Guys:

My daughter needs a shotgun for bird hunting
20 gauge
She is 13, 5-4 1/2 and still growing, I would guess 5-7
She is thin, 90-95lb at the moment
She is recoil sensitive
I am trying to get her a decent gun for life

I have narrowed it down to an Apple and an Orange

One choice is a CZ redhead premier reduced length Overunder
5.7lb
41” oal
13inch length of pull
24” barrels

The other choice is a Franchi SemiAuto affinity catalyst
5.7lb
46” oal
13 7/8 length of pull
26” barrel

O/U pros: simple to use
Safe, break the barrel when not in action
Dad can use it?
Con: 2 shots, sharper kick

SemiAuto: pro: softer recoil
The Franchi Catalyst has a stock specifically designed for a woman and includes a shim kit
4+1
Cons: more complex loading, safety, cleaning

The price is about the same
There are some pros and cons I am sure

What do you guys think?

If she's recoil sensitive I'd definitely go with the Franchi semiauto.

I would avoid starting a youngster on a semi-auto for safety reasons.

A 5 1/2 pound 20 gauge O/U can still thump pretty good especially with hunting loads .

A young lady that size does not need a shotgun less than 6 pounds. A little weight will dampen recoil. Main thing is that the stock fits. Go to a skeet, trap or sporting clay tournament and look at the guns young ladies are shooting.

Mtn,
I had the same question for my daughter, she’s 24 as of Thanksgiving day. I wrestled with this for approximately a year, she came up with a Remington 1100 in 410. She shot many a bird with the gun but I always noticed the gun was a bit heavy for her making the shouldering less smoothly than it should have been.
Just last week I ordered her a Beretta xplor 400 in 28ga, just under 6lbs with a built in kick-ez (factory production) I was going with a BENELLI in 28ga but the shop owner who sold both was steadfast on her enjoying the softness and agility of the Beretta. The o/u was the original front runner for both safety and handling, however she was a good student on safety and respect for others in the field, so it boiled down to comfort and semi autos win hands down in my book on this issue. Decent looking gun with above average wood, off color receiver I’m not crazy about but not ugly. The gun hasn’t arrived as of yet but should be in this week. She’ll receive for Christmas and hopefully will be happy and safer because she can control the size and weight correctly. Good luck with your decision.

That O/U in a 20 gauge is very likely to sour her on shooting, as the recoil will be stiff.

Of the two, I’d much prefer the Franchi, but even them have misgivings. The inertia powered guns don’t recoil quite as much as fixed breech guns, but they are still pretty snappy.

Ideal would be a gas powered semi auto in 20 or 28 gauge, but any in the market just now would require some custom work to get the fit close. In the course of many years of instruction, I have fitted up women who physically would be very close to your daughter’s dimensions.

This generally involves shortening the stock, a bit more down pitch, raising the comb.

Another big point. Make this her gun, as if it fits you, it will be miserable for her.

How will he know the gun fits? You may be surprised to find out that most girls at skeet, trap and sporting clay tournaments, are shooting 8 pound shotguns, because of the cumulative recoil of often over 100 shots in a day. And not infrequently they will be O/U's made by Krieghoff, Perazzi and Beretta. Shotguns in the 11K price range. What most don't understand is it takes more than a specific shotgun to introduce the young....or old....in using a shotgun.

Lots of great advice, thank you
This will not be her first shotgun, she started with a single shot
Then to a youth 870 20g, the 870 seems to have issues feeding and so on
So that is why I thought to go simple with an o/u
But she brought up recoil…

I recommend the Winchester SX4 for a reason. It's a solid, reliable, simple, gas operated shotgun. It doesn't break the bank, either. Inertia guns are easier to clean, but the SX4 literally only takes moments longer. In 12 gauge, it sucks up a lot of felt recoil. There is a significant difference between my Winchester SX4 and Browning A5 inertia gun in terms of felt recoil when shooting the same loads. In 20 gauge, my SX4 is a joy to shoot. Even with heavy (for 20 gauge) turkey loads, it's a softy. It's made by Browning in the same Browning factory that produces Browning's other semi-autos. It has an adjustable stock. You can get shorter compact models if that's the way it needs to go. It takes Browning Invector Plus choke tubes.

https://www.winchesterguns.com/products/shotguns/super-x4/current/sx4-compact.html

a used winchester model 50 will do the trick. google one. will last 10 lifetimes for 1/2 the cost of those imports.

A Remington 1100 28 gauge or 20 gauge, has been the answer for thousands of fathers before and will be for thousand more not yet born.

Whatever you do please don't give a 90 pound recoil sensitive child a 5.7lb O/U. Even 7/8oz loads will be brutal.

First shotgun is like a first car, lets get through this phase and later on pick something more appropriate.

Good info. How about a 28-gage? Either SXS or over/under.

I am one of the coaches on a 4-H shooting team and have learned a lot about helping kids get on target. We have found that gas operated shotguns are by far the most effective at getting kids started. Once they get the fundamentals mastered, you can introduce other designs. The gas guns help keep their cheek on the stock throughout practice. For whatever reason, the Remington 1100/1187 system has worked best for us. We have had success with Winchesters and Berettas as well, but the Remingtons always seem to get the kids on target a bit better. We really are not sure why, and it has become sort of an inside joke among us coaches. We have pit the various designs and brands against each other many times, and continue to get a consistent result. More advanced youth are a whole nother ball game, where fixed breech guns become an often preferred option. My son shoots and hunts with Remington gas guns. He has other options, but shoots Remingtons based on past success, familiarity, and confidence level. I do expect that he may move on to a O/U as he progresses. We shall see....

If she’d 13 and still growing this will not be her lifetime shotgun. I guess it could be if restocking it later is an option. Whatever you get her, you will not be using it. It won’t fit you. She’s already telling you that recoil is an issue. Light guns kick, even light gas autoloaders. They won’t function with very light loads so the recoil advantage of the auto is lost. A 26in O/U with a shortened stock will do fine. Look at the used market and plan on spending enough to get a quality gun. It will hold its value. Get light kicking ammo. Franchi light traininer 20ga or Win Feathers to be specific. If recoil’s still a problem, and it might be, then consider 410 tubes for short range practice. Keep initial shooting sessions short and bring snacks. Enjoy the time together. She’ll be grown in a blink.

OK, hot off the press: my neighbor had 2 girls that are grown and gone, I just texted him, he set them up with an 1100 youth, the barrel is a fixed I/C. he said I could borrow it/ have it whatever. I am going to swing by and we are going to check the gun safe to see if it is still there (he can't remember if he might of sold it) and we will go from there. there is a place in N Carolina that sells female fit 1100 stocks, maybe this could all come together.

you guys have me convinced to go with a gas semi auto

We have been using Fiocchi 20g 3/4oz 1100fps trainers with her to date. She has just chased wild quail so far, except for one shot, 3" shell, (all she needed lol) at ducks

we are going for Pheasant at the end of the month and she needs a bit more umpf for those I think

Shotgun savvy neighbors, who are willing to share, are to be appreciated.

I think the 1100 is a good place to start. They are fairly simple to keep running and if one needs parts, they are easily and cheaply found. They are also pretty soft shooting and, as mentioned, people seem to shoot them well when starting out. A light O/U or even recoil/inertia operated is going to kick a fair bit and your daughter has already mentioned this as something she wishes to lessen.

The 1100 is very easy to adjust to women also. I learned from the Remington Shooting School (before it combined with Orvis) was the small framed 20 ga guns could be fitted with the 742/7400 stock meant for their semi-auto rifles. (The 760 stocks can be used on the small frame 870s) These have a higher comb which women tend to need plus a little shorter length of pull though they don't have a recoil pad which would negate the shorter LOP. That isn't a problem as removing wood, from either or both the comb and butt is easier than adding.

If one is using the old pre-1977 standard frame 20 ga which uses the larger 12 ga frame one can sub in a trap stock for much the same purpose. I did this with both my large frame 20s with good results.

Getting a rough general Fitting isn't rocket science but it isn't the easiest to do on one's own the first time. Hiring a certified shooting instructor should get you started in the right direction and he should be able to recommend a competent fitter, hopefully locally. There are a number of books one can read to get the gist but having someone experienced do the first one helps connect the dots quicker.

I did pick up the shotgun. Tiny stock. LT20 is the model
That afternoon, when I was doing that my son shot an elk and was out til midnight helping him
then until noon again today
So.... I haven't even really looked at it, now I am at work
I have a 7400, I will look at the stocks side by side

Thanks again for the tips guys

Great choice. My daughters learned on an 11-87 20 gauge Youth model. You won't regret it. And you can always pick up a full-sized stock if needed.

Winchester SX4

Remington small frame 20 gauge 28 gauge and .410 870LW's and the center-fire rifle 742, 7400, 76, 7600 receivers are the same size and the wood stocks will interchange. The wood stocks use an 8 1/4" long 1/4-28 screw/bolt.

1100LW, 1100LT and 11/87 20 gauge stocks have a larger hole and are attached with a nut that screws onto the action spring tube.

Late in production Remington decided to make all their 870 & 1100 wood stocks as 1100 pattern stocks. These stocks can be used on a 870 by using a large flat washer and a 10 1/4" stock bolt.

All of the synthetic/plastic stocks , that I have seen, are 1100 pattern stocks that require the 10 1/4" stock bolt for use on an 870.

Wow, that is a lot of info on stocks

Here are some stats:
23” barrel

12.25 length of pull, 12” to edge of wood
Looks just like a 7400 stock
There is only a hard plate, no recoil pad

She probably needs 13”+ lop

So for this season I think I get a Kick-eez sanded fit recoil pad, then go from there

With an 1100 that has sat in the safe for a decade what maintenance is needed? New o-rings?

I would do a detailed cleaning. Very likely any lubrication has gotten gummy with time.

The only real downside to 1100's is that it is a 60 year old design that needs a bit more maintenance than the newer designs.

There's only a single O-ring, cheap and easy. But use the original until you start getting failures.

Yes, strip it down for a good cleaning, make sure the ports are clear. Also get the spring out of the stock to clean it and the tube. I've said this a million times, use a synthetic CLP type product on the mag tube and in the gas system. Regular oils will cook and bake into hard carbon and are a pain to clean. CLP is amazing - cleanup becomes a simple wipe with a rage. That's it.