The last I heard, .410 ammo was ridiculously high. What will it be used for? 20 ga has a mild recoil IMHO, especially with low brass shells. The heavier the gun, the less the recoil. Pick your poison.
The 20 is such a versatile gun these days. Change the barrel and load and you're good from doves to bear.
I bought my ex fiance a sxs 20 gauge. They shoot nice and light, and as said, the ammo is much cheaper. Personally, I won't shoot anything smaller than a 12gauge, but that little 20gauge was a nice gun.
If buying for shooting trap/clays....20ga all the way. The 410 is a great shotgun really is for an advanced shooter. The 20 is far more versatile and will make it easier for her to be successful....thus enjoy!!
has she tried a 12ga? a lite 1oz target load has little recoil and the weight of the larger gun helps also ,another option would be a semi auto as the recoil is absorbed somewhat in the operation of the action, perhaps you could have her try a couple of different types at a club and obviously the 12 will give her the best chance of hitting the target ( more shot ). if the 12 is to much my vote would be the 20 , the 410 is often called a kids or beginners gun but in my opinion its an advanced shooters gun ( very small shot charge ) if you ever do get involved with the 410 or 28 thats when you can save a lot of money reloading your shells. over time you may like to have all 3 ( 12 20 410 ) as you build your skills and want to challenge yourselves . good luck and have fun .
It's too bad that the sixteen became such an ignored stepchild, here stateside. Properly built on an action specific to its size they are great. 410 difficult to master due to the long, stringy, & small shot charge. Anything over 7.5 shot is really too large for it. Great squirrel, rabbit and such gun.
20 no question. More versatile, cheaper and easier to get ammo, etc. My hunting partner has a rem 870 20 guage and it's a great shooter without the shoulder bruising (slugs) kick of the 12.
She has tried 12 and it's too much gun for her. Worried 16 will still kick too hard if it's a smaller gun.
I've used a .410 for clays; it's tough, and would be discouraging for a new shooter. Typically when I do a sporting clays course I'll use my 20GA since that's what I normally hunt with. It'll do anything a 12ga will, but is a little less punishing. What type of gun are you thinking? A single shot 20 will still kick pretty hard. A double barrel is still pretty light and will give some kick. I normally let women shoot my pump, and it's tolerable for them. A semi auto like an 1100 would be even better.
Hoping for a pump action in a size that she can point comfortably. Going to have a look around the pawn shop tomorrow.
My 20 gauge 1100 is a pussycat to shoot. My fiancé used it for deer hunting before rifles were legal here-she had no problem shooting 6 or 7 deer with it.
Several years ago I bought my wife a cheap Charles Daley 20g I loved it she did not. She then proceeded to take my baby my old 870 wingmaster so I bought another one for my self. Fast forward with my kids I got the a youth model 1100 20g what a great gun super fun to shoot and has almost no felt recoil. Get her a semi not a pump for a starter.
Check out the Mossberg 500 Bantam Combo. I picked up a 20 Ga full camo version used one for my son a few years ago for under $300 (in Canada). Came with a somewhat adjustable stock, tapped for scope mount and 2 barrels (22" shotgun barrel with threaded chokes and a rifled slug barrel). Like I said above, with this one gun that can grow with him, he can hunt everything from doves to moose here in Ontario. Good starter gun for youth and small statured women. Heck I've even carried it for turkeys and deer and I'm 6'3"
They only had one we were interested in, but it had significant rust in the action and he would t negotiate on the price.
Grizz...the 870 youth....18.5 inch barrel..great gun...ol lady has kilt gobblers and deer with it...20 ga slug is bad medicine fer deer....come to think of it..3" mags are bad fer turkeys too
