Mossberg Silver Reserve 26" for wife?

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ihuntterrorists

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Hey guys, this is my first post here.
I'm looking for a cheap O/U for my wife, I really like the looks (and price) of the Mossberg Silver Reserve O/U guns, the 26" barrels in 20 ga. Do you guys think this would be too big for her? She is 5'4", last time we went trap shooting she rented a Beretta youth gun and it was perfect for her. How do you guys think the Mossberg would fit? Thanks!
 
If the Beretta worked for her, why would you change that? The Mossberg has nowhere near the quality of the Beretta - you need to let momma pick out HER gun - not what YOU think she might like - I let momma pick out hers.........she went with a Beretta semi in 12 gauge

12's tend to kick less than 20 because 20's are lighter than most 12's in the same gun design
 
I doubt that Mossberg will fit her well. It isn't a youth model; it's kind of a "one size fits all" type of thing, and that size won't be on the small end of the range. It might be a decent starter gun if it fits, but I doubt it will.

Probably better to try and find a used youth model Beretta. It might take some looking, but with quality guns, you can chop the price in half while still having 98% of its useful life left in it.
 
The Mossberg Silver Reserve is actually made by Khan in Turkey. A few people report getting good ones, but many more report noting but grief.
 
Well the Beretta costs like 4x as much as the Mossberg haha, that's pretty much it.
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Buy once, cry once - cheap O/U that get any amount of use will break more often and not keep their resale value as well as the Beretta semi. Besides, this is supposed to be fun - if she is shooting something that doesn't fit her properly, she won't be having fun - now she'll be mad at you and you will have spent money on a gun she won't shoot and you can't sell and break even. When you look at it like that, the cheap O/U turns out more expensive.

BTW, my wife's Beretta, used, was more than all but one of my shotguns - and mine were bought new. When you calculate ammo and targets, etc. the price of the gun over the next 20-30 years or so is nothing
 
If cost is your primary issue ...at least look at Cabelas offering on the TriStar ...primarily because they have a 5 yr warranty.

There are a lot of good used guns out there as well ....Beretta, Browning, SKB ....even Ruger ...so you might find a value.

But its impossible for any of us - that haven't seen your wife shoot - to tell you what gun she needs / or what may be too long a length of pull / or what is too heavy for her to swing. You really need to let her pick up and shoot a lot of guns / so she can decide. Its also different after 10 targets, 50 targets / 150 targets...

But the Mossberg O/U's are highly suspect in terms of quality ...as are the Remington's, Stoegers, Baikals, etc ... Beretta and Browning have long set the mark on value guns for the dollar / and yes, they do cost more ...they'll also be worth way more down the road 10, 20 yrs ...
 
The Beretta does cost 4X as much, and will last 10X as long with less problems.

Those Mossbergs have a checkered rep. The 686 series Berettas have lots of happy owners, including me.

Do let her pick out her shotgun. Trust me....
 
+1 for the Baretta. you cant go wrong...

I also have a Stoeger Condor O/U that the my wife at 5'6" and 125lbs loves to shoot. Have around 4,000 through it without any problems. paid 300 OTD new for it
 
If you want her to keep shooting with you and enjoying the range time - get a gun that fits. Just IMHO - the Mossbergs seem to recoil harder. I have a Browning XS 12ga (very little recoil) and a Beretta SV10 12ga light field gun that I swear recoils less than the Browning. My wife had a Beretta 390 12ga Target RL (reduced length) that she loved (until forced to give up shooting). Fit her perfectly and little felt recoil.
 
A semi-auto might be a better choice for a new shooter / especially a lady or a young shooter - that has limited upper body strength. So you might look at options in the semi-auto market ...Remington 11-87's, Rem 1100's, Beretta's, Browning Silver series, etc ...

Personally, I like a Benelli Super Sport in 20ga ...semi-auto / but new they're around $ 1,800 ....unless you got a real good deal on a used one / but a gas operated gun ( Benelli is an inertia gun ) is probably a better choice anyway. But my granddaughters have started shooting the Benelli super sport ( because it looks cool ) in 20ga / and they've moved up to the 12ga version at around 15 yrs old. The 20ga version is real light a hair over 6 lbs ..and they can swing it easily / the 12ga version is right at 7 lbs - and they both have the Comfort tech stocks. Another gun I use is a 28ga O/U but unless you're into reloading / cost of shells are prohibitive.

But I wouldn't focus just on O/U's ....until she really get serious about this.

Remember that a 12ga might kick less than a 20ga ... you can shoot 7/8 oz loads in a 12ga ...and depending on weight and balance she might like a 12ga. 1/2 lb or 1 lb is a lot sometimes in terms of gross weight / but the heavier the gun - the less recoil there is for a given shell. Adding 1lb of gross weight reduces recoil about 20% which is a lot...

But she is still the one that has to say how it feels ...too heavy, too clumsy, too whippy ... hard to tell...
 
There aren't always youth sizes. One other option might be to get something like a nice used Browning or Beretta and have a good smith cut down the stock and install an adjustable buttplate.
 
Good choice. I was shooting a 20 gauge 686 WO the other day that is new to a student/friend. Nice shotgun, easily as good as my 12 gauge version for me and better for her.
 
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