Hello from Silicon Valley, Northern California

[AmyH]

Hello everyone! I just joined the club yesterday and found this forum. Super happy to find a group like this, yay!

I just got my hunter safety certification this past year, and now I'm looking to get my first shotgun and learn how to use it for upland game bird hunting. I'm anxious to have a closer connection to food that I eat. I'd love advice on getting a reasonably priced shotgun that's good for women, or can be modified for my fit. I'm feeling partial to 12 gauge, but I'm not opposed to 20 gauge. I've looked at the beautiful Syren line of shotguns that are specific for women, but I'd like to find a first shotgun that's more reasonably priced.

I've also been trying to find a good female instructor (or male if they're really good at working with women) that I can take one on one lessons from in the South Bay area. I'd love suggestions on instructors as well.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all and learning from you.

[senorgrand]

Welcome! Fallout New Vegas rules.

12 gauge is definitely more versatile than 20, but 12 kicks a bit more, especially in a smaller shotgun.

Are you looking for O/U, pump or semi? A gas-operated semi will have a little less kick. Pumps are dirt cheap. Most of the popular shotguns can be had in "Bantam" configurations with a shorter length of pull for smaller-framed shooters.

What's your budget?

[Bisbee]

Hi AmyH,
Glad you found us. We can be a treasure trove of information as well as moral support being that you won't likely find many firearms enthusiasts in your neck of the woods. Do a search for Max's recent intro thread regarding Silicon Valley...

Ya know, 12ga and 20ga recoil is not as different as you would imagine (if you are shooting target loads). The two kicked about the same against my lightweight frame after I purchased a 20ga as my first shotgun and compared it back to back with a friend's Winchester 12ga.

SeniorGrand is correct. An auto-loading shotgun kicks a bit less but they are also more complicated than pump shotguns if something goes wrong. For your first gun might I recommend you look at a H&R Pardner pump shotgun in a shorter stock (sometimes called "youth model"). It is a Chinese made copy of the Remington 870 and actually my first shotgun. I bought my Remington afterward and compared the two to find the Pardner had a much heavier receiver. If you don't plan to hunt with it or carry the gun a lot, a heavier gun actually reduces felt recoil.

Again, my Pardner was a 20ga but I can recommend just getting a 12ga. Ammo is more plentiful and often cheaper in the 12. The Pardner is available in both calibers and very affordable. You can likely get one for around $200 and at most $250 if you order it from a local gun store.

They are built like tanks and have a good reputation. One to consider in any case. You don't have to spend a lot of money on your first shotgun.

Oops, just reread that you do plan on carrying it for hunting...

[senorgrand]

For pumps, I like the Mossberg 500. They are affordable and have a great safety for hunting (on the tang, not the trigger guard).

[sikacz]

Welcome!

[featureless]

Welcome, Amy! I'm up a bit north of you in Bay Area's weekend wino exodus land.

I'm not certain of shotgun instruction, but the LGC has an instructor directory: https://theliberalgunclub.com/training/ ... directory/ (search California, looks like plenty of options in the Bay Area, not women though).

My wife and I had a day long class with Daniel and can highly recommend him. My wife found him to be very good and he greatly helped her familiarity/comfort with a handgun (she's not comfortable with guns in general but recognizes they're a good thing to have and not need). No mansplaining occurred (at least on his part!) and Daniel is very familiar with helping new shooters raise their skills and comfort. No ego to deal with on his part.

I had, perhaps, a similar resistance to getting training from an NRA-certified instructor because I wasn't interested in the bullshit that can often be attached to "NRA" while trying to get more proficient at something that has, historically, made me pretty nervous. It was great to find the LGC and utilize its training. I fully intend to do so again.

Edited to add: my first and only shotgun is a Remington 1100 20 gauge I picked up used for cheap. The end of the barrel was rusty (thus the price), so it got chopped down to 18.5" to remove the rust and a magazine tube was added (back in the day before I had a more suitable home defense gun). It's not up to killing birds at any distance though, with a shortened barrel.

[Bucolic]

Adding another voice for the Mossberg 500. I got mine with two barrels: an 18.5 inch cylinder barrel and a long barrel (25” I think. I am too lazy to go measure it) with interchangeable chokes. A nice package. I was most interested in using it for farm protection and varmint mitigation so I use the short barrel and swapped the stock for a shorter one and added a rail and red dot.

The Mossy 500 has been around so long that it can be set up in a wide variety of configurations. Lots of aftermarket parts.

[highdesert]

Amy! What shotguns have you shot already? Plenty of free advice here from knowledgeable folks and Bay Area members can recommend some local gun stores. The Big 5 Sporting Goods chain does have some rifles and shotguns. I saw they had the Stoeger Coach gun on sale last time I was into my local, it's double barrel though. Mossberg (owns Maverick), Beretta (owns Benelli and Stoeger), Remington, Browning , FNH and many, many more. Have fun, keep us updated.

[Marlene]

Shotguns run from about $350 to infinity in price, so clarifying your budget will help.

For upland birds, you’ll want a double or a semi-auto. Fast follow up shots are important especially for a new hunter.

The nice folks at Imbert and Smithers in San Carlos could probably help you find something that fits you. They have a great selection of good quality used shotguns at fair prices. Often a good used gun is a better way to go than new; you can get something that would be out of your price range if it was new and with shotguns the nicer ones (up to a point) do shoot better.

[Marlene]

Oh, and hi from Oakland

[senorgrand]

And, as usual, Marlene makes good points.

I believe there are ranges in south bay that have some 12 gauges and 20 gauges for rent.

[AmyH]

Wow, thanks for the nice welcome and info everyone!

I've been looking at the Mossberg 500 models, so maybe I should look into them a bit further. I also like the idea of looking for a quality used one. Thanks for that suggestion Marlene.

featureless, thanks for the instructor suggestion. I'll take a look at Daniel and see if it's a good fit.

Thanks again everyone. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

[CDFingers]

Welcome from three hours north of you.

CDFingers

[max129]

Bucolic said:

Adding another voice for the Mossberg 500. I got mine with two barrels: an 18.5 inch cylinder barrel and a long barrel (25” I think. I am too lazy to go measure it) with interchangeable chokes. A nice package. I was most interested in using it for farm protection and varmint mitigation so I use the short barrel and swapped the stock for a shorter one and added a rail and red dot.

The Mossy 500 has been around so long that it can be set up in a wide variety of configurations. Lots of aftermarket parts.

+1 on the Mossberg. I like the action a bit better than the entry level Remingtons.

And as Marlene said, Imbert & Smithers in San Carlos is a good place. I don't know if Jeana (Jeena?) still works there, but she was really helpful with my wife's new firearm a while ago.

One minor caution: guns stores in California get a large volume of "Lookie Lous" and some of the store clerks can be in "ignore mode" for people randomly wandering around. I see complaints about this on Yelp. Just find a store worker and tell them you want some help.

[AmyH]

Max129 and Marlene, thanks for the recommendation on Imbert & Smithers. Sounds like a good place with knowledgeable staff.

[ebhphoto]

Howdy from down in LA. The Syren guns are beautiful, but if you want something cheaper I think you couldn't do much better than a Beretta A300 in synthetic. The synthetic stock lets you adjust the length of pull down to 13", so you will be able to get it to fit. It's a gas gun so recoil is a bit reduced. And it's a workhorse. I have one with the wood stock and think it's great.

I got into hunting for the exact same reason as you--to have a closer connection with food. Upland hunting is awesome. Pretty soon you'll be wanting a dog too!

[bigbass4me]

Welcome from NC


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AmyH]

Howdy from down in LA. The Syren guns are beautiful, but if you want something cheaper I think you couldn't do much better than a Beretta A300 in synthetic. The synthetic stock lets you adjust the length of pull down to 13", so you will be able to get it to fit. It's a gas gun so recoil is a bit reduced. And it's a workhorse. I have one with the wood stock and think it's great.

I got into hunting for the exact same reason as you--to have a closer connection with food. Upland hunting is awesome. Pretty soon you'll be wanting a dog too!

Thanks for the recommendation on the A300, it looks like a nice one that might fit the bill. I'll definitely take a look at those.

[Buck13]

Howdy from Seattle!

Member/moderator laragc had a nice little autoloader shotgun at our 2016 annual meeting in Portland. I vaguely remember that it was a Beretta, but wouldn't bet much on it. Her profile indicates she hasn't logged in since April, though, so sending her a PM may be futile. Maybe one of the other moderators or California members could tip you some alternate contact info for her?

Is a woman's shotgun a "shotgyn?" I accidentally typed that above, and it seemed appropriate. A happy accident.