Shotgun for the wife? Suggestions?

T

TimNelson

New member
My wife wants a shotgun to go hunting with. She is pretty small but not tiny. Any suggestions of where we should start? She will make the final decision but wants me to help her dedide.
 
20 ga

Get her an over-under 20 gauge with a nice recoil pad. Make sure the gun fits her real good or she'll get banged up and probably never shoot it again.
 
My wife has a Beretta 3901 Target RL in 12ga. Short stock, recoil is next to nothing, can shoot 2-3/4" and 3". She mainly breaks clays with it but it is a laser on birds.
 
A snub nosed 357 magnum, obviously.

I would try to find her a 12 ga if you can, it is the standard.

I thik the only way to pick which one is to get her to try some.
 
I'm going to assume your going for deer and bear, just going to round it off at that. I would go with a 12. However my wife has a grudge against a 12 gauge.She won't use one because she thinks they kick to hard, and my wife is a little thing to. If your wife has a problem with the recoil of one as well, then i'm quite sure a 20 gauge would do just fine :D
 
Have her LOP measured... Then if she ain't after a "fine sportin' arm" a mossberg would suit her just fine as frogs hair. Pump or semi auto, they got an offering for her...
Brent
 
As for recoil...
Both the 12 and 20 in an exact gun will have similar felt recoil as a 20 gauge gun is lighter weight than the same model in 12 gauge.
If you weigh down a 20 it will feel softer on the shoulder but heavier on the hands and feet after a day of carry.
Brent
 
20 ga Rem 870 express youth. Got one with a Hastings cantelever barrel for my Mrs. She has a Win 1300 youth in 20 ga for birds.

I've learned to never deny your wife her guns. Give in to her whims and she won't complain about your's.
 
I agree re. a gas gun- if the family budget can handle it, a youth model 11-87 20 ga. would likely be a good way to go. Women & Guns had a review on it a couple of issues back- our own pax ( www.corneredcat.com ) thought it was a winner.

lpl
 
Both the 12 and 20 in an exact gun will have similar felt recoil as a 20 gauge gun is lighter weight than the same model in 12 gauge.
If you weigh down a 20 it will feel softer on the shoulder but heavier on the hands and feet after a day of carry.
Click to expand...
Mostly true, although I think there are a few cases where this is not true. I believe Stoeger specifically has several models that they do not scale.

Going with semi-auto action is the best way to reduce recoil without adding weight or giving up the 12 ga which is much more available. My 11-87 is great. It does not handle high volumes of fire well(250+ between a wipedown), especially with dirty powder(cheap loads for sporting clays).
 
Tim,

If your wife is going to hunt deer in Pa get her a rifle. A 20 or 12 gauge will kick the **** out of her. A 12 gauge slug compares in recoil to a .300 Win. Mag. rifle shell. A nice .243 or something like it will work better and be alot more comfortable for her.

If you or her are hell bent on a shotgun, buy something that you have no problem cutting the stock.

I shoot a fair amount of trap and have seen countless people take a beating from their gun and shoot poor scores because the wood was "to pretty to cut" or "if I cut the stock the value will drop". Both of these statements are pure B.S.! A ill fitting is worthless. Also do not get her the lightest gun you can find, get her the heaviest gun she can carry and handle. It is all physics, it takes more energy to more something the heavier it is. 1/2 a pound in a gun weight makes a world of difference in recoil. This still doesn't make up for stock fit as that is the most important thing in shotguns.
 
If hunting deer in PA, no semi autos are allowed. It must be a manually operated firearm.

If you are in a shotgun only area, I would consider the 870 youth express. Clamp some sights on the vent rib and get a good recoil pad for it. The 20 ga guns are light and can be a handful.

If you aren't in a shotgun only area, I would consider a rifle in .357 mag or .243. Both have plenty of energy to kill a deer at 100 yds and have less recoil than a shotgun.
 
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