She's on the very petite side & can't physically handle a full sized shotgun. I realize that if she takes a shine to it I will have to upgrade her equipment. I don't think there is a youth sized 1100 like the 870 offers.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/compact/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express...

Thanks
~JM~

I was always of the belief that 12 ga. was far superior, but I've been bird hunting with people using 20 ga. that did very well. I've hunted pheasant with my cousin and him carrying a 28 gauge, and he hit what he shot at.

I was looking at ammunition on the net and find that Winchester AA for instance in 12 ga. have loads ranging from 7/8oz to 1 1/8oz of shot. In 20 ga. they have up to 1 oz. of shot. It seems that 1oz in the 20 gauge would be close to 1oz in the 12 gauge.

If she shoots from the 16 yard line then there is probably less difference between 12 and 20 than there would be if she has a 22 yard handicap. IIRC doubles are shot from the 16 yard line too.

It seems that there are some guns available that are lighter than the 1100, although I've also read that the newer Remingtons such as the 11-87 are heavier than the 1100 and some people favor the 1100 for that reason.

I know in skeet you can shoot whatever gauge you feel like and compete with like shooters. What about sporting clays, is there a gauge preference there?