Markbrowning Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Morning all, So my girlfriend is getting more and more into shooting. So is considering getting her license and own gun in time, instead of using my guns that are too heavy for her. She is tall & skinny (and has twig arms) so finds supporting the weight of the gun for long periods of time demanding. My thoughts is get her a lightweight 28" 12b. This is due to 20b cartridge costs and just for the convince factor of only having to stock one cartridge bore in the home. Now the 12b Beretta Ultralight weighs in less than a standard Beretta 20b, which she has shot before and is fine with. This weighs a mere 5.9lbs. Stock dimensions should be fine (can be altered anyway) and was thinking of just putting a 21g or 24g cartridge in there. So can anyone else suggest any other lightweight 12b that are available? Or has any arguments pro vs cons on the 12b / 20b for females. Many thanks, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Just make sure that you use 21/24g maximum cartridges as 28g through a lightweight maybe fine for game where you are normally not using a lot of cartridges, but a 100 sporting with 28g may knock her to bits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Get her a gas op auto, look carefully at fit most are adjustable but only so far. Light guns punch the beegebers out of lightly built girls even with light loads. Be especially careful due to the toe (which don't generally bother a bloke for obvious reasons) and the stock being too low and slamming up into the face on recoil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshootist Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I had the same problem when finding a gun for my girlfriend. I went with a B425 20 bore in the end. Its light enough for her to handle but even with 25g clay shells she's had enough after two or three stands. This has led us to the 21g cartridges which are better. For game shooting she uses 28g, but is shooting so few shells she doesn't notice the recoil. At some point we will find her a 20b gas operated semi for clays. As has been said, a lightweight 12 will recoil in accordance with whatever shells you put in it. Today there are lots of low recoil options out there for 12b, probably more choice than 20. So it really just comes down to the gun, how it fits and handles. You could argue that a 12 will pattern better or a 20 will look nicer, but both can be lightweight and made to do similar jobs. A chap on my shoot has a very lightweitgh Beretta 12 OU. I don't know if its the ultralight, but you could carry it all day and its very lively to swing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 ATA do an ultra light 12 bore with alloy action on fact a copy of the Beretta Wild Hunter is the importer and have the specs on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 (edited) Winchester and browning do light models http://www.winchesterint.com/winchester/products/mresult.php?group1=1&group2=1&group3=&submod=A-WSELT http://browning.eu/products/mresult.php?group1=1&group2=1&group3=105&submod=A-HTRLICL10 FRanchi were the king of light OU, the falconet was just over 5 lbs in 26" 12gauge IIRC (5.4lbs) for the falconet pro... http://www.franchi.com/sites/default/files/contenuti/download/pdf/catalogo_eng_2012.pdf Edited March 27, 2014 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westward Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 As I said in the very similar topic in the SC section, the concept of combining light weight & low recoil in an O/U for clays is not realisable, but bear in mind that balance & weight distribution can radically alter how "heavy" a gun feels. How often do you hear the comment from Browning shooters: "I don't get on with Berettas, they're too light", yet when we compared a 30" 325 with a 30" 686E, the Beretta was 2oz heavier! Irrespective of the actual weight, some guns just feel heavy in the hands, some don't. The idea of a light-ish semi could make sense too. Something like an A300 Outlander for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Just make sure that you use 21/24g maximum cartridges as 28g through a lightweight maybe fine for game where you are normally not using a lot of cartridges, but a 100 sporting with 28g may knock her to bits This is the single best piece of advice you can get when it comes to light gun. Too many people think girl/child=light gun, then find the person in question is totally put off after firing one barrel due to excessive recoil. For clays I would suggest Hull Comp X 21g 7.5s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 This is the single best piece of advice you can get when it comes to light gun. Too many people think girl/child=light gun, then find the person in question is totally put off after firing one barrel due to excessive recoil. For clays I would suggest Hull Comp X 21g 7.5s. Absolutely right. I use Hull Comp X 21g fibre on all clays including light s/s guns. They are an excellent combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 +2 compX 21g are softer than subs and cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphant59 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 If you can find one a Winchester 101 lightweight might be a cheaper option than a Beretta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IEH Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 The (old) 686L game gun weighs in at around 6lbs 12ozs, handles really well and is comfortable with light loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 (edited) Indulge me a moment (or ignore me and skip this post). a couple of years ago i was at the gunsmiths and met a lady in her early 60's who had taken up clay shooting a couple of years previously, the lady was tall and thin (very elegant looking lady). She had a 28" beretta 686 which she had been using for a year or so this is a gun she upgraded to from a 20 bore she had when first started, she bought the 20 bore as she was told it was the right gun for her, she changed to the 686 as she was told she need a 12 bore to be competitive at clays. She was at the gunsmith being fitted for her MK38 Grade 5 trap gun................. The 686 now belongs to a friend of mine who is 5'4" petite build and shoots it well, it has shortened stock and adjustable comb with a kick eez pad fitted, its well balanced but not overly light with 21g carts recoil is not an issue. You may need to budget for several guns or upgrades. Edited March 27, 2014 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteri Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 That last post is spot on! Tried everything for my (very petite) wife, ultra lights the lot. She was fine with the recoil, although I hated some of the balance! But it was the physical size of many 12 bores, not just stock length - but fore end width, stock thickness etc. She ended up with a Silver Pigeon 20 bore, which she had the stock heavily shortened and the cast change - and she shoots very well with it. Lots of other women have tried it and like the whole size too (steady!) - not just the weight. She now has a deposit in place on a 12ga Syren, when they ship in the summer. The most important thing is finding a gun she'll be happy to shoot 100 clays with, be that a 28b, a 20b semi auto or whatever - as the experience grows it'll all change anyway. I think a 20b semi auto is a great start, but not everyone enjoys the mechanics P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markbrowning Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Cheers guys, thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! Plenty to go on here, and lots more lightweight options than I originally first thought. She currently has access to my Benelli Semi-auto, it's light and 26" barrels. Its only around 6lbs, however still takes its toll after a while. I think she just needs to do some press up's! She shoots well with it. However that being said, when it comes around to her owning her own she wants a O/U. No amount of me saying otherwise will help. As per the Hull Comp x 21g...... yes we have used them before and they are lovely and soft! Should do the trick in such a light gun. So the options so far if we go down the lightweight 12b are: Beretta Ultralight ATA alloy receiver Winchester Select Light / 101 light Browning Hunter lite Various Franchi's Various 20b options...... if none of them suit. Plenty to be getting on with and to be hunting down. I fully appreciate every gun feels and is weighed differently and its not until we start getting hands on we will start to find out more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteri Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Just one thing to add, not sure where you are - but Sporting Targets in North Beds have had an ultralight with a cut down stock for sale for a long time, used If that's anywhere near - you could demo and maybe try a low offer. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southern Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 From my own experience, a lot of it is down to (lack of) muscle memory. Its very alien to hold several pounds of metal and wood at shoulder height. I started off with an 8lb Miroku and a round of skeet had my arms shaking to begin with. I started dry mounting it at home and just randomly taking it out and holding it during the week, after a few weeks I barely noticed it anymore. Now I shoot a SP game 12 bore 28" with a shortened stock and I can easily do 2 rounds of 100 esp in a day. Not that I can afford to do it every week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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