[Nalajr]

Hey all.

My good friend and shooting buddy called me today and said he needed a recommendation for a 20 gauge semi-auto shotgun. He has his own mini range and now has a clay target thrower. He wants the 20 cause his wife said she would start shooting if it didn’t hurt and even his 12 year old little girl wants to try it too.

He has a Remington 1100 Youth 20 Gauge but he said he went out the other day with all sorts of shells and the ONLY round it fed reliably was a magnum shell...obviously too much for a tiny girl.
He traded into a 20 Gauge semi with a brand of HATFIELD, which he said was the one Walmart sells. It too will only cycle magnum loads.
I believe him on these shotguns. He’s always had problems with that 1100 Light 20.

He wants a shotgun that his wife and little girl can try shooting and possibly get interested in. He is pretty insistent on a semi-auto.

The only one I know for sure will cycle light, target loads is Benelli. Beretta will likely also feed the target loads he wants to use with his wife and daughter.

Can you all give me some recommendations for a 20 Gauge semi-auto that my buddy can get that will reliably feed the target loads he wants to use.
Stoeger??

Any others to look at?

Thank you all.

 

[Gimpster]

I'm kind of looking for a semiauto 20 gauge myself and been interested in the Mossberg SA20. Just hoping to see some reviews of it but it looks promising to me.

 

[BigJimP]

The Benelli ( the Super Sport is my choice ) ...or one of the Beretta's. Either one will be fine.

Benelli Super Sport has comfort tech stock ....and its light at around 6 1/4 lbs...so its good for a young shooter that may not have a lot of upper body strength. It will cycle loads even at 3/4 oz around 1200 fps ...in a 20ga...and all of the typical 7/8 oz loads.

 

[TxTrail80]

Beretta A400 is the one I have. It is very reliable. I shoot many clays and it will serve you well. I disagree on going light on gun weight as this will increase perceived recoil. Benelli uses a non gas semi auto that is excellent.
Most shooter would best be served with a semi auto gas operating gun that will reduce recoil.

 

[Nalajr]

Thanks guys.

That was my first suggestion to him because I have one, a 12 Gauge M1 Super 90 with a 21” barrel and a +4 extension tube on it.
I don’t know whether he wants to spend that much though.

What would be the recommendations if he wanted to keep the price under say $700 ?

Would the Stoeger 3020 be a good choice since they license the Benelli inertia system?? I’ve read good things about the Stoeger m3000, but all in 12 Gauge. I’ve never read any reviews on a 20.

How about CZ? They’re supposed to be a nice, budget friendly shotgun too.

Any thoughts on those....or any others??

Thanks.

 

[Howe45acp]

I’m another Benelli fan!! My H&K Super Black Eagle has had more rounds thru it than I can count. 2 Argentina Dove Hunt trips, 6 Canada waterfowl trips, plus numerous local dove & wwaterfowl seasons. I’m the 2nd owner & will never sell it.

 

[TxTrail80]

Go to a sporting clay, trap, skeet range. Check on the board and buy a used beretta or benelli. Talk to other shooters. It’s likely to be less expensive.

 

[Kyle Burt]

Son has the Benelli supersport, daughter has the Beretta a400 and the wife has a franchi (don't remember the model) all in 20g.

The Benelli absolutely shoots any light target load I put in it. The Beretta is the softest of the 3 but in colder weather choked on some light target loads.

In that price range I'd check out the franchi, it's got the inertia drive like the Benelli just not a lot of the frills . Don't recall my wife's ever jamming but of the 3 she shoots the least amount .

 

[BigJimP]

Heavier guns ...on a given shell...reduce recoil.../ but for many ladies and young shooters the weight of a gun is critical based on their upper body strength. Most of the gas guns are just too heavy for young shooters.

Budgets are important ...but the internals on Stoeger & Franchi are not the same as the Benelli...and the quality is not the same.

As a young shooter gets older and wants a little more weight in a gun ..(because light guns tend to be "whippy" causing a shooter to "slap" at targets vs staying smooth ..especially on follow thru)...I have used lead golf club tape .....and put 8oz under forend and 8oz inside butt stock on Benelli Super Sport ...... reduces recoil & smooths out swing.

I'm 6' 5" and 290 ....but some of grandkids look like my wife who is fairly petite....so I had to come up with a couple of shotguns that would fit a variety of shooters in the grandkids from young teenagers -- to petite young ladies in their 20's... ...a pair of Super Sports in 12ga & 20ga...and a pair of Browning over unders in 28ga and .410..../ and 10 grandkids later, the guns are all going strong ....and many thousands of shells.

 

[Dave Jessee]

I had one of these in 20 gauge. It shot whatever I could afford to put in it. And a joy to shoot.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/810635340

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I have an SX3, very happy with it. Sounds like maybe a compact model might be the ticket.

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/shotguns/super-x3/super-x3-current-products.html

 

[Bender]

Another Benelli fan here.....

 

[seawolfxix]

Franchi Affinity Compact

 

[Novak77]

My wife started out with a Winchester SX3 in 20. Its one hell of a nice little shotgun. My only complaint was its a PITA to clean compared to a Benelli. We hunt salt water, so cleaning after every outing is a must.

This year I sucked it up and got her a M2 Compact in 20. She absolutely loves it. Big plus is they sell different height combs and butt pads. Between the shims and a med height comb, she got the perfect fit.

 

[JNW]

Get a Franchi that is designed to fit a woman.
https://www.franchiusa.com/affinity-catalyst-shotgun

Benellis are great guns, but some don’t cycle light loads. A gas gun will be ideal for these female shooters.
Jeff

 

[joerockhead]

Get a Franchi that is designed to fit a woman.
https://www.franchiusa.com/affinity-catalyst-shotgun

Benellis are great guns, but some don’t cycle light loads. A gas gun will be ideal for these female shooters.
Jeff

I agree with this....

When my son was young ( 5th or 6th grade) I bought him a Beretta 20 ga youth model... It had a removable " wedge" in the stock to adjust the length of pull...
He shot Trap and Skeet with it … I wish I would have kept it...

I think it was a Model 3901 ?? or A 391 or something like that …
It was around 600 new … IIRC ….

 

[455rocket]

I'm a fan of the Benelli too and have never had an issue with one. With that being said, my daughter started shooting a Browning Silver 20 ga when she was in 4H and still shoots it without any issues (she's 21 now). She has countless trips to the trap and sporting clay ranges without a single problem. I've even taken it on multiple trips to sub-gauge sporting clay shoots without a hiccup.

 

[Novak77]

Get a Franchi that is designed to fit a woman.
https://www.franchiusa.com/affinity-catalyst-shotgun

Benellis are great guns, but some don’t cycle light loads. A gas gun will be ideal for these female shooters.
Jeff

A buddy just got a Franchi Affinity in 20 and loves it. I think he scored it on sale for $700. OTD. Franchi is owned by Benelli and they both run off the same inertia drive system. For the $$ those Affinity's are hard to beat.

 

[JNW]

You’re right, the Affinity Catalyst is an inertia gun, but it’s tuned for light target loads. Heck of a deal fir a gun with a ladies stock.

 

[Tarpon Hunter]

I got into skeet and sporting clays 7 years ago and have been through few guns. I dislike Benelli's for 2 reasons: harder recoil and the infamous Benelli "click". The bolt doesn't go into battery all the way and when you take a shot, all you get is a click. I love the Winchester SX3 or 4. Beretta A400's are soft shooting as well but beware getting one with the "Kick-off" system. That causes cheek slap on some people. The recoil is soft enough without it