Light shotguns for wives

C

cancer

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I'm always trying to get my wife into shooting clays with me, but everytime she picks up my shotgun(s) (various semis over the years) she complains it's too heavy. Am I going to have to sacrifice barrel length just to find a lighter clay gun? Or is there a typical "woman's shotgun" that's made lighter?
 
Got a nice little 20 gauge Rem 1100 for sale here if you're interested. Vent rib/skeet barrel. Kingston On. (PM if interested) :) Don't think she can complain about it being too heavy.

My wife used it a bit until I bought her an O/U. Dont know if there's a better gun for a woman...especially if she's on the "smaller" side....or youngster to start out with.
 
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Don't know what kind of "shooting clays" you're trying to get her into????????? We shoot skeet.

My experience has shown that with my young sons (years ago)...and my wife....(130 LBS/5'4")....the 20 Ga 1100 is one of the best guns to start out with. Many will agree I'm sure. However.....good luck in your search. :)
 
A few years ago I arranged some instruction for Mrs. Claybuster in hopes of getting her into the shotgun game. She learned on a 28 gauge Winchester Diamond Grade 28 gauge o/u. She loved it. Light, low recoil and quite attractive. They are out of production for many years now and I looked for quite some time to find one. When I did finally acquire one she explained that she'd rather spend time with her horses than shoot clay targets. :(

I've also done some instruction of women shooters and used a 28 gauge Winchester 101. They all loved it. There's one for sale on this site and while not cheap they are excellent for people who want light guns.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72827

(Note. I don't know the seller or the gun so make no claims to the condition)
 
Fabarm is introducing a 28ga O/U this year. I have a few on order as there seems to be lots of interest in the light guns for just this reason.
 
redleg said:
Fabarm is introducing a 28ga O/U this year. I have a few on order as there seems to be lots of interest in the light guns for just this reason.
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Neat. I didn't know Fabarm was making a 28 gauge. Let us know when you get them in. I've done a fair amount of shooting with the 28 and it's a great gauge for clays. Low recoil and within 40 yards will hit them as well as a 12.
 
cancer said:
Hmm, sounds like a smaller guage is the next attempt I should try.

What barrel length are your wives using?
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The Winchester 101 has 27-1/2" barrels which seemed to work well with my wife.

Another gun you might consider is the Remington 1100 in 28 gauge. It also have 27 inch barrels as I recall. It's a very light gun with low recoil.
 
Although i prefer an o/u gun, i have owned a Beretta semi auto and these guns are awesome.
With the gas operated system,the felt recoil is almost non existent and the guns are light in weight.
Buy a 20g Beretta in 391 semi auto and she will love it;)

PS, note that the 28g is an awesome gun, BUT, ammo is expensive compared to 20/12g
 
IMHO a 28 ga. is a specialty shotgun, and your wife - if a novice - would find hitting with a 28 much more challenging than with the more common 20 ga. I believe a well fitted 20 ga O-U would be the place for her to start. It is true that the O-U may be heavier than an auto, but the balance should more than make up for that.
 
The smaller gauge is worthwhile, but moreover, a gun that is the proper length of pull and fit for the ladies is paramount. Most of our 14" plus L.O.P. target guns can be just too much to handle for the smaller gals .

Get her her OWN shotgun. Great impetus to learn how to shoot it, and it isn't your old hand-me down stuff !

A Browning Gold Superlight Micro in 20 ga. may be an option. At just a little !over 6 lbs. it shouldn't be too heavy, and 20 ga. semis don't generate a lot of recoil with target loads. It is a little shorter in L.O.P. than standard Golds, but can be shortened even further.

Really want to teach your wife to shoot ??? Just like teaching the missus how to drive - you're way better off to get someone else ( who is patient & proficient) to be her shooter-coach ! Gracious, you wouldn't want her to learn YOUR bad habits, would you ?
 
Should have added ... If you can find another lady friend of the wife's, or another gal at the Club who shoots, there is seemingly much more for the wife to enjoy if there's another female in the mix. Hangin' out with the boys isn't all we think it's cracked-up to be !
 
Boomer said:
IMHO a 28 ga. is a specialty shotgun, and your wife - if a novice - would find hitting with a 28 much more challenging than with the more common 20 ga. I believe a well fitted 20 ga O-U would be the place for her to start. It is true that the O-U may be heavier than an auto, but the balance should more than make up for that.
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That would be an accurate statement IF we were talking about the .410 but it does NOT apply to the 28 gauge.

A few years back I owned a three barrel set (20,28,.410) and found the 28 gauge didn't give up a thing at skeet distance targets and often beyond. The only thing the 20 gave me was more recoil.

If you ever get the chance to shoot a Remington 1100 in 28 gauge compared to the same gun in 20 gauge you'll notice a definite difference in recoil but no difference on the score card.

Most of the target o/u in 28 gauge are on a 20 gauge frame which means the barrels are often a little lighter and it's forend weight that often causes fatigue among women shooters. Last summer I helped instruct a group of new and novice women shooters ranging in age from 30 to 60 plus and we got all of them breaking skeet distance targets with the 28 gauge.

The only valid criticism of the 28 gauge is that it is more expensive to buy but it's an excellent gauge for new shooters concerned about recoil or gun weight

Now if only Beretta would make the 391 in 28 gauge. I'd be first in line.
 
if you tryed all these different guns and she still finds them to heavy then it sounds like your wife just dont want to shoot and is using they gun is to heavy for me rather then just telling you that she not interested
 
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