Hunting Wife
Well-known member
You can tell when there hasn't been much hunting going on. People get crotchety on here! Maybe sharing my shotgun shopping odyssey will help. ☺
I've had a youth model 20 gauge that I have struggled with for several years now. Not super for geese, not great for wild late season pheasants, very inconsistent shooting for me. I was beyond frustrated the last couple of seasons. I learned on Hunting Husband's old 11-87 Featherweight that has been "retired", and shot really good with that. So struggling and not being able to figure out what I was doing wrong really made me not want to go bird hunting anymore. After messing around with it last season, Hunting Husband came to the conclusion that it just plain didn't fit me right and it was time for a different shotgun.
So the last few trips to Great Falls and Billings, we've visited every sporting goods store we could find and I held every shotgun I could get my hands on. Hunting Husband was a very good sport, and let me work through my brief love affair with a very pretty, very impractical, very expensive option. Argued with lots of salespeople who tried to talk me into a youth model 20 gauge! Finally settled on this....
Beretta A400 Extreme, 12 gauge, 26 inch barrel in the Max 5 camo. Sorry, no real life pics. I'm not a huge fan of synthetic and love the classic look of wood/blue. But the weight (not too heavy, but not too whippy) and the balance seem to be just right.
Took it out for some clays. I was nervous about it....what if I still can't hit a damn thing? But I hit the first one and got into the groove in short order. Its been a very long time since I had that feeling when you know you'll hit the bird as soon as you bring the gun up. Felt like the old days shooting that 11-87. And when I miss, I know exactly where I missed. What a relief!
A few things on my to do list this season...snow geese in Canada, maybe a swan, and more cranes! And now I can reach out and touch those damn wild roosters! One month until bird season....I can't wait!
PS....Guys, please don't automatically get your lady a youth model 20 gauge. Keep looking until you find something that fits!
I've had a youth model 20 gauge that I have struggled with for several years now. Not super for geese, not great for wild late season pheasants, very inconsistent shooting for me. I was beyond frustrated the last couple of seasons. I learned on Hunting Husband's old 11-87 Featherweight that has been "retired", and shot really good with that. So struggling and not being able to figure out what I was doing wrong really made me not want to go bird hunting anymore. After messing around with it last season, Hunting Husband came to the conclusion that it just plain didn't fit me right and it was time for a different shotgun.
So the last few trips to Great Falls and Billings, we've visited every sporting goods store we could find and I held every shotgun I could get my hands on. Hunting Husband was a very good sport, and let me work through my brief love affair with a very pretty, very impractical, very expensive option. Argued with lots of salespeople who tried to talk me into a youth model 20 gauge! Finally settled on this....
Beretta A400 Extreme, 12 gauge, 26 inch barrel in the Max 5 camo. Sorry, no real life pics. I'm not a huge fan of synthetic and love the classic look of wood/blue. But the weight (not too heavy, but not too whippy) and the balance seem to be just right.
Took it out for some clays. I was nervous about it....what if I still can't hit a damn thing? But I hit the first one and got into the groove in short order. Its been a very long time since I had that feeling when you know you'll hit the bird as soon as you bring the gun up. Felt like the old days shooting that 11-87. And when I miss, I know exactly where I missed. What a relief!
A few things on my to do list this season...snow geese in Canada, maybe a swan, and more cranes! And now I can reach out and touch those damn wild roosters! One month until bird season....I can't wait!
PS....Guys, please don't automatically get your lady a youth model 20 gauge. Keep looking until you find something that fits!
