Shotgun choices for a Woman

[flying sailor]

My fiance, very soon to be my wife, expressed the desire to shoot skeet and do some upland game. What shotguns are made for a woman so that she can be comfortable and shoot well. My sweetheart is 5' 2" and modest build, do not know her LOP yet. Appreciate hearing from all members that have knowledge of shotguns for ladies. I noticed a slight downside to this marriage thing, she has cast her eyes on my Chapuis double in 9.3 x 74R, likes the wood and engraving. At a recent SCI banquet my bud said his wife has taken control of some of his shootin' irons. Oh well, just an excuse to buy more I guess. I know the enablers here will help me out. Thanks for the input.

 

[JimP]

I'd take her down to a good supplied gun store and have her try some out. She sounds small enough that you might have to have one even cut down to get it to fit properly. If you shoot skeet take her out to the range on ladies night/day and talk to some of the other shooters and see if they will allow her to try their guns.

I'll leave gauge alone, some can handle a 12 and some can't where you'll need to move to a 20 or 28 ga.

 

[mdwest]

Beretta makes a woman’s version of the six eighty six silver pigeon called the Vittoria … Syren makes several “women’s guns… the “Julia” is a pretty popular sporting gun that would also do well with upland birds..

My wife has the beretta and absolutely loves it.. she is also on the small side like your fiancé (five foot three)..

Regarding gauge… you might be surprised.. a twelve typically doesn’t produce much more recoil than a twenty.. the twelve is bigger and has more weight.. that offsets the recoil..

The bigger issue for more petit females in shotgun sports is the ability to shoulder and fire the gun 100-300 times a day depending on how much they are shooting (competition, etc)… a twelve is a little harder for them initially due to the weight and having to lift the gun, swing, etc… but typically they adjust to it in a matter of just a few weeks and are fine…

FWIW I’m an NRA shotgun coach and coached a HS team that had a couple of dozen female shooters for a few years, and am now heavily involved in TX SCTP (HS and Collegiate shotgun sports organization)… we see a lot of female shooters come through various competitions, training events, etc… with even just a little practice I haven’t found a female shooter yet that couldn’t manage a well fitted twelve gauge.. to include some of our youngest shooters in the sixth and seventh grade…

 

[Ravensview]

My wife has been looking for a shotgun to use for trap and bird hunting as well, while out visiting my daughter in South Dakota, we stopped at a scheels sporting goods store and she was able to try to out the fit of quite a few different shotguns, she liked the Benelli Montefeltro compact as it has a shorter stock on it. I know there are places that will fit a shotgun to you and there is also a line of women’s shotguns, I believe syren or something along that line. Good luck with your search

 

[Hunter-Habib]

My daughter (right) was 14 years old when I first took her waterfowl hunting. With the correct stance and grip, she learnt how to fire a 12 gauge 3” Magnum side by side shotgun without any problems (my Beretta Model 626E and my father’s Midland Gun Co. Wild Fowler Model). As you can see, she was rather light framed as a child.

But plenty of female shotgunners these days also prefer 20 gauge shotguns. When I first visited Germany in 1966 & Belgium in 1973, I observed 16 gauge as being the most popular for female shotgunners. Although I suspect that nowadays, 20 gauge is most popular.

As to the make of shotgun, I personally think that Mrs. Flying Sailor would really like a Browning Citori.

 

[chashardy]

Beretta makes the SuperLegerro (sp??) which is a light weight model designed with women shooters in mind. Also consider the Beretta A400 Extreme Plus that has the recoil reducing system. Almost no felt recoil and she could use it on upland game, ducks, etc. when not shooting clays.
I agree with JimP above on trying out several before making a choice.

 

[BeeMaa]

Along with the Beretta Vittoria 686 and (Fabarms) Syren mentioned by @mdwest...I would add the Krieghoff K-20 Victoria.

My wife was using a Beretta 686 20 bore for clays and loved it.

 

[Rubberhead]

So, I've been wanting a .410 mostly for rail hunting but already have the vision that it will go to my granddaughter at the right time. BTW - I've already gotten her a lifetime hunting/fishing license so she's already licensed to kill.

Long story short, I got her the gun in the photo. My granddaughter probably won't be very big so the thing that pushed me over the edge with this gun is that it's got a thick recoil pad on it. Shortening the length of pull is as easy as replacing the recoil pad with a butt plate and being a .410 the recoil pad isn't totally necessary anyway. With the Browning rebate that runs through April 15, the gun was only $1,530 at Cabelas.

As far as clay shooting goes, it comes with choke tubes. I shot a moderately challenging course the other day - it was set-up for a youth tournament - and scored a 41/100 with IC and M chokes shooting 1/2 ounce loads.

 

[Firebird]

Franchi makes the Affinity 3 compact and Winchester makes the sx 4 compact. We’ve been looking at the 20 ga versions and 2 3/4 and 3 inch models. These are semi auto for waterfowl but two of my daughters have Been trying them out and love them.
The biggest thing I have noticed as they switch from my full length over under to the compact semis is the speed with which they can shoulder and get on target.
They are in my price range which is a consideration at this point in time!
We have been able to shoot both options at clays and pattern a couple shots with 3”. Girls didn’t complain about the recoil and I didn’t put the thought into their heads.

 

[skydiver386]

Tina tried dozens of shotguns of various gauges and ended up with the Syren 20ga. O/U. We are fortunate to have a gun store and range where I used to work that has shotguns to rent.

Of the semi-auto's she liked the various Beretta shotguns, and picked the 20's over the 12's.

Although she did like the reliability of the Benelli shotguns, the slight increase in recoil was a negative for her.

The choice will really come down to action style and price point. The semi-auto's will be somewhere around $1,000-$1,500, and the O/U's will go from $2,000-$4,000.

If I can make a personal suggestion, it would be to find a Remington 1100 Sporting 28ga. Yes the ammo is an issue, but I used one for years when I was a shooting instructor and supervised skeet and sporting clays league's. It was my go to for training new shooters and without a single exception, every shooter fell in love with that gun. It's still one of the guns I truly regret selling.

 

[BonUm16]

At just 5’2”, set her up for success and have a professional gun-fitter measure her. After that, I’d look for a gas semi-auto 20ga with an appropriate LOP and adjustable shim kit that will allow you to get her close to the dimensions provided by the fitter.

 

[BeeMaa]

For a semi-auto, take a look at the Beretta A400 Xplor Action in 20 bore with 20 inch barrels. The A400 action is by far the softest shooting I've ever experienced. This also has an adjustable shim kit and a recoil pad that can be changed for LOP.

 

[Longwalker]

Models built specifically for women are usually required for good fit. Women have longer necks and narrower shoulders than men, and the stock needs not only less length but more drop at heel and a higher comb. Smaller radius grip, and narrower grip helps too. And lighter barrels. It all adds up.

 

[Rhoyland4]

I have shot both 12ga Browning 825 and Beretta 686 OU shotguns for years. They both fit me well. A couple of years ago, I bought a CZ Drake in 20 & 28 for my daughter to shoot. She has never shot them, but I have found I shoot both better than either the Browning or Beretta. I have used the 28 the last two years quail hunting and killed more birds than I ever have. It is light, and the recoil is light, so I get a lot of follow-up shots I don't with the 12s.


Take her where she can try some different guns and get her fitted if you can. You do not have to spend a fortune on the shotgun, though. The CZ Drakes are like $700-800.

 

[rookhawk]

My fiance, very soon to be my wife, expressed the desire to shoot skeet and do some upland game. What shotguns are made for a woman so that she can be comfortable and shoot well. My sweetheart is 5' 2" and modest build, do not know her LOP yet. Appreciate hearing from all members that have knowledge of shotguns for ladies. I noticed a slight downside to this marriage thing, she has cast her eyes on my Chapuis double in 9.3 x 74R, likes the wood and engraving. At a recent SCI banquet my bud said his wife has taken control of some of his shootin' irons. Oh well, just an excuse to buy more I guess. I know the enablers here will help me out. Thanks for the input.

How about a nice London or Birmingham shotgun in 2.5" 12-bore? With her being a woman, the gun will be a lot less expensive. (short LOP and excessive drop at comb/heel)

 

[7mmFan]

My vote is for a benelli montefeltro in 20 ga. They make a compact version with a shorter stock. Paired with a weighted front end cap from Briley the recoil is negligible. I had one that was fantastic and sold it to an older friend that had shoulder problems and needed something with lighter recoil. He loves it as well. Seller's remorse....
Good luck in the decision and with the upcoming nuptials. If she wants to go hunting with you you're already ahead of the game.

 

[HankBuck]

My fiance, very soon to be my wife, expressed the desire to shoot skeet and do some upland game. What shotguns are made for a woman so that she can be comfortable and shoot well. My sweetheart is 5' 2" and modest build, do not know her LOP yet. Appreciate hearing from all members that have knowledge of shotguns for ladies. I noticed a slight downside to this marriage thing, she has cast her eyes on my Chapuis double in 9.3 x 74R, likes the wood and engraving. At a recent SCI banquet my bud said his wife has taken control of some of his shootin' irons. Oh well, just an excuse to buy more I guess. I know the enablers here will help me out. Thanks for the input.

@flying sailor: Look at Caesar Guerini “Julia”, it is an O/U and this shotgun was designed for Women and that takes into consideration more then just LOP - the comb height is suppose to be more suited for a Woman’s build (slightly longer necks etc).. My Son’s Wife is 34, thin, 5’ 4” and was begining to shoot skeet & clays but getting shoulder bruise and ‘cheek pop’ with a couple different shotguns.. She took a lesson and got recommended to look into the “Julia”, then she had a ‘fitting’ and bought one. Shoots it much better than other models. This shotgun runs around $6000 and is built on the Caesar Guerini Summit Sporting action.
For something less expensive but still competition quality shotgun - Fabarms semi autos are well regarded for Sporting Clays by top female competitors. These will run around $2200-$2800 and be softer shooting then an O/U. Both of these guns hold up well and if you find one “used” for sale you might get a good bargain.

 

[coreydb]

I agree with leaving the gauge issue up to her. many shotgun manufacturers make models for smaller framed individuals. Just beginning, consider light, smooth recoiling ammo; 1100, 1150 fps as the starting point and move up from there

 

[WyoBull]

I don’t know where you live (OP) but if you can take her to a Beretta store they will really help fit her into the right shotgun.
To get her hooked, she needs to be fitted for the right shotgun in the right gauge. The experts will help her accomplish that.

 

[HankBuck]

I agree with leaving the gauge issue up to her. many shotgun manufacturers make models for smaller framed individuals. Just beginning, consider light, smooth recoiling ammo; 1100, 1150 fps as the starting point and move up from there

@coreydb - agree, lots of soft shooting 1oz loads at 1150fps and that’s plenty of lead to break skeet or clays