Wife's Shotgun Broke (advice on a replacement)

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

Ugh.

So I got my wife a Franchi Instinct last year on clearance before the Instinct line split into several different sub models. We also got it shortened to her absurdly short LOP of 12.5" and installed a Gracoil on it. She now love turkey hunting, but this gun has given her grief from word go, and I can just tell it does not point quite right for her to shoot instinctually. The last straw for the gun is that the stock seems to have had a defect and developed a sizable crack in right around the pistol grip where it joins to the receiver. I am contacting Franchi to see about repairs, but I don't know how that is going to pan out with the aftermarket mods. That said what are my options for replacement given the following criteria?

She wants:
An Over Under
Auto Safety on break, and preferably a tang selector
12 gauge as she wants to use it for turkey and waterfowl
recoil reduction would be nice if possible
a stock that actually fits her
The gun should be a tough as nails HUNTING gun, not some competition toy

Given that she has had bad experiences with this gun, she is loathe to put down more money on a Franchi Catalyst Instinct. This has left me with calling the Orvis gun shop for a custom rig...are there any obvious options I am missing? Are there other custom options we should look at?

 

[MJE2083]

Not sure if it fits all of your needs, but Syren shotguns are built for women

 

[Slam]

My first question would be why an O/U?

Second, why 12 gauge only? Both my kids grew up shooting 20's and never a problem on turkey or waterfowl, geese included.

A gas operated auto (especially in 20) will mitigate recoil, add a youth stock and you may find it fits and shoots well for her. Some come with a tang safety.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

My first question would be why an O/U?

Second, why 12 gauge only? Both my kids grew up shooting 20's and never a problem on turkey or waterfowl, geese included.

A gas operated auto (especially in 20) will mitigate recoil, add a youth stock and you may find it fits and shoots well for her. Some come with a tang safety.

The O/U is non negotiable to her, she likes the methodical way they operate and the safety of being able to carry the gun safely open in the field. I'd agree with you on the gas operated auto, but that action is not for her.

As to the 20 gauge, she is way more open to that. Good to know they have been field tested to take geese.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

Not sure if it fits all of your needs, but Syren shotguns are built for women

Funny, we have been looking at the Syrens. The Elos D2 in particular caught her eye. I remeasured her LOP as opposed to just measuring her gun, she is about 13.25", the Syrens are a bit long, but I might be able to get it cut down at the factory for something so small. If not, a 12mm recoil pad would shave off .47" so that might be about perfect (at the expense of a bit more felt recoil, but she has been shooting a lightweight 12 gauge with turkey loads without too much issue).

I'll let you know what the factory says about tweaking the gun a bit.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

It's a shotgun. Plenty of simple options as well. 20 gauges kill ducks and turkeys.

We're not talking rocket science here. If you've specified that much already. Then what's the point of asking us? Sorry, not to be rude. I think you're overthinking this one. Semis and pumps are fantastic options.

 

[BrentD]

If she wants and Over/Under then get an O/U and cut it down, install chokes, and make it fit.

My wife has an Ithaca/SKB side-by-side in 20 gauge. Not because 20 gauge is enough, but because it is lighter than a 12. She also doesn't hunt geese. I would try to stick with a 12 for your wife given her interests in the big dinosaurs. 20s will work, but 12s will work better. That's why they make'em. They do weigh more however.

In my opinion, the autoloader is not a great choice for a smaller person. So much of the gun is the action. Just makes it clunky and weirdly balanced with tube mag, etc. So, her choice of O/U is, fundamentally, a good one.

Auto Safety is good idea too. Sounds like she really knows what she likes and what she needs. Why not a Browning Citori in some flavor?

 

[azelkhntr]

Sounds like she’s got a lot of wants.

 

[F250]

Save yourself some heartburn and let her choose the gun she wants. My wife chose a Beretta 686 in 12 ga. a couple decades ago. We had the stock cut to fit her. She's killed a pile of waterfowl with that O/U. We have a detachable sling on it for those long hikes across Saskatchewan fields. She also used it turkey hunting. There are lots of good O/Us on the market. From our experience, the 686 fills all her requests.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

Save yourself some heartburn and let her choose the gun she wants. My wife chose a Beretta 686 in 12 ga. a couple decades ago. We had the stock cut to fit her. She's killed a pile of waterfowl with that O/U. We have a detachable sling on it for those long hikes across Saskatchewan fields. She also used it turkey hunting. There are lots of good O/Us on the market. From our experience, the 686 fills all her requests.

That's kind of my philosophy at this point. She just wanted guidance from me as far as avoiding a really poor fit. She is going to grab the Syren Elos D2 in 20 gauge. I'll let you all know if it fits the bill.

 

[Europe]

If she wants and Over/Under then get an O/U and cut it down, install chokes, and make it fit.

My wife has an Ithaca/SKB side-by-side in 20 gauge. Not because 20 gauge is enough, but because it is lighter than a 12. She also doesn't hunt geese. I would try to stick with a 12 for your wife given her interests in the big dinosaurs. 20s will work, but 12s will work better. That's why they make'em. They do weigh more however.

In my opinion, the autoloader is not a great choice for a smaller person. So much of the gun is the action. Just makes it clunky and weirdly balanced with tube mag, etc. So, her choice of O/U is, fundamentally, a good one.

Auto Safety is good idea too. Sounds like she really knows what she likes and what she needs. Why not a Browning Citori in some flavor?

A lot of good points !

Have her visit Connecticut and see if she likes their shotguns. They will make what she wants and make it to fit her. She will have a tough as nails hunting gun, not some competitive toy AND it will last her a lifetime and FIT her.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

A lot of good points !

Have her visit Connecticut and see if she likes their shotguns. They will make what she wants and make it to fit her. She will have a tough as nails hunting gun, not some competitive toy AND it will last her a lifetime and FIT her.

Those are some pretty pieces of steel. I'll pass that along.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

UPDATE:

Yesterday we put in an order for a Syren Elos D2 20 guage. They will shave off a half an inch of LOP at the factory. They also will install an auto safety. So that should check all her requirement boxes. It's 6 weeks out, but I'll pass along her thoughts on the gun in case anyone else is looking.

 

[jjubran]

UPDATE:

Yesterday we put in an order for a Syren Elos D2 20 guage. They will shave off a half an inch of LOP at the factory. They also will install an auto safety. So that should check all her requirement boxes. It's 6 weeks out, but I'll pass along her thoughts on the gun in case anyone else is looking.

sounds like a solid plan. Looking forward to the update.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

sounds like a solid plan. Looking forward to the update.

Same. The shotgun had a 6 week lead time, so waiting is the hardest part.

 

[2rocky]

Wow. You don't mess around. That's a good looking gun!

 

[2rocky]

A lot of good points !

Have her visit Connecticut and see if she likes their shotguns. They will make what she wants and make it to fit her. She will have a tough as nails hunting gun, not some competitive toy AND it will last her a lifetime and FIT her.

I took a look at that page and there is some serious coin for those shotguns. Beautiful though. Quite a few used models as well.

 

[KB_]

Not 100% sure if they make a youth stock but the Stroger overunders are freakin fantastic. My dad bought one 20 years ago and I would rabbit hunt with it all the time, easy to aim. But generally I use my 20g pump for just about anything. My rem 1100 mostly sits and looks pretty in the safe while the mossburg 500 20g pump gets all the work. I see that you had mechanical issues with your wifes so I would suggest a mossburg for pure reliability. I have beat the piss out of that thing since I was a kid and it has been a great gun. They are also cheap and plentiful.

 

[2rocky]

Not 100% sure if they make a youth stock but the Stroger overunders are freakin fantastic. My dad bought one 20 years ago and I would rabbit hunt with it all the time, easy to aim. But generally I use my 20g pump for just about anything. My rem 1100 mostly sits and looks pretty in the safe while the mossburg 500 20g pump gets all the work. I see that you had mechanical issues with your wifes so I would suggest a mossburg for pure reliability. I have beat the piss out of that thing since I was a kid and it has been a great gun. They are also cheap and plentiful.

Just to let you know...He went with a shotgun that has an MSRP of $2895
He's playing in a little different league than us.

UPDATE:

Yesterday we put in an order for a Syren Elos D2 20 guage. They will shave off a half an inch of LOP at the factory. They also will install an auto safety. So that should check all her requirement boxes. It's 6 weeks out, but I'll pass along her thoughts on the gun in case anyone else is looking.

 

[KB_]

my god, i'm not even on the same planet lol