what 20ga for lady 3G shooter....

[fastarget]

What would you recommend from today's semi auto offerings for a young lady who wants to shoot 3G. We have the pistol and rifle under control, but a 12ga is slowing her down. She did not complain about the recoil mind you, but the combination of weight and recoil slowed transitions and shot recovery substantially.

[usmc1974]

You do know a 20 gauge level load in a 12 gauge had less recoil? right.

[fastarget]

Tried some real light but had reliability issues with an SLP, waiting to try an M2. Slugs are still hard kickers. also moving an 8 lb gun is slowing transitions.

[TRUBL]

The M2 20 gauge is a great choice.

You could also look at a gas gun, the 1187 is a solid 20 gauge....but a little heavy. I have an older Franchi, but ended up replacing the factory mag tube with a stainless steel tube as the thin walled aluminum tube broke.

You could look at the Mossberg, Stoeger and possibly CZ....but make sure the factory tube is infact Steel and not aluminum.

The 20 gauge has a sharper recoil than the 12 gauge and you can get back on target faster. And if you run Remington slugs.....they are 5/8 ounce and are super comfortable to shoot.

The AP custom 4 up shell holders will hold 5 shells and require no modification. Other shell caddies may require you to line the inside with the 'loop' side of velcro. I did find out that the DUALOADS that we offer will work great with the 20 gauge round with little or no mods'.....if she wanted to do the 2 up loading.

I've been shooting a 20 gauge M2 for about 6 years in 3 gun and as long as I was on my game, I had no disadvangtage over the 12 gauge.

Tim

[fastarget]

Tim,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I am keeping an eye out for a Benelli and see how that fits. I do like the option to adjust it with shimms since she is a lefty.

C

good website by the way...

Edited April 20, 2012 by fastarget

[MickB]

I put together an 11-87 Youth model for my 13 year old son. Choate extension, EZ loader and Williams slug sights. Comes standard with a 21" barrel, short stock with gel recoil pad and is very soft shooting. He has no issues with anything put through it, including slugs.

Mick

[TRUBL]

Tim,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I am keeping an eye out for a Benelli and see how that fits. I do like the option to adjust it with shimms since she is a lefty.

C

good website by the way...

Thanks C'!!

By the way, if you need the stock shortened any, Trapr from RED NECK TACTICAL has a how to do it pictoral on his his Red Neck Tactical Facebook Page. I personally find the M@ to be just about an inch too long for my liking.

Tim

If you need anything for the 20 gauge, I'm the guy....I can point you in the right direction.

Edited April 20, 2012 by TRUBL

[fastarget]

I put together an 11-87 Youth model for my 13 year old son. Choate extension, EZ loader and Williams slug sights. Comes standard with a 21" barrel, short stock with gel recoil pad and is very soft shooting. He has no issues with anything put through it, including slugs.

Mick

Interesting idea, will look into it, maybe an older 1100,

[MarkCO]

A few comments

First, the SLPs can be put on a diet and easily get down to 7 pounds. Cut the rail off and internally lighten the forend. Change the recoil spring out with a Golden Clays spring and gets a sporting clays piston...light, fast and cycles the sub 1000 fps loads. Cut the stock back and adjust for stature and all will be well.

IF is was going to buy a new one, it would not be a 11-87 nor an M2, the former for reliablity, the later for recoil. A 930 JM can be trimmed up and they are pretty light. Being gas, it can be modified to cycle lower recoil shot shells. The B&P are probably the lowest recoil slugs, but you can also load your own in a lower recoil flavor.

Regardless of platform, shortening (and properly fitting) the stock makes a world of difference and is usually ignored for the benefits it provides.

[fastarget]

Thanks for the input MarkCO,

Just finished looking at a 930 and mossburg SA-20 on the net, now to get one for her to shoulder.....price cannot be beat that is for sure.

[ksmirk]

I've been playing with the CZ712 and yeah I know it doesn't have a large following but with some simple work it's an awesome 3-gun shotgun and fits a light budget which I like. I've got some recoils springs that I am trying so a couple of the ladies I know can try out 3-gun. Lightest I have shot is the 1145fps loads but I've not found anything lighter yet but it's rather soft on the recoil end. The ATI stocks are kinda ungly in my eyes but they perform thier function well. The 712 is no Benelli but a heck of a lot better than the 930 in my eyes and several others but it's not my money were spending here. Best of luck and glad to here your getting some ladies into this sport. Later,

Kirk

[T Bacus]

I know just what you mean. It is not just the weight that makes a typical 12ga hard for a small shooter to use, it is the fact that the weight is too far forward, making the gun hard to control in an attempt to fire rapidly and accurately. An excellent solution would be either the Benelli 20ga Montrefello, or the Remington 11-87 Youth-Compact model. The Remington is 6.5lbs, comes with a 21" barrel that is threaded for choke tubes and Nordic makes a +4 tube for it. The Remington should be avaliable new, for around $650.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/compact/shotguns/model-11-87/model-11-87-sportsman-compact-synthetic.aspx

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=23357/Product/EXTENDED-MAGAZINE-TUBE

[EkuJustice]

The weight forward isnt a problem if its handled correctly. Look at how the clay shooters are usually moving the gun. Dont try to muscle the gun with the arms. When you move the gun, the lowerbody can be used like a tank turrant to move the gun and using that method, the nose heavy guns can be moved with ease. The light ammo and a gas gun will help the shot recovery. On the weight its a double edged sword. You cut the weight the gun is lighter and recoils more.

[BrianATL]

Benelli 20 is the way to go for shooters who cant handle a full size 12 gauge. The remingtons are nose heavy pigs that give smaller statured shooters a hard time trying to manipulate them. Its not just the shooting thats the problem its trying to support the gun one handed while trying to stuff shells in the thing

[TRUBL]

There was time.....when the 1187 was one of the top (and most reliable) shotguns in the 3 gun sport. And....they still would be, if it wasn't for the weight of them things. Every one knows you need to replace the o=ring before any match and lube it up....and your good.

Seems that a 6.5# 1187 might be a nice set up for a woman.....would be nice if you can find one to go and try. The plus side is....ammo availibility. If you ever need to go to a heavy load for a special stage you can with no problem. Yes, you can buy 1.25 ounce loads for a 20 gauge.....#6 pheasant loads, of course, it is a 3 inch magnum.

Modifying a 12 gauge to shoot light loads is doable, but you will be running on the edge.....doing something that the gun just wasn't designed to do. It's more than changing a spring and a piston, you still have the friction issue, you may find yourself cleaning the gun more often. It's something a guy can do, but it can also turn in to a nightmare and go south pretty quick. Will it? Probably not. but if it does....its just a hassle. I used to shoot Winchester extra light and feather weight loads out of a pump for 3 gun....and even with a full choke, they really didn't seem to knock down poppers as fast as the 20 gauge I have today. I just had to KNOW I hit them and not wait for them to fall. But I had an option to go heavy if I need to...you'll not want to do that with a semi, if you made to shoot light loads.....you can only choke up or down.

The 20 gauge, on the other hand, especially that youth model.....you pull it out of the box, put a tube on it and maybe a DMW extended bolt release (if it needs it, and they do fit) and drive on. And for about $650 or so new, I think you may have a solution. And they were pretty much designed to shoot any load out there that you'd want to shoot in 3 gun.

Edited April 21, 2012 by TRUBL

[MickB]

My son's 11-87 Youth was purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods for $395 last Thanksgiving.

Also interesting to note that the mag tube is not dimpled, so no extra modifications to add an extension.

DMW EZ loaders also have to be made to fit by trimming the sides a little - that is the only extra work with the 11-87 Youth. Plus the stock can be lengthened using the included spacer kit as the kid grows...

Mick

[TRUBL]

Nice Mick!!.....And Nordic makes a fine tube for that shotgun too!!

Tim

[Sako92S]

Tried some real light but had reliability issues with an SLP, waiting to try an M2. Slugs are still hard kickers. also moving an 8 lb gun is slowing transitions.

For young lady I suggest Benelli M2 with Comfortech stock. Barrel length 22" or 24" and caliber 12.

My wife is aprox 5' 6" and weight is aprox 110 lbs

Transition or recoil has never been problem with M2 24". M1 is different story. She used to shoot with M1 before but liked M2 more.

[LSnSC]

Ive got a 20 gauge 11-87 and two LT 20 1100's. They are anything but nose heavy pigs.

My 11-87 is one of my teaching shotguns, currently in use by a young lady headed to the Junior US Open next month. It will shoot anything you put in it, fron 3/4 oz reloads to 3" mag buckshot and slugs. It has had thousands of rounds fired on the skeet ranges, sporting clays ranges, swamps and marshes. I dont use it for 3 gun but wouldnt hesitate to do so. The guns I see choking and puking at matches arent 1100's.

With proper maintainance they are as reliable and softer shooting than any of the other gas guns.

I wouldnt recommend an inertia gun to anything but an experienced shooter accustomed to recoil. Ive seen too many poeple buy based on slick advertising only to take it the shorts when they traded up to a gas operated semi auto.

[CocoBolo]

I just came back from the TX MultiGun and a lady was shooting a 20ga Rem, the only real issue she had because of the 20ga was that the buck shot would not take down the Larue Targets at @40 yards. Everthing thing else she was able to shoot. Her small 14 year old daughter was shooting a 12ga FN SLP and did very well with it, and the 12 yr old son also shot an FN SLP 12 ga, as did the dad, the older son shot a Benelli he was about 15-16.

[TRUBL]

I just came back from the TX MultiGun and a lady was shooting a 20ga Rem, the only real issue she had because of the 20ga was that the buck shot would not take down the Larue Targets at @40 yards. Everthing thing else she was able to shoot. Her small 14 year old daughter was shooting a 12ga FN SLP and did very well with it, and the 12 yr old son also shot an FN SLP 12 ga, as did the dad, the older son shot a Benelli he was about 15-16.

Yep.....thats one of the only times you need to choke up and maybe find some 3" #3 buck (they allow that for 20gauge, cause you can't find 00 buck hardly at all....I've seen it once, a long long time ago). Another time is with those MGM spinner things.....#6 magnum loads work great on them and will spin them as easy as a 12 gauge. Last summer, before the Shotgun Match in St. Cloud, MN.....I had a lot of time to figure those out weeks before the match. It came down to #6 1oz magnum loads and a modified choke (I normally use a cyl. bore).

Tim