Wife is looking at purchasing the Franchi Affinity Catalyst 20ga. It is a women's specific gun, Monte Carlo stock, thinner palm swell, closer grip to trigger distance and recoil pad pitched at 7 degrees.

She has shot other Franchi 20ga and has no issue with recoil with lighter loads. The issue with this gun is length of pull, 13-7/8" which is still to long. She needs to be closer to 13".

It has an odd stock recoil pad design and I cannot find manuals on line to see if the stock can be cut down. If we can cut it down then I would put an adjustable LOP stock butt on it.

Other than that and other issues? Heavy trigger? Hard to load? Or is this a great semi-auto?

She shoots about 200 rounds a month and only during the warm months, live by Chicago.

Haha you and I are in the same boat and same general location (chicago area). I’m between this and a Browning Silver Hunter Micro Midas for my wife. The browning has a 13” LOP but the 20 is only currently available in a hideous pink browning patterned stock/fore grip and it’s about $400 more than the Franchi.

Interested to hear feedback on the Catalyst.

Found my wife a really nice used Franchi 720 with a 12.5" LOP stock, it weighs just 6.2lbs. Shimmed it and she is happy. The 720 is discontinued and is a gas gun so shots soft for it's weight. The Browning Silver Micro Midas is the first gun she ever shot (in Kauai, HI). Would have gotten this gun if buying new.

I am in the Palatine area and shoot at Northbrook. Fabarm guy, have an XLR5 FR and L4S.

Where are you?

Nice, Did you find it local?

I’m in Elmhurst and shoot at ASC over in Waterman

One of the guys I met at the club had it for sale.

GAT on 25 off of I-90 has had some good used guns.

Just curious why you haven't checked out the Syren XLR5 (available in the Sporting and the Waterfowler) or the new Syren L4S Sporting for her if you're already a Fabarm guy? Fabarm makes those models for the Syren line. The new L4S looks very reasonable from a cost standpoint if that's a concern.

https://syrenusa.com/shotguns-for-women/

Would have loved to get her a Syren. The only reason I didn't is I was told point blank do not spend more that a few hundred dollars on a gun for me, I will not shoot it that much! She knows the cost structure of the Fabarms and I would have been in a lot of trouble.