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Youth Models


markhb

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I have an M4 and it is a little large for my 17yo daughter. Does Benelli make a youth model shotgun?

 

Mark

I don't think so. They do have shorter recoil pad options to reduce LOP making it more suitable. An M4 is heavier than other Benellis, and gas operated unlike other Benellis, so it is a pretty soft kicker compared to other Benellis. You might consider getting her a 20 ga.

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With out knowing her height and weight, picking a shotgun can be tricky. I would recommend a 20 guage Monty with wood stock. Bring her to a gun shop and have her fitted for proper LOP. If she is around 5' 5" inches, a LOP of about 13" would be very good and a few companies have stock models with 13" LOP guns. If she is fairly short in height around 5' to 5' 2", Benelli has a short stock 20 guage Monty with a 12+1/2 LOP already made up. That Monty has a 24" barrel and weighs about 5+1/4 pounds empty and using light loads or hunting loads is a dream. I know, I own one. The 3" magnums are a bit tough. My little Monty takes down Quail, Grouse and Pheasents with ease and I can shoot it all day at the skeet range. In the field, I only place 2 rounds in it to keep the weight down and for self control when a covey burst. The little Monty's forestock is slim and balances well in my hands. A few of my guy friends that used to carry their heavy 12 guage duck guns into the field, have switched over to the smaller and lighter Monty's. My Monty is just over 7 years old and maybe I've just been lucky, but haven't had one single issue, EVER with it completely functioning.

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With out knowing her height and weight, picking a shotgun can be tricky. I would recommend a 20 guage Monty with wood stock. Bring her to a gun shop and have her fitted for proper LOP. If she is around 5' 5" inches, a LOP of about 13" would be very good and a few companies have stock models with 13" LOP guns. If she is fairly short in height around 5' to 5' 2", Benelli has a short stock 20 guage Monty with a 12+1/2 LOP already made up. That Monty has a 24" barrel and weighs about 5+1/4 pounds empty and using light loads or hunting loads is a dream. I know, I own one. The 3" magnums are a bit tough. My little Monty takes down Quail, Grouse and Pheasents with ease and I can shoot it all day at the skeet range. In the field, I only place 2 rounds in it to keep the weight down and for self control when a covey burst. The little Monty's forestock is slim and balances well in my hands. A few of my guy friends that used to carry their heavy 12 guage duck guns into the field, have switched over to the smaller and lighter Monty's. My Monty is just over 7 years old and maybe I've just been lucky, but haven't had one single issue, EVER with it completely functioning.

 

Thanks for the info. She loves shooting and I want to encourage her.

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How does the Nova youth compare with the Remington 870 youth? Pros & Cons

Thanks

The Nova: GOOD, Much more rust proof than the 870 express, slicker action than the 870 express, higher rib than the 870 express.

The 870: GOOD, cheaper, more durable, more after market parts.

 

I would go with the Nova, although I would bet money that the 870 will outlast it, the Nova will last forever. It is fairly easy to find Nova parts, but the 870 is even easier, and the parts are usually cheaper. The Nova is a smoother pumper and is easier to pump, although the 870 is not hard to pump, your arm will be tired after a long day.

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The Nova: GOOD, Much more rust proof than the 870 express, slicker action than the 870 express, higher rib than the 870 express.

The 870: GOOD, cheaper, more durable, more after market parts.

 

I would go with the Nova, although I would bet money that the 870 will outlast it, the Nova will last forever. It is fairly easy to find Nova parts, but the 870 is even easier, and the parts are usually cheaper. The Nova is a smoother pumper and is easier to pump, although the 870 is not hard to pump, your arm will be tired after a long day.

 

Thanks for the info

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Thanks for the info. She loves shooting and I want to encourage her.

I prefer the SuperNova but the Nova is very similar and I also have the 870 express. My 870 has a 2" longer barrel and feels lighter, maybe its the balance. If I were you I would bring her to the gun shop and have here shoulder both guns and see the different colors available and see what fits her best and which she prefers. Unless this gift is a surprise she would be much happier with the gun she picks out and it will be a much more bonding experience. Both the 870 express magnum and the Nova retail for about the same price so your call will have to be based on preferences. I would recommend stepping it up to the SuperNova ans 870 Wingmaster for choices if you really want to keep her interested, but the models you chose are great guns too! Best of luck.

Edited by tyson129
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Mark,

 

Tapping on my own experience with my daughter (now 20, and a pretty good trap shooter) here's what I offer (though my daughter was 11 when I started. at 17, you'll have different challenges to overcome.)

 

Remember, this gun is for her, not you. Make sure she is in on the deal. You may think you're getting her the best gun for her, but if you buy her something she hates, it'll never see the light of day.

 

Second, recoil is a fun-killer. Light weight pump or break-action guns are great for carrying in the field, but they will knock the snot out of a small person. I know you probably don't want to spend a lot of money on something, especially if you're not sure they'll stay in the game, but a good gun is worth the extra cost. If she decides its not her thing, and you decide to sell it later, you'll get back most of your investment.

 

Gun fit is important. If you're not sure what that means, seek out a professional gun fitter in your area. Gun fit is probably the most underrated, but potentially the most important factor in whether you break targets or bag game.

 

I strongly recommend you get her a soft-recoiling 20 gauge gas semi-auto like a Remington 1187 Sportsman Youth, or a Beretta 391 RL (reduced length.) These are quality guns, and great for small framed people.

 

Missing targets is also a fun-killer. When you start her out, set it up so she can break some easy incoming targets that kind of float out in front of her. I help teach a hunter education wingshooting class, and that's where we start.

 

Good luck,

 

Tim

Edited by timb99
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I just went through a similar process with the shotgun for my wife, who is in petite size.

 

She has tried my Benelli M1 and M4, and the stock LOP were too long for her size.

 

So I brought my wife to the gun stores, and let her tried almost every one of the shotguns. I truly believe that a person needs to shoulder and handle the firearm themselves to feel which and what is right for them.

 

Long story short, she eventually chose the following setup, which I hope it might give a hint or two for other smaller size female shotgun shooters:

 

- Remington 870 12ga pump-action Marine Magnum.

- Knoxx SpecOps adjustable-LOP recoil reduction stock.

- Knoxx forend that is 8.5" in length and in bigger diameter.

 

The Knoxx SpecOps stock is extremely helpful for smaller size shooter. The recoil reduction helps not to kill their interest of shooting 12ga 00 and slugs. The on-the-fly adjustable LOP is very welcome for smaller shooter, and when they feel more comfortable down the road they can re-adjust the LOP to suit their likings. Knoxx currently only has this stock available for Mossberg, Winchester, and Remington (I think); so unfortunately the Benelli Nova's were out of my wife's choice.

 

Also, I learned from trials and errors that the forend length and diameter are very important to fitting smaller size shooters. A longer size allows them more flexibility to rest their extended arm. If the extended arm extends too far to grab the forend, in time, will eaily create fatigue on the arm, shoulder, and even lower back (leaning the back backward to use the lower body to compensate the discomfort of shouldering a long gun) of the shooter.

 

Another thing I learned is that female fingers are usually thinner and longer, thus a forend with too small diameter will force their fingers tilt in an angle to grab the forend securely, thus cause the wrist to unnaturally adjust for it, and again, in time will create discomfort to the arm, shoulder, and even lower back.

 

Finally, the shotgun itself -- My wife chose the Remington 870 Maring Magnum more or less is based on her personal preferences (again, important to let the shooter handle and choose the firearm themselves.) She tried to stick with the 12ga (instead of 20ga) so in the house we don't need to stock (and confuse with) two different ga's of shotgun ammo. She is also very familar with the simplicity of the Remington 870, which she can take-down, clean, and reassemble the whole firearm very easily. Plus, if any parts are broken or missing, she can go to the web and order pretty much every part cheaply and quickly. She chose the Marine Magnum mostly just because she liked the look of the finish, however the relatively low maintenance of the finish also plays a role on her decision.

 

I hope the above experience of ours would help a little for other smaller size shooters to choose their shotguns (and sorry, I typed all these in a hurry so please excuse me of any typos, etc.)

 

With best regards,

- Alex.

Edited by axhoaxho
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Thank you so much for the detailed explanations and help. When we did a basic shotgun class a few weeks ago, my daughter was shooting my M4 and a M1 swat team gun. After 75 rounds her shoulder was getting sore, so she switched to a 20ga (not sure which one) and liked it. She said it was easier to shoot. The instructor recomended the 870 youth model for her.

I will heed your advice and take her into a gun store and be fitted with whatever she wants. I am pumped that both my wife and daughter enjoy shooting and learning about guns.

 

Mark

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Thank you so much for the detailed explanations and help. When we did a basic shotgun class a few weeks ago, my daughter was shooting my M4 and a M1 swat team gun. After 75 rounds her shoulder was getting sore, so she switched to a 20ga (not sure which one) and liked it. She said it was easier to shoot. The instructor recomended the 870 youth model for her.

I will heed your advice and take her into a gun store and be fitted with whatever she wants. I am pumped that both my wife and daughter enjoy shooting and learning about guns.

 

Mark

Glad to see that you are teaching someone about guns. I recently taught my sister to shoot and handle a gun, which was my supernova 12ga. The kick doesn't hurt her, but she wasn't putting any forward lean and it knocked her a step back and it took her a while to learn how to stand and shoulder the gun properly. Her first real round of trap she shot 11 out of 25 which isn't bad for someone who hasn't fired a more than a box of shells before she even picked up that gun.

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