Lightweight gas 20 gauges...



Kristan said:
Highly recommend the A400 20...been shooting one since they came out on the market....skeet, trap, geese, cranes, ducks, turkeys, and all upland when I get a chance...The right ammo produces clean kills with little to no recoil...Bought another case of Hevi X to try this year on geese and ducks in 2 shot...Shot a 1100 20 since the purchase in 99'...still have and is an excellent backup if needed but tends to jam due to spring recoil on harder hitting 3 inch rounds of newer shells.
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Thanks! Great info. Appreciate it.
 
Todd, i started Jed out with a20 gauge Stoeger youth o/u it made him take his time shooting,knowing he only had 2 shots, just a thought, hope this helps
 
Havent seen them mentioned yet (maybe i missed it) but you should look into CZ. They make a 20 GA gas auto loader. Just looked them up real quick for the specifics and their website has them listed from $500-$600 depending on specific model and have every thing from camo dipped to walnut stocks to synthetic stocks that are adjustable in length. Most models were right around 6.5lbs. I have a few friends that have them and love them. A good friend of mine that is a gunsmith suggested the brand to me for both rim fire rifles and double gun when I was in the market so I am sure the craftsmanship is of similar quality in the semi auto guns.
 
Will

This is off subject of 20ga guns.


A CZ 455 American .22LR, with walnut stock, became my new Squirrel gun recently. The gun came with the target it shot at the factory.

A Nikon Prostaff Rimfire 3 x 9, and very good trigger makes the .22 deadly accurate. Add a military leather sling, to steady off hand shots.


Two friends that are Squirrel hunting addicts recommended the CZ. It took me awhile to take their advice, but glad I did.

The quality is very surprising for the price. I do not anticipate I will need another .22 in my lifetime.

It shall remain in the family. God Willing.
 
Vince,
I looked at that gun when the kids were learning to shoot. I ended up fixing the old Remington 41 instead. However my daughter would rather burn through the 243 ammo though. Good to hear it shoots. I found good reports on the CZ guns (including the shotguns) and I think they have a good traditional look as well. Ah, how I do miss the crick in my neck after a crisp morning hunting squirrels.
 
In terms of carry weight and swing weight, I would vote for an M-2 for someone with non-adult upper body strength. From a recoil harshness standpoint, my choice would be an A-400. I like my Belgian A-5 very much, partially because of the beautiful fiddleback pattern in the stock and forearm FN mated to the metal, but it would be tough to find a 26" barrel in three inch, as well as a pricey way to start; plus maintenance is a little more involved, and a necessity, particularly after shooting a lot of rounds in a dove field or a clays course.

A 26" barrel will yield a longer sighting plane with very little noticeable weight added, if the gun is well balanced. Federal used to make a 3" load in a 71/2 shot size. Great grouse load to punch through vegetation in the early portion of the season. Sadly, they stopped. I am well -through my last case and about to start reloading them- on a plane with any light 12 gauge field load in 2 3/4".
 
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Vince I think that is very on topic. Speaks to the quality and workmanship of the brand. They come at a reasonable price point which in my opinion makes them great guns for youth hunters. Would hate to see someone make a large investment in a gun that will be replaced by a 12ga in just a few years time
 
RLLigman said:
In terms of carry weight and swing weight, I would vote for an M-2 for someone with non-adult upper body strength. From a recoil harshness standpoint, my choice would be an A-400. I like my Belgian A-5 very much, partially because of the beautiful fiddleback pattern in the stock and forearm FN mated to the metal, but it would be tough to find a 26" barrel in three inch, as well as a pricey way to start; plus maintenance is a little more involved, and a necessity, particularly after shooting a lot of rounds in a dove field or a clays course.

A 26" barrel will yield a longer sighting plane with very little noticeable weight added, if the gun is well balanced. Federal used to make a 3" load in a 71/2 shot size. Great grouse load to punch through vegetation in the early portion of the season. Sadly, they stopped. I am well -through my last case and about to start reloading them- on a plane with any light 12 gauge field load in 2 3/4".
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Number of suggestions in this thread of an M2, I'd think it should be a great inertia gun. Hesitation I have if I go the inertia gun route is that the M2 compact in a 20 gauge has a 24" barrel and there isn't a spacer system that I see. As a comparison, I really like the Monte with the wood and a 2 stock version and the 26" barrel is available. I'm thinking the real comparison is the Monte compact vs the a400 - some tradeoffs to consider.
 

A friend of mine recently bought a M2 12ga. with a 24 inch barrel.

My feeling was he should have got a 26 inch barrel. He is not a large guy and figured it would suit him better.

When we went to the range I tried the gun. I found I was wrong. The 24 inch barrel worked just fine and impressed the heck out of me. The gun felt alive and well balanced in my hands.

My feeling is it would make a fine waterfowl & upland gun. Far superior than my M1 12ga. 28 inch barrel. Which I may say goodbye to, for a M2 with a 24 inch barrel, now that I'm a Geezer.


The 12ga. is not the 20ga., and I hear thee about the Monte and 26 inch barrel.

If possible find a dealer that has both the M2 and Monte 20's for your son to try. They are both fine guns, so you just have to decide.

my 2 cents

Best
VP
 
Todd i bought my daughter a Benelli 20 ga due to weight and pull she is small and it fit her well shoots well she has done fine shooting sporting clays and duck hunting and never a jam in 7 years hope this helps Rich


 
rich young said:
Todd i bought my daughter a Benelli 20 ga due to weight and pull she is small and it fit her well shoots well she has done fine shooting sporting clays and duck hunting and never a jam in 7 years hope this helps Rich
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Sure does, thanks!
 
I have shot the Benelli M2 and Franchi Affinity. They are both very good guns and recoil is not harsh at all, but the Benelli is around $700 more than the Franchi for initially the same gun. Also have shot the Beretta 391 and it had many problems ejecting shells. For a young kid I would definitely get the most reliable option. There is nothing more upsetting than to have a gun malfunction out in the field.
 
With Beretta now in the mix, if you can find a 390 or a 3901, they are excellent.

Not super light, but reliable. I have no experience with the 391, which was essentially the next generation after the 390.

Walmart and some other big retailers carried 390's in black plastic for a while, so there should be a bunch of used ones around.
 
I Shoot a Wallyworld 390, it?s been incredibly reliable for the last 15 years.
 
Thomas Patterson said:
I have shot the Benelli M2 and Franchi Affinity. They are both very good guns and recoil is not harsh at all, but the Benelli is around $700 more than the Franchi for initially the same gun. Also have shot the Beretta 391 and it had many problems ejecting shells. For a young kid I would definitely get the most reliable option. There is nothing more upsetting than to have a gun malfunction out in the field.
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Thanks Thomas, I appreciate the info. Glad to see you posting here. T
 
Hey Tod, I'm late to this party but I went through this a few years ago while looking for a gun for my wife and daughters to shoot. I ended up getting the Weatherby SA-08 Deluxe in 20 gauge and have been really happy with it! I bought a full-sized one and then bought a youth stock from Weatherby, it fits the full-sized receiver and takes about 10 minutes for me to swap out between the two. It's a gas gun so it's pretty light-recoiling even though it's a very light gun, I believe it weighs around 6 pounds overall with the full-sized stock. With the youth stock on it it fits my wife and daughter very well, my wife can shoot clays for an hour or so with it and not wear out her shoulder or her arms. It has also secretly become my favorite grouse and pheasant gun because it's so pleasant to carry all day.
 
Cody Williams said:
Hey Tod, I'm late to this party but I went through this a few years ago while looking for a gun for my wife and daughters to shoot. I ended up getting the Weatherby SA-08 Deluxe in 20 gauge and have been really happy with it! I bought a full-sized one and then bought a youth stock from Weatherby, it fits the full-sized receiver and takes about 10 minutes for me to swap out between the two. It's a gas gun so it's pretty light-recoiling even though it's a very light gun, I believe it weighs around 6 pounds overall with the full-sized stock. With the youth stock on it it fits my wife and daughter very well, my wife can shoot clays for an hour or so with it and not wear out her shoulder or her arms. It has also secretly become my favorite grouse and pheasant gun because it's so pleasant to carry all day.
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Thanks Cody! now that you mention it, I remember you talking fondly about it. Good info that it has been working for you. They are about as light as they get in a gas gun (and that is important). Hope you guys are doing well, girls are getting big!
 
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