BrazosJack

My wife wants to start skeet shooting with me. I only load 12ga so I’d like to avoid getting another gauge. She’s small, so I need a 12ga gas operated auto (to minimize recoil) no more than 7 lbs and the CZ 712 utility looks like it might be a good starting point. Since the recoil spring is not in the butt, it should be easier for me to reduce the length of pull to around 12-1/4” including a thick butt pad. To further reduce recoil, it needs to be able to be modified to cycle my light 3/4oz 1300fps and 7/8oz 1200fps reloads. It would never see a load heavier than 1-1/8oz 1200fps (3 dram eq). Do any of you have experience getting the 712 to cycle such light loads by using lighter recoil springs and/or enlarging the gas ports? If my wife finds that she really likes skeet and is shooting with me in 3 or 4 years, then I will consider upgrading to something more expensive. But her past is strewn with expensive things she “had to have” but ended up quickly losing interest in. Would either the Weatherby SA-08 12ga Youth Model or the TriStar Viper G2 12ga Youth Model be a better platform for her than the CZ 712 Utility? Which of these has the best reputation and can it be modified to handle ultra-light loads (even if that means sacrificing the ability to handle loads heavier than 1-1/8 oz 3 dram)?

Just settled in the Tyler area after 10 years in the Saudi oil fields. In my 20's and 30's I competed in IPSC, Laramie Course, and National Match Course (rifle). I also shot a lot of Skeet informally. In my late 40's I competed in Cowboy Action Shooting (SASS) and Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette (BPCS). I do a lot of informal airgun shooting. I don't plan to compete in 3 gun, but I like to shoot my AR's and Glocks and plan to take up informal skeet again. Shot my Citori last weekend for the first time in almost 20 years. Spousal Unit 3.0 wants to learn to shoot skeet. I sold my last 20 gauge years ago and want to stay standardized on 12 ga. So I will be setting up a short LOP, light, low recoil 12 ga for her. I've been browsing the forum and am thinking about getting her a CZ 712 Utility, shorten the stock, and modify it to shoot light 3/4 oz. and 7/8 oz. loads. I have a MEC 600 jr, Rock Chucker, and Dillon 550B. I still have a .45 ACP, some .44 Specials, and some .45 Scofields, but I am trying to standardize on 9mm, .380 ACP, and .38 Spcl. I have no hope of rifle caliber standardization. I have a thing for swap barrel rifles like the MGI modular AR-15 and the Blaser R-93. I have barrels in more than a dozen calibers. Its a sickness with no cure. I've met a few in my area that shoot Skeet on weekends, but I'm retired now and would like other retiree shooters to shoot with during the week (rifle, pistol, shotgun, or airgun).