Trap & skeet shooting for the wife.

[451_Detonics]

a 28 gauge 1100 can be found in the price range, low recoil and great fun to shoot yet carries enough payload to make hits fairly easily unlike a 410, I love shooting my 28 gauge SXS for skeet and clays...

 

[Leo]

a 28 gauge 1100 can be found in the price range, low recoil and great fun to shoot yet carries enough payload to make hits fairly easily unlike a 410, I love shooting my 28 gauge SXS for skeet and clays...

I can agree with the 28 gauge being a very sweet shooting gun. I don't currently own a 28 gauge but shoot it in my Kolar tube set. It is a shame that it is not very popular in the US. It is far better for all around than the .410, and almost as gentle on the shoulder. The down side is the ammo is really expensive, if you can find. You almost HAVE to reload if you have one, and hulls are pretty pricey too.

 

[Zoub]

Chicks dig style and don't want cookie cutter crap. Also, if the gun compliments her natural hair color, that's a bonus. A used 20 gauge Beretta 303 with walnut stock is an excellent choice. Great value as well, if you can even find one.

 

[bigretic]

My wife has a Beretta 391 20g for trap.

 

[Hookeye]

LOL, last yr I saw WW AA 28 ga at Wallyworld.

 

[Twangbanger]

There is plenty of good information above. Something not touched on, the decision of 12 vs. 20 gauge should _not_ be made primarily on the basis of recoil. A light 20 gauge gun can have just as much recoil velocity / perceived kick as a 12 gauge. The gauge decision depends on how much gun weight she can handle with her upper body strength. To shoot well, she needs to be able to swing the gun somewhat athletically. An 8lb. + 12 gauge with light loads offers the best balance of target performance and recoil. If she can handle an 8-lb. gun, get her a 12 gauge auto, or an O/U if she's not too recoil-sensitive and/or wants to keep her empties for reloading. If she needs to step down to a 7lb. gun or less to be able to swing it athletically, then that pushes you down to a 20 gauge automatic, and this is where the decision becomes a matter of recoil.

 

[hondaCBR]

I am going to have to recommend an over under shotgun and vote against the beretta A300. I owned a a300 and one day I shot 175 rounds and my cheek felt bruised to the touch. It is a smooth shooter but the plastic stock is the problem. The A300 with wood stock would be good but I dont think they sell those. The weight of the gun is relative to how smooth it shoots in my opinion. I now shoot skeet with a browning citori. Can shoot all day. In conclusion, get a wood stock and avoid polymer stock if you are going to shoot that much. Browning citori will last forever. Some guys I shoot with have over 400,000 rounds through theirs and still going strong.

 

[sportsman223]

Fit/gun mount and stance is more important. Weight can help and hurt at the same time with improper stance. I have an 10 year old daughter that can handle 50 rounds of 12g out of her 24 inch Benelli it is 6.8# gun fits her like a glove its about stance and gun fit makes all the difference

If your wanting to shoot 28g just load the 20 to it 3/4oz wads and green dot. Also the A300 can be bought in a wood stock

 

[Hookeye]

If the synth stock surface abrades the face one could always add a comb slider/pad.
IMHO ones face getting beat up is probably an issue of gun fit/form.
I get bonked a little running an old 1100 Trap in the dove field. Prefer field dim stocks, the comb on this burled tank of a gun was taken down by prev owner to "almost" field stock dim.
Hot, tired, and hurried shooting.......I get bumped once in a while.
Not so with field stock........wood or synth.
No abrasion problem with synth either.
My 870 Supermag and 1100 Special Purpose both synth stocked.
Shot a couple hundred rounds in trap in one night, 870..........neck and shoulder a little "gravel" like the next day (always run 1300 FPS stuff).
Face? No prob.

 

[Hookeye]

BTW, a 20 ga 1100 LT Magnum is a cool rig. Walnut with a recoil pad