Need help figuring size of shotgun

[walleyehunter80]

Ok my sister in-law wants to start shooting trap, I have shot trap quite a bit over my years have done well with it just using my bird gun. I have a 20 guage 1100 and a 20 guage 870 for her to use but both seem to long for her. My question is should I find her a youth model with a shorter stock or let her grow into one of these?

She is 17 years old and is 5'3" tall, not sure if she is going to grow any more. With her back against the wall and arm strait out from wall to finger tips she is 32" and from shoulder pocket to finger tips she is 25".

Not sure how you measure someone for gun size? I would hate to get her a youth gun and have it not fit in a few years!

Thanks for any input!

[fisherman149]

Have you gone to a gun store and had her try a youth gun to see how it fits her?

[96trigger]

A real quick and dirty way to measure fit on someones gun is have them take their trigger arm and make a 90 degree turn at the elbow with their trigger finger in the air. (I should look like you are giving someone the bird with your trigger finger). Put the but of the gun in crotch of the elbow and see where the trigger finger lines up with the gun. If its behind the trigger gaurd, its too short. This is not perfect for length, but it will give you a general idea. I know of many shorter people that shoot full size guns.

[gspman]

If you can, I'd take her to a shooting instructor at a range to get fit. Short of that I'd suggest going to a store and having her mount some guns. Note the distance from her nose & cheek to her thumb when she mounts the gun. Also note if the grip is too large or too small and how she has to grip the gun to be able to reach the trigger. Does she have a round face or a thin face. If she has a round face she may need some cast to get lined up without tilting her head too much. If she has a robust build or a thin build that may also make a difference in length of pull and cast and pitch. In general I'd get a youth autoloader for her or a regular autoloader with a short length of pull. Make sure it's a gas gun too so the recoil reduction is maximized. I'll put a plug in for the Beretta A391 autoloader. It comes in youth and adult models. It's an awesome gun but it does cost a bit of money. It is reliable and adjustable and reduces recoil well. The only downside will be ejected shells when shooting trap. You'd want to get a "shell catcher". If you want a dedicated trap gun then you'll want a heavy, long barreled o/u gun. Then I'd definitely have someone fit her.

I know someone mentioned the elbow thing for determining size. Not to denigrate but there are much better ways to go about it than that.

[Gordie]

walleyehunter I have a old stock that is cut down for a 870 12 ga that I used for my kids if it would fit you gun your welcome to use it.

The stock is equipped with a butt pad also.

PM me if you intrested.

or try and find a stock to fit the gun and cut it down yourself

[walleyehunter80]

thanks gordie, but I dont think she is ready for a 12ga yet. Or will it fit on a 20ga?

[PurpleFloyd]

If you are open to the option of a different gun, I have a Mossberg SA20 Youth shotgun that I bought for my son a few years back that he is outgrowing and I am going to sell it to upgrade him to a full sized gun. It is light as a feather but the recoil is very tame. he shoots more pheasants with it than I do and he has taken 4 deer with it. Great gun but he wants a bigger one.