What type of shooting are you interesred in, Sporting Clays, Trap, Skeet...Something else?
What is your budget?
Is the weight of the gun an issue, can you handle a heavy gun, or must it be lighter?

 

Perceived recoil is a function of cartridge payload, weight of gun and gun fit.
The general wisdom is to choose a gas operated semi-auto for the recoil reduction benefits. I would suggest you try before you buy. Most clubs are welcoming and members are keen to help you discover which type of firearm you prefer. If you go the semi-auto route just make sure that the gun that you choose can cycle mild loads.
It sounds if you need a well fitted gun, a bit heavier rather than a super lightweight, and a very mild cartridge.
Get help with fitting. Choose a gun of quality that you will be happy with long term, so you are not reinvesting right away. Consider added weight to the gun for target shooting if you need further recoil reduction. Install the best recoil pad or system that you can afford. And don't stint on the price of mild loaded cartridges to accommodate your physical needs.
Above all, have fun in your journey.

 

Your best bet is to seek out the services of a professional shotgun instructor that is knowledgable in the type of shooting sport you want to participate in. In short don't look to a defensive firearms instructor to teach you how to shoot sporting clays. You might find an instructor that is well versed in both disciplines, but you need to do your homework to find the right instructor.

Hopefully that instructor can assist you in developing a good shooting form. They will teach you proper stance and how to mount the gun properly. That is where gun fit starts. If you have a terrible stance and try to choose a gun in a store, that gun will probably not fit you if you later learn proper form. Hopefully your instructor will have a few guns that get close to fitting you, at least for the instruction process.

Once you have learned the basics of proper shooting form then you can start to look for a gun that fits you. As a small framed woman a gun designed to fit an average man will not even come close to fitting you. Once you get closer to finding a gun that fits consider adding weight to the gun to both improve balance and simply add weight to reduce recoil.

Recoil is simply a matter of physics. Make the gun heavier and it will recoil less into your shoulder. You should also look for reduced recoil shells. Combine the two factors above and you can greatly reduce the pounding your shoulder will take. Now add in a good recoil pad and possibly a mechanical system that uses springs or compressed air to soften the blow even further.

Many people will reflexively suggest a 20ga. as a good place to start. Most 20ga. guns are lighter than their 12ga. versions. My suggestion is to look for a 12ga. shotgun, but use low recoil shells that are similar in performance to 20ga. shells. This gives you the advantage of the heavier gun with the light shell.

Fit in your shoulder and on your cheek are very important to how a gun feels when it recoils. Again, start with proper form and move to a well fitting gun once you have at least the basics of that proper form.

I will hazard a guess that you will not end up with an economy priced gun. This does not mean that you need to spend thousands of dollars either, but you will probably have difficulty getting everything just right. That probably means more time, more money, and fewer options that a normal sized man might have.

Best of luck in your journey.

 

The 510 and any pump, over/under will probably have more -felt- recoil than a similarly weighted gas operated semi automatic. That's just because of the way a gas operated action works. Professional instruction is a good idea if you can swing it.
Add the Weatherby SA-08 20 gauge to your list to check out. It is light weight if you have issues holding up a heavier gun and the recoil is light even for a gas operated semi auto. The black synthetic stocked adult model comes with a 26 or 28" barrel and you can purchase a "compact" butt stock from Weatherby for <$100 if you need the length of pull to be shorter. Conversely they also sell a Compact model that already has shorter stock but it comes with a 24" barrel.
If you are around Richmond, VA you are welcome to try mine.

 

Personally, I would avoid the 20 gauges. As pointed out above, they are generally lighter and for me, have a sharper recoil. My kids have had good luck with the A300 synthetic. It has adjustable LOP and shims for fit, so chances are it can easily be made to fit your style. It will reliably cycle the lightest 7/8 oz loads, and since it is a gas operated semi, it has very low recoil.

 

The 12 is good IF you can hold it up easily. My girl is very petite and cannot hold up most 12 gauge guns. Interestingly, if the weight is toward the back she can hold it up, even it overall it is pretty heavy. For example the a400 with kickoff and blue receiver.

It is highly likely that in addition to a shorter gun, you need more pitch and a higher comb. Another consideration is reach to the trigger for small hands. Guns with safety in the front of the guard like a beretta have a shorter reach to trigger. Ladies specific guns/stocks also have a shorter reach to trigger.

You did not say your budget, so I can offer you a few options to ponder.

Best option, buy one of the syren semi auto guns. They are designed just for women, so all you have to do is open the box and shoot it.

Also expensive but best option number 2. Get any of the beretta guns. Get a custom ladies stock from wenig.

Another option, buy any gun you fancy with a wood stock. Have adjustable comb installed, and have it cut for pitch/lop and possibly an adjustable pad installed. (This is ends being close to the cost of a syren and a lot of trouble.) Then again, you could do this to a 20 ga that is easy to hold up.

Trap stocks typically offer a comb high enough for a women. The gun will likely shoot flat for a lady, rather than high. The thing is, trap guns only come in 12 ga. If there is a 12 ga you can easily hold up with a trap stock, cut for pitch and LOP possibly adjustable pad, and you are good to go.

Finally, a lower cost option for a 20 gauge is this. Purchase a remington 1100 20 ga used. This will be around 300 to 600 dollars. Then purchase a boyds plainsmen stock for around 100 dollars. Be warned it could take weeks or months to get the stock. It has a high trap comb. It also has a slightly shorter reach to the trigger. Have it cut for pitch and LOP etc. Currently, this is the setup I got for my girlfriend, but on an 870. She is 5'7" 114lbs. Pitch is 5 degrees lop 13 7/8. I am still waiting for the right used 1100 to come along.

Stay away from pump guns if you are concerned with recoil. A semi with light loads will shoot far softer.

If you get a 20 ga, you can use 3/4 ounce low recoil loads. They are hard to find though. http://www.gamaliel.com/prodcat/nobel-s ... -loads.asp

You can also put a substantial amount of weight in the stock of any gun, bringing a 20 close to the weight of a 12. Just fill a pieice of copper pipe with lead and put it in there. Cuz it is so far back, you won't notice the weight with the gun mounted.

Get a beretta vest with the gel tech pad. Watch for them to go on close out on the beretta website. The lady shooters on this site say the browning vests do not fit very small women as well. My girl is using a beretta vest in small.

Most people do not know anything about the needs of lady shooters. Read the stockfitters bible.

 

This is from another thread here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXDcjbX ... e=youtu.be

They might be worth looking into

 

lifereinspired,

I want to simplify this a bit. You want to shoot the
1 - lightest loads (least amount of shot)
2 - at the lowest velocities
3 - through the heaviest gun that you can shoot well and that also fits you well

Given your health situation it sounds like it is imperative to minimize recoil to avoid potential injury.

The more shot you use, the more recoil. If you shoot 1 1/8 oz. of shot at 1200 fps out of a gun, it will generate more recoil than 7/8 oz. of shot at 1200 fps. Many people feel that 1 oz of shot is more than enough for most target shooting including skeet, 16 yard trap and sporting clays. Many would say you do not loose much going to 7/8 oz. So use the least amount of shot meets your need.

The faster the shot the more the recoil...1 oz of shot at 1200 fps will recoil less than 1 oz at 1300 fps. When using lead shot in the field or at the range, you do not need a velocity greater than 1200 fps IMHO, and can go lower (1100, or even 1000 fps). Velocity affects recoil more than weight (i.e. a 10% increase in shot weight does not affect recoil as much as a 10% increase in velocity). Also, the faster you start your shot, the faster it slows down so you get decreasing return as distance to targets get longer.

Gauge does not matter, the heavier the gun, the less recoil, period. All things being equal (Shot velocity), if you shoot a shell out of a 7 lb gun, it is going to recoil more than if you shoot that same shell out of an 8 lb gun. So you want to shoot the heaviest gun you can, and which you can use for the intended application. You can probably shoot a heavier gun when shooting targets (i.e. trap/skeet) or dove or duck hunting, than you would use on an upland hunt where you might walk many miles in a day. Finally, if you have a light gun that fits you well, you may be able to add weight to it to help with the recoil.

Gas operated semi-auto's reduced perceived recoil by spreading the recoil over a longer period of time. I am not sure if this would help with injury potential, but certainly with helping to deal with recoil. Gas operated semi-autos often are very adjustable for drop and cast which can help with gun fit.

Gun fit does not reduce recoil, but it will help you control it/deal with it much more effectively. A well fitted gun is easier to shoot (and to shoot well BTW) than a poorly fitted gun. Shotguns are designed for men of average height and weight. Women typically need a shorter length of pull, more drop at comb & heel as they usually have longer necks than men, more cast and some toe out on the stock, along with increased pitch to help accommodate a woman's anatomy up top) are just a few of the items that I am aware of. And as posted, I would look into the Syren line of guns from Caesar Guerini are specifically designed for woman.

 

Get a Remington 1100 28 gauge, it has extremely light recoil. You could even put a kick-eze pad on it instead of the factory pad for even more comfort. You could even add a cheek eze, that would raise the comb and add comfort for your face if needed. But you probably won't need it. This gun is my wife's favorite, she is petite and can't hold up heavy guns, she is also recoil adverse.

The biggest drawback to this gun would be the cost of ammo, 28 gauge ammo is quite expensive. The best way to bring the cost of ammo down would be to get a reloader and "roll your own" Mec makes good reloaders. These guns are autoloaders so the tend to throw the empty hulls about 5 feet sometimes more. You may need to carry a magnet on a stick to help with hull retrieval.

Welcome to the shooting sports, Good luck

 

Winchester SX-3 Compact in 20 ga.
Short stock, short barrel semi-auto with minimal recoil.

 

I'll jump in on the Syren bandwagon. They are not a cut off stock & short barrel big gun but rather a shotgun actually scaled for a woman. My wife (4'-11", 110 lbs) has an Elos over/under 20 ga she handles very well on Sporting Clays but you might want to look at their XLR5 semi-automatic. That gun coupled with some lighter loads might just be the ticket for you. Take a look at the "Women Shotgun Shooters" forum for more ideas.

 

Some really good advice here. I wasn't clear from your original if you're shooting from the seated position or if the chair is just for mobility. If seated, then the stock must be even more special. Agree that you should select the heaviest gun, shooting the lightest load. We switched many of our kids to 7/8 oz loads and saw scores go up (towards the end of the mstch especially). +1 on Syren XLR, but make sure it fits you. Fit will determine everything. Good luck with the journey

 

Please look at the Tristar Viper G2 youth model with synthetic stock. Comes with 2 buttstocks,a bbl extension, a 5 year to lifetime warranty (depending upon where you purchase it) and great customer service.
I have reccomended this gun to quite a few of my students and they love them.
Tristar also make a great 28 ga in bronze that 7 of my shooting buddies have purchased for field trials recently and they are all very satisfied with them.
My personal experiences with Tristar's Customer service has been beyond excellent.

 

Guess the OP got it figured out joined 4/30 made 1 post and hasn't been back.

 

lifereinspired,

Gun fit does not reduce recoil, but it will help you control it/deal with it much more effectively. A well fitted gun is easier to shoot (and to shoot well BTW) than a poorly fitted gun. Shotguns are designed for men of average height and weight. Women typically need a shorter length of pull, more drop at comb & heel as they usually have longer necks than men, more cast and some toe out on the stock, along with increased pitch to help accommodate a woman's anatomy up top) are just a few of the items that I am aware of. And as posted, I would look into the Syren line of guns from Caesar Guerini are specifically designed for woman.

They do not usually need more drop at comb. That will have a lady looking into the receiver, and many men too. Women tend to have higher cheek bones, thus they need less drop at comb. They do need more drop at heel for the longer neck.

 

Thanks so much for all of the fantastic information! I really appreciate it and the kindness and encouragement shown by so many.

Unfortunately, as one posted surmised, I don't have this figured out...just had a difficult week with health stuff and haven't been online much. I'm trying to get caught up.

I'm not 100% sure where I want to go on this journey...I'd like to learn to shoot well so I suppose that would be starting out with some sort of clays, etc. Eventually, I'd like to hunt but that will have to be more carefully planned out as trekking out into the woods for several miles is quite impossible in my wheelchair.

I have great difficulty handling heavy shotguns. That's part of what I *loved* when I handled the Mossbery 510 Mini in my local shop. It had the shortest stock on it (so a 10.5" LOP) and fit extremely well. The fact that what weight it does have sits farther back helps a lot. The heavier weight forward shotguns are all but impossible for me to handle in the store let alone in a situation where I need to control it safely (first) and accurately. Ultimately, if I could figure out how to make the 510 work, that would be phenominal as I think my dealer would make a great deal on it (he can't quite figure out how he ended up with it - he's thinking he ordered around Christmas to have available for a kids gift but they were out of stock and just randomly sent it a couple of months later...he clearly doesn't have a lot of options for selling it). But obviously, I have to be able to shoot it without causing myself injury. Does anyone know if I could add the weight of the copper pipe with lead in it onto this shotgun? Would that with a Limbsaver type of pad actually make any difference?

Budget is tight. I'm not going to lie. Medical expenses keep discretionary spending to a minimum and I'd love to have something I can start learning on. Having said that, I can't injure myself and cause setbacks because I can't handle either the shotgun itself or the recoil to my shoulder. I should probably mention, given some of the fit issues, that I have a relatively short neck and it's fused from 0-C2 and again in C4-C5. Having said that, my neck is *still* hypermobile overall but I cannot turn my head as easily as most any more. I do have high cheekbones as was mentioned in needing to take into consideration for fit. I'm told I have good basic form. I can stand a little but may end up needing to learn to shoot from sitting in the long run. That part isn't entirely clear yet. I am still working on the best hold for me. I have a Ruger 10/22 Takedown that I'm learning on and I find that I cannot bring the gun together with my shoulder and cheek or I cannot even see down the sights. I'm fine if I don't take my cheek all the way down to the stock. I don't know if that helps understand fit at all but it's something I'm working on. We're also looking at options that have a "tactical" type of adjustable stock as it's easy to get it to fit. The "pistol" type grip that so many people seem to love to hate tends to give me another place to hold onto to securely. While maybe not classically perfect for most shooting, it does seem to be an interesting option from an adaptive perspective. So, please don't be afraid of unconventional suggestions.

I'll definitely look into all the suggestions here and I'm guessing many will be out of my current price range. Are there any options that you can think of that would be budget friendly? I don't mind if they are "youth" options as those seem to fit quite well and appear to sometimes be less pricey than a female specific model. Even a simple break action would be OK for now, if can manage the recoil. We're even getting creative in looking at some of the "survival" multi-gauge/caliber shotgun conversion kits. I'm sure many purists wouldn't love that but if it allows me to actually learn to shoot without causing myself injury, I think it's worth some of the potential drawbacks.

I'll definitely look through all the resources suggested and an super grateful for everyone taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise. If you have any other thoughts, especially with the additional answer to some of your questions, please share them. I love learning and I'm looking forward to hearing more. Thanks again!

 

Ok I, looked again at the 510 mini and other bantam shotguns. The mini is 5 lbs. Lets put it this way, I am 6' 1" 210 lbs and I really enjoy lightweight shotguns. I would be scared to fire that thing! My face and shoulder hurt just thinking about it. Weight could be added with the copper pipe in the butt and mag tube, but not that much. Generally you can get about 8 to 12 oz in the butt and 6 oz in the mag tube. That would bring it to a tolerable weight, but still it will kick pretty good. The barrel is also only 18.5. You probably like that it shifts the weight back with this short barrel. Consider that when shooting clays you should walk up, mount the gun, and fire. You will not be holding it up for 5 minutes like you might in the store.

What the mossberg guns do have going for them is the reduced reach to the trigger, that is good. It does not say what the stock drop is though or if it is different then the adult guns.

From the mossberg options, you should see if u can find the 500 bantam with the wood stock 13" lop and 24" barrel. It weight 6.5 lbs. Just see if you can find one to hold in a store. The wood stock will allow it to be adjusted later for pitch and or install an adjustable comb. The weight would make recoil much more tolerable. The boyds plainsmen stock is also available for the mossberg 500 guns. See my first post about it.

10.5" LOP seems too short. No way to know for sure, without seeing you mount the gun. I would think you need something more in the range of 12 to 13.5"; however, it would be shorter if sitting down.

A gentleman where I shoot has trouble standing. He goes around the skeet field with a chair, and just stands up for a minute to shoot and sits back down. If possible, shooting standing up is better.

Try to handle as many guns as you can to determine the heaviest you can hold up.

You might really consider saving up too. A semi auto is more money but recoil reduction will be significant. The cost of the gun is literally the cheapest part of shooting clays. A box of ammo is about 6 or 7 dollars. More if you are using the low recoil ammo. A round of clays is 7 to 10 dollars. You will quickly exceed the cost of the gun paying for ammo and targets.

 

Consider a used Beretta 391...20 gauge and with the 24" barrel.
Shoot Fiocchi trainer loads....single shot.

However, shooting disciplines other than with a scattergun would appear most wise.

 

I would recommend the Beretta A400 Xcell sporting with KickOff. Semi-automatics have less recoil anyway, and the the KickOff system reduces recoil even more.

 

Any fixed breech shotgun...pump, O/U, SxS or single-shot...would seem to be the wrong choice for someone with the health issues you describe. A gas-operated semi-auto will have considerably less recoil than any fixed-breech model.

Any semi-auto can be fitted to a smaller stature shooter and I suspect you will definitely need to have any gun fitted to you. This isn't terribly expensive, but will be an additional cost.

With your situation, I don't believe you will be well-served by choosing a gun based primarily on low price. You will find yourself with a gun that is simply not useable for you. If need be, save for a while longer and then buy what you need. Don't jeopardize your health and turn off your interest in shooting by choosing a gun that simply will not work for your situation.

A Remington 1100, Beretta 391 or A400, or similar semi-auto would be a good place to start looking. All of them can be modified for a smaller stature shooter with special needs.

Good luck with your search.

 

Weatherby SA-08 20 gauge compaact auto. Short stock, light weight, low recoil, ressonable price, great customer service should you need it. It's an American owned company as well.

5 3/4 # 12 1/2" lop 24" barrel gas operated nice recoil pad. @ $525 street price

 

Weatherby SA-08 20 gauge compaact auto. Short stock, light weight, low recoil, ressonable price, great customer service should you need it. It's an American owned company as well.

5 3/4 # 12 1/2" lop 24" barrel gas operated nice recoil pad. @ $525 street price

A big plus 1 for the compact SA-08!

And a big MINUS 1 for the a400. My wife's 20ga is going in for the 6th time for issues they can't resolve and even after sending them a video of one issue occurring, I keep getting told that they can't duplicate it.

We've got two 20ga SA-08's in the family and one has been perfect from day one. The other one was a little picky about what we tried to feed it but a call to Weatherby and it went to them and back in just over a week with the problem solved.

 

Weatherby SA-08 20 gauge compaact auto. Short stock, light weight, low recoil, ressonable price, great customer service should you need it. It's an American owned company as well.

5 3/4 # 12 1/2" lop 24" barrel gas operated nice recoil pad. @ $525 street price

A big plus 1 for the compact SA-08!

And a big MINUS 1 for the a400. My wife's 20ga is going in for the 6th time for issues they can't resolve and even after sending them a video of one issue occurring, I keep getting told that they can't duplicate it.

We've got two 20ga SA-08's in the family and one has been perfect from day one. The other one was a little picky about what we tried to feed it but a call to Weatherby and it went to them and back in just over a week with the problem solved.

Another +1 for the Weatherby SA-08 in 20. Wife loves it.

What's the issue you have with the A400?

 

Our shooting club has a couple of "youth sized" Remington model 1100 shotguns that may work for you. We use them for the youth shoots we sponsor yearly for the younger kids (11-12 year olds). In 20 gauge the recoil is very light and they've been 100% reliable. I don't know if Remington still makes them, but if they do, you might consider one.

 

Heavier auto will kick less. I'd load 7/8 ounce RST 12 gauge shells in some sort of semi-auto. Guns like this, if they'll cycle the shells, kick very little. Most modern autos will handle the soft kicking shells. A pump will usually kick a lot more than a semi-auto. Also make sure the stock is short enough to fit you. I'll bet you'd like a 13.5" LOP.