Defensive 12g for my wife

[40CalFireGuy]

Hey all, I'm very new to the realm of shotgunning -- enjoyed shooting them when I was a kid in scouts and in college, but only recently starting to research them to buy one. My wife is hesitant about getting a 12g because of bad experiences with recoil in the past and I'm trying to find a shotgun that would be good for her. The long and short is that we have recently found a need for a defensive scatter gun in our home, and I'd like to buy one that she can use more than shop around until we find "her" shotgun (she's very interested, likes the weapons, but even less experienced than I am).

I've considered buying a 20g with an improved or spreader choke and getting a folding-stock installed for her because of the tight spaces we need to cross to clear the main hallway and retrieve our child in case an intruder comes at her/us. However, I've recently read more on Mossberg's roadblocker muzzle break. It looks a little bulky and it adds weight at the tip I'm sure, but:

a) is it effective? and
b) would combining the compensator with a recoil reducing grip like the knoxx breacher grip result in misfeed problems?

If the Knoxx/muzzlebreak combo is good to go, then I think we've settled on a working solution for her to use while I'm away and we hunt down a weapon that my wife can truly call her very own.

On behalf of K. and me, thanks all.

 

[Earlsbud]

The 20 ga with an 18" BBL will do the trick. It's also a gun I wouldn't use to move from room to room with. It's easy to grab a shotgun barrel as it comes through a doorway. Not so easy with a pistol. A 38Spl would be my choice for someone concerned about recoil.

 

[MyGreenGuns]

My younger brother set up his shotgun (870) so his wife would have something to defend herself when he was away.

She heard a crash in the house and investigated with his Glock, now he has to buy another one. The new one is for him, she has laid claim to this one.

 

[bassdogs]

Install a Limbsaver recoil pad on an 870 and it should be manageable for about anyone. Only disadvantage I can see with a 12g is the weight. A 20g may in the same gun will probably be a little lighter. Since you're not going hiking with the thing, I don't see the extra weight as a disadvantage. Just don't over load it with 7 or 8 shells.

 

[Noah]

If you are dead set on a 12g, I'd actually suggest a Pardner Pump. Dirt cheap, and so heavy that recoil is minimal. Smooth action and good fit, although the wood stocked model has a really thin finish on the wood. If you are willing to use a 20 gauge, however, I'd suggest your choice between the 870 or 500, Mossberg being my personal pick. Boils down to 870 trigger guard button safety and slick, loose pump versus Mossberg's tang safety and crisper, harder pump.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

The lighter the shotgun the heavier the recoil. But take a look at a Youth 870 20 ga. Express. Could be just the ticket. BTW, my wife declared recently that my favorite G19...is now HER G19. Dang, now I gotta' go pick out ANOTHER one!

 

[Fred Fuller]

One major factor in using a defensive shotgun comfortably is proper gun fit. I don't know anything about your wife's size or strength, so there is no way I can offer any specific suggestions about what is best for her, beyond saying this.

And what is best for her might not even be a shotgun, when all is said and done. It might be a pistol caliber carbine, an AR, or a handgun. It's impossible to say at this point.

PLEASE be open minded about the selection process, and PLEASE let HER make the choice of the gun SHE is going to be using. Offer her a variety of choices, and let her put her hands on them, and LET HER CHOOSE.

Kathy doesn't get into long guns much on her site, but PLEASE read http://www.corneredcat.com/Gun_Store_Miss_Adventures/ before you go any further with this.

In my experience with women and defensive shotguns, what works best is an appropriately shorter stock with a good recoil pad, and a long forearm. Not having a lot of weight out in front of the support hand is a Good Thing - that means no magazine extensions of stuff hung on the gun out there. The long forearm allows the support arm elbow to 'break' comfortably and not have to be stuck straight out in a way that makes it hard to hold the gun up. Getting overbalanced trying to hold up a too heavy/too long gun leads to poor shooting posture, that hips shot forward/shoulders leaned back cantilever posture that makes me cringe inside every time I see it.

A couple of years ago one of my nieces came down from western NC to learn Defensive Shotgun 101 on our range here in the flatlands. She was already a shooter but not a shotgunner, and she was sure in her own mind that she wanted a shotgun. I laid out a folding table full of shotguns out on the range for her to experiment with, in 12 and 20 gauge, and she shot several of them with birdshot. She worked her way down to two - a 12 gauge 870 Express gun that had a 12.5" LOP stock, a field type forearm and a 21" vent rib turkey barrel with an ImpCyl RemChoke installed, and a 20 gauge Express Youth model with a 21" vent rib barrel fitted for RemChokes, a 13" LOP stock and a field length forearm.

She decided on the 20 gauge youth gun, and I asked her why. She said it was a little lighter and easier for her to handle. So when we were done with the class, I showed her how to field strip and clean the little gun and my wife and I sent her home with it.

Your wife might be a genuine Amazon, I don't know, and able to hold up an 8 pound sledgehammer by the end of the handle at arms length - as I said, I don't know what her physical capabilities are. But please take those capabilities into account, whatever they are, and keep in mind that coping with recoil is more a matter of proper gun fit, good form and a good gun mount than the gimmicks that are bolted onto the gun.

Regards,

lpl

 

[RaceM]

I'm with Lee. The 870 Express youth model in 20GA is a good choice for the ladies, especially the petite. The short LOP on the stock plus the overall (relatively) light weight makes it a winner. Got one for my wife and it works great for her.

 

[gopguy]

Another vote for the Remington 870.

 

[oneounceload]

Start with PAX's www.thecorneredcat.com and read - (both of you)

If you are still intent o a shotgun, the heaviest gun she can handle with the lightest loads that will do the job in a gun that FITS will have the least recoil possible - simple physics tell us that.

No need for folding stocks - if you are moving here and there, taking the time to fold or unfold the stock can get you killed - use a standard stock that FITS her.

If buckshot is too powerful, some of the nice low recoil versions, even some large bird shot (like #2) will put the hurt on the BG

In any event, practice, practice, practice - add a lesson or three, and add other layers of protection so the gun is the last resort

 

[WVleo]

Home Defense Shotgun choices

hi, I've got 2 870 remington 20ga. youth models with 20" barrels. One has vr and beads and the other rifle sights. One gun is My HD shotgun and the other was adopted By My daughter when She moved out stating She thought I would want Her to have protection ( She has been shooting this shotgun since She was 13y/o ). Ofcourse My Daughter was right I just wanted Her to purchase Her own LOL LOL ! Her and Her Mother thought differently . But I feel secure with this choice for Home defense.....WVleo

 

[ultradoc]

I was looking for the longest time for a 20ga. 870. I kept finding that the 12 and 20ga. were about the same price. I think there are 'light loads' you can buy for the 12 ga. The shells are about 1/4 the heigth of a 12ga. shell with less kick.

 

[catnphx]

Also important to reduce recoil is the load you use in your SG ... it will help significantly. Personally, I use this Federal Premium 12 gauge load ...

12GA
2 3/4 Inch
9 Pellet 00 Buck
Muzzle Velocity 1145FPS

Federal Premium® has turned shotshell technology 180 degrees with the new FLITECONTROL® Wad. This exciting and innovative shotshell system delivers the tightest buckshot patterns available for law enforcement—all without expensive barrel alterations or aftermarket choke tubes. Tactical Buckshot also features copper-plated shot and recoil reduction that, when combined with the FLITECONTROL wad, result in the most dependable and predictable pattern performance available. Tactical also features a solid brass head for reliable function—not brass-plated steel that can swell and cause extraction issues. To top it off, all Federal Tactical Shotshell offerings are loaded with the unique and famous, Basic-Lead Styphnate 202 primer. Federal Premium Tactical Buckshot is offered in reduced recoil 8 and 9 pellet 00, and a full power 9 pellet 00 for semi-automatic shotguns. New Tactical Buckshot featuring FLITECONTROL transforms the most basic police shotgun into a precision shooting tool.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The shells are about 1/4 the heigth of a 12ga. shell with less kick.

The 'mini shells' also won't function reliably if at all in the vast majority of repeating shotguns. Anyone who plans on using these needs to try them at the range in sufficient quantity to make sure they will work in the gun in question.

There are various 'reduced recoil' 12 gauge loads available that might work well for some recoil sensitive shooters, however using a properly fitted shotgun and learning good recoil control techniques (stance, gun mount etc) is a far better approach IMHO.

 

[Onward Allusion]

40CalFireGuy
Defensive 12g for my wife

No idea about the size and strength of your wife, but even a pistol-grip / folding-grip shotgun in 20 gauge will have a good kick. With a shoulder stock, your shoulder is absorbing the bulk of the recoil. With a folding/pistol grip, your wrist is doing that job.

Have her get a handgun that fits her and have her wear it around the house. Yes, I'd said wear it around the house. Inside a house with tight corners and narrow hallways, the shotgun should be backup when she's barricaded behind a door.

 

[Girodin]

My wife is hesitant about getting a 12g because of bad experiences with recoil in the past and I'm trying to find a shotgun that would be good for her.

I would advise seriously giving consideration to weapons apart from a shotgun. Shotguns only have two things going for them as HD weapons, power (given proper loads) and cost. The weight, size, and recoil make them a poor choice for a lot of people. This is even more true when one needs to move about and go get kids. If I have to go grab a kid I don't want an 8lbs shotgun in one hand and a kid in the other.

Add to that the fact that learning to really run a shotgun well is more difficult than learning a carbine or handgun.

In the end you may decide that you do want a shotgun, however, initially I would expand the universe of guns you are looking at beyond scatter guns.

If you are set on a shotgun then I would echo Lee's comments about fit. Beyond that I personally find that gas guns have much less perceived recoil than my pumps. Additionally they are easier to run under stress than pumps. Add a good recoil pad and reduced recoil shells and you have mitigated recoil about as much as you practically can.

A heavier gun has less felt recoil (other things being equal) but is also more difficult to wield. The lighter guns while easier to wield go the other way with recoil. When a lighter long gun with less recoil is what is really needed I believe a carbine is often the better choice.

 

[dirtengineer]

The rule I have in my house is that my wife must shoot everything I own. She is a petite 5' 4" and can handle it fine. She didn't like the .300 win mag, but managed to put 3 rounds into 3/4". After that the Mossberg 590 seemed tame. She shoots my .44 with the hot 300 grain bear loads every year and can hit what she aims at.

I definitely choose tame ammo to begin with and work up. We shoot 2 3/4 target loads before the hot 3" brenneke bear killers. I also got her one of these. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous

I also end each shooting session with whatever she wants to shoot. Might be the AR-15 (her favorite rifle) or her Glock 23, with or without the .22 conversion installed. It keeps her coming back.

 

[USAF_Vet]

The rule I have in my house is that my wife must shoot everything I own.

Good rule. I have the same. She doesn't like my Mosin M-44 or my .50 ML, but neither are really practical HD weapons anyway. She'd be likely to grab either the .45 or the 9mm. She shoots my 12 gauge just fine as well, though.

 

[V1ROT8]

My wife knows how to shoot every weapon in our home. She does not enjoy shooting all of them. She does enjoy shooting some of them and she practices faithfully and often with me.

 

[Sav .250]

" but even less experienced than I am. " I`d re-think your whole shot-gun thing. Better yet,step back and re-think everything. J s/n.

 

[Master Blaster]

My son age 13 weighs 90lbs and is 5'4, My daughter age 15 5'7" 105, both have no problem putting 50+ 1 1/8 oz loads through my 1100 or 1187 12 gauge. I also taught my son's friend who is 12 and weights 75lbs 5'1" and his dad (neither had ever fired a real gun before) to shoot trap with the same 12 gauge. We spend 2 hours and 180 shells the first time they ever shot with no discomfort. They all had no problem with the recoil. The reason is I taught them the proper stance and how to correctly mount the shotgun.

I have also seen a 300lb 6'2" man turn his shoulder into a mass of brush burns and bruises with my 1100, because he would not follow my instruction on how to stand and mount the shotgun.

Take her trap shooting and get some instruction it will teach her how to shoot shotgun, she will have fun, and then she will have no problem with a 12.