Could use some advice buying a shotgun

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Prairiestorm

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I'm looking to buy a shotgun for my girlfriend for her birthday, she is getting into shooting and she loves to trap shoot but my 12 gauge I have is just to much for her takes a beating on her shoulder, she is about 5ft5-5ft6 135lbs, so I'm lookin more into a 20 gauge for her, which would be best ? 870 compact? Maverick 88 youth, or maybe the mossberg super bantam ? She has a reletively short length of pull. Have about $500-$600 budget. Could really use some of your guys advice thanks !
 
With that budget, I would get a Remington 1100. The gas operated semi auto 12 gauges actually produce less felt recoil than the 20 gauge pump actions.

With a little larger budget, I would also look at a used 20 gauge SX-3.
 
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Padded butt cover is all that you should need. Screw on style can be 1.5" thick foam. And buy the cheapest shells at wall Mart. Less brass on the shell means less powder in it.

And semi auto would be best.

And make sure the length is comfortable for her, you could chop the stock down so she can simply get a better grip.
 
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Erickson, brass length hasn't had any correlation with shell power since black powder was phased out. Most cheap field loads are actually more potent than average target loads are.

Prairie Storm; You haven't told us what your trap gun is and what loads you are using, this would help as a starting point to help point you in a direction. A light 20ga can recoil more than a target gun in 12ga.
 
Check out Browning BPS Micro Midas. A little over your budget, but worth a look.

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Nine said:
Check out Browning BPS Micro Midas. A little over your budget, but worth a look.

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good idea.
my granddaughter is 15 and shots trap at our farm with my BT99 12 ga., mostly 1 oz loads, but also 1 1/8. make sure she's shooting 2 3/4 dram shells.
PS the guns you mentioned would kick no matter who shoots them, especially if you're using 3 dram loads.
 
A gun purchase is a very personal choice.
Involve your girl in choosing her gun, to her tastes. Trust me. She'll be appreciative.
 
My wife is 5'2 and she shoots a Browning Silver Hunter Micro Midas. It's above your budget but fits her perfectly, is light and soft shooting. If the Micros are way out of your budget range try light loads, AA are her favourite. But like another poster said, involve her in the purchase and make sure it fits her.
 
saskbooknut said:
A gun purchase is a very personal choice.
Involve your girl in choosing her gun, to her tastes. Trust me. She'll be appreciative.
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Unfortunately she will likely choose the shotgun based on appearance, and not fit or potential recoil. The result is that recoil may still keep her from enjoying her shooting.
 
Involving a person in choosing a gun for them does not mean you cannot advise re: fit and function.

You underrate female shooters, a whole lot. They want to understand and to have their say in choosing, in my experience.

Most clubs have many members willing to allow others to handle and shoot their shotguns. As a new female shooter gains experience she will be better informed in making her input.

My recommendation is based on our family's female shooters, various Club members wives and daughters, and a whole flock of Firearm Safety students.
 
As most have said already involve your girl so she gets the right fit for her, as for the gun the semis are going to have less felt recoil by far so try a few out if you can with her. My daughter 90 lbs and my GF 115 lbs both shoot my Browning Silver Hunter in 20g and will shoot as long as they want to without recoil issues.
 
Where are you located in Alberta? My wife is 5'2" and shoots both trap and sporting clays with a 12 gauge. We shoot at the Calgary Firearms center near Dewinton, and your girlfriend would be welcome to try out my wife's guns.
 
Erickson5006 said:
Padded butt cover is all that you should need. Screw on style can be 1.5" thick foam. And buy the cheapest shells at wall Mart. Less brass on the shell means less powder in it.

And semi auto would be best.

And make sure the length is comfortable for her, you could chop the stock down so she can simply get a better grip.
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Hahahaha! This is downright funny. It's almost a caricature of a "bad advice" post. I mean the part about low brass means less powder.

Recoil is related to two things. How heavy is the load of pellets and how fast do they come flying out the barrel. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The weight of the gun absorbs some of the recoil so lighter gun equals more recoil, heavier gun equals less recoil. Good gun fit makes the recoil easier to manage, poor fit makes it worse. And the auto loading systems in semi autos use/absorb some the the recoil to reload.

A heavy load of 1 3/8 ounces (2 3/4" shell) coming out at 1400 feet per second will have a hell of a lot more recoil than a 7/8 ounce load at 1100 feet per second. The gauge has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Get her a 12 gauge gun and get her Winchester AA Low Recoil, Low Noise target loads. She won't even notice she fired the gun. Quiet and soft shooting.
 
I picked up an old 20g Ithaca 900 (the long recoil model) for $250 off a fellow CGN'r. It's a very light shotgun, minimal recoil, busts clays or grouse like no one's business, and it is one of the few guns my wife (who is the same size as yours though a little lighter) loves to shoot. I almost traded it last year and it is the only time she asked me to keep a gun.



 
Canvasback is correct, low brass means nothing as far as what may be felt for recoil. It depends on the components of the particular load. And a 12 gauge can have less felt recoil than a 20 gauge depending on the load used.
 
Consider a 20 gauge for your girlfriend as it's one of the few gauges where light target loads are readily and inexpensively available (12 being the other). In a semi, like an 1100, it should kick less than a comparable 12 gauge.

Another option is a nice pump like a BPS, Wingmaster or Ithaca 37.

I would recommend you budget another $80 or so to have a smith install a really good quality recoil pad like a Pachmayr Decelerator 1" pad or a Remington R3. The OEM pads or plates on most guns leave a LOT to be desired. Most smiths will also slightly shorten the butt to fit her when they install the pad for no extra charge.

A good fit and a good pad will do more to make the gun comfortable to shoot than any other factor.

If she wants to use it for a lot of different activities, a model with interchangeable chokes might serve. For your budget, if you are buying new, take a look at an 870 Express 20 gauge here:

http://www.remington.com/shotguns/pump-action/model-870/model-870-express

This gun can be had with a compact 13" or 12" buttstock, as well as the standard 14" LOP stock. You can also get it in either 21", 26" or 28" barrels. I find female shooters often appreciate the 26" version as it's less muzzle weight for them to hoist.

If you plan to shorten the stock to fit her, get a wood stock. Synthetic stocks are hard to shorten.

Some people denigrate the express models, but realistically they work very well and do smooth out with use. The finish is not as nice as a Wingmaster (obviously), but both guns have the same bones. O the Express guns I've kept, racking the slide a few hundred times while watching TV helped immensely :)
 
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