Ask The Instructor: Ol' Man, Heavy Gun

Question: I'm an old man.  Lost most muscle tone from three surgeries.  What gun(s) should I be using for American Skeet?  Life member, been shooting skeet & trap for 55 years.

Answer:  As you search for a lighter shotgun, keep in mind that as you shed weight, you will feel more recoil, when all other factors remain the same. If you move to a lighter gun, you might want to consider switching to lighter loads. Shooting a smaller gauge gun might be another consideration. You could still consider shooting your 12-gauge for trap, or possibly a single barrel trap gun, and a sub-gauge over-under for skeet. Since trap requires less gun movement, a heavier shotgun might be acceptable. If you are not already using carrier barrels with your sub-gauge tubes, you might want to consider purchasing a set. However, some shooters who make this transition find that the combined weight of carrier barrels and tubes only results in a marginal weight reduction. The option that works best for a shooter in your predicament is switching to a sub-gauge over-under shotgun and utilizing lower velocity shells. If you choose this route, keep in mind that many shotgun manufacturers use the same size action for a 20-gauge gun as they do for a 12-gauge. With non-scaled action, you will shed some weight due to the smaller diameter barrels, but you won’t reduce as much weight as you might think and the gun may not balance well. If transitioning to a smaller gauge, consider a manufacturer that offers a full assortment of scaled frames for sub-gauges. Perazzi, for example, offers scaled frames from 12-gauge to .410 bore, to include a 16-gauge offering!  This means that whenever you “step down” in gauge, the shotgun has a slightly a smaller action, trigger mechanism and other metal parts, as well as smaller diameter barrels. By acquiring a sub-gauge shotgun with a scaled action, you will achieve more significant weight reduction and better balance. Conversely, to balance a 20-gauge shotgun with 12-gauge frame, additional weight must often be added to the front end of the shotgun, which defeats the purpose of moving to a smaller gauge shotgun to reduce weight.