[MAJENKINS]

Look at this topic on the "Women Shooters" thread "Women's Sporting O/U Shotguns by MSRP Tiers." I would recommend starting out with an O/U simply because they are less complicated, especially for a new shooter. As to gauge, over the years I've worked through every gauge and finally settled on a 12 gauge. Recoil can be addressed with load and FPS ratings, and 12 gauge has the most variety for those of us who don't reload. Mary Ann

 

[MAJENKINS]

an excellent observation. it surely is tough to get past the 'it's too heavy' stage though!

+1. In the beginning, middle and end, it all comes down to proper fit. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

Inexpensive O/Us can be very good value if well chosen. Now if your wife will be shooting 50,000 rounds a year or some such, then perhaps you will run into some issues a little ways down the line. Of course that can also happen with the high priced ones too. But at a modest rate of 1/10 that number, you shouldn't ever have a problem that isn't easily correctible. As is well known here, my own prejudice is for the Yildiz SPE ME 12 ga which is only sold at Academy stores. So it is only a reasonable choice if you live in a state where such stores exist. The price is stupid cheap, around $429 for the lighter, alloy receiver model or $499 for the heavier steel receiver model But even the steel one only weighs about 7.4 lb. The gun just works. The alloy version gets dinged in reviews for its recoil due to the light weight. I find the steel version to be incredibly comfortable to shoot. Recoil is not an issue for me.

Tristar is another respectable Turkish gun for similar money. If she becomes a dedicated enthusiast, there will be plenty of time to buy up higher in the market, and you would still have a really serviceable backup in the safe. For clay sports O/U is the proper choice, and you don't have to break the bank to get started.

Robert: Thanks for steering the tread back to answering the original inquiry. I absolutely agree with your recommendation of one of the better known Turkish guns, such as the Yildiz, as a starter gun. That is what I bought my niece to begin with, and she has since transitioned to a Beretta.

Now all of the following is my opinion as a woman shooter, who is closing in on 70 years old, and one who exercises regularly but not obsessively. I've been shooting shotguns for about ten years, and I simply do not like semi-autos. Especially as a beginning shooter I found them complicated and prone to try to eat my fingers. I like the simplicity of an O/U. When I was struggling through the weight problem with my CG Summit Ascent, which left me exhausted when I started the last box of a 100 round sporting clay course, a poster replied that I should take up weight training (I already did weights as part of my normal day). But whether I was or was not lifting weights, such advice to OP's wife is immaterial. A new shooter, like the OP's wife, is not going to embark on a training regimen to get in shape for a sport for which she does not yet know she has an interest. My solution to my Ascent problem was to get a lighter gun, which is how I fell in love with the Syren Tempio.

So if OP can't spend a lot of money, but wants to introduce his wife to clay shooting (and a round of applause to him), I agree with you. Get an inexpensive but reliable 12 gauge O/U. And go a few steps further, get it fitted to her before she spends time shooting it. Any habits she adopts to accommodate an ill-fitting gun will carry over to when the gun is properly fitted, and at best will have to be un-learned, so why not start out on the right path? Buy her some lighter load shells such as the Fiocchi 1 oz. 1170 fps (if you are near a Scheels, Fiocchi is the store brand and sells them at a smoking decent price). And spring for at least an hour with a decent instructor who can help her with proper gun mount, etc.

And that is totally, my recommendation and my opinion on how to turn a woman, with no shooting experience but an interest in the sport into a life-long shotgunner. Mary Ann

 

[MAJENKINS]

I blush. One other thing about semi-autos and women is fingernails. Nothing sparks less joy than having a very expensive set of acrylic nails ruined. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

^^ Agreed , I have followed Ms. Jenkins for some time and she has been a wealth of information with regards to helping female family members advance in our sport .
I should have done this sooner but , Thank you MA !

Thanks. I'm a retired lawyer, we are trained to voice opinions! MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

I blush. One other thing about semi-autos and women is fingernails. Nothing sparks less joy than having a very expensive set of acrylic nails ruined. MAJ

Great point. I hadn't thought that through.
But wouldn't those expensive nails be in just as big of danger extracting tightly packed
shells out of a box or pouch?

As to boxes, that's why god invented gravity. And if you have a lovely Lonesome Charlie's soft pouch, you can gravity dump them right in there. Nothing is foolproof it is all about minimizing risk. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

I rest my case. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

Thanks for the update captjsjr, and best of luck to your wife. Your post is a prime illustration that at the end of the day, the best gun for a person is the one that fits them and that they enjoy shooting. Broken clays will follow. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

+1. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

Robert. Yep, buy the gun you can afford and shoot a gun you like. This thread is about a beginning woman shooter, with a limited budget. And she is going to consult with a woman instructor as to what gun to get. I think all is good. MAJ

 

[MAJENKINS]

"My wife says o/u guns are cooler than semis." Your wife is a woman of taste and discretion; you are very lucky.

Congratulations to you and her for going about getting to the right gun in a thoughtful way. Good shooting! Mary Ann

 

[MAJENKINS]

What a lovely way to start Thanksgiving week! A round of applause from all of us who gave you our highly personal opinions as to what you should do. Here's best wishes to you and your wife, and many years of your family breaking clays together. MAJ