Shotgun for the lady

[Potatohead]

Hello gals and girls,
Getting a shotgun for home defense and I don't know very much about them. Want something that my wife won't be intimidated to shoot (hopefully) but of course my ego is concerned with avoiding something to "wimpy". Could you all kind of compare your overall opinion of the shotgun calibers/gauges to the handgun calibers for me (I'm not talking projectiles)? I know that comparison won't be perfect but if you had to compare, would the 28ga be like the .22 (pistol) and the 12ga probably the .45 (pistol)...? I kind of don't want to go under the .380 area (but in the shotgun world).

. I do know- from greatest to least they go- 12ga, 20ga, 28ga, but thats about it. Also, where does the .410 stand in the pecking order?

I've stumbled and bumbled through this post a bit, I hope its not unclear what I'm getting at-Thanks

 

[XD Fan]

20 gauge is a great option. Lots of power, manageable recoil. Pump or semi will work, but either way a home defense shotgun needs sights and a sling. No matter what you chose get training for you and your lady.

 

[Potatohead]

No doubt. Thanks for the info. Great signature line, all but the Vol part!!

 

[cfullgraf]

My wife really smokes the targets on the Skeet field with her 20 ga Citori.

The important part was we got the stock trimmed to fit her 5'-2" frame.

A pump is more reliable but a semi-auto is easier to shoot follow up shots since the gun does the reloading. So depends on the wife.

 

[rcmodel]

My 5' tall, 100 pound wife shot 25 straight at Skeet when she was 26 years old.
With a 12 Ga.

If your wife wants to learn to shoot a shotgun, she can do it too.


The world champion woman's shotgun shooter is a lady named Kim Rhode.

She stands 5' 4" and 150 pounds now.

But she was a little bitty girl when she won her first match.
Shooting a 12 GA shotgun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Rhode

rc

 

[Potatohead]

Awesome! Thanks RC, I guess that ends that!

 

[drcook]

I will tell you that if you go straight to a 12 without working your wife up through learning how to shoot, she will shoot it once and then that will be the end of it. And then you will pay for the gun hurting her.

You are better off buying what you want for you and buying something appropriate for your wife. Never ever buy what you want for her. I have a semi auto 20 for my wife, in fact a 1100 youth model and 2 youth/lady sized Ithaca 37 16ga guns that I built for her.

I have let her shoot my .45 Combat Commander, but not before she went through a 9mm and figured out it wasn't going to hurt and how to hold it etc.

 

[rcmodel]

It's worth mentioning however, that a light weight 20 or 16 ga pump gun will hurt the little lady more then a slightly heaver gas-operated 12 ga auto.

I have a 5+ pound 20 ga Ithaca double that kicks harder then my 7 pound Browning A-5 recoil operated 12 ga auto.

rc

 

[Deer_Freak]

If you reload green dot makes great low recoil shells. If you are shooting skeet 3/4 oz of #9 shot are just as effective as 1 oz of #8 shot. In fact, the 3/4 oz of #9 shot might be more effective due to less shot deformation. I prefer AA wads because they are plentiful and they create a very even pattern. Some of the new wads might be marginally better than AA wads. But you will pay more and finding them might be a PITA.

#9 shot is good for skeet and trap. But it loses velocity very quickly. #8 or even 7 1/2 might be better for sporting clays. I usually load ammo that will have a velocity of 1250 fps for sporting clays.

I have a 28 ga Browning Citori that really like. If you choose a 28 ga plan on reloading ammo. Sometimes I can get 28 ga AA ammo with the shot size I prefer at the same price as 20 ga ammo. Most of the time 28 ga costs more and the selection of shot size is limited.

You will be just fine to get a 28 ga for her to enjoy shotgun sports. In a self defense situation she can easily handle a 12 ga. Her adrenaline will be rolling making her much stronger than normal. When I practice with my 12 ga slug gun it rattles my dental work. Yet, when I am shooting at a deer I don't notice the recoil or the loud report of a 12 ga slug. My adrenaline is elevated but nothing near what it would be in a fight for my life.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Let her decide ... http://www.corneredcat.com/article/choosing-firearms/a-long-gun-for-home-defense/

 

[drcook]

Let her decide ...

that is why I said

You are better off buying what you want for you and buying something appropriate for your wife. Never ever buy what you want for her.

If you buy for you, it is going to be sized for you. Unless your wife is a large sized (meaning taller, bigger frame, nothing else insinuated nor implied) the length of pull on a stocked longarm will be different for a woman than it is for a man. A gun that has a LOP that is too long is going to hurt and be difficult to control. A gun that is stocked for her, will be a bit short for you but manageable.

Also being overlooked is that in a self defense situation in the middle of the night (or day for that matter) adrenaline is going to kick in making the semi-auto more difficult to get into action, unless you keep it loaded all the time or go through extensive training to where it is all automatic and muscle memory just takes over.

I have been through this in getting my wife set up for hunting, for self defense, for long range BPCR shooting with her own rifle, for her handguns. All are appropriately sized for her. The controls are all easy to reach.

It is true that in a high adrenaline situation that recoil will not be felt, it is during the practice times that it matters. If a gun (whatever caliber/gauge) hurts your wife, she is going to be hesitant to practice and to use it.

I suggest you please read these discussions, I have stuck some here that talk about shotgun fit, about handgun fit.

The first is by notable author Massad Ayoob

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob131.html

http://www.shotgunlife.com/shotgun-lives/women-shooters/women-and-shotguns.html

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=286474

http://www.corneredcat.com/article/for-the-men/buying-a-gun-for-your-wife/

 

[btg3]

...compare your overall opinion of the shotgun calibers/gauges to the handgun calibers for me (I'm not talking projectiles)? ...where does the .410 stand in the pecking order?

Perhaps you are aware that the Judge revolver will shoot .410 shot shells as well as .454 Casull and .45 Colt. Just saying... but I'm certainly no fan of that revolver.

Also be aware of the vast array of 12ga loads that allow you to reduce recoil to less that a 20ga load. Along with with extra weight of a 12ga, the perceived recoil can be rather mild. But low recoil loads may not cycle a semi-auto, so I am referring to a 12ga pump.

Because the ammo selection in 12ga makes a 12ga pump so versatile, it should receive your highest consideration.

Used 870s are plentiful and the wood stocks can be shortened for best fit. 18.5" barrels can be bought or cut-your-own. For a first shotgun, you could certainly spend more and get less in the way of a HD gun.

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks for your replies everyone. Duly noted.

 

[Potatohead]

Let her decide ... http://www.corneredcat.com/article/choosing-firearms/a-long-gun-for-home-defense/

Thanks Fred. Yes, I'm not sure why it's so tempting to try and decide for her. AND I've already made that mistake once too. I bought "her" a shiny new Sig p238 that I just loved, but her, not so much. Said it looked like "a little GI Joe gun". Who woulda' thunk it, but now I know- since I decided to ask her- she LOVES big, giant, and old Cowboy lookin' revolvers!

 

[Potatohead]

Unless your wife is a large sized

She's 5'2" and 99 lbs

 

[Potatohead]

Wow guys, thanks for all of the links.

 

[drcook]

She's 5'2" and 99 lbs

She is petite then, like my wife and daughter, as opposed to our friend that lives around the corner from us that is over 6' tall and works on a dairy farm. Far extremes in the size of women, that is what I was alluding to.

If you buy any type of longarm, semi or pump shotgun or whatever AND the recoil is still a bit much, you can get mercury recoil reducers. They have some that go in the buttstock and/or the mag tube. For a HD arm, the kind that goes in the buttstock would be applicable so as not to limit the amount of shells to 2, they act like magazine plug for hunting.

If you buy her a gun that can be used for other purposes other than strictly home defense, then you could get her shooting more with you.

With her being 5'2" she is even going to be pushing the Youth/Lady length of pull which is 13".

Gander Mt carries an even shorter LOP youth model 870 in 20 ga that has a LOP of 12". For fitment purposes, take her to Gander Mt and try one of these out for size. They have them with 18 or 21 in barrels. I think the 21 in would be fine. We got an 18 for my kid as I could not find a 21 at the time. Eventually for sporting purposes, if she keeps hunting with us, I will get a longer barrel and have it cut back to 24 in for her.

22 to 24" is the barrel lengths I have for my wife's guns and she is able to handle and control them just fine.

My wife is 5'3" 115 and my daughter is 4'11" under 100 lbs, so I do have a bit of experience in fitting guns for women this size.