16 or 20 gage shotgun for wife?

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Hey everyone,

After giving it some thought, I would like to purchase my wife a shotgun for home defense. Currently we have a 12 gague Rem 870. My wife won't practice with it because she can not take the kick. So she would rather use her 22 marlin 39a.

Now she is willing to learn but not with a 12 guage. I haven't tried a 16 gague but I have tried a 20 guage. I feel that she would be very comfortable with a 20 gauge but I do not know how effective it would be in a HD situation. I am worried that the 16 gauge would still be to much for her to take on and practice a lot with.

So I am leaning towards a 20 gauge pump action. She likes the idea as long as she can train with it effectively and safely.

Can I have some input on the effectiveness of 20 gauge home defense shells?

Thanks all!
 
A standard 20 ga. load of #6 shot at home defense range (<25ft.) is completely effective IF the shooter does their part.

A 3.5" 12 ga. magnum load of any description is completely useless IF the shooter does not do their part.


SUCCESSFUL Home Defense is 1% equipment and 99% STRATEGY and TACTICS.

:cool:
 
One other thing is the 20 ga and 12 ga are the "normal" gauges. 16 gauge for better or worse has extremely limited choice in available ammo. Around here it is a big deal if somebody has 16ga anything in stock.
 
SUCCESSFUL Home Defense is 1% equipment and 99% STRATEGY and TACTICS
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We completely agree, thats why it has to be something that she can practice a lot with.

One other thing is the 20 ga and 12 ga are the "normal" gauges.
Click to expand...
Yea that factored into my thinking also.

Thanks so far for the input!
 
I got my wife (5 foot nothing and very small) a mossberg 500 in 20 ga with a 26" barrel for $250. I then ordered a 18" barrel directly from mossberg for $70. She loves that gun and so do all my buddies who shoot it. I added a 4 shot side saddle and keep it loaded with slugs per her request for HD duty. The only draw back to 20 ga is defensive ammo is harder to find that 12 ga, but I would choose 20 ga over 16 ga everytime. One note is you can get youth sizes that fit some women better. I got a full sized wood stock in anticipation of cutting it down, but it fit her really well without modifications. By the way I would trust my life with 20 ga slugs or #3 buck shot (it is equivalent to two .44 mag rounds).
 
Unless she's used to shooting a shotgun...that 16 gauge is going to really be rememberable. I'd suggest the 20 gauge, maybe even a yougth model. But I'm not sure about that 16, I'd like one for duck hunting...currently using Remy 870 12gauge.
 
A gas operated 20 ga with a limbsaver recoil pad is a real pussycat. My friends 9 year old shoots sporting clays with one (Remington 1100) almost every weekend with his dad and I. He is shooting about 150 rounds a weekend with no discomfort. He must weigh every bit of 75 pounds.

As to the effectiveness, there is no reason that the 20 guage should not be highly effective. A projectile at a particular velocity delivers the same energy to the target regardless of what gun it comes from. A 20 ga. with #3 buckshot, or a 3/4 oz slug traveling at 1600 fps will deliver quite enough power to the target for the desired effect.

Given a gun that is comfortable for her to shoot, then training and practice are required if she is going to actually be effective with the weapon.
 
If it has to be a shotgun, keep 12, and buy reduced recoil ammo. You actually end up with less recoil, that way. Tighter patterns, too. And bigger pellets is always a good thing.

Standard 20 gauge buckshot is 20 pellets of #3 (468 gr) at 1200 fps.

Reduced recoil 12 gauge buckshot is 8 pellets of #00 (430 gr) at 1200 fps.

Even better, though, might be an intermediate caliber carbine, depending on your house construction and proximity of the neighbors. 7.62x39mm has about as much recoil as a .410, but is more on par with a full power 12 ga slug, in effectiveness on target. With a good JSP/JHP, that is.
 
Home defense

I'm going out on a limb and suggest you look at the Mossberg 500 in .410 gauge which they call their "Home Defense" model. At short range a .410 will get the job done and will not be intimidating for a smaller person.
16 Ga. is outdated and hard to find ammo.

I wish I could have tried all the varieties before I purchased, but I went with the 12 ga., figuring 2 3/4" reduced recoil shot in a heavier gun would offset the smaller charge of 20 ga. in a lighter gun. I don't know. I do know the choice in ammo is much greater in 12 Ga.
 
All too often, a shorter, lighter 20 ga. pump with full buckshot or slug loads will kick harder than a somewhat heavier 12 ga. with reduced recoil loads. We know that here at Casa Lapin from experience- my wife got one of the first 870 Express Youth Model 20 ga. guns to hit the shelves, back in her three-gun days. She gave it up pretty quickly, however, and hasn't gone back to it.

But she can handle a properly fitted 12 ga. with a good recoil pad with no problems at all. She's 60-hummahumma years old, the proverbial absentminded professor, 5'4" and 130 pounds. The 'house guns' here are 18- 20" barreled 870 12 gauges, with 12.5" LOP stocks, premium recoil pads (KickEez or LimbSaver), full length field type forearms, no magazine extensions etc. Good form and a proper gun mount make more difference than anything else IMHO.

If you insist on going to a 20 ga. for her for recoil considerations, I'd suggest a gas gun like a Remington 1100 or 11-87...

lpl/nc
 
Hey everyone!

Thanks for the wonderful advice! This is a great forum for sure. We talked about it and we decided to go with the Remington 870 30 ga. Youth.

Goblin, when you mentioned the stoger I had a chuckle because that was one of our considerations before I even posted. My wife loves cowboy action shooting and we kicked arround the idea of that shotgun. But for the purpose we needed it, the reloading in a possible dark room and high stress gave ruled it out.

Again thanks all for the time!

Vic
 
Please try out some guns other than the 870. I can shoot my Benelli all day, but an 870 kicks the heck out of me. It's about fit.

Personally, I suspect that with many women, it's also about balance. I'm not sure how or why, but I know several women shooters who enjoy shooting Benellis or Berettas but cannot handle or hate handling an 870, inlcuding myself. I'm far from the only one, though. And, the 870 youth felt much better in the store, until I tried shooting one. It was too small, it didn't fit, and it hurt. A full size 870 has always seemed very muzzle-heavy to me, which made it hard for me to mount properly and consistently. The youth was less so, but it was also just too small. If your wife is a small woman, then the 870 Youth can be a fine choice, but I'm 5'7"--hardly a giant, but a full-size shotgun fits me better.

Nothing against the 870, but I have noticed a distinct trend among women I know against preferring them, whatever the gauge.

And my current gun is a 12 gauge. It replace a single-shot 20 that left me badly bruised every time. It's about fit. Incidentally, it's also about bra straps. Any gun's recoil will bug her if she's got a plastic sizing clip right where the butt hits her shoulder. Been there, had the bruises. Not fun.
 
FWIW,

I've been using a 16 gauge (Auto 5) since I was 10. Recoil was never a problem-it's not like shooting a 12 at all, except on the pattern end, where it's very much more like a 12 than a 20.

You might want to rethink the 16 if you have a suitable gun available.
 
Common misconception that a 20ga has less felt recoil than a 12ga. IF it does, I cannot tell a difference. I own both an 870 12ga and 870 20ga. I shoot both of them regularly. I honestly can say that I cannot feel any difference between them, recoil wise. I can say that the 870 20ga has more recoil than my 11-87 12ga. Weight and a gas system tends to dampen the beating.If you buy your wife a 20ga, do it because the guns are typically lighter, and easier for the ladies to carry around, not because of recoil.

As for the difference between them all for HD. Gauge really does not matter, and type of shell does not mean much either. At the ranges you would be shooting in the house, #9 shot will not get the chance to spread out to form a pattern. It would hit the "burglar" (or what ever he/she/it is) in a very compact wad, and act like a solid projectile. 12ga, 16ga, or 20 ga will only determine the weight of the "wad". The "wad" will regardless of weight, be quite lethal.

Lastly, the only real reason to buy a 16ga is because you want a 16ga. The price and availability of shells for a 16ga sucks. I for one, love 16ga shotguns, so I will put up with the hassle, but most people will not want to.
 
Im picking up this Mossberg tomorrow for HD (and just a bit of hunting too)
wp448d3a95_28.jpg

Id bet if you (the OP) used light loads that your wife would feel right at home with the heavier 12g. Just find someone that maybe reloads and have them do some for you.:)
 
Common misconception that a 20ga has less felt recoil than a 12ga. IF it does, I cannot tell a difference.
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Im with you.
The only difference I can tell is with those heavy magnum loads and a 20g with them is probably going to kick a bit more than a 12g with light loads.
The 12g is great because it can go either way, but once you buy the smaller gauge it can only go up so far before your pushing pressure limits.
Id rather have a 12g and just find lighter loads
 
Definitely 20. When you compare apples to apples, the 20 ga does have *slightly* less kick than a 12 (or 16). After shooting all day, you'll notice it. Light low-brass quail loads in a semi-auto 20 ga are pussycats.
 
I agree with Lee, as I often do in these threads.

A smaller, lighter 20 gauge with buckshot is going to kick as hard, if not harder than a heavier 12 gauge loaded with buckshot. Make it a tacticool 12 gauge, loaded with low-recoil ammo, add the weight of a side saddle and a surefire forend, and the 12 gauge is much more pleasant to shoot.

FWIW my HD gun is an AR15. It was the lady's choice.
 
I own 12, 20, and 16 gauge 870 wingmasters. The 20 seems to me to have a sharper recoil impulse than the 16, and IMO it does not pattern as well. The 16 is a real joy to shoot and does almost the same work as a 12 with less recoil. I became a 16 gauge convert last year when I took my 16 out for a day of dove hunting. With factory loads(1 ounce, 2.5 dram equivalent loads--the cheap stuff), I could take doves easily at 40 yards with a modified choke and almost no recoil. My 12 gauge handload kills on both ends, and extends the range about 15 yards. I'll happily give up 15 yards for negligible recoil.

IMO, even with the more limited ammo selection, the 16 is a better choice than 20. Whatever you decide on, install a Limbsaver brand recoil pad.
 
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