i want I get her something light, with decent recoil. Maybe a Beretta or a Benelli Ethos 20. I'd probably stick with a 20 because my sisters husband bought her a 12 which she hates because of the recoil.

any suggestions? I want something that can get rained on and put away without worrying about rust.

The Ethos is a beautiful shotgun.  Too beautiful for duck hunting.  I would recommend a Beretta A400 Xplor in 20ga.  Another good option is the Weatherby (Made in Turkey) SA-08.  It's a Beretta A301 with interchangeable pistons for light or heavy loads.  Really light and handy, and gas operated to mitigate recoil a bit.  Available camo coated for about half what the A400 goes for, roughly $700-$750.

 

I guess the Turkey Made SA-08 Weatherby then, Thanks a lot bro. you are the man.

No problem man.  Maybe look at the CZ 720 series as well.  They're great shotguns and CZ is a good company to deal with.

I'm a shotgun instructor as well as a hardcore waterfowler.

a 3 inch duck load will have more recoil than a 12 gauge 2 3/4 in duck load due to a couple of variables. you will also run into a finding decent 20ga loads during season in most cases. a 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge load will normally pattern better as well.

get her a 12 and shoot 2 3/4 loads.

in my opinion an 11/87 is the softest recoiling and best naturally pointing shotgun out there. find a 26 inch 11/87 with a wood stock and take it to a competent Smith for fitting with hunting clothes on. it will make all the difference in the world.

we have dozens of SA-80's at our BSA Range. not bad guns, made in Turkey.. I do what I can to avoid Turkish guns. a 1100 or 1187 is a better overall gun. parts are everywhere and you can repair yourself in a lot of cases.

if you are dead set on a 20 and she is smaller in stature, you cannot go wrong with a 1187 youth. my son had excellent results with FASTsteel and Federal 20ga 3 inch #4 with a Briley extended IC or Skeet choke.
don't waste your time with #2 shot, we couldn't get decent patterns.

I see you are in DC, if you are shooting divers you definitely will want a 12 to deliver 3 or 2 shot. we have not had good results with 20 gauges on Divers with #4 steel.

here is a 1100
1100

11-87

both are excellent guns.

I would try to find a 24 inch barrel model if I could. my son had a 21 and a 24 inch and he, along with his friends almost always shot the 24 better.

Good Luck-
keep me posted on what you pick and how she does. I am a scattergun junky and always looking for real world info.

Benelli M2 20 gauge.

^ M2 20 gauge or Winchester SX3 20 gauge.  No gun is immune to rust though; especially during duck season.  Even the camo dipped guns will show some surface rust sooner or later.

Stoeger M3020

I'm a Benelli man when it comes to duck shotguns but I have to second the vote for the Winchester SX3, that's an impressive little shotgun.

Count my vote as someone who recommends a 12ga.

Better available ammo selection . Agree she should choose 2 3/4" loads and limit the longer shots.

I of course don't know your wife's experience or physical limitations but I will assume both are somewhat less than the average hunter . please excuse my comments if that is not the case .

Another reason for the 12 is many of the 20ga guns are built light and that only cranks up the felt recoil.

Semi of course and make sure the stock fits her with the clothes she will be hunting in . Consider a hunting jacket or vest with a good pad.

If you take her to test fire the shotgun or pattern some loads make sure she is wearing the vest or jacket . If she fires the gun with thin summer clothes she could easily get whacked and get very gun shy.

If she has little or no experience with a shotgun start her out with some light loads first before you head out for the ducks.

If she has little hunting experience try to keep her warm and dry and keep the trips shorter.

Many of us get so caught up in the whole hunting experience that we ignore the physical discomfort . When bringing someone new into the sport we need to keep their physical comfort in mind.

Have a good time!

Softest recoiling 12 gauge is the Winchester SX3/Browning Silver. There's a chart somewhere that shows the energy that comes off the guns. I wouldn't trade my SX3 for any shotgun. Never had a malfunction, light, points perfect and it's easy to clean.

The Maxus is the softest. You got it confused with the silver

I love mine. I wish they made them in a compact version for small framed females

The silver and sx3 do come in compacts. I've never shot a maxus but they're the same gas system as the silver/sx3 right?

I just picked up a winchester sx2 and browning gold hunter, basically the same shotguns, in 12ga. Very soft shooting, my wife has no problem shooting them, my 870 bruises her but these dont. Sx3 is very soft as well.

I have two A400s.

Beretta A400 unico xplor 12ga KO
Beretta a400 xplor 20ga KO

Hands down the nicest guns I've ever shot for auto loader. Super light and absolutely no recoil.

I picked up an A350 to save $600 but wish I would have gone with the A400.

My a400s are awesome. I don't regret a moment having 3k tied up j a pair of guns.

I have not shot an Ethos but I have held one. Holy fucking shit they are light and comfortable, especially in 20 gauge or lighter.

In terms of being rained on and put away.. beautiful guns with wood stocks always make me uneasy in that sense. That's why I prefer a synthetic stock, "less pretty" gun. But that's only my own hillbilly taste.

I'm sure that Ethos would be way overkill for what she "needs" but would be an awesome, expensive choice.

If you've got the dough for it and don't mind wiping it down after the gun.. buy one for her and one for me.

Shoot straight, stay safe!

The Remington Versmax has the softest recoil I have felt. They advertise 20ga felt recoil and thats not a lie.

They had issues with the first ones and got a bad name. Since then they have few issues and if you do, Remington has great costumer service.