ritz Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi guys/gals, Just a quick question, is there a specific reason why everyone shooting clays tend to use the 12g? I am thinking of getting my wife shooting and using a 20g might j9ust be a better bet for her, she isn't the tallets in the world and would probably need a ... lighter load and also a smaller gun. So was just wondering if it would be ( or even worthwhile) to rather get her a 20g, or a smaller 12g (shorter stock length etc) keeping in mind that if she hurts after a days shooting i'll probably loose her interest for life ;P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi guys/gals, Just a quick question, is there a specific reason why everyone shooting clays tend to use the 12g? I am thinking of getting my wife shooting and using a 20g might j9ust be a better bet for her, she isn't the tallets in the world and would probably need a ... lighter load and also a smaller gun. So was just wondering if it would be ( or even worthwhile) to rather get her a 20g, or a smaller 12g (shorter stock length etc) keeping in mind that if she hurts after a days shooting i'll probably loose her interest for life ;P Buy her a new iron Women are dangerous enough with cars without giving them guns aswell Im just off now to put on my bullet proof vest and sit in the shelter at the bottom of the garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 It depends more on how strong she is. When you start out clay shooting you can spend a long time with the gun in your shoulder whilst being offered advice. In my experience this leads to complaints of aching left arm, same from blokes not just women. 20 bores are absolutely fine for clays they should overcome the weight/size issue. Your alternative is a 12 using lighter loads 24grams for instance. It will cost a little bit, but get along to shooting school (if you don't have access to few different shotguns) for her to try, and see what they reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Buy her a 20b. Don't even bother with trying to find a comfortable gun/cartridge combo in a 12b format. There is very, very little that you can do with a 12b that you can't do with a 20b, and it's much better to buy a suitable gun from the outset, rather than putting her off with a hefty 12b. Just to ram my point home, every girl that I shoot alongside uses a 20b, and most of them use a Beretta Silver Pigeon. My girlfriend and I both have our own 20b Silver Pigeons for game and rough shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 You don't say whether it's for Game or Clay shooting, or both..?? If you're into clays only, then don't buy a 20 bore, get a 12 and use 24 gram shells to start with. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritz Posted October 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 You don't say whether it's for Game or Clay shooting, or both..?? If you're into clays only, then don't buy a 20 bore, get a 12 and use 24 gram shells to start with. Cat. HI Its only for clays, I just thought the 20b wuold be easier for her to handle and get used to. I guess I don't really mind either way, just want the easiest route to make sure she doesn't get fedup at hurdle number 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddypigsaw Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Surely one of the major advantages of 12G over 20G is the cost of cartridges. And if you are both shooting 12G you have the added advantage of bigger discounts for quantity. Have you considered a semi-auto? I used to suffer with tendonitis (tennis elbow) when I first started with my O/U. I was using a group of muscles that I'd never used before. When I was feeling sore I'd use my semi-auto. It appears to feel much less strenuous to use, mainly because there's only one barrel to swing about. Now I'm used to using both and don't suffer any more. Also if she gives it up you can keep the semi-auto pigeons. Bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushat Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 My girlfriend started on a 20b and there's nothing you can't break with one. They are nice and light and pointable to start off, but they don't soak up the recoil like a 12b would. She's now finding it a bit "fast" and is after a 12b after shooting a few and finding them smoother to swing. She's only short too, btw, but still prefers the more solid, smother-swinging feel of a 12b. But I have a feeling that if I'd put a 12b in her hands when she was just starting out, she would have whinged at it being too heavy - she found the 20b heavy enough initially! And she got the same score as me last week - secretly chuffed, but I didn't tell her that!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 When I asked that very same question, I got a response that seemed like sense... If you get a lighter gun (20b say) and fire the same sort of load through it (28g say), then the recoild will be larger than if you were using a heavier gun (like a 12b) and were shooting a lighter load (like a 24g one). One thing I will say about a semi though, the felt recoil is less than a normal O/U, but I'd go out on a limb and say that the gunitself will be heavier than a normal O/U. That's just me comparing my Urika with the Laurona. My personal preference would be to use a 12b and lighter load carts like Hushpower ones instead of going for a lighter gun and the same loads. Just my tuppance though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmsy Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 i have a friend who i taught thats only 5' tall at most and is rather petite. she started on a 20b and has now moved to a 12b. her scores have slightly improved but i would put that down to less recoil and smoother swing that the 12b gives her. the 20b used to kick her a bit even with 24gm loads. get a 12b cut the stock down to fit properly and use sensible cartridges and she should have no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritz Posted October 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 i have a friend who i taught thats only 5' tall at most and is rather petite.she started on a 20b and has now moved to a 12b. her scores have slightly improved but i would put that down to less recoil and smoother swing that the 12b gives her. the 20b used to kick her a bit even with 24gm loads. get a 12b cut the stock down to fit properly and use sensible cartridges and she should have no problem. Cool thanks guys sounds like sound advice although it seems almost everyone in this situation has done what I thought about doing... i.e. start out with a 20b.... My wife will probably be ok with a 12b with lighter load as long as the gun is the right size for her.. probably just get a 12b then with the right fot for her and start with a lighter load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph5172 Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Tried to get my other half into shooting. Put her on a have a ago day at the oxford gun Co, she used 12g with 28g load and only hit 5 or 6 out of the 25 birds. While i was being fitted for a new gun she was loitering with intent and asked to look at a 'nice gun' she was fitted with a 20g lincon and as i was looking at spending a lot of money (on my own gun.....lol..) she was whisked away for a trial shoot at no cost!!! (cant fault the customer service!!) Anyway 15 mins later 1 very happy mrs with a 90% hit rate!! On the way home she said the 20 was lighter and was easier for her to hold and swing and the recoil was less, she is only a small lass and she said the 12 was just to heavy and pulled her foreward, she said if she hadnt have tried the 20 she probably wouldnt have wanted to go shooting again. so if the 12 seems a bit much switch her straight to the 20 before she decides she doesnt want to play anymore!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardy Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 When my ex wanted to come along shooting (cos my mates wife went with him!) we spend a long time trying lots of different guns with her - fortunatly we knew a lot of shooters at the time & they were all happy to help try & find something for her. She was not what you'd call well built - well except for up front - so we needed something fairly light. What we found was that most 12g o/u were too heavy so she'd start off leaning backwards to get the barrels level which didn't work at all. Most 20g were either as heavy as a similar 12g so same problem occurred or they kicked hard (as wookie said below). Same was true of 12g sbs - was hoping that would be an excuse to buy myself one but alas no. We ended up after weeks of trying with one of the guys turning up with a beretta 303 auto which worked a treat. Aparently a combination single, shorter barrel & an alloy action reduced the weight of the gun so she could start with it in the correct place & the recycling of cartidges took care of most of the recoil issues. We ended up buying an old A301 12g - pretty much the same spec with 26" barrels which suited her a treat. She's long gone but I kept the gun - well you just never know when it might be handy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loopy bunny blaster Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 give her a 20 gauge, or even a 28gauge with fairly open chokes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 A well fitting 20 bore with 24g loads. I was thrown in the deep end as a scrawny 13 year old when I started with a 20 bore shooting 28g loads through a single barrel hammer gun with half a recoil pad. :( I then used the 28g loads in my Beretta Silver Pigeon O/U and because the gun fitted me a treat and as I have done hours of dry mounting to perfect my gun mount they don't hurt me. However don't start someone with 28g out of a 20 bore because if they mis-mount the gun they will get whacked and it will put them off. Remember with the same cartridge a lighter gun kicks more. Hope this helps. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMT Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 I think it also depends on how much you have to spend. I tried starting my wife on my Lanber 12b and she just couldn't get on with it and complained it felt barrel heavy, so I took the plunge and took her to the gunshop and let her try every gun in there including 20b. The one she picked was a 12b beretta 682 gold E and she shoots 24g cartridges with no problems at all. She can shoot 4 rounds of skeet without once complaining the gun is heavy. The gun just seems much better balanced even though it is about the same weight as the lanber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicko Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 my girlfriend uses my 20bore beretta with 28g gamebore low noise cartridges and said the recoil is less than the 24g cartridges she has used.so if you do want to shoot 28g carts i can recommend these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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