the remington managed recoil loads (check out the details on thier website) are VERY manageable...and i noticed no change in broken birds.

a 20 gauge can punish you worse than a 12, if not matched to the shooter. i have an old ithaca 20 gauge O/U that kicks worse than my SBE with 3-1/2 turkey loads!

i will say this... there is NOTHING more frustrating for a newbie than having a gun that does not "come up" nice or that kicks the heck out of 'em.

if you've gotta scrimp and save up a few extra bucks (like i had to) to get the RIGHT gun the FIRST time, do it. the many rewarding YEARS of love for the sport will be the payback.

An 1100 rem with a shell catcher can be picked up used reasonably priced... but if it's target shooting you're gonna be doing, a field gun just is'nt the same as a trap gun.. dont get me wrong, you can break clay with ANYTHING, but why not make it easier on yourself?

Kinda like brook trout fishing with a muskie setup, it can be done, but it's not as fun!


let me know how you make out!
moose