Thinking of getting a 20 gauge youth model for my wife (ideally) but mostly my 13 yr old son. He is 98lbs and growing, about 5'5" currently.

Was wondering if the kick is any worse given its simple recoil rotating bolt action versus than say a comparable Rem 1100 with more moving gas parts?

I like the light weight of it and narrow foregrip along with the 24" barrel.

Any experience with relative felt recoil?

Thanks

HK Ag

A lot is made of the difference in recoil between gas and inertia guns. Shooting both side by side, I just don't see much difference.

I would rather teach a youth on a nice and light Benelli over an 1100 any day.

I have shot my Benelli M2 side by side with a Winchester SX3, SX2, FN SLP, and Mossberg 930. I felt very little difference. The 930 actually recoiled significantly MORE with slugs than my Benelli.


Only thing I would suggest is a field model with a comfortech stock instead of the fancier wood stocked Montefeltro. The Montefeltro is all wood if I understand correctly. The Comfortech stock does reduce felt reoil some IMHO.

the benelli recoils more than an 1100 in good working order, but not that much more. especially in 20 ga.

I had a 12 gauge Montefeltro that would rattle your teeth. I can shoot clays all day long with my Beretta, 100 rounds through the Montefeltro and I was ready to put it away.

I had both a 12 gauge and 20 gauge Montefeltro (HK manufacture) that I hunted with for years. Both were fairly soft shooting. The 12 gauge was mainly 3" 1-3/8 ounce three shot (steel) that I used the gun to shoot ducks in timber.

Ahhhhh, good times.

If recoile sensitivity is an issue, you might consider a beretta a400 with the kickoff system. My 12 gauge sporting has little more felt recoil than my citori in .410, and I imagine the 20 gauge models are very similar.

I think you'll be fine regardless.

I started bird hunting at 9 or 10 with a 20 gauge youth model Winchester 1300 pump. At about 13 I switched to a pretty light 20 gauge over/under with a hard plastic butt plate.

I love my Monte 20g, I don't notice the recoil, not much there. Put a ton of rounds thru it with zero issues.

Try a Beretta 390 YM.

I started using managed recoil or low recoil 00 and slugs in my Benelli M1S90 and it made a helluva difference. Not sure if they make those rounds available in hunting rounds and/or 20 gauge. I hunted rabbit and squirrel with single shot 20 gauge when I was a teen and probably not much bigger than your family members.

I had a 12 gauge Montefeltro that needed repairs and it took nearly a year for the gun to be returned to me. When it finally arrived, the stock had broken at the grip during shipping. They had no ETA for a replacement stock, so I jumped at the offer from my LGS to give me a refund on my original purchase. I left the Montefeltro for them to deal with and used my refund to buy a new Beretta A400 12 gauge. I couldn't be happier. Since that swap, I've sold my Remington 1100s and bought Beretta A400s in 20, 28 gauge, and a camouflaged A400 waterfowl model. It's a great, soft shooting design and whenever someone asks about what to buy in a semiautomatic shotgun, I recommend these or the lower cost version (A300).

and I routinely have gas guns in need of cleanings/lubrication in the duck blind all aorund me while my benelli keeps going bang.

/anecdote

quote:

Originally posted by 10X-Shooter:
I started using managed recoil or low recoil 00 and slugs in my Benelli M1S90 and it made a helluva difference. Not sure if they make those rounds available in hunting rounds and/or 20 gauge. I hunted rabbit and squirrel with single shot 20 gauge when I was a teen and probably not much bigger than your family members.

You can definitely shoot lighter loads. I grew up shooting dove and quail with 2 3/4" 7/8 oz 1200 fps 20ga loads.

Real heavy 20ga shells are 1 1/4 ounce at the same velocity. Heavy 12ga shells are 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 ounce at 1300-1500 fps.

These days when I (rarely) bird hunt or (slightly less rarely) shoot clays, I use a 12ga o/u with a Kick-Eez pad and 1 ounce 1200 fps loads. It kicks less than the 20ga o/u I grew up with because the load is almost the same and the gun is heavier. A 100-shell round of sporting clays is no big deal.

My wife uses a "youth" model Benelli Montefeltro with no difficulty. The comments that the Benelli will work reliably with low recoil shells are spot on.

I also have a Montefeltro but in 12 gauge. It works perfectly with 7/8 ounce loads, and that's in TWELVE gauge.

The Benelli's intertial-recoil action supports a broader range of shells than a gas-operated action, IMHO

The Weatherby SA-08 20ga is lightweight with barely noticeable recoil. It's a really nice gun, especially for the price.

There is always a tradeoff between weight and recoil but there is a lot more to it than that. It's all about the weight, fit, form, and how much you are going to shoot it that add up to the pleasantness or unpleasantness of recoil. 5.5 pounds is very light weight even for 20 ga and you will feel some recoil from standard field loads in that gun. Improper fit or shooting form is going to get you some punishment with any gun as well. I would personally not start a new youth shooter with that light weight a gun in 20 or 12. I have a 28 gauge Franchi that is just over 5 pounds that I put in the hands of beginners if weight is an issue, otherwise we use a heavier gun.

We have coached a lot of beginners in skeet and it's frustrating to see some get turned off to the game because they are shooting a gun that does not fit them, and it is beating them up. My advice is try before you buy, seek counsel from an expert at gun fit, and train for proper form on the gun to maximize the potential for a positive experience.