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Thanks Nick and Sian,Pauline is not quite fully recovered from a bad shoulder and broken clavicle injury. So she is still a little apprehensive about getting back to taking lessons. Hopefully the new year will see her regain confidence. I hope to purchase a gun first which will be a 12 guage and I am hoping she will have a go with it and hopefully find its not a problem for her.
Wait until she is fully healed and then get her to have a go. No point rushing it.

 
Thanks Nick and Sian,Pauline is not quite fully recovered from a bad shoulder and broken clavicle injury. So she is still a little apprehensive about getting back to taking lessons. Hopefully the new year will see her regain confidence. I hope to purchase a gun first which will be a 12 guage and I am hoping she will have a go with it and hopefully find its not a problem for her.
Buy a light 12G for Pauline, have it fitted and invest in a decent recoil pad, like an Izzard XPad, and shoot 21g cartridges. 

Shoot 21g 12G cartridges for a couple of years and you can but a 20G with the money you have saved over shooting a 20G.

 
 I hope to purchase a gun first which will be a 12 guage and I am hoping she will have a go with it and hopefully find its not a problem for her.
Would she need to move YOUR car seat before driving YOUR car  ????

Be careful letting her use a gun that will probably not even be a 'reasonable' fit, it can cause her a lot of pain and possibly stop her shooting career before it starts. I am speaking from experience here too  !

 
That sounds sensible westley. Pauline seems more worried about the weight than the recoil and has only shot a 20,so convincing her to try a 12 will be difficult. When I finally get her to the gunshop I will get her to try a few 12s.

Buy a light 12G for Pauline, have it fitted and invest in a decent recoil pad, like an Izzard XPad, and shoot 21g cartridges. 

Shoot 21g 12G cartridges for a couple of years and you can but a 20G with the money you have saved over shooting a 20G.
Sounds good advice.

 
I do not know which model of 20 bore she used, but some 20's can weigh more than a lightweight 12 bore. I have a shooting friend who uses a Beretta ultralight 12 bore with 28 gram Olympics, to good effect. A similar weight gun with a 21 gram Hull Comp X cartridge would be a much more cost effective option to a 20 bore. I have small gauge guns and can assure you that unless you load your own, they can be costly things to feed. Do not forget that as she uses the gun more, her arm and shoulder muscles will develop and she will not notice the guns weight so much. I will risk being shot down in flames here, BUT I see a lot of Ladies using semi auto 12 bores with good results too and there are plenty of good used models around that weigh in around the 7lbs. mark. As already said, the 'game' or 'field' models of the well known makers,  can be a pound lighter than their clay shooting models. Have a good look around or better still, a day out to a shooting ground with a shop where you can try various guns. Money spent in doing your 'homework' can save you hundreds of pounds later on. Construct a short list and then search around, be prepared to travel to get the right gun.

 
I think I see your problem Brand New. You have some great advise from experienced and knowledgeable shooters, but your Wife must feel comfortable when she goes to try a gun in the shop.

The problem may be that when most new shooters pick up a gun for the first time, they tend to very much favour lighter guns. This is true of male and female shooters. Therefore, particularly with your Wife's previous injury (which is bound to cause some apprehension) she's almost guaranteed to find the 20b most attractive whilst in the shop.

Of course, as you will know the lighter the gun the more recoil will be felt (ignoring semi Auto's of course) So for example a standard speed 28gram cart through a 6.75lb gun will kick somewhat harder than the same 28gram load through an 8lb Sporter. This is true pretty much regardless of the size of the bore.

So the dilemma is presumably - which is the harder thing for her to become used too, a slightly heavier gun or sharper recoil?

To some extent only she will know that, but please do bear in mind the only way she's really going to know is by using gun weight and cartridge load/speed combination that she's comfortable with. Is there anyone who would perhaps lend you a light 12g or a standard 20b to try? If not my advise would be to contact your local club and book some time with the instructor. that way she can try the options for herself.

Having said all of that, my vote is also for a decent quality slightly lighter 12g gun and Hull Comp X 21gram carts to start off with. Trust me, the Comp X are VERY low recoil.

Finally, someone mentioned the Caesar Guerini "built specifically for Ladies" These are called Syren and are indeed super bits of kit. However they cost about £2400 new and are not exactly lightweight, so perhaps not ideal?

Really hope you get things sorted, and good luck!!

 
Thanks all,for some good advice. Sadly the hold up is still the SGC application being completed. I am a fairly patient man and applied on July 1st,had visit 5 weeks ago and was told all was in ordrer and should receive it in the next few weeks. Once it arrives I can sort myself out and sort the Mrs out in the new year.

 
First gun coming shortly,our SGCs arrived today. Looking forward to doing some shooting.

 
great news mate ?

early Xmas present then.

 
Thanks ips,its been a long wait. Now we can begin to start shooting seriously.

 
Nothing wrong with the lincoln, you have to be aware that it is not one of the big 3, soundly made, reliable. But dont go for 20 bore. My wife is 5 foot nothing, shoots a Sp1 with 28 g cartridges. Recoil has never been a problem.

 
Thought about a Medalist,30 inch barrels Game. Any thoughts? Cant get to a gun shop for a while yet due to work but got a bit of cash to spend and want to spend it right.

 
brand new

there are countless makes and types that would meet your requirements. I would seriously look at game guns for the Mrs as they are lighter generally than sporters. Get to a good dealer and spend some time putting a few guns up or better still a shop with a layout to try em

 
You will not go far wrong with a Browning Medalist there a good gun.

 
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You will not go far wrong with a Browning Medalist there a good gun.
I have a 20b medalist.  Very good gun for the money.  £425 has multichokes and the stock shape is very good.

I expect the 12b to be the the same.

Those new RA arms EOS guns from Malmo guns  look a very good package for the price too.  

 
Going to view the Medalist tonight,and can get it fitted for me if I decide to buy it.

 
Tried several but kept going back to the Medalist,so bought it. It just came to the shoulder naturally and felt right. Got a decent deal for cash and discounts on the accessories I bought too. Happy with my choice and looking forward to shooting it soon.

   Thanks again to all those who offered some very kind and good advice.

 

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