One for the ladies?..best gun for a female?

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animal79thecat

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Messages
56
Location
South Cumbria
Dear Peoples,

After having taken mother along to the local shoot,originally just as a "button presser" for the clays,it turns out that not only does she enjoy it all,shes actually not a bad shot with my B325,hitting some difficult ones that ive struggled with myself.,despite the gun being a (seemingly) atrocious fit on her,with the butt resting on her upper arm (ow).

Shes expressed an interest in getting her own gun perhaps...so im guessing 20g,or a .410? Can anyone explain the .410 a bit more,and its suitability for clays,if any?

Shes in her early 70;s,but looks and acts more like a 50 something,not a big woman,and not tall either.

Any advice would be gratefully received,

Regards,

Animal.

 
A well fitting 12G is better than a 20G for clays. Most clay shooting ladies I know go for the silver pigeon or the Browning x25 series. 20G are more expensive and can be kicky and bouncy. If I had my time again I'd have a gun from the Syren range, but that's more expensive. Definitely 12G if at all possible. You'll soon save enough on cartridges to buy a 20G.

 
As Liz has said, there is no reason that a lady should anything other than a 12g, provided she can physically hold it and stock is altered to fit.

this usually amounts to, shortening, and perhaps a pitch adjustment, with removal of the toe of the recoil pad (less pointy)...best achieved with a Recoil Systems Green pad!

That along with some suitable instruction and 21g carts to start off, should be all that is needed, in combination with a "not too heavy" gun.

Don't be forced into a 20g by a "well meaning" dealer.

 
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As the previous ladies have said, go for a 12 gauge. My hubby was recommended to get me a 20 when I first started with 28 gram loads, I was black and blue after my first shoot! The most important thing for her would be the gun fit, as you may be aware, we ladies tend to have things that may get in the way when mounting a gun, so I would thoroughly recommend a gun that has an adjustable comb or get one fitted by Malcolm Jenkins and have the recoil system as mentioned above, start her off on 21 or 24 gram cartridges, but the length of the stock is in my mind the most important. I am only 4'11", not a big lady and shoot an MK38 with an adjustable comb. I have had the stock cut down as my arms aren't very long and most people pick it up and say "how do you shoot that" BUT it fits me like a glove and there probably aren't too many shorties like me out there, so go for it, don't pick a gun because it looks pretty, go for the reliability, the fact you can get it fitted correctly and enjoy it.

 
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I concur with the above.  A 5'3"ish I shoot a 12g Beretta Silver Pigeon.  Key thing for me was having the stock shortened to 13.5" and then taking the point off the bottom of the pad with a bench sander.  I've put 200 28g cartridges through it this weekend and not a hint of shoulder soreness.

 
Knowing us ladies being very kind etc I am sure that if you were at a shoot with other ladies there, if you asked nicely they would let her have a few targets with their gun just so she could see if she could handle a 12. Most of the lady shooters (myself included) I know are very approachable and would have no problem with that. I have often let a young girl/lad have a go with mine and I always carry a few 24 grams just in case. Just an idea!!!

 
A Beretta or similar, but shoot 24gm or even 21 gm cartridges. the Comp X 21gm are a particularly nice cartridge.

They will both kill most "normal" birds found at a shoot.

 
I have been shooting for approximately 15 years. Had my first go with a .410 and was absolutely hopeless but I was hooked. Have shot a 12 bore ever since. Feel that the need for an adjustable comb is essential for most lady

shooters. Have shot a beretta 682 with adjustable comb 30 inch barrels for the last 6 years on registered sporting targets. I only ever shoot 24grm cartridges and find these to be more than enough to kill targets and are so smooth. Due to shoulder problems have recently bought myself a beretta A400 excel semi auto and had an adjustable comb fitted in it. Like everyone has said on her don't bother with 20 bore but spend more time and effort on getting a 12 bore to fit properly. This auto cycles 24grms reliably and is soooooo smooth !!

If you are ever in the midlands let me know and you're more than welcome to try either of my guns. All the advice I can give is try as many guns as you possibly can and also remember that us girlies are built a bit different to men and what fits one man does not necessarily fit another lady.

 
Definitely don't go for a .410.  I have one and love it, but you are always going to hit less than with a 12g.  Last time I used mine was when we did two rounds at the same ground.  Went round with my 12g and hit 54 from 70.  The second round with the .410 only managed 40.  It was fine on the close targets, but everything further out was a struggle.  

 
Just makes a change to be able to agree with (almost) everything said above. So many people seem to think "20 bore" the moment the word "Woman" is mentioned. 

Simple maths tells us this -  Recoil is measured as "feet per second" and is a result of the weight of the shot, normally 28 grams (or 1 ounce if you prefer) multiplied by the speed of the shot (average is around 1300/1400 feet per second) divided by the weight of the gun. (nb: this is a VERY rough indication)

So, it's pretty clear that the same cartridge weight shot through a lighter gun will result in greater measured recoil. So, it follows that given most 20b guns are lighter than most 12b guns, the recoil on a 20b (using a the same 28 gram load) will be greater. 

The conundrum is to try and find a gun that is as heavy as can be comfortably handled, and then manage the recoil by using a lighter load if needed.

In practical terms, providing the weight of the gun is OK with the user, it's normally better/easier and cheaper to get a 12b gun and use 21 or 24 gram carts rather than getting a 20b and using 28g carts. The really good news is, not only is it the best option, it's by far the cheapest option too and there's a much wider choice of good 12b guns than 20b. Win win all around. 

However to further complicate matters, a lot of the way the recoil is transmitted and felt back into the body, is to do with gun fit.

Obviously we are all different shapes etc. But generally Women are a bit shorter and most will be better served if the the gun's contact points are altered to suit them.

However, regardless of sex, it's a bit of a balancing act, and it's true that some people prefer a lighter gun and some are simply not affected by felt recoil. 

Bottom line is, there's no reason to assume a 20b will suit someone better than a 12 (Male or Female) 

 
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You could also consider an auto. A Beretta 12 gauge FIELD modelcomes in at around 7 lbs. or less. Why not have a run down to Malmo guns at Lancaster, 2 Lady shooters on the Staff there, I feel sure they could advise.

 
Read post above by billbadger . shows the way with autos.the field model although lighter do not handle as well,as a sporting version and despite being a semi auto they kick more.

 
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12g all the way - just get it fitted properly. You never know she could make the UK ladies team  :hunter:

 
check out the A400 xcel thread in "guns" in the equipment and services section . billbadger has put an update about her new beretta auto . with pics.ideal for some ladies.

 
I happen to have a mint, as new, Ceasar Guerini Tempio 30" that's looking for a good home. Only had 250 shells through it! Save a whack off the over the counter price!

:)

 
12 bore Monte Carlo stock chop for length and pitch job done

 
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