Lets talk Shotguns - - - For a girl

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rrflyer

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Guys my GF's been buggin me........well since last dove season to get a shotgun.

Her Birthdays passed but I'm thinkin I may get her one as an early xmas present and give it to her in Sept.

Anyhow I need some suggestions. I was thinkin of a 20ga Wingmaster because I found a good deal on a new one. And I had one that I shot as a kid but was stolen before I had a chance to really make it mine.

Other thought was a light Browning Cintori. Always loved those as a kid and always wanted one with the english style straight stock.


Shes shot my Beretta A390 12ga and did Ok with it.


Gun will be used for Clays, Doves, Quail, Piggies, and possibly turkey.
 
If she can handle a 12, get her a 12. More ammo choices, more accessory choices, yadda yadda yadda. Recoil difference between the two is generally almost a wash as the 20g is a lighter gun.

Would be tough to go wrong with a good used 870. Change choke tubes, change the barrel, and now you've got a whole different gun for a whole nuther purpose.
 
Why not take her to a shotgun club where she can either rent or borrow several different types and let HER decide which one she likes? She might find a 20 gauge pump has a little too much recoil, she might not. If she on the smallish size, odds are she is going to need a youth/ladies stock with a shorter LOP in order for the gun to fit right; otherwise, recoil is going to hurt after a while.

And while YOU may like an English-stocked Citori, she might actually prefer a Remington 1100 semi........
 
the 20 ga is because of weight. The 12's just get a little heavy when in the field all day hiking about.

And I was concerned that a non-semi auto 12 would give her a big shoulder punch. My beretta barely kicks...

The pink gun would be good for a kiddo but she really likes the nice wood finish.

I'm gonna try and see if we can go to a skeet/trap club this week when I get back in town to try a few but just looking for suggestions for now.
 
For your uses I wouldn't go with a 20 guage anyway. 12 guage is cheaper and easier to find. You can get low recoil loads, and for the game you're looking for it's going to be easier to take.

The Browning is beautiful in every way! I love the Citori but you're looking at a high dollar item there. A Wingmaster will run you half what the Citori but man I'd get the Browning if money isn't an issue.

A recoil pad will help if she is not used to it, but my wife can easily take 25 rounds with my Mossberg.
 
Take her to a shop and SHE will choose from the stack of shotguns.

One will fit her nice enough to put smile on her face.

Things to consider.

Weight.

Throw length of pump.

Size of Stock, youth or full.

Total length of weapon.

Chokes or built into gun.

Ammuntion types for intended targets.

Her previous shoot experience if any and sights on the weapon of choice. Not good to have sights that she does not understand.

Everything else comes down to her hands. If she can operate the trigger, Safety, load, unload shells and all the things on the weapon itself without fumbling or being unsafe.

20 gauge is good. Dont worry. Hell, my wife's brennekes through her 20 gauge equals or nearly so my 12 gauge brennekes of the same type for home defense. She can always unload the weapon into bad guy if he did not fall down first.

Important part that I said before. Let her choose by physically holding weapons until she is smiling with a particular gun. Dont issue a gun to her.

Women dont like being issued. They need room to choose and adopt one to call thier own. Once they have that, everything else will make her a happy shooter.

Believe me, standing back when wife looked over about 20 shotguns of varying pricing, models, gauges and capabilities.. whew. I didnt know if the one she chose will cost me 2000 dollars or 300 dollars. That was the worst part; the wait and not knowing the final result.

Wife uses a PAST recoil pad on the range to protect her shoulder. In home defense it wont have time and be least of worries.
 
I would take her to gun shows and/or shops and let her see what seems to fit her best. Stick to major brand names and you shouldn't get in any trouble. I love Remingtons, but a whole lot of that has to do with the fit, not in spite of it. If there is something she doesn't like on a gun, and some damn salesman on comission says "You'll get used to that", How about just smack the hell out of him for me.
Good luck and good shooting.
 
You say she shot your beretta semi and did OK with it - odds are, it didn't fit her perfectly, but she still shot it OK - you might want to start there with one that has the youth/ladies stock. You may end up buying a gun that costs more, like a good O/U.....better to do it now and get her hooked, than buy something cheap she doesn't like, beats her up, and turns her off from shooting.......just my .02
 
Lets talk Shotguns - - - For a girl
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How about we talk shotguns for a person. A 4'11" person is going to need a considerably different shotgun than a 5'8" fitness enthusiast. Just saying "girl", by itself, tells us nothing*. Height, size, fitness level- these are more important than biology/sex.


*unless you mean to imply, automatically, that her sex means she's inexperienced as a shooter, and you- again automatically- should know what's best for her. That's not what you meant- is it?

John
 
Height, size, fitness level- these are more important than biology/sex.
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Well, I'd rather find myself in bed with an odd-sized, unfit woman than the fittest, best-proportioned man in the world.

So I think that statement would have to be qualified a little...:D
 
And? The Motion Picture Association decided that "damn" wasn't objectionable in proper context (which was exactly "don't give a damn", incidentally) 80 years ago. But talking about who'd you like to be in bed with is not only not appropriate, it's juvenile.
 
I understand, no big deal. But my 6 and 10 year old do find it objectionable no matter what the The Motion Picture Association decided, and I enjoy THR even when they are in the room, my fault I guess. Like I said, no big deal.

I'll 100% agree with "talking about who'd you like to be in bed with is not only not inappropriate, it's juvenile."

Now lets try to get back to the OP

I say if you found a good deal on a 20 ga Wingmaster, buy it and let her use it until she decides to "up grade" to a 12ga. I will also say I would buy it for me, to let her use. I would not buy it for her to have, unless possiblely I was planning on marring her. Which might not be a bad idea if she in trying to get you TO buy a new gun, I wish I had that problem.LOL
 
The 20ga wingmaster is by far my favorite shotgun. I bought myself one for christmas last winter and have 3200 rounds through it so far. Recoil is about the same as the 12ga, but it is a pound lighter. It is just an all around fun gun.

If you are anywhere near eastern PA and want to shoot one before plunking down cash, feel free to shoot me a msg.

Regards,

Dale
 
I have found that the O/U is ideally suited for smaller statured folks. The length is shorter making for easier handling. My daughter had troubles with the overall length of the gun when using a pump. The muzzle was too heavy for her. The semi auto helped since she didn't have to eject the hull. She tried the shorter O/U and liked it right away. Against my advice for clays, she ended up choosing a SXS 12 guage. She is 14 years old, 4'11", weighs 97lbs and is happy. That's all that matters!

All that being said, nothing will beat a gas operated gun for easy recoil IMHO.
 
I have found that the O/U is ideally suited for smaller statured folks. The length is shorter making for easier handling.
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And I have found that it doesn't matter as to their stature as it does their physical ability.....I shoot with a lot of retired folks, many of whom in days gone by would have no issues with any gun; but now are preferring 28 gauges due to recoil....to make an assumption based on height is not warranted.

Depending on the weight AND balance of any gun will determine whether or not it is right for someone.......I shoot with many women, most of the retired variety, and their ability to shoot a K-80 or a 391, is strictly a personal one based on what they like.....many of which are shooting as good as the boys
 
When it comes to shot guns, fit is every thing.

a $50 well worn single shot will work better( IE hits) if it fits you correctly, then a $100000 shot gun that does not.
 
I would suggest waking her up early for breakfast and going for a drive.. when she asks where, tell her it is a surprise, and as you pull into the gun shop she will get the idea.. best bet is to let her choose the shotgun she likes, otherwise you are choosing what you think she needs or will like and ,though you MAY get lucky, it is more likely that she will just settle for it to avoid hurting your feelings... do yourself and her a favor, if you want to get her a gun, take her and allow her to choose one for herself..
 
Gun will be used for Clays, Doves, Quail, Piggies, and possibly turkey.
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For these purposes I would even go with a OU break action in 20ga.

But your 20ga Wingmaster is a great choice also. A 20ga will help her get on target faster also due to the reduced weight. Only turkey will require some special loads.

Get it fit right for her frame also.
 
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Can she drive a T-post with one hand? 10ga all the way.:rolleyes:
Get a 20ga semi with stock shims, but don't get a beretta, I'm thinking a charles daly - that way you can get her a Beretta for a wedding present.
 
I would suggest waking her up early for breakfast and going for a drive.. when she asks where, tell her it is a surprise, and as you pull into the gun shop she will get the idea.. best bet is to let her choose the shotgun she likes, otherwise you are choosing what you think she needs or will like and ,though you MAY get lucky, it is more likely that she will just settle for it to avoid hurting your feelings... do yourself and her a favor, if you want to get her a gun, take her and allow her to choose one for herself..
Click to expand...

Bingo.

See the moral of my story: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=453793

Let her decide.

FWIW, I'm 6'4", 300 lbs. I *love* my 20 gauge Mossberg 500. Sissy gun? Nope...but it's lighter, more gentle recoil, and just as easy to find ammo for as my brother's 12 ga. version. For humping the fields, those ounces make a big difference. The only thing it might be a bit weak is for turkeys. Since I don;'t hunt turkey, I don't know what payloads are available in 20ga.

Q
 
I bought a shotgun for my "little girls" when the oldest was about 10. It was a Mossberg 500 Bantam with a stock that had a spacer so it could be either Super-Short, or Short. 20Ga with a 22" vent rib. It fight pretty good, but the tang safety would hit the bigger one's hand when the gun went off. She didn't like it much, but at least she could get her hand around it. The Remington 20ga Youth is set up about the same way with an easier-to-use (for a righty) safety. The Wingmaster also looks pleasing to the eye and it's easier to clean being glossy than the Express. Just my .02c worth.

I'll echo what others say that if she is strong enough and able to handle the 12ga, get a 12ga. They youth models offer shorter stocks if she's got short arms, but I'm 6'3" and I like the short stocks too. The long stocks just don't handle well.
 
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