Help me Pick a Shotgun for the Misses

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David the Gnome

New member
My better half has decided she will go rabbit/bird hunting with me this fall and I need to get a shotgun for her. We went to the shop today and she tried a few full-size pumps (Remington 870 and Mossberg 500) but she was having a lot of difficulty reaching the front hand-guard comfortably. She's only 5'7" so it's looking like she'll need a youth sized model in order to find one that will fit her. Bud's has a youth model 870 21" 20 gauge but I had hoped to find her a decent 12 gauge. The only other way I think we might find a gun to fit her is if we went with an over/under or semi-auto setup where she could hold the gun further back.

Any ideas?

Quick Edit: She's making the decision, not me, I just need some options to give her (there's a lot of shotguns out there and most of them probably won't be suitable for her). I am completely open to 12-20-28 gauge or whatever the suggestion may be. My own gun is 12 gauge and it would simplify things if we could both shoot the same shot.
 
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Try taking her to your local shotgun club and explaining your/her situation. See if they have different models to rent/try/borrow either from them or members there. I know a woman who is maybe 5' and shoots a regular-stocked gun that fits her - granted it is an O/U, but nonetheless, if any gun fits, she will LOVE shooting and have a good time. If it doesn't and slaps her hard, she won't go back.....(been there, done that)
 
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Have her try on a Benelli Nova ladies/youth model 20 gauge. The Nova is an extremely comfortable and soft shooting gun. For rabbit/bird/clays/anything else, the 20 is just fine.
 
12ga Remmie 11/87 or 1100. Take it to a gunsmith and get the stock cut down to fit her.

Shoot light target loads to keep recoil to a minimum. Teach her how to properly shoulder a shotgun. Start out a few shots at a time until her body learns how to handle recoil.
 
12ga Remmie 11/87 or 1100. Take it to a gunsmith and get the stock cut down to fit her.

Shoot light target loads to keep recoil to a minimum. Teach her how to properly shoulder a shotgun. Start out a few shots at a time until her body learns how to handle recoil.
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First, Remington, (not Remmie), makes a youth stock

Second - you're assuming HE knows how to teach that aspect

Third - Bodies DON'T learn how to handle recoil. The effect is cumulative and not handled properly can lead to flinches and serious damage. Gun FIT is everything - if it doesn't fit, trying to "manhandle" the situation does nothing for her, except turn her off to shooting
 
Gun FIT is everything
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I agree that gun fit is critical, but bodies do indeed learn how to handle recoil. Even perfect gun fit will leave a sore shoulder until your body becomes acclimated to recoil and how to absorb it.
 
Unless you're shooting some magnum BS slug/buckshot/heman shells, perfect gub fit will NOT leave your shoulder sore......sounds like you've never had a gun that was fitted right...most folks never have and just assume that close enough is good enough and you just have to suck it up......that is SO wrong
 
What about this Browning BPS Micro 22"?

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http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=011B&cat_id=012&type_id=225
 
First of all, IMHO you should let the missus pick out her own gun.

She's having to reach out so far on the guns she tried so far because the stocks are all way too long for her. She might also find that a steel receiver 12 gauge is too heavy for her to manage comfortably. If SHE likes the Youth model 20 gauge in the store... then let her shoot one somewhere and see if she still likes it. She doesn't HAVE to have a 12 gauge to kill a li'l ol' bunny wabbit, ya know.

And there's a Youth version of the 20 gauge 11-87 that would be nice, if recoil is a problem... if the family budget can handle it. Semiautos are pricier than pumpguns.

FWIW,

lpl
 
Anything in 20…
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I beg to differ, IMHO: With the proliferation of light 12-ga loads, I would recommend against the 20-ga. Learn with a heaver (and recoil eating) 12-ga. It's much easier to load down a 12-ga than it is to load up a smaller gun. In the long run, the versatility of the 12-ga will be appreciated.
 
20 ga is fine.....but I'd rather get a 28 ga.

I shoot mostly 20 guage these days. It just fits better and swings well. If I had an opportunity to get a 28 ga, then I definately would. They pattern well, and swing like a dream. Just sayin.
 
if she likes the youth 20, go for it. hell, i hunt rabbbit, squirrel, quail, dove, etc, with a .410 bolt action. I personally wouldnt hunt rabbit with 12ga, but to each his own
 
I went through this a few years ago with an ex-girlfriend.

After shouldering and shooting a few guns, she had some ideas as what she liked but still wasn't really sure. We took a couple lessons together to get her shooting. After she was able to narrow down what she wanted, I picked up a nice used 1100 LT20 for her. I bought it from a gentleman at the gun club and had it fitted and added a pachmayr pad as it originally had a hard plastic butt plate. IIRC, I paid just over $300 for it.

Definitely let her make the choice. If you pick a gun for her and she's not a fan of it, neither of you will be happy and she won't keep shooting with you.
 
Take a look at the Mossberg 500 Bantum in 20 GA

I have been a weekly shotgun shooter (sporting clays, trap, skeet, 5 stand) for the past 35 years and have always invested in the higher end over and unders. I bought my eight year old son a Mossberg Bantum 500 series shotgun in 20 ga and he master the gun very quickly. It has a 22" barrel (3 choke tubes), 5 shot capacity and 13" LOP stock. For $18 you can buy the adult sock. Due to the aluminum receiver, it is very light and "quick" and points quit well. Great for clays or hunting. My wife started shooting this gun and also loves the ergonomics of the design (tang safety & shorter reach for the pump. I bought it at Wal-mart for $139 three years ago and would highly recommend it to anyone for a beginers shotgun.
 
With the proliferation of light 12-ga loads, I would recommend against the 20-ga. Learn with a heaver (and recoil eating) 12-ga. It's much easier to load down a 12-ga than it is to load up a smaller gun. In the long run, the versatility of the 12-ga will be appreciated.
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I tend to mostly agree with this statement. 20's are great as well, though. In my house, we have two 12's, a 20, and a .410. The 20 was the first, because I wanted my wife to be able to shoot it. Since then, she's given it up for her own 12. If we had it to do all over again, we probably wouldn't have gotten the original 20. But, it's still a great gun, and we do shoot it from time to time as well.
 
My wife (bless her short little arms...) has a Beretta 3901 RL 12ga that she picked out on her own (made so proud - her first gun...). Great fit for her and she can shoot it - wants to leave it to her grand-daughter someday (how's that for a twist). A little pricey at $850.00 to $1200.00 (depending on the seller) but a lot better than buying a gun and then hacking at the buttstock to attempt to make it fit.
 
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