an experts gun, and will do nothing to help a beginner gain confidence in hitting skeet targets.

rcmodel

You've got to take advantage of any reasonable excuse to add a new toy to the stable. There's none better than "Honey, I bought it for You"

from what ive read (no real experience here so take with a grain of salt) the 28ga patterns extremely well and if you could find a medium weight gas semi auto recoil shouldnt be a problem

i do however know that 410 makes hitting clays very hard

Forget a 410 for clays , seriously. To reduce recoil a Beretta semi-auto in 20 bore, or 12 bore even better if it's ok.

28 gauge.

The highest scores on a skeet tote board are those with a 28 ga.
Will Fennell and other Champion shooters and instructors, instruct with a 28 ga for a reason.

One can shoot a smaller gauge than the event, meaning the 28 ga is allowed to be used in the 12, 20, 28 ga events, one has to use .410 for the littlest critter even.

Many folks, myself included have only brought 28 ga and a .410 to shoot events that lasted two or three days.

.410 , for the .410 event.

28 gauge for 12, 20, 28, for events and shoot offs.

Side events...

28 ga for Doubles, and Pump Gun Doubles.
Crazy Quail, Step-n-Fetch...

I used 28 ga for 5 stand and a rising teal will dust at 45 yds with a 28 ga.
Last time I shot Sporting clays I was the only idiot not shooting a 12 bore.

I ran a 46/50. Best score of our group, 47/50, a lady shot.
( I had a tree run out in front of my target , the lady did not *really*)

Get a 28 gauge in that gal's hand and don't look back!



And them that don't know him won't like him
And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong he's just different
but his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right - Willie

For a 28 gauge I would purchace a BPS. I like these. My dad recently has a 870 express 28 gauge. He traded it in on a BPS 28. Much nicer gun. Plus it's liek your Ithaca 37 only with a tang safety. These work well for rightys or leftys.

How about a single shot 20ga with a limbsaver or similar recoil reducer and a low recoil 20ga ammo such as the winchester win light stuff? That should be a super light gun and with the low recoil ammo not at all painful to shoot.

Might even get away with a 12ga that way.

i have a stevens 410 pump and its a great gun but good luck finding one in good condition

I am a big fan of the little .410. In saying that, I wouldn't give a new shooter one if you want them to consistently hit the target. I would look at a 20 or 28. The .410 is a lot harder to hit targets with. I have a Mossberg 500 in .410 and have had it for about 25 years. I have put many shells through it both hunting and skeet shooting and haven't had any problems with it. There is nothing wrong with a Remington, I just prefer the Mossberg because of the tang safety (I shoot left hand).

Definitely get a 28 gauge over the .410. The best choice for a pump is the Wingmaster as it is lighter than a BPS and light in the barrel which helps prevent forearm fatigue. Another gun worth looking at is the Remington 1100 28 gauge Sporting. It's a little heavier in front than the Wingmaster but easier to shoot than the pump gun. The other plus with the Remington guns is that they usually come with shorter stocks.

The cost of .410 shells and 28 gauge are about the same. But if you intend to reload it is easier to reload the 28 than the smaller gauge.

If weight is an issue, and cost is no object, a model 42 Winchester is a sweet little .410 pump. After my last two Remington 870 shotguns, I will own no more.

my wife is "standard" size. she has never shot and can carry and shoot a benelli montifeltro 20 all day. recoil negligible and light to carry. no complaints after 150 shells. i would say reasonably priced, but everything is expensive.

Thanks for the info and advice guys.

My specific problem here is she was complaining about how heavy my Ithaca Featherweight was in addition to complaining about the recoil.

If I get her a 20ga auto it will solve the recoil problem but only worsen the dead weight problem.

I thought of the 410 because it would be a decrease both in recoil and dead weight.


go the 410
you were right the 1st time

A lot of good advice here in all ways but its just that. Everyone has their own point of view. Go get a Wingmaster .410 pump. If it doesn't work for her move up to a 28 or a 20 auto. You still have the .410 to either trade or keep for you. I flat love my M42 at skeet. No, you don't pulverize the target but you still hit them. The shot still goes where you point it and if she isn't afraid of the recoil she may even do better with the .410 I'm a firm believer in a gun that fits and that you are comfortable with. You will always do better with a "comfortable" gun.

Whatever you do DON'T get her a 410 and expect her to have a good time! A 28ga is perfect, like SM said, skeet shooters shoot their highest scores with 28. There's a darn good reason for that too; recoils like a 410, hits like a 12 is what we say. A 20ga auto is ok, but I've shot a couple of super lightweight 20ga (like the Benelli) that feels like they kick more than my 12ga. The BPS is going to be cheaper than the subgage wingmaster by quite a bit, and you won't be losing anything to the Remington either.

Honestly folks, why the bias against the 28?

I think the .410 is a specialized shot gun for more experienced shooter. I've shot them and like them but I don't own one. They throw a very small payload that is not very forgiving. Never had the opportunity to shoot a 28. Looks to be a fun round and a little more challenging. Every body around here uses a 12 or 20 with a few 16's tossed in the mix. I've shot a few of the light weight 20's and youth model 20's that to me seemed to kick about as hard as a full sized 12. An autoloader could be the way to go.

I started my wife out on wobble trap with a .410 browning xs. She breaks about 40% of the targets. I had her try out a 20 gauge browning citori 525 sporting to see if she liked it. She shot the same. Her complaint with the 20 was not recoil but weight of the gun compared to the .410. I am going to have her try a 28 gauge in about the same weight as the .410 and see how she does. I think she will break more clays. My favorite gauge is 16 and 28 riding close second. My scores are the same with both so I do not think that a 28 is a specialist gauge. 28 ammo in my area is the same price as .410, both twice as much as 12 or 20. 28 in my area is a littel harder to find unless I get it at the shooting center. As far as guns go availability of the 28 and .410 seem to be the same with the 28 being a little more expensive. CZ has a SxS and O/U in 28 and .410 which can be found with pretty good deals, they are pretty light also. The browning BPS comes in .410 and 28. I recomend a 28.