What shot gun for my girl friend?

H

hend238

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Hey guys,

First off I'm not much of a shot gun guy but really do enjoy them when the opportunity is there so please excuse my ignorance. My girl friend has finally admitted she likes shooting skeet and has even voiced some interest in hunting partridge etc. Her first time out with a shot gun I gave her a borrowed .410 and she did great. I then handed her a break action 20g. She fired off each barrel and put the gun down saying she didn't like the recoil. I'm wondering if a semi 20g would make much difference in felt recoil because I'd rather not buy a .410 if the majority of our shooting will be at clay pigeons. Can anyone recommend a suitable 20 g that would meet her needs? She is strong and can physically handle more recoil than she thinks. It's mostly in her head I feel but I still have to do this carefully as I don't want to scare her away and/or waste money on a shot gun. Thanks.
 
Not sure her size but i know the remington 11-87 comes in 20ga. full size and compact (youth) and mossberg more than likely has the same, they will probaly be your best bet for a lower cost semi auto.
 
l.denison said:
Not sure her size but i know the remington 11-87 comes in 20ga. full size and compact (youth) and mossberg more than likely has the same, they will probaly be your best bet for a lower cost semi auto.
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Ok thanks for that. She is about 5'6" and 135 lbs. She has very strong arms and shoulders so should be able to handle a full size but perhaps a youth would be better simply because it is easier to handle and faster to point. Though if we are to share the youth won't do me any good.
 
I got my ol lady a benelli m4Super90 12 gauge, about same size, next to no recoil. Sweet gun but not cheap. Cheap ammo tho if ur shooting skeet. Only 18.5 inch barrel tho. I love it for shooting skeet but most dont like it. But Benelli makes loads of other semis that have longer barrels.
 
H.K.Glock 007 said:
I got my ol lady a benelli m4Super90 12 gauge, about same size, next to no recoil. Sweet gun but not cheap. Cheap ammo tho if ur shooting skeet. Only 18.5 inch barrel tho. I love it for shooting skeet but most dont like it. But Benelli makes loads of other semis that have longer barrels.
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Ya I was checking out the Benelli website already. I just have no experience to form an opinion on what I'm looking at hence me turning to the ol mighty CGN for help.
 
A youth model is not easier and faster to point, and often kicks harder because its lighter. A .410 is an experts gun, meaning tight patterns with much fewer pellets than a 12 or 20 would have. My GF is five foot nothing and might hit 110 pounds on a good day, yet has not too many problems with either of my Baretta O/U in 12 and 20, but has some preference for the 20G. If you're not going to carry it much further than the trap pit, carrying weight should not be an issue.

The longer the barrel, the easier it is to point and aim. A heavier barrel also swings much better than a short stubby one, as well boots less because of the added weight in comparison. Your GF or anyone new to trap shooting would probably benefit more by starting out with light loads. I can load shell for my 12g that have no more recoil than my .410. You've mentioned that she does not care for the recoil in the 20, but I suspect it has more to do with the shell than the gun, as a 20 G can be loaded from very light to very heavy. A heavy load in any 20g can punch the old shoulder pretty good, where a light load such as 7/8 oz is a girlie load and any kid can shoot them without hurting.

Having all that said, shooting trap and skeet is one thing, but shooting chickens is another. Those are two very wide requirements for any shotgun.


The most cost effective shotgun will always be a 12 gauge, simply because they produce more. 20 gauge is short to follow the prices with many variants of actions and models. If she wants to shoot chickens and partridge, just go buy a new .410 for about the hundred dollar range and forget about shooting clays with it, keep it separate from a trap gun.
 
fiddler said:
A youth model is not easier and faster to point, and often kicks harder because its lighter. A .410 is an experts gun, meaning tight patterns with much fewer pellets than a 12 or 20 would have. My GF is five foot nothing and might hit 110 pounds on a good day, yet has not too many problems with either of my Baretta O/U in 12 and 20, but has some preference for the 20G. If you're not going to carry it much further than the trap pit, carrying weight should not be an issue.

The longer the barrel, the easier it is to point and aim. A heavier barrel also swings much better than a short stubby one, as well boots less because of the added weight in comparison. Your GF or anyone new to trap shooting would probably benefit more by starting out with light loads. I can load shell for my 12g that have no more recoil than my .410. You've mentioned that she does not care for the recoil in the 20, but I suspect it has more to do with the shell than the gun, as a 20 G can be loaded from very light to very heavy. A heavy load in any 20g can punch the old shoulder pretty good, where a light load such as 7/8 oz is a girlie load and any kid can shoot them without hurting.

Having all that said, shooting trap and skeet is one thing, but shooting chickens is another. Those are two very wide requirements for any shotgun.


The most cost effective shotgun will always be a 12 gauge, simply because they produce more. 20 gauge is short to follow the prices with many variants of actions and models. If she wants to shoot chickens and partridge, just go buy a new .410 for about the hundred dollar range and forget about shooting clays with it, keep it separate from a trap gun.
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Wow! Thanks for the input. You make some good arguments that back up my thoughts on the matter.

She shot the .410 like an expert. I set her up and launched several clay pigeons so she could practice dry firing and going through the motions. She hit the first 20 before missing. Not bad for chick who held a shot gun for the first time only 20 min earlier. When she shot the 20g it was with light "girlie" loads as you put it. As I said before it's more mental then anything and I'm sure it was just the initial shock of the increased recoil compared to the .410 that surprised her. When she fired my old BR gun and her first gun ever, she was scared s**tless. The 24oz trigger startled her. That was then. Now she handles my current BR rifle with its 2 oz trigger with ease and loves it. Go figure.

I was considering the 20g as I really only wanted to buy one shot gun. You make a very valid point about shooting chickens and skeet though. I need to take baby steps and get her the right shot gun so she can do both. At least at first. If she likes then I can consider buying a .410 and me a 12g. If I fail she will lose interest and I'll continue to shoot alone.
 
If you don't reload your shot shells then I'd have to say go with light loads in 12 gauge as you can buy 3 or 4 boxes for the price of a single box of 410 or 20 gauge. Also light 12 ga. loads in a heavier gun will more than likely have less recoil than a heavy load 20 ga. You should let her have a try at a light load 12 ga. before you buy anything. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Gun fit, gun fit, gun fit ... in case you missed it ... gun fit. Make sure the stock is correctly fitted to her.

12 gauge semi like a Beretta 391, Winchester Super X-1 or a Remington 1100 or 1187.

Light 7/8th or 1 oz. loads.
 
Fiddler is giving yoiu some good advice. A .410 is definitley an experts shotgun especially on a skeet field. The old saying goes "any hit is a good hit with a .410".

If your lady friend hit 20 out of 25 rounds her first time out on a normal regulation skeet field with a .410, she was either very lucky or a natural with the gun she was using at the time, or a combination of both.

From my years of experience a "properly fitted" ( emphisis on properly fitted to her body dimensions) shot gun in either 20ga or 12ga. will instill confidence and enjoyment in the sport as she progresses.

A .410 can be a frustrating piece of equipment at the best of times in the best of hands. If you start her off with one of these the frustration level in missing birds is going to get to the point she will loose interest and she won't be happy. And if she is not happy you most definitely will not be either.!!

Ladies and all smaller dimensional folks especially need a gun stock that is sized down to fit them properly, this greatly helps to control the "felt" recoil and gets them on target more consistantly.

There are many good quality semi auto's and over and unders out there to choose from. An OU in the 28" barrel length would be my choice as it is a simple gun to operate for a novice , very reliable, and safe, in as much it is either action open with two empty wholes looking at you or it is closed on the firing line with shells in it.

Good luck and congradualtions for finding a nice lady who is willing to put up with you and go shooting with you. If all goes well you can get her a good hunt'n dog for a wedding present.
 
hawk-i said:
If you don't reload your shot shells then I'd have to say go with light loads in 12 gauge as you can buy 3 or 4 boxes for the price of a single box of 410 or 20 gauge.
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Good point I failed to bring up. Target loads for 12G are about 5 or 6 bucks per box, in .410 you would be looking at 16 or 17 bucks per box. Rolling your own .410 gets much cheaper but its finicky and time consuming.


Most 410 shotguns are made short and light, which is generally a bad combination for smokin clays. They don't swing well, fit too tight in the shoulder, and tend to shoot way too high. Further to this, the maximum load you can get into a .410 shell (3in.) is about 3/4 oz and is totally ineffective for clays at any moderate distance; IE: has almost half the pellets as a standard 20 or 12g target load thus lacking pellet concentration on the target. This means you don't get any distance, only close shots.

That all said, practice improves anything, but why start off with a handicap you can never catch up with? My cheap single shot 410 is one of my most favorite and well used guns ( for chickens) but it won't hold a candle to what the 12 and 20 g are capable of shooting, especially when you add in the cost of shooting and time involved to learn.

If you want a chicken gun, get a chicken gun. If you want to shoot trap and clays, get a gun that can shoot them properly.

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hawk-i said:
If you don't reload your shot shells then I'd have to say go with light loads in 12 gauge as you can buy 3 or 4 boxes for the price of a single box of 410 or 20 gauge.
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.410 shells arn't that much (canadian tire sells them for $16.99 here), and winchester and federal sell "target loads" in bulk packs of 100 shells in 20ga. for less than $10 more than there 12ga bulk packs. Light 2-3/4" 20gauge in a semi auto is probaly your best bet for a skeet/hunting gun for someone that you dont want to scare away, and even when she becomes more comfortable with it your not under-powering her for upland hunting aswell as skeet. if you want to spend some cash there are brownings that would be perfect and look great, but theres nothing wrong with the remington or mossberg, there all good guns its all what fits her and what she likes, your best bet is to take her to a gun shop and try some stuff, you said shes not a first time shooter so she will know what the "right" gun feels like when she gets it in her hands.
 
mrgoat...thanks for your input. I'll consider your thoughts about the o/u. I prefer that to a semi actually. I was only considering a semi as I thought it would reduce the felt recoil all other things being equal.

As for her hitting 20 out of 25 pigeons well perhaps she was lucky but time and time again she surprises me with her natural skill with a firearm. Whether with a handgun, bench rest rifle or shot gun. The last time out I placed 10 clay pigeons on a berm at about 15 feet and gave her my Glock 21. She only used 4 rounds from the second mag to hit all 10. I was really proud of her. It was her first time firing a hand gun and a 45 ACP at that. Beginners luck? Perhaps but there must be some natural talent there somewhere for her to do well with any firearm I give her. Now if only she would travel to competitions with me. A man can dream.

As for the .410, I never intended on buying my girl friend one for all the reasons that were stated. That is why I was initially asking about a 20 gauge auto loader.
 
l.denison said:
.410 shells arn't that much (canadian tire sells them for $16.99 here), and winchester and federal sell "target loads" in bulk packs of 100 shells in 20ga. for less than $10 more than there 12ga bulk packs. Light 2-3/4" 20gauge in a semi auto is probaly your best bet for a skeet/hunting gun for someone that you dont want to scare away, and even when she becomes more comfortable with it your not under-powering her for upland hunting aswell as skeet. if you want to spend some cash there are brownings that would be perfect and look great, but theres nothing wrong with the remington or mossberg, there all good guns its all what fits her and what she likes, your best bet is to take her to a gun shop and try some stuff, you said shes not a first time shooter so she will know what the "right" gun feels like when she gets it in her hands.
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I've always liked the Franchi 48. Were a few for sale on the EE awhile back but I passed.
 
A 20 ga. gas gun (not an inertia action, nor a long recoil action) with light loads shoots about as softly as you can hope for.

It doesn't sound like she'd need a Youth gun. She should be strong enough to handle the weight of a full-sized 20 ga autoloader (either 1100 or 11-87, for example) with a 26 or 28" barrel. If the stock does need a slight adjustment or trim to fit her, that's a simple thing to do.

She sounds like a natural.
 
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