Shoot like a girl.

There’s been a recent trend in firearms. Shotgun makers are starting to introduce models specifically for women. What’s behind this recent thrust towards the female market? Well, more women are shooting than ever before. Simple as that.

We’re not talking about a youth shotgun adorned with pink camo, which will only fit women built exactly like 12 year old boys. Women’s handguns have been on the market for a while now, presumably because it’s pretty easy to take black rubber grips and turn them into pink rubber grips. Shotguns are, however, a different animal altogether.

A shotgun should never be aimed, only pointed (with the exception of slug and turkey hunting). A well fitted gun should shoot where you’re looking. Now, there are tons of shooters that concern themselves with specific lengths of pull, drop at heel and comb, amount of cast, etc. to make sure they get a gun that fits them properly down to 1/8” increments.

Now compare an average man to an average woman. Her neck is longer, his shoulders are wider. She’s got soft tissue on her chest that he doesn’t, if he has listened to his doctor’s advice.

I encourage anyone with a member of the fairer sex in their lives to take a look at the new Syren double shotguns, a collaborative effort between Caesar Guerini and Fabarm, building high quality shotguns tailored to a woman’s build. Ithaca, now in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, has been building a woman’s version of their popular-but-niche shotguns for a couple of years now, and drawing rave reviews from female shooters.

There has never been a better time to be a female shooter, and that’s a lovely thing. In a couple of generation, a young woman may be fondly reminiscing about her recently inherited “Grandma’s old shotgun”.

The rose to my thorn, at the Grand Canyon

All the best,

TSS