Shotgun Question

[Gordoats26]

My Girlfriend is getting into Geese/Duck Hunting an im Thinkin of getting her a new Shotgun, Do they make shotguns designed for women and or Juniors. Any suggestions as to what I should have a look at?

[Big Thumper]

yes, many manufactors make a 'youth' model for smaller framed shooters.

[Dick284]

http://www.remington.com/products/fi...express_jr.asp

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=22

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/fir...ger_condor.php

[bobinthesky]

If you want you're girlfriend to like shooting, make sure that the recoil is not hurting her. Women are not like men, they will walk away from anything that causes them discomfort. They have nothing to prove, they won't "suck it up" and keep shooting, they will just quit, period! A lot of men can't figure that out. I've seen men hand their wives a pump gun with no recoil pad and no ear plugs loaded with 3 inch magnums and not be able to figure out why they won't go shooting with them ever again... Maybe your girl friend is the exception to the rule because there are some, but there's not many.
Gas guns don't kick less than o/u's and pump guns, but they will spread the recoil out over a longer period of time due to the nature of the way the action operates, this gives the impression of less recoil. They also are lighter in the front than double guns and therefore, are easier to swing, since women lack the upper body strength that men have, this is good. My wife is in pretty good shape, but my 32 inch o/u (which I can shoot all day) is more than she can handle. It's just too heavy for her, I know it's hard to understand, but men have to get their mind around such things!
Five things, gas operated action, good ear protection, good recoil pad on the gun, good recoil pad in her shooting jacket, and light loads! Oh, and make sure she's not takeing the recoil to her face, that sucks, even for us men! You don't want to see your girl friend with a shiner do you? I've seen men with them!
Stock fit is paramount for comfort and reduceing recoil, most guns are designed for your average man who is 6 feet tall and 190 lbs or something like that, not for women. To start with, they are usually too long. Secondly, women (I'm sure you've noticed) are built different from men. The butt pad often has to be changed to a different angle from the way that the factory has it to acomidate the female shape. Only a couple of degrees or so depending on their build, but it can make a world of difference to them. Remember, you want her to enjoy this so she will go with you again, right?

[OutwardBound]

Goats, I started waterfowling only 3 yrs ago and I'll give you the lowdown from a woman's perspective.

We need a gun that fits in stock, overall length, grip thickness and length of pull. Contrary to what Bob believes its not that we're wimps, it's that we get frustrated easily and lose patience with improper fits. I am 5 3, 115lbs and can. Benchpress 130lbs, upper bodystrenght is not an issue, ratiowise I am stronger than many men. I can't do anything about my arm lengths though and in that regard I'm limited.

I started out for the first two yrs with a Remington 870 express youth 20ga. At the time no 12 even felt remotely comfortable. The gun was easy to mount, swing and the recoil was negligable. Remember recoil is perceived differently by everyone. For two yrs I kept up with the boys and their 12's.

I just started doing research into semi auto 12's and decided to take the plunge, but not aafter shouldring tons of shoguns, swinging etc. Now that I'm more experienced and skilled I was able to make that perfect choice and know when I found that perfect fit. I am extremelly happy that I bumped up. The recoil is minimal and bc the fit is so nice it feels a lot better. Check out our hunting posts to see some pics and stories. Also pm me if you'd be interested in buying your girl a 20ga bc I am selling the 870 to make room.

It's great to see guys bringing their girls into the field and make sure you bring her shopping toensure a good fit.


Danni

[bobinthesky]

Danni, I don't believe that all women are wimps, I didn't mean to give that impression. How ever, I still stand by what I said, in that women are different in build and different in mind set. I've known lots of women that can take heavy recoil but I think you'll admit that most women don't bench press 130 lbs do they? So you would be the exception and not the rule. My wife runs and is a yoga instructor, she has good core strength but still, the long barreled o/u is too much for her and she dosn't like the recoil. My daughter's were the same way. So after 30 something years of shooting and 10 years of steady shotgunning, I am relateing what I've seen and learned from observing and teaching women to shoot shotguns and I'm sorry if that offends you but it's the way I've seen it.
In some cases, the women are only there because they want to spend time with their husbands or boyfriends and not because they are interested in shooting. They usually don't stay long. Other women, are genuinely interested in shooting but quit because, like you say, they get frustrated since they don't have the right gunfit to make the sport enjoyable. Other's like you, persevere and are succesfull at the sport because you over come the issues of gun fit. And I suspect that you had some help with gun fit along the way because most people don't figure it out for themselves in less than 3 years. More women would enjoy the sport of shooting and not quit in disgust if they had help with gun fit right from the start. This isn't knowledge that we're all born with. It has to be taught to new shooters by people with experience, and it's not just women who have fitting troubles, many men do too!
So, my intention here is not to offend women, but to hopefully, see another women get into the shooting sports and enjoy it. We need all the participants that we can get if this sport is to survive.

[bobinthesky]

When my daughter's learned to shoot shotguns, they tried several different guns including o/u's, pumps, and single shots. They didn't like the recoil of most of those that they tried but really liked the Remington 1100LT 20 gage that I bought for them. These guns are relatively heavy for soaking up recoil and are gas operated, which gives less perceived recoil. My kids found this gun to be the most comfortable to shoot out of all the guns they tried. Again though, I had the stock altered to fit them.
Often, going to a 20 gage to get less recoil than a 12 is a mistake because 20 gage guns are usually lighter than 12's and therefore kick just as much. I have a 20 gage Beretta o/u that kicks hard due to the fact that it only weighs 5 lbs 1 oz. I know a couple of 13 year old kids that shoot 12 gage o/u's in competition. The recoil dosn't bother them one bit because they are using the reduced recoil loads that Winchester puts out. In a heavy gun, the kick is really minimal.

[gungirl]

Most people seem to think it's the recoil that scare people off of guns, when in reality it's more noise related than anything. Give me some ear protection and I'll shoot anything. And, I am a girl. I have a female friend who weighs 90lbs soaking wet, has very little muscle, and never shoots guns. I've taken her out and let her shoot all my shotguns, as well as my 30-06. She has never complained about recoil because she always has ear protection.
I also think that while yes, guns are generally built for larger people, it doesn't mean we can't shoot them. It just means we look way sexier when we do. I mean c'mon, what's hotter than a chick with a big ass rifle?

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by gungirl

Most people seem to think it's the recoil that scare people off of guns, when in reality it's more noise related than anything. Give me some ear protection and I'll shoot anything. And, I am a girl. I have a female friend who weighs 90lbs soaking wet, has very little muscle, and never shoots guns. I've taken her out and let her shoot all my shotguns, as well as my 30-06. She has never complained about recoil because she always has ear protection.
I also think that while yes, guns are generally built for larger people, it doesn't mean we can't shoot them. It just means we look way sexier when we do. I mean c'mon, what's hotter than a chick with a big ass rifle?

that is a very good point, and one that i have noticed as well with my wife.

[Unregistered user]

Originally Posted by gungirl

I mean c'mon, what's hotter than a chick with a big ass rifle?

Nothing, absolutely nothing. Fit is very important, she may need a shorter butt-stock depending on the length of her arms. Check with AHEIA if they have a youth/newbie demo coming up.

[bobinthesky]

That's why I stress good ear protection along with gun fit. Personally, I wear plugs underneath electronic muffs.

[OutwardBound]

Bob, I wasn't infering that you were being ignorant just wanted to point out an example of your exception. Also I think that there are more exceptions than you think and I dont like being painted with that 'she's a chick and doesnt know squat' brush. Not to start a match but I am an intelligent individual and did figure out my 20 didnt fit me and what I needed in terms of a 12, semiauto, castoff, stockfit, comb height...blahbalhblah. I did a ton of research and the first time I ever spoke to a smit was when I picked it up. Yes unusual I know but not imposible, I am a sponge with my interests.

Like I said and you agree fit is of utmost imporance. That's why your long o/u is simply too big for her. For most men they can be successful with a bit of an improper fit, but for us we have so many different dimensions that minor imperfections throw us right out. Problem is to get that perfect fit you have to drop some serious dough, and with uncertainty of how enjoyable the sport will be most women are handed leftovers or youth guns. I started out this way and it is a good way to go bc you know you can upgrade later. Now I'm shooting a Beretta 391 Urika 2 and have found my shotgun soulmate!
But you never would have caught me or convinced me to go that route in the beginning. I had to get confident and work my way up through the ranks.

Gord get her something that fits and that she's comforable with and you will have a great hunting partner to share many memories with.

Danni

[gungirl]

Honestly, I used to flinch horribly in the past. A good friend and fellow shooter pushed me on the noise thing. I trusted him and started shooting with ear plugs. Now I'm thinking my 30-06 is a little small for my taste. Next gun I buy will be a 7mm or 300. I've shot both caliber's with no problems as long as the ears are covered. And I'm not a huge girl by any means, so that is something to take into account.
Give your wives and GF's a chance to shoot bigger rifles. You might be surprised at what they can handle.

[bobinthesky]

Danni, I travel in shotgunning circles in western canada and the southern united states, and I dissagree that there are a lot more exceptions to the rule like you out there. If there is, then there's not many of them frequenting the ranges I go to. The vast majority of female shooter's that I see are not bench pressing 130 lbs and researching gun fit.

We essentially agree on most major points and dissagree on some minor ones, so I won't beat the dead horse any longer.
Have fun with your new Beretta!