I am going on a dove hunt in Texas in September and am looking for a dove gun. Light kicking and semi is what I'm looking for I'm thinking 20 gauge due to ability to find ammo. I chopped off a few fingers last year so I'm using my pinky as the trigger finger which is why I'm looking for a mild recoil so the gun doesn't get knocked out of my hands. Ideally I would like to keep the cost under a 1000 as I don't plan on doing a ton of upland hunting.
FWIW, the Winchester SX-4 is a gas operated auto that may work nicely for you. The msrp is just above $1100, you might be able to find one closer to $1,000.
Sx-4 is also my go to recommendation.
Locally they're right at 950-999
The lightest kicking 20 ga semiauto I can think of is the pre-1977 Remington 1100. It was built on the 12 ga receiver so weighs a bit more than many other 20 ga guns. Of course, it would be a used gun and one long out of production but, when they show up, they are really light recoiling.
Otherwise, pretty much any gas operated 20 ga gun will be pretty light recoiling. Beretta, Browning, Remington, and Winchester in both new and used would be where I start. There are other brands that would probably work but those are the better known brands that should have a fair number of options as well as a pretty extensive parts support if needed.
I wouldn't over look a 12 ga either. With light target loads in the 1 oz, 1200 fps or less range, a gas operated 12 ga won't kick much, if any, more than a 20 ga due to the added weight. The ammo can be a little harder to find in the current market but the loads were very common before the present difficulties.This would open up an additional area in your search for a gun and one may find ammo availability to be better as 12 ga dwarfs the rest combined in sales and demand.
20 ga Beretta A300 fits the bill.
Good suggestions above. I hear the Beretta A400, in 20 gauge, is a very nice gun. We have a Franchi 620 and a Remington 1187, both in 20 gauge, that are fine shotguns. My boy took third place in N.C. 4-H Shotgun with the Remington this past season. He shot the heck out of it preparing for competition. We couldn’t be happier with it.
if you can go a hair higher, a Beretta A400 with the kick off system would be about as light recoiling as it gets.
Winchester SX4 would be my next pick.
As as you said, both in 20 ga.
The new Beretta A300 Ultima 20 ga comes with the kickoff and weighs nearly a pound more than the A400 20 ga. I have not shot one but expect it would be soft shooting. American made and way under the $1,000 budget. Looks like they should be decent if they got a few QC issues squared away after the initial release.
That said, my A400 12 ga Xcel Black sporting gun with a K/O and A400 Xplor 28 ga are my favorite two shotguns for target and upland hunting respectively.
I did not know that the A300 was offered with the kickoff. That could be a real player for sure and the extra weight should help with recoil.
I have an Xplor 28 as well and love that gun.
I've had terrible neck problems. Just went through a 5 level laminectomy. I'd been shooting a 20 gauge BPS and a 28 gauge 1100. I hope I'll be able to shoot them after I've recovered. Dr. Said give it a year before I try them.
I bulged a disk in my neck and went to the 28, I know it is not the same thing you have but hope you are able to get back to shooting sooner than a year, just start small and ease your way up.
I bought a Browning B-80 (made by Beretta) about 40 years ago in 20 gauge. Sweet shooting gun with light recoil. But sure what the current price is.
Also, I have a Browning Auto-5 Light Twenty - virtually no recoil at all. My daughter enjoyed shooting this gun and never complained about recoil.
20 ga Beretta A300 fits the bill.
Been researching a youth 20ga for my son, I had no idea you could get a Beretta auto of any sort for the price tag on these.
I would also look at the Weatherby SA-08. Real solid gun with nice lines, and gas operated for your recoil concerns.
I have an Wby SA-08 and they are great guns, but I would go Beretta if budget allowed
Another vote for the Winchester SX4.
I picked up one just before COVID got going w/ a 26-inch barrel and it's a joy to shoot.
No regrets.
StarchedCover
My wife has had surgery on both thumbs and her right shoulder. Needed a soft shooting shot gun. Bought her a Remington sporting 28. One of these best decisions I ever made. Friends said the Ammo for a 28 is expensive.
She primarily quail hunts. I said I would love for her to have the chance to shoot a case of shells a year. Hasbeen
My wife has had surgery on both thumbs and her right shoulder. Needed a soft shooting shot gun. Bought her a Remington sporting 28. One of these best decisions I ever made. Friends said the Ammo for a 28 is expensive.
She primarily quail hunts. I said I would love for her to have the chance to shoot a case of shells a year. Hasbeen
Hard to beat the Remington Sporting 1100 28 gauge.
Love mine.
Also love my Benelli Montefeltro Silver 20 gauge auto.
Some folks claim Benelli’s “kick” harder. I’ve never noticed it.
I have a Beretta Xpor400 in 28 ga and had a Reminton Sporting 1100 28 ga. I much prefer the Beretta, but will be the first to admit they are both good guns. The Beretta just fits me way better than the Remington.
Given the problem you have with your trigger hand, I'd consider a Mossberg. If you have to use your pinky finger to pull the trigger, I don't see how you are going to reach the safety at the front of the trigger guard on a Beretta. A gun with a behind-the-trigger safety (Browning) might be doable, but the thumb-operated safety on a Mossberg would seem to be the most expedient for you.
I recently purchased a 20 gauge Beretta A300 Ultima with the kickoff system. Made the mistake of letting my wife quail hunt with it. I now can say that I used to own one.....
Grandson and I both have the "Upland" version of this gun with matt finish and walnut stock, and have used them for 5 years. They are light, reliable, well made, and point great. I don't think you can beat them for a moderately priced semi.
https://weatherbygunstore.com/weatherby-sa-08-synthetic-semi-auto-shotgun/
Light kicking....Avoid
Pumps
S X S
Benelli 20g
Go to:
Rem 1100 20 ga
and the mack daddy is the Beretta gas operated 20 ga.....pick one...
I shot doves in Mexico had gun permits....we played with different shotguns over the years
1100 in 28g is a Wed Dream come true, also!....again....gas operated
The sweetest light kicking shotgun I ever owned was a Remington 1100 in .410 gage. You have to learn to hit with it but if you want a sweetheart of a gun that is the cream of the crop.
Rem 1100 28 ga. Got one, and it’s a dove killing machine.
SX4 in 20 gauge and done. Never look back.
Light kicking, ultra-reliable, ultra-versatile.
Another vote for the Remington 1100 Sporting 28. IMO it's a good looking, fast handling, well balanced very good dove gun out to 35/40 yards and has minimal recoil. My wife who's not a big woman has no trouble using it on a 100 round sporting clays course. It's also works well over a pointing dog.
20 or 28 A400 with kick off..
Given the problem you have with your trigger hand, I'd consider a Mossberg. If you have to use your pinky finger to pull the trigger, I don't see how you are going to reach the safety at the front of the trigger guard on a Beretta. A gun with a behind-the-trigger safety (Browning) might be doable, but the thumb-operated safety on a Mossberg would seem to be the most expedient for you.
Good point on the position of the safety. That being said, Love my Remington 1100 28 and 20.
My a300 weighs 6#12oz but feels much lighter. It has been flawless from day one pretty much. Don't think you can do better for the money if you want a new gun.
I always used a Browning Auto 5 for a lot of
years until I bought a M1 Super 90 so I didn't
have to worry about scratching it up
Either one is totally reliable and shoots well
My problem with dove hunting is the lack of
places to go like I used to have. Plenty of birds
everywhere, but you can't hunt in these expensive
subdivisions they've built everywhere.
Used to be a few places I could count on limiting
out every hunt, but they're now covered over
with suburban mini mansions and karen complexes
Good Luck
Should have been gun shopping back around March.
A month isn't much time to have much familiarity
or gain any proficiency with a new shotgun.
Still have to figure out chokes and loads and
technique, etc.
Most any 12 gauge can be as light kicking as you’d like simply by adjusting the load or shell that you choose. A 12 can arguably be the most versatile gauge out there considering it can be loaded with the same shot and powder as a 20 gauge while reducing the recoil of the gun to even less than a 20 simply because most are made with a bit heavier weight.
You can shoot lighter loads or even drop down to 2 1/2” shells. The gun isn't what creates the heavy kick—it’s the shell you decide to put in it.
Been using Remington 1100 for years.
For doves and quail, 12, 20, 28 gauge just take your pick.
Have an 1100 28gauge shooting a benelli sbe 3 in 20 GA this year