Shotgun recommendations for 5' 3" 120 pound female

Elenaidan

Elenaidan

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I need more advice than I can articulate after two glasses of wine. My neighbors daughter is very interested in firearms and wants to go dove and deer hunting. She is saving up her own money to buy her first shotgun. She is starting there because she is planning to hunt. Let me hear all your recommendations and why you would choose that item. She is a great kid (17) and I will gladly gift her the difference in a mediocre and a nice shotgun.

Short list for me would be 20 ga;
Benelli SBE
Beretta
FN
Winchester SX3

Anything semi and of good reliability.
 
Elenaidan said:
Why O/U instead of the semi option?
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To me they give better build quality that will last thru the years.
A lot will depend on her budget.

Take her to Mid South Guns in Wagram, NC so she can see a LOT of different guns at a lot of different price points.
$500 to $50,000+ can be looked at and Phillip will talk her thru all the differences.

Edited to add:
Then take her to eat fried chicken next door
 
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^^^^

I’ll second the 1100 lt 20.

If you can find an A5 lt 20, that would be a good choice, as well.

For a pump, an older 870 WM 20 or Browning BPS youth 20.

DO NOT go with an Ithaca 37 featherweight 20…not that it’s a bad shotgun, at all, but it will knock the ever-living s* out of you.
 
ronn47 said:
so she can see a LOT of different guns
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This.

She might be better served by handling a number of different shotguns to find one that points well for her. It would be a shame if she got a really nice, high-quality gun and simply couldn't hit anything with it (w/o extensive training and/or fitting).
 
Don't skimp on the gauge "just because".

Get her out and let her handle/shoot some shotguns herself, including 12 ga. Start with shot shells so she can concentrate on basic handling and management with respect to the weight, aiming, carrying, shooting, etc.

Then move her up to 00 buck and slugs.

Daddy's Little Troublemaker's first choice in shooting a real gun was my Remington 870. She was, I believe, around 12 at the time and she is not a big girl. Handled it just fine, though we didn't shoot 00 buck or slugs.
 
christyouthguy said:
20ga beretta a300 or a400. Not a O/U.
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I’m in a similar boat as OP with my 19yo daughter who is small. She likes to shoot clays but my 12ga A300 is a bit too heavy for her to wield around. We rented a O/U 20ga and she loved it.
Debating a 20ga A300.
 
I’ll second ( 3rd?) the 1100 UL in 20 gauge. If she’s new to shooting the recoil absorption will help … and they’re readily available on the used market .

Take her skeet shooting first- if at all possible letting her “ borrow” a few different scatterguns to try out….

With the caveat that an 870 with a rifled barrel is an awfully effective whitetail gun out to 100 yards or so. .. and 870 barrels are available reasonably cheap.

But for ME … I’d think of getting her two different guns. A single shot 243 deer rifle with a decent scope won’t set anyone back much, and allows for more choice in a bird gun. ..
 
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A300 Outlander Sporting Reduced Length Shotgun | Beretta

The new A300 Outlander Sporting Reduced Length is a soft-shooting semi-auto gas-operated system and the #1 shotgun choice for millions of hunters and sportsmen around the world. Learn more here!
www.beretta.com www.beretta.com

This is an option for a shorter person. The problem with standard 12 and 20 gauge guns will be length of pull. A Remington LT 20 can be a good choice, but the stock might have to be cut. If she were to go the LT 20 route, it might be worth having the stock cut, and adjustable comb and butt plate added. Then if she grows some, the stock can be adjusted to fit her. It doesn't matter so much for hunting, but for any high volume shooting and training, gun fit is crucial. It pains me to go to a clays range and see youth and women struggle with a 12 gauge gun that's too long and heavy, and recoils their head back like a Joe Frazier left hook.

By the way, Deep River has guns for rent. It might be a good experiment to go have her try a few different guns. What we all like and recommend might not float her boat.
 
tronspace.com

TronSpace Stockworks

Custom shotgun stockworks, four way adjustable combs, comb duplicates, stock positioning system, kickeez pads, GraCoil, recoil reducer, BREAKO, hull deflector
tronspace.com tronspace.com

I used this guy when I was having adjustable combs and butt plates done. He does good work and is reasonable, and has a lot of experience.

Here's a pic from the Graco catalog. This is the rabbit hole I used to go down to make shotguns fit me.

Graco.PNG
 
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christyouthguy said:
20ga beretta a300 or a400. Not a O/U
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Elenaidan said:
Dove and deer.
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+ 1 for the 20ga Beretta semi, from a guy whose 5’ 5” wife can shoot her 12ga AL390 all day, thanks to the recoil diminishing *GAS* system.

(Before that I thought a Mossberg 500 in 20ga cuz it was light but, it beat the living snot out of her for same reason. We also tried a Browning Recoiless - wife was shooting trap then - but, that was just too heavy , and essentially a single shot. This was back in the 90’s and the 390 was then what the 400’s are, today)

I would say an 1100 but, try finding parts for 870’s nowadays, let alone 1100’s. Sheesh, with each passing month, something breaks and most 1100 owners are S - O - L

As a testament to the recoil diminishing abilities of the new Beretta 400’s, I have a 90 year old old shooting friend in Virginia who has undergone some botched surgeries of his cervical thoracic spine (there’s no polite way to put it, he is permanently crippled) who is only able to still shoot sporting clays because he owns a Beretta 400 in 20ga.

Those dang things have to be shot to be believed …


You're a good neighbor - enjoy that wine!
 
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28ga is awesome for those two game animals if her size is an issue. You can get buckshot and slugs. We have some youth in our club that shoot 28ga. 20ga is sometimes to much on their shoulders. Lots of my other guys have switched to it also due to light recoil for dove and skeet.
 
You know the tradeoffs, too heavy and she’ll have trouble, too light and it’ll hurt. Fit is important, but I’d get her shooting before buying.

Oh, and no love of the 16 on this forum, for shame.
 
73Chall said:
+ 1 for the 20ga Beretta semi, from a guy whose 5’ 5” wife can shoot her 12ga AL390 all day, thanks to the recoil diminishing *GAS* system.

(Before that I thought a Mossberg 500 in 20ga cuz it was light but, it beat the living snot out of her for same reason. We also tried a Browning Recoiless - wife was shooting trap then - but, that was just too heavy , and essentially a single shot. This was back in the 90’s and the 390 was then what the 400’s are, today)

As a testament to the recoil diminishing abilities of the new Beretta 400’s, I have a 90 year old old shooting friend in Virginia who has undergone some botched surgeries of his cervical thoracic spine (there’s no polite way to put it, he is permanently crippled) who is only able to still shoot sporting clays because he owns a Beretta 400 in 20ga.

Those dang things have to be shot to be believed …


You're a good neighbor - enjoy that wine!
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Another +1
I'd keep the SBE in consideration as well. Both of those semi's will last if she maintains them.
Lots of love for the 1100's here and my personal anecdotes aren't necessarily an argument, but they have never stacked up to the Beretta/Benelli for me.
My younger sister is also very short, but not quite as light, and she has shot a number of clays with her Winchester SX3 and thoroughly enjoys it, I'd give a +1 there too.
Sleipnir said:
Look at the price of shells, 20 vs 28.
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That's always my hesitation with 28, although right now the difference isn't too bad from what I can find. 28 is almost always less available
Edit: Don't leave out the Benelli Montefeltro either, probably a better idea since duck hunting isn't on the list.
 
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I am a HUGE 1100 fan but,

WARNING: trying to find 1100 parts - even the most basic - is NOT like it was even several years ago and the situation is getting worse by the month (and it is highly unlikely any more are coming down the pike)!

Food for thought; very practical consideration …
 
1100's are great but as mentioned above, parts availability is getting thinner by the day. A Beretta 1301 would be expensive but a great shotgun, their old Urika IIs were neat as well. A semi auto would help soak up some of the recoil, and 20 gauge is more available/affordable than 28.

As far as pumps... a Maverick 88 in 20 gauge would be a great 'starter' gun if she is saving her pennies for it. Less than $250 she can get a shorter barrel for deer and the longer barrel for doves/upland birds. TFB TV did a neat endurance test where they put about 500 shells through the 12 gauge model and the gun came out fine.


No personal experience with this line but maybe a Mossberg Bantam? https://www.mossberg.com/sa-20-bantam-75770.html
 
Well all of these are fantastic recommendations. She is leaning towards the cheapest thing she can afford, but I am working on getting her out to shoot some with differing shotty toys and loads to give her an idea of what she is getting. Thanks again for all these suggestions. I sent most of them over to her for perusal. It is a bit humorous to me that her brother could not care less about outdoor things like fishing, hunting or firearms, but she is all in. I look forward to watching her enjoy these sports for years.
 
Obligatory:

iu
 
The Mossberg 590 can be refitted with a compact stock. Plugged, it can be hunted with. Also can take barrel swaps. If not a 590, the 500 is also a good selection.
 
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