Long story but basically we are starting to look for a left handed shotgun for my wife. She has been shooting a benelli montefeltro for a couple years. Right handed though. She is going to change to her dominant left eye. It doesn't look like benelli makes a left handed version. Any good suggestions for a 20gauge semi? We also considering an over/under

My advice would be to get the o/u and have it fitted to her. The stock length can be adjusted and the stock can also be bent to improve her line up with the barrel. I am left handed and have all of my shotguns custom fit for me. It makes a difference.

She uses it for sporting clays and skeet. No hunting yet.

We've been talking about over/under this morning but not doing full custom fit so I can use. Also our son is left eye dominant. He could use it

jmm said:

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My advice would be to get the o/u and have it fitted to her. The stock length can be adjusted and the stock can also be bent to improve her line up with the barrel. I am left handed and have all of my shotguns custom fit for me. It makes a difference.

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Where do you get yours custom for? We are in Houston so my first thought is Briley. What is extra cost?

I'm a lefty. I prefer right handed guns and would recommend your wife sticks with one.

1. I can pick up anyone's gun and use it since I'm not used to reversed controls.
2. I like the ejection port in front of my face. I can see I'm empty and diagnose malfunctions easily.
3. I have never been hit in the face by an empty case from an AR, bolt gun, pump or semi shotgun, or lever gun.

I am not in the Houston area. I had Briley do some choke threads for an old o/u that I loved for sporting clays. I see on their web site they do shotgun fitting. Don't know if that includes patterning which I think is the most important part of the fitting process. I am sure you can Google shotgun fitting in Houston and there are Ags on this board who are much more knowledgeable about where to go in Houston.

Fitting is an art, not a lot of gunsmiths are stock fitters and most stock fitters aren't gun smiths. If you are in Houston I would try and find time to go through a fitting with Gil and Vicki Ash as OSP, true fitting requires a day at the range with a specialized adjustable stock. Once you are properly fitted you can take those dimensions to any stock maker in the country. Just realize you are going to drop north of $2k for an entry level custom stock with basic wood (plus a day with the Ashes). They aren't the only option in town but they do know there stuff.

You could also see if Precision Fit Stock makes one of their fully adjustable stocks for the gun, they aren't cheap either. Lastly you could just add an adjustable butt plate and comb, but the biggest problem fitting guns to women is stock length and the pitch of the stock so cutting is still involved.

My next stock will be built by Wenig in Missouri or Shurely Brothers in Austin.

BMF_AG95 said:

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jmm said:

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My advice would be to get the o/u and have it fitted to her. The stock length can be adjusted and the stock can also be bent to improve her line up with the barrel. I am left handed and have all of my shotguns custom fit for me. It makes a difference.

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Where do you get yours custom for? We are in Houston so my first thought is Briley. What is extra cost?

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In Houston area - Give Larry Feland a call. He's good with fitting shotguns - been doing it a while

Located off 290 and Barker Cypress

Feland Gunsmith

17102 Houston Dr
Cypress Texas 77433
281-373-0335

My buddy is right handed and left eye dominant. He got a left handed M2 and wishes he woulda just got a regular one.

She was looking online at the M2. Any other thoughts? Would prefer to buy one "off the rack" (i.e. Order one without extra expense of custom fitting right now) if it will be north of $2k. Thinking in the 800-1200 range.

lefty here. i've always shot right handed guns from my left, and never had a problem with it. I'd hate to be limited to one custom lefty gun.

I'm a lefty. Have a left handed M2 12 gauge for duck/pheasant hunting, a 20 gauge Spanish side-by-side (custom made with stock dimensions from try gun fitting), and a Berreta O/U 12 gauge with a completely adjustable stock (for sporting clays)

Having an easily adjustable stock may be your best solution, gun can be shared, and comb height can even be adjusted for trap or skeet. Mine was an after factory mode, but I know Berreta makes several models with factory adjustable stocks.

I also switched from righty to lefty because I am left eye dominate. I shoot Benelli semi autos (left hand) and double barrels of all makes and BPS pumps.

I love the double barrels because the guns are shorter and quicker to swing. Very nice for ladies. The Benelli double barrels are all built for righties with the bend in the stock and palm swell all opposite for what lefty's need. Also the inertia trigger sucks. The Browning Citori's are reliable and can be purchased at any price level.

JoelEtchensguns.com has a used left handed M2. I would call them tell them what you are doing and see what they would charge to shorten the stock and change the pitch.

Lefty here...always shot right handed shotguns. I have one left handed deer rifle but as others have said it's not a big deal on semi autos

bedofbrass33 said:

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I'm a lefty. I prefer right handed guns and would recommend your wife sticks with one.

1. I can pick up anyone's gun and use it since I'm not used to reversed controls.
2. I like the ejection port in front of my face. I can see I'm empty and diagnose malfunctions easily.
3. I have never been hit in the face by an empty case from an AR, bolt gun, pump or semi shotgun, or lever gun.

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That's about the worst advice for a left handed shotgunner I've ever seen. I have shot LH for about 60 years. Pumps are no big deal because the bolt is locked until you pump it, but any semi-auto with the ejection port in front of your face lets you see the gun is empty for sure, I'm not so sure about diagnosing malfunctions, but it also gives you a face full of gas. and burnt and un-burnt powder residue. If you don't believe that, just go shoot under the lights some evening after dark. God forbid a serious malfunction occurs, or even something as "minor" as a pierced primer when shooting cheap shells. But of course the residue flying out of the ejection port is no big deal if you don't care about your eyes or your lungs. I won't even shoot a right handed SA for this reason - I've seen the result of pierced primers.

As for stock dimensions, most double guns off the rack have some amount of cast o ff - the stock being "bent" for a right handed shooter. Most Browning O/Us are neutral, most Beretta O/Us are cast off for a right handed shooter. If you want to share the gun, a neutral stock may work. My Ithacas, Ruger Red Label, and Browning Superposed all have neutral stocks and I shoot them fine. The stocks on all my SxS guns have been bent to at least neutral, and 1/4" cast on if possible.

If I wanted a semi-auto, I would 1) look for a LH Remington 1100, or 2) I'd buy a LH Benelli M2. I'd prefer the Remington simply because I prefer wood stocks and blued metal.

I think Browning O/U is a good place to start, the stock is cast neutral so you can possibly save money on the customization and get a really nice gun

Lefty here, didnt know they made lefthanded shotguns. Mine is right handed.

Find an ithica pump shotgun. They eject out the bottom so dextrity doesn't matter.

Has she tried a lefty shotgun? What about left handed cigarettes?

If it is primarily for clays stay away from pump guns.

Carl Hungus said:

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I think Browning O/U is a good place to start, the stock is cast neutral so you can possibly save money on the customization and get a really nice gun

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Just to add this this post. Many shotguns are easy to change cast from right to left. You just change the shim located inside the stock. I don't know that much about it but the last one I helped research, you just took out the shim which is labeled "R" on one side and "L" on the other side, and flipped the shim over to change the cast of the gun from R to L, or vice versa.

I'm a lefty who has also shot "right-handed" shotguns my whole life.

Apparently I didn't know it until now, but according to JR69, I have been dead for 20 years from shotgun explosions.

Allen76 said:

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Carl Hungus said:

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I think Browning O/U is a good place to start, the stock is cast neutral so you can possibly save money on the customization and get a really nice gun

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Just to add this this post. Many shotguns are easy to change cast from right to left. You just change the shim located inside the stock. I don't know that much about it but the last one I helped research, you just took out the shim which is labeled "R" on one side and "L" on the other side, and flipped the shim over to change the cast of the gun from R to L, or vice versa.

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Most modern semi-autos include this feature. On many, if not all, you can adjust the cast and also change the drop in the comb. Some with synthetic stocks you can also adjust the pitch by changing out the recoil pad. Some Benellis, I believe, allow you to make all these adjustments.

96ags said:

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I'm a lefty who has also shot "right-handed" shotguns my whole life.

Apparently I didn't know it until now, but according to JR69, I have been dead for 20 years from shotgun explosions.

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You survived the righthanded scissors only to be undone by a righthanded shotgun.

JR69 said:

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Allen76 said:

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Carl Hungus said:

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I think Browning O/U is a good place to start, the stock is cast neutral so you can possibly save money on the customization and get a really nice gun

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Just to add this this post. Many shotguns are easy to change cast from right to left. You just change the shim located inside the stock. I don't know that much about it but the last one I helped research, you just took out the shim which is labeled "R" on one side and "L" on the other side, and flipped the shim over to change the cast of the gun from R to L, or vice versa.

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Most modern semi-autos include this feature. On many, if not all, you can adjust the cast and also change the drop in the comb. Some with synthetic stocks you can also adjust the pitch by changing out the recoil pad. Some Benellis, I believe, allow you to make all these adjustments.

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The brownings and Winchesters come with an assortment of shims to change the pitch and length of the stock

96ags said:

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I'm a lefty who has also shot "right-handed" shotguns my whole life.

Apparently I didn't know it until now, but according to JR69, I have been dead for 20 years from shotgun explosions.

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No need to be sarcastic - all I said was it's a risk. I think it's something to be aware of. It's your choice.

JR69 said:

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96ags said:

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I'm a lefty who has also shot "right-handed" shotguns my whole life.

Apparently I didn't know it until now, but according to JR69, I have been dead for 20 years from shotgun explosions.

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No need to be sarcastic - all I said was it's a risk. I think it's something to be aware of. It's your choice.

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I disagree. I absolutely saw a need to be sarcastic.

96ags said:

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JR69 said:

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96ags said:

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I'm a lefty who has also shot "right-handed" shotguns my whole life.

Apparently I didn't know it until now, but according to JR69, I have been dead for 20 years from shotgun explosions.

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No need to be sarcastic - all I said was it's a risk. I think it's something to be aware of. It's your choice.

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I disagree. I absolutely saw a need to be sarcastic.

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Care to expound? Please by all means share your expertise.....

Yeah, the one I researched was my sons new Benelli Black Eagle 3. Go right to Youtube and get the video on adjusting the cast and drop of the gun.

But the confusing part is all the stuff on the internet that says there are "left-handed versions" of practically every gun. You can easily find a post that says "I like the SB3 but I have to wait a year for the left handed version". Maybe this is true, I dont know. But the video leads me to believe that the cast adjustment is all I need for the switch.

A left handed gun isn't just a stock cast to the other direction, it is all the controls and the breech on the other side of the gun.

Just so the OP is clear, all this talk of shims is basically for semi-auto shotguns only. Because of how the stock mounts to the receiver in an O/U you can't shim cast into O/U. The new Benellie 828U can be shimmed but it is a lightweight field gun that would be miserable for a small person shooting 100 round through.

Last advice is to try an find a used Syren XLR. I have seem them right around your $1400 price point. They are built for women by Ceasar Guirini / Fabarms and have been getting great reviews.

All you need to change the fit of the gun, that is the way it lines up with your eye with a consistent gun mount, is a set of shims to adjust the cast, drop, and perhaps the pitch. A true left handed semi-auto has the ejection port on the left side of the receiver and other controls, i.e. the safety, is reversed.

A true left handed O/U or SxS may include a palm swell for the left hand rather than the right hand, and may also have the opening lever reversed. Cast, drop, pitch, and length of pull must either be built into the stock or adjusted by bending the stock, cutting the butt to a different length and/or angle, or adding thicker recoil pad.

I have a lefty M2 and a righty Benelli Ethos 20 gauge.

It's nice having the ejection on the left side, but not totally necessary. It's extremely easy to flip the shims provided to set up the cast you a left handed shooter. It's a little more difficult, but not impossible, to flip the safety.

I've thought of another advantage of having a true left handed semi. It moves the ejection port and safety to the left side. This should help on the loading and unloading. It is one of those small things you can get used to if you shoot a right handed gun left handed.

Personally i wouldn't like the shell ejection come across face.

I'm okay with shooting right handed rifles, but strongly prefer left handed shotguns. I don't like the shells ejecting across my face. Before switching to my LH Benelli, I'd usually have some minor eye irritation after a day of shooting.

maverick12 said:

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I'm okay with shooting right handed rifles, but strongly prefer left handed shotguns. I don't like the shells ejecting across my face. Before switching to my LH Benelli, I'd usually have some minor eye irritation after a day of shooting.

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From all the crap coming out of the ejection port along with the shells.