Semi-Auto shotgun suggestion for my wife

[pistolmania]

I would try finding a range that will rent them out for you to try. I started shotgunning when I was 16 and a scant 95lbs. I tried pretty much every type of shotgun and I'll tell you the difference in recoil between a 20ga and 12ga isn't as much as you'd think. When you don't weigh much, they're all going to kick a lot. The biggest difference you can make is learning to have a proper stance, hold, and cheek weld. Then it's a matter of figuring out which one you shoot well with.

Having said that, the Weatherby SA08 and Beretta A400 ($$$$) would be good ones to look at.

Hello.

First of all, please excuse me if this isn't the proper place to ask this question.

Now jumping to the actual question, what would be appropriate for my wife who is 5 feet tall and weigh 100 lbs?

I'be been advise to buy a 20 ga semi autof or a small frame person, but my wife thinks that she can handle the difference in recoil. I'm new to shooting myself and neither myself or my wife have ever shot semi auto shotgun of any caliber.

My wife is fairly weak? I guess? She hasn't been able to beat any of her friends in arms wrestling, if thats relevant is any way, so the weight of the gun is a bit of concern as well.

[FISHNFRANK]

Get a Benelli Montefeltro 20 gauge - $999. It won't be uncomfortable for her with standard loads. There is nothing better for the money.

Frank

[ElvenSoul]

VEPR12

[kayaker55]

Light loads ! I have four 12ga shotguns. My wife loves my Beretta with low recoil / light loads. In fact, I love the light loads as well ! I've taken several defensive shotgun classes. When I take a shotgun class, I always use Federal's Low Recoil LE Flight Control Buckshot. In fact, some schools have started putting it on their ammo lists. Both of you should try it.

[ArmsUnlimited]

Beretta 1301, very easy to handle and its a 12ga

$799 from us

https://www.armsunlimited.com/Beretta-1301-Tactical-Semi-Auto-12-GA-Shotgun-p/j131t18le.htm

[mwjarz]

my wife is a bit taller and not much muscle mass up top. First time out with a loaner beretta a300 12 Ga. She stopped shooting after 17 shots . Couldn't hold gun up any longer even as I was also holding gun between shots. Recoil was not a problem. After a few trips she was lasting 2 rounds unassisted. Typical day is 2 trap and 1skeet with her own A300 and she's ready to eat. What's not to love.

[dwalker]

Try a VersaMax, its just about the softest shooting 12GA I have shot.

[savannah]

Shotguns are a tricky buy, especially for someone else. You have to think about length of pull, cast, pitch, weight, drop and so it goes. To try and buy a shotgun for someone else and have it fit so they can shoot it correct is (pardon the pun) a shot in the dark.

If you wife is totally new to shotguns there are a couple of things to consider. Have her shoulder a gun you might have or go to the store and have her shoulder a few. Check her eye dominance first. If she is right handed and right eye dominant or left and left, you are good. Have her shoulder your gun, have her close the non dominant eye and ask her what she sees. If she tells you the back of the receiver you know that won't fit her without adjustment. If she rolls her head over the top of the stock, it doesn't fit her. If her arm holding the for arm is stretched out to hold the forearm or her hand is holding the receiver the LOP is probably off. These are all the things you can do to start to figure out what she needs but bottom line is a shotgun will probably need to be fit to her. Most shotguns (especially with a field stock) don't fit women. A Monte Carlo or better yet, adjustable comb will most likely be better. She does not need a 20 gauge because she is smaller. She needs a good fitting gun. A well fit 12 is far softer to shoot than an ill fitting .20.

I started with a Beretta 3901. I am smaller with a shorter LOP. The old 3901 was adjustable in cast, LOP and had an adjustable comb. I went to Perrazi and I butchered the gun to fit me. Big mistake. I bought a Beretta 682 gold and it was a mule and I had to butcher it to fit. Didn't learn from my first mistake. So I bought a Ceasar Guerini Syren for women. I had to cut an adjustable comb in the Monte Carlo stock to have it fit. I am now shooting a Beretta A400 parallel target, (yes a smurf gun) and it fit me out of the box.

So.....bottom line. Don't make all my mistakes. They were expensive. Go to a gun fitter or the very least someone who knows how to fit a shotgun. Find out what she needs and what she feels comfortable with in her hands and shouldered. Move on from there.

[22mobile]

did you buythe shotgun??? if not wait till next month and go to the rahauges shootin fair and she can try a lot of guns and find what she wants not what other people say to buy

[ColdDeadHands1]

I'm surprised no one has asked this. What is the shotgun for? Home defense, skeet, trap, waterfowl hunting, upland game hunting? My recommendations would differ based on your answer.

[BonnieB]

I'm surprised no one has asked this. What is the shotgun for? Home defense, skeet, trap, waterfowl hunting, upland game hunting? My recommendations would differ based on your answer.

Right !! Good question and no one really asked. And different purposes do make a difference in choice.

When I was selecting my first shotgun, I wanted a reliable brand for a reasonable price. I wanted a wood stock, because I knew I would need the LOP adjusted. I wanted to shoot trap, so needed a longish barrel, but also wanted it to double for home defense. and I wanted a barrel length that wouldn't tire me out when holding it up. I wanted semi automatic gas operated because the gas eats up the kick. And I wanted the gun to hold more than two rounds at a time, for HD purposes (with the waterfowl plug out it will hole 1 in the chamber and three in the magazine). Put all in the blender, buzz it up a bit and the Weatherby SA )* came out as first choice. I went to the LGS and shouldered all their 12 ga's including the Weatherby and it won hands down. For ME.

Other people will have other purposes, but that was my reasoning. Also I had expert help and advice from a close friend who has been shooting trap for 30 years. Good to have expert advice and a talented fitter for LOP.

Funny story, one time, early on, Savannah and I were out shooting trap. Well, she was shooting and I was learning. In the process we each leaned our shotguns on a rack, while taking a breather. My $700 Weatherby just next to her megabuck Beretta (which had me drooling, but I have a budget).
Next thing I know, she walks up to the rack, picks up my shotgun, walks off with it and fired two shots before she figured out it wasn't her gun. But she DID know from shooting it, even if she didn't notice that they looked a whole lot alike. She's about my stature, so it wasn't a horrible fit, and we had a good laugh about it.

One thing about semi automatic shotguns is you can't break them open when empty. And there's no real way to TELL that they're empty unless you put a flag in the action. So, you gotta be REAL careful to keep them pointed down (or up, according to the range rules). If I wanted another trap gun, I'd get a longer barrel in a model that would break open, just so people wouldn't freak out about it not breaking open...