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20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:39 am
by SHaRPS
I am looking for a 20ga for my wife that will not break the bank. She will only be using it 3-5 times a year for pheasant over our GSP's. However, I may also use it instead of my 12ga semi auto. So far, It looks like the Stoeger side by side is the best option for about $400 brand new and it also has interchangeable chokes. Does anyone else recommend something else even if its a bit more in price?

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:50 am
by Tooling
A good friend has a Stoeger and it is hard to recommend.

Might I suggest having a look at a CZ, my choice would be the double trigger Bobwhite & a 20ga is plenty for Pheasants - especially over a dog.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:05 pm
by Pedro
Franchi Infinity 26". Sweet little gun.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:40 pm
by randomnut
I like the Franchi guns also, but the doubles may be too light for recoil sensitive folks and heavy pheasant loads. I think the Stoegers are quite a bit heavier, and that's probably a good thing in this instance.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:16 pm
by Vman
JMO. Save your money a little longer and find a Benelli M1. M2, or Montefeltro in 20ga. used. If you ever decide to sell it you have something that will resell for what you paid. Light, quick to point, choke tubes, low recoil, adjustable stock to suit her, and safe.
In regards to cheap break open guns, the Mossberg Silver Reserve is probably the best thing out there. Problem with guns like Stoeger and Baikal and even Mossberg is, you buy it for $500 use it for one season and it is worth maybe $200 trade in. You just lost $300, and now that good gun for $750 is up to $1050. Do it right the first time. Again JMO.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:43 pm
by Tooling
Vman wrote:JMO. Save your money a little longer and find a Benelli M1. M2, or Montefeltro in 20ga. used. If you ever decide to sell it you have something that will resell for what you paid. Light, quick to point, choke tubes, low recoil, adjustable stock to suit her, and safe.
In regards to cheap break open guns, the Mossberg Silver Reserve is probably the best thing out there. Problem with guns like Stoeger and Baikal and even Mossberg is, you buy it for $500 use it for one season and it is worth maybe $200 trade in. You just lost $300, and now that good gun for $750 is up to $1050. Do it right the first time. Again JMO.
A semi in lieu of a sxs in the uplands!!

Blasphemy!!

:)

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:58 pm
by Tooling
IMO - uber-heavy loads are way overrated.

An ounce of #5's along with sound judgement regarding the shot seems to be adequate.

Remington Express shells are good.

Standard loads of #7-1/2's do just fine on preserve birds.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:05 pm
by aulrich
I have a Yildz but in 12 my son has the Franchi in 20 the only regret with my yildz is it is in 12. 1-1/8 oz loads can still turn a bird inside out if you are to snappy off the mark. The Franchi is the steel receiver version and with 1 oz or 7/8 oz loads recoil is minimal. One thing is at least with my son's gun it seems that Francis have a slightly longer LOP which is OK since he is tall, but It may mean a trip to the smith to fit your wife.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 7:57 pm
by kcbullets
Completely agree with Vman.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:08 pm
by nikegundog
Tooling wrote:
Vman wrote:JMO. Save your money a little longer and find a Benelli M1. M2, or Montefeltro in 20ga. used. If you ever decide to sell it you have something that will resell for what you paid. Light, quick to point, choke tubes, low recoil, adjustable stock to suit her, and safe.
In regards to cheap break open guns, the Mossberg Silver Reserve is probably the best thing out there. Problem with guns like Stoeger and Baikal and even Mossberg is, you buy it for $500 use it for one season and it is worth maybe $200 trade in. You just lost $300, and now that good gun for $750 is up to $1050. Do it right the first time. Again JMO.
A semi in lieu of a sxs in the uplands!!

Blasphemy!!

:)
A SxS instead of an O/U in the United States, unAmerican. :wink:



*exclusions apply in the case of a model 21 Win.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:08 am
by Tooling
nikegundog wrote:
Tooling wrote:
Vman wrote:JMO. Save your money a little longer and find a Benelli M1. M2, or Montefeltro in 20ga. used. If you ever decide to sell it you have something that will resell for what you paid. Light, quick to point, choke tubes, low recoil, adjustable stock to suit her, and safe.
In regards to cheap break open guns, the Mossberg Silver Reserve is probably the best thing out there. Problem with guns like Stoeger and Baikal and even Mossberg is, you buy it for $500 use it for one season and it is worth maybe $200 trade in. You just lost $300, and now that good gun for $750 is up to $1050. Do it right the first time. Again JMO.
A semi in lieu of a sxs in the uplands!!

Blasphemy!!

:)
A SxS instead of an O/U in the United States, unAmerican. :wink:



*exclusions apply in the case of a model 21 Win.
Hogwash!!

Parkers Rule

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:27 am
by nikegundog
Tooling wrote:


Hogwash!!

Parkers Rule
Sure some of them look nice, but its like your aiming down a two by four. :roll:

$400, go with a used Wingmaster.

figured you for a sidelock guy

20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:29 pm
by jrb_113
My wife also took up bird hunting a couple of years back and goes with me about 5 or 10 times a year. We had one heck of a time finding something she could hit targets with. She is 5'6" tall so about average size or just a little above for US women. To make a long story short she needed both a shortened length of pull and a raised comb. She is currently using a 16 gauge Ithaca model 37 featherweight with a shortened stock and a bear tooth comb raising kit and is shooting well. Franchi is coming out with a new shotgun called the affinity catalyst for women soon. Unfortunately it only comes in 12 gauge but it is only 6.6 lbs so it should be OK. I am thinking about getting her one of those when it comes out. The bear tooth comb raising kit sort of slips at times so it's not the perfect solution. Best of luck to you. I can tell you some of the 20 gauge guns that did not work for her if you like.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:32 pm
by Gordon Guy
Remington 1100 Special field. they have a shorter stock shorter 21" barrel, more lively feel especially for a smaller person.. Check them out on Gunbroker.com or other used gun sellers. If you want her to continue to hunt with you, buy her a nice gun, something she'll be proud of and doesn't beat her up to shoot. Fixed breach guns, SxS, O/U, and Pumps, have more felt recoil. As far as shells go sometimes less is more.

I'm jealous of you gentlemen when your wives want to go hunting too. :mrgreen:

20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:05 pm
by jrb_113
Gordon Guy wrote:Remington 1100 Special field. they have a shorter stock shorter 21" barrel, more lively feel especially for a smaller person.. Check them out on Gunbroker.com or other used gun sellers. If you want her to continue to hunt with you, buy her a nice gun, something she'll be proud of and doesn't beat her up to shoot. Fixed breach guns, SxS, O/U, and Pumps, have more felt recoil. As far as shells go sometimes less is more.

I'm jealous of you gentlemen when your wives want to go hunting too. :mrgreen:
I really enjoy having the wife along while hunting. The dog is her baby and she likes to see him out there doing what he loves to do. My dad gave me one of those LT-20 special fields with a three barrel set. They are awesome little guns and two of my daughters shoot it very well. The wife struggles with it. Her eye is below the receiver when she mounts the gun. I have heard that is a relatively common problem with women. Syren (expensive), CZ, and now Franchi have women's field guns with a raised comb. Franchi is going to make an autoloader and an over and under. Affinity catalyst and Instinct catalyst. For what it's worth if you can try before you buy that would be good. I would look for something that comes with shims to adjust drop if possible. The Franchi autoloader will have those.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:37 am
by SHaRPS
My wife is 5'10" so I don't think she needs anything other than a slightly shortened stock. I know the auto loaders are definitely the way to go for less felt recoil. I have many shotguns in semi, O/U, and SxS. I had her hold a few yesterday and she was not a fan of the SxS and she much preferred the O/U and Semi. She also didn't even want to hear it about a pump and I am not a fan either which is why I don't own any - just me and nothing against them. I think I will start by calling a few local shops to see what they have for used 20ga and go from there. If I cannot locate any, does anyone recommend any new semi's that wont be more than say 700? I am in Southern New England.

JRB - that's why my wife wants to hunt this year. We have 2 GSP's one which is a 12 week old female so I know she will enjoy hunting over her as her focus will be training her. The 16 month old male is my boy so it will be a dual team effort and should be VERY fun. I posted a few pictures of the in the "General Chat" under the post "New Puppy / Older puppy". I darn near gave up deer hunting because I love it so much.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:38 pm
by aulrich
My son runs a Weatherby SA-08 in 12 for waterfowl and it's been a solid performer. The wood 20ga version was very much in the running when he got his Franchi.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:45 pm
by Tejas
You might want to also check around for a Browning B80 in 20 gauge. They have 21 inch barrels and a straight stock. This a semi-automatic that seems to fit youths and some women fairly well. You should be able to find one in your price range.
I bought one for my son several years back and it was a pretty fun gun to shoot when quail shooting was "snappy" because of thick cover.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:55 pm
by Springer
These guys have pretty much hit all the easy available options. Franchi Affinity is a good gun, I picked up a Benelli M1 about 7 years ago from a guy that bought it new for 685 never fired it. I gave him 550. I see them now for 700 and up used. M2's are quite a bit more. The Montefeltro is a nice gun and you can find them with 24" barrels often which might fit better.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:47 am
by codym
Vman wrote:JMO. Save your money a little longer and find a Benelli M1. M2, or Montefeltro in 20ga. used. If you ever decide to sell it you have something that will resell for what you paid. Light, quick to point, choke tubes, low recoil, adjustable stock to suit her, and safe.
In regards to cheap break open guns, the Mossberg Silver Reserve is probably the best thing out there. Problem with guns like Stoeger and Baikal and even Mossberg is, you buy it for $500 use it for one season and it is worth maybe $200 trade in. You just lost $300, and now that good gun for $750 is up to $1050. Do it right the first time. Again JMO.
To Piggy back off this, the montefeltro can be ordered with a shorter youth stock, its called a youth combo or something like that. My wife shoots a monte really well. I reload her 3/4 oz loads for dove and quail and she has no problem with recoil. The shim kits are very helpful in getting the fit correct and the gun only weighs 5 3/4lbs! She also shoots it for turkey, with 3inch hevi shot mag blends and an Indian creek choke it's a 35-40 yard gun all day! I really love that gun and so does she and I have used lots of autos!

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:51 pm
by SHaRPS
I appreciate everyone's input. I will call around tomorrow to see what is available locally and let you know what I find.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:28 am
by SHaRPS
So, after searching my wife fell in love with the Stevens 555 in 20ga. At 5.5lbs this O/U is very nice and light and is a great long day carry gun. I was able to snag this brand new for 570. We will be giving this gun a try atv the skeet field in about a week.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:12 am
by randomnut
Awesome! Let us know how it shoots. I'm also looking for a light 20 double, and I'm interested in the Stevens and Franchi.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 10:58 am
by SwampDog
i know this is quite a bit off from your original post, however i bought my wife a beretta 686 silver pigeon 20ga. New they can cost a pretty penny, however i did some searching and held out on a good deal on a used one. I snagged a two year old (less than 500rds through safe queen) silver pigeon with a nice beretta case, a full set of extended briley choke tubes, and two cases of ammo for $1200. Its a little more than what you are talking but well worth the money imo. I catch myself wanting to shoot hers instead of my O/U 12s (franchi renaissance and browning citori 725)...... just my .02

Cory

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 12:47 pm
by SHaRPS
So, I picked up the Stevens yesterday and its a very nice O/U especially for the price. The barrel selection is also a nice feature. I will be shooting this on Saturday for the first time but I do have 1 issue with it right now and maybe someone can help. The lever that opens the barrels is VERY tight to open. Is there anything I can do to get it loose so my wife doesn't have a hard time? Will this get better with some shells through it? Or, is it like this for good?

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 7:32 pm
by Tooling
Cannot say that I have experience with the particular gun that you have but congrats on finding a pc that you like.

My advice for the tightness of the assembly (machinist term)..use the gun..you can accelerate use by working the well oiled levers pivot point while watching tv or whatever to mesh the parts together...just work the action.

Often, steps are skipped such as de-burr & fine fitting in order to manufacture a gun to a certain price point and this may be the case in your situation..just nature of the beast my friend.

Most importantly..get out there and watch your wife do her thing with pup in action as these are the things that really count!!

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:12 pm
by mnaj_springer
Tooling wrote:A good friend has a Stoeger and it is hard to recommend.

Might I suggest having a look at a CZ, my choice would be the double trigger Bobwhite & a 20ga is plenty for Pheasants - especially over a dog.
I know it's a little late, but why the hate for the Stoeger?

I have a Condor 20ga. and I've liked it through the first 2 seasons. I killed the first bird I shot at. It's a natural pointer, but nothing fancy.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:12 pm
by Tooling
mnaj_springer wrote:
Tooling wrote:A good friend has a Stoeger and it is hard to recommend.

Might I suggest having a look at a CZ, my choice would be the double trigger Bobwhite & a 20ga is plenty for Pheasants - especially over a dog.
I know it's a little late, but why the hate for the Stoeger?

I have a Condor 20ga. and I've liked it through the first 2 seasons. I killed the first bird I shot at. It's a natural pointer, but nothing fancy.
sxs..not sure what model..it's 20 ga - the gun is just rough as a cob overall and really heavy.

He likes it and it seems to go bang every time.

I just happen to be of the opinion that the CZ represents a much better value, that's all.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 10:34 am
by mnaj_springer
Tooling, fair enough. I was just wonder if your friend had some specific complaints, that's all.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:17 pm
by P&PGunsmith
Tri Star

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:55 pm
by fishvik
I own a Stoeger 20 ga sXs and it is a pheasant and grouse killing machine. I use 2 3/4 in 1 oz #5 shot and it knocks em dead. Best investment I've made in years.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:53 pm
by SetterNut
Take a look at a used Rem 1100 20 ga LT. The light weight is really sweet.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 1:33 pm
by SubMariner
I'm late to the party on this one, but as a woman I thought I'd still contribute my $0.02's worth...

My hubby gave me his 20ga Stoeger which I had fitted to me and it was nothing I'd recommend to any woman -- WAY too heavy and too much recoil. I am much happier with my Baretta Silver Pigeon I.

No offense, but Stoegers are inexpensive for a reason. I actually wound up sending it back because it developed a defect & wouldn't close properly. (My husband also had to send his 12ga back due to a barrel problem.) To their credit, in both cases we got brand new gun in return. But to me that speaks volumes about the initial quality of their product when both guns wind up back at the manufacturer.

I got a reasonable deal on the Baretta & I'm happy I bought it and had it expertly fitted. Now I shoot while my hubby handles the dogs. (And hit a fair number of birds. ;))

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 5:36 pm
by Dakotazeb
Since she already has a 16 ga. buy her one of the new Browning A5 Sweet Sixteens coming out later this year. :D

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:40 pm
by SHaRPS
So I just started a post regarding the Benelli M2 I am looking to purchase but I wanted to update this post as well. After I purchased the Stevens 555 in 20ga we found out the day before we were going to hit the range that my wife was pregnant. So, she did not want to be around the gun shots and I respected that. Today, our baby boy is 3 months old and my wife has yet to shoot a single shot from the Stevens LOL ! However, the Stevens OBVIOUSLY needed to be broken in so I "did my wife a favor" and hunted with it all season long except for deer, yes I know thats what any good husband would do..... Some 100 pheasant and 20 chucker later the tight lever was just fine! I could not be any happier with that 20ga and I actually enjoyed the smaller size as it was a quick pointer and I normally shoot much faster than others to begin with. If anyone is looking for a light, mobile, and fairly low priced 20ga I would highly recommend the Stevens 555. I also purchased the Franchi Affinity in 20ga for my father. What a great little semi as well. I think I picked it up for $850 or so brand new and the first time he had it out was in a full blizzard for pheasant and chucker, not a single issue with 2 3/4" or 3" shells. I also highly recommend the Franchi Affinity for anyone looking for a 20ga semi in that price range. Now, with a baby boy slowly growing and a need for a new slug gun I have made up my mind to purchase the Benelli M2 Slugger and the additional field barrel in 20ga. Between my skeet, sporting clays, bird hunting and deer hunting this gun should hold its own for the next 10-15 years until I can hand it over to my boy. At that point, I will need something new yet again LOL!!! Thanks to those that posted and if anyone has any questions regarding these 3, I will try to answer what I can.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 1:53 pm
by fishvik
I have a Stoeger 20 ga. Uplander. I paid $325, it takes 2 3/4 and 3 in shells. It came with 2 chokes (IC & M), I also bought a full. Nothing fancy but it swings well and birds fall.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 12:48 pm
by wingseeker
my son has a Mossberg SA-20 and loves it
shoots great and reasonably priced

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:59 am
by DonF
randomnut wrote:I like the Franchi guns also, but the doubles may be too light for recoil sensitive folks and heavy pheasant loads. I think the Stoegers are quite a bit heavier, and that's probably a good thing in this instance.
Don't shoot heavy loads, you have a pointing dog to shoot over. I make every load I've shot for years target loads. But, I do change the shot! 3/4 oz of 5's or even 6's should be fine over a pointing dog. I loaded 6's for chukar because of pheasants I might run into. 7 1/2's crippled a lot of pheasant's, 6's didn't. I suspect 5's might be even better.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:03 am
by jetjockey
I Agree with Don. Heavy pheasant loads are overrated and marketing hype. I shoot 7/8oz load of #5's at 1125fps out of a 20ga old American SxS that hammers wild late season pheasants.

If anyone is in the same boat as the OP, look into Syren shotguns. Syren is a subsidery of Guerini and Fabarm and they make guns specifically for women. Not just shorter LOP, but also higher combs, shorter pistol grips for smaller hands, etc. There is no longer a reason to buy a men's gun and try to fit it to a women. Syren guns are made specifically for women.

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:34 am
by Tooling
I'll echo Don & jetjockey's advice from my own experience..an ounce or so of #5's is good medicine.

jetjockey..you sure have some pretty good knowledge surrounding double guns, I appreciate that you are always willing to share so readily. Am I to surmise, from your handle, that you are a jet pilot?
(feel free to pm if that is more appropriate and if my manners are not getting ahead of me of course..)

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:12 am
by jetjockey
Yup. I fly 737's....... Evil men with low morals got me into double guns. It's an addiction!!

Re: 20ga recommendations

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:44 am
by Tooling
jetjockey wrote:Yup. I fly 737's....... Evil men with low morals got me into double guns. It's an addiction!!
Nice, I'll take a wild guess and assume you served our country. (not asking)

Thank you