New Shotgun Advise

[Muskeez]

My daughter's 19th birthday is coming soon. She wants her own shotgun for pheasant and duck/goose hunting. I gave all that up many years ago when I got into deer/big game hunting more. So, sadly I have not brought her up doing much of it like she has the deer and antelope hunting. I would think we should stick with a 12 gauge even if it bucks a little more than a 20 ga. She will want the bigger gun when she does more goose hunting some day. (she is a fisheries and wildlife major at college, so I am not worried about her loosing interest, hopefully all of it will grow and expand over the years)

So, What brand/model of 12 ga. would you recommend for a young lady. I wouldn't call her a little sissy girl, but she isn't a real strong/tough gal either. If we go with a lighter weight gun, will the recoil be that much stronger? Also, auto loader vs. pump thoughts? Not looking at a high dollar purchase here, but won't skimp on a cheap gun either. I bought her brother a Browning BPS several years ago. My first shotgun was a Wingmaster 870, it has a TON of rounds through it and it still works well.

Thanks for any advise!

 

[Redwood]

Cheap autos are nothing but problems. If price point is a concern, get a quality pump. The Benelli supernova is my pick.

 

[MKotur325]

Auto loader will reduce recoil significantly. Recoil impulse is directly proportional to gun weight. If recoil is the concern, and you want to stick with a 12ga, go with an Auto. Even in a lighter gun the operating system will cut a significant amount of recoil.

 

[Jwill]

Beretta 3901 would be a good choice.

 

[JohnCushman]

You can never go wrong with a Mossberg 500

 

[Ben Lamb]

Mossberg 500 or Remington 870.

They just flat out work.

 

[Rat Fink]

I would do a Beretta 3901 or a Winchester sx-3. Both are highly functional autoloaders that are affordable and will offer a lifetime of good shooting.

 

[Coyotes-R-Us]

I'm not a big guy , I shoot a 870 supper express, that IS just death on anything I point it at, BUT...
I'm kinda disappointed with the trigger guard/ safety set up. A smaller hand gets beat up buy the guard, every time I go out I come back with more skin gone and a welt on my second finger that take several days to go down. there is also a problem with short stroking the 3 1/2 inch bolt, AND YOU HAVE to stroke it hard.
Its a very good choice for $400 bucks but I would go to an auto loader for a girl just starting out . Get as much "gun " as you can afford you'll be much happier :hump:

 

[TheJason]

Don't get her a pump. The felt recoil from the autoloader will be less.

I shoot a Beretta A391 and I am biased towards it. Great gun that is lightweight without beating the crap out me in the duck blind. I love it for an upland gun. For a dedicated waterfowl gun I would have gotten the synthetic/camo but I went wood/blued instead.

Beretta chambers this gun in a 20 gauge, and they are an absolute dream to handle. However, depending on your budget you should look at a Franchi 20 gauge. A friend has one and it is a very nice gun. His 14 year old daughter hunts ducks with it all the time and really likes it.

 

[jryoung]

I'll second the beretta 391 in 20ga. I bought one used for my wife for around $650 and I love shooting it. It's not significantly under gunned when it comes to geese either with B or BB.

 

[Gunner46]

Mossberg 500, 20 ga. I've used one for over 40 yrs now for squirrels to whitetails.

 

[jerrym]

Take her down to the sporting goods store and let her shoulder a bunch of guns and see which fits er best. I would take her to the local trap club and there usually are people there who will let you shoot a few shells through there guns to see what she likes and fits her and hopefully she can break a few clays. Don't get in a hurry let her see what fits her best. That said I would look at a SX3 if it fits her.

 

[TheTone]

I'm a big fan of Beretta auto's as well; I've got two now and find myself looking at new ones whenever I get the chance. I've had better reliability with my Beretta's than I did with the Remington I used to have

 

[Cornell2012]

I've got a Beretta too, and really like it. The 870 is always a solid option but as noted above, the semis will help with recoil, even on lighter guns.

Had a bad experience with a 20-gauge Franchi. It didn't eject the first shell, but the second one in the magazine popped back and ignited, firing pellets and gunpowder up into the magazine. Sent the gun off to Franchi to have it looked at and they said we were using loads that were too small, causing the first shell to not properly eject.

I've had the chance to shoot a few of the Remington semis as well. Those all functioned perfectly well but I always found myself wishing I had my Beretta from a fit and feel standpoint.

I've done most of my shooting at clay pigeons, and with the lighter target loads, none of the semiautos had all that much kick.

 

[MNElkNut]

Huge fan of Beretta autos here. I use a 390 mostly but my 391 is fantastic as well. It might be more money than you want to spend, but the Beretta A400s with KickOff really, REALLY reduce recoil. They are a dream to shoot. If recoil is an issue, consider spending extra. If not, then find a used 390 or 391 and live happily ever after!

 

[sethkuhl]

My wife is "tiny" 100 lbs fresh out of the river in winter clothing. She has an 870 that I put a tactical stock by ATI for the reduced length, and also a limb saver recoil pad. She loves that gun and it no longer scares her, super reliable, never jams or goes click, easy to clean, and very reliable.
On the other hand I shoot a 935 Flyway that I will not give up. It is a "cheap Auto" but when cleaned well I wouldn't trade for a versamax or BE 2 anyday.

Go with what you want to spend and whether its a weatherby or a citori, she will enjoy most the time spent with you!

 

[smarandr]

I think you're wise to go with a 12 gauge, and I've got nothing but great things to say about my Remington 870. The particular model I have shoots anything from 2.75s up to 3.5s, and it's taken hundreds of birds and been through all sorts of conditions and keeps on ticking (of course I'm religious about cleaning it after it's been out in the field). The only time it's failed to work is after my dog kicked it into the river one cold December morning: Once I fished it out the river, the water froze in a nice glaze over the entire outer and inner surfaces of the gun. Needless to say that trip was cut a little short.

 

[sneakypete]

Muskeez, my opinion would be in the pump format a browning BPS which is going run probably around $800+ black slightly more for Camo. Semi auto, my thoughts are on the Berretta. A400, the sweetest gun I've ever shot. I have BPS's in 410,20 and two 12's. This last season I've killed geese and turkey's with the Berretta . It's going to run you $1649., but this will be the last shotgun you buy your daughter! My thoughts.

 

[cornfed]

I got an 870, mossburg 500 and a beneli supernova all in pumps if you want to run a few shells thru them sometime. Most people at SDSU hunt so she shouldn't have a problem finding some guns to try out. One of my friends dads gun was a nova pump with some sort of weight added to the butt to reduce recoil. It worked well for an older guy. She will shoot any gun better if it fits her no matter how much it costs. Another thing to consider is if she prefers saftey on top or by the trigger.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I would go with an autoloader because the felt recoil is much less than a pump.
As for brand you should probably go with the best in your price range for reliability.