CZ Redhead O/U?

[engineerbrian]

So i've been looking around a little here and there for a decent over under 20ga for my wife, and i ran across a CZ Redhead tonight at the Chantilly show.

As much as i wanted to go for the impulse buy, I figured i ask you guys what you thought of it or if any one has any experience with it.

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/redhead-deluxe-103-de/

 

[Boom Boom]

What's the intended use? That CZ is a field shotgun with relatively short barrels. If for clays, she will be better off with 28" or 30" barrels and extended chokes, if not too heavy for her to handle. I suspect she will love a 28ga O/U with 28" or 30" barrels and extended chokes, due to being lighter, less recoil, and very fun to shoot.

 

[engineerbrian]

What's the intended use? That CZ is a field shotgun with relatively short barrels. If for clays, she will be better off with 28" or 30" barrels and extended chokes, if not too heavy for her to handle. I suspect she will love a 28ga O/U with 28" or 30" barrels and extended chokes, due to being lighter, less recoil, and very fun to shoot.

Its mostly for trap. I considered the 28 ga, but is ammo easy to come by and reasonably priced? I like the fact that i can buy a box of 100, 20ga shells at Wally World last minute if needed.

 

[Boom Boom]

28ga shells can be reasonably priced if bought by the case. No, it's not "last-minute buy at Wally's" ammo, that's for sure. In 20ga, 7/8oz target loads are perfect.

For mostly trap shooting, she might be better off with a dedicated trap O/U, because of the shape of the stock and elevated sight plane above the barrel. Trap can be shot with a standard field or skeet-type O/U, if she can get used to shooting before the bird rises above the front bead. Can be tricky.

Is she right-handed or left-handed? Make sure the bend in the stock is appropriate. Also make sure the length of pull is correct. Many women need youth O/Us for a short LOP. If the LOP is not correct for her frame, her upper chest will tend to get badly bruised after 50 to 100 rounds. In that case, she'll need to have a gunsmith fit the gun to her, typically by shortening the stock and/or adding a nice recoil pad. Typically costs $125 to $200.

 

[Boom Boom]

Another thought. Don't dismiss 12ga for her. Shotgun weight is your friend when shooting an O/U, because it lessens felt recoil. I typically shoot 1oz target loads out of my 12ga Citori O/U, but I just bought a case of 12ga 7/8oz target loads at Dick's this week. So I'll be shooting standard 20ga target loads out of my 12ga O/U, with all the weight benefit of my 12ga.

 

[blackthorne]

Bear in mind that these guns are not made by CZ. They are made by Huglu in Turkey and imported by CZ USA. They have NOT enjoyed a good reputation for reliability. Though some of the early problems have supposedly been corrected, they are still considered by most to be a field gun, not suitable for shooting a lot of targets.

If the gun is going to be "mostly for Trap", there are many better choices out there, depending on your budget.

Yes, I bought a Huglu, not this particular model, but a CZ Huglu. It lasted about 5 rounds of Skeet and broke. A replacement gun went two rounds and broke. I sold the third gun, took a $300 loss and was happy to rid myself of that dog.

 

[engineerbrian]

Thanks for all of the info guys, this is exactly why i wanted to hold off on my purchase.

Its funny, i've been a rifle and pistol shooter for years, and only dabbled in shotguns. Now my wife is all about shooting shotguns. Needless to say I have a bit of a learning curve, so thanks for the input.

Oh, one more question. Boobboom, you mentioned that 28" 30" barrels would be better than the 26". Does 2" (26"-28") really make that much difference?

Thanks
Brian

 

[circleshooter]

Oh, one more question. Boobboom, you mentioned that 28" 30" barrels would be better than the 26". Does 2" (26"-28") really make that much difference?

Shorter barrels are most often a characteristic of field guns. They're generally lighter to carry and easier to maneuver in brush, woods, marshes etc. But a 28" barrel is also found on many classic style skeet guns.

However, target and sporting guns almost always have longer barrels - 30", 32" & 34". Longer barrels offer a longer sight line to the target (even though you never focus on the front site). Shotguns with longer barrels are also better balanced (as opposed to being back heavy) and this is important in achieving the smooth swings and follow through essential for all the clay games.

My new shotgun has 32" barrels and if you look at the catalogs of many gun makers this length is becoming the norm for sporting guns.

 

[Boom Boom]

Oh, one more question. Boobboom, you mentioned that 28" 30" barrels would be better than the 26". Does 2" (26"-28") really make that much difference?

Yes, as circleshooter mentioned, having more weight out front and a longer sight radius makes a big difference in being able to follow the birds smoothly and scoring consistent hits. Otherwise the gun gets too whippy and tough to lock onto the target with. It's a balancing act depending on the person. Since the O/U is for a woman, it's important that the gun not be too heavy out front, since women typically don't have the arm strength of men. That's why I suggested 28" with extended chokes, because it's only 1" shorter than heavier 30" barrels with flush chokes. Either that or a small-framed, lighter 28ga with 30"-32" barrels and extended chokes.

 

[hvymax]

If it is for your wife though a shorter barrel may be more "proportional"for her. With shotguns fit is paramount. That does seem like a beautiful shotgun but msrp seems a little steep for what it is. I would go 20ga over 28ga for ammo price and availability.

 

[blackthorne]

The stated use was for Trap. I imagine Sporting Clays could also be considered. Either one is a 12ga game. Most women I see shooting Sporting are shooting automatics, usually full size (30" 12ga) with the stock fitted to them. Trap is a little different in the hardware department, but the guns are 12ga. Along with the handicap of shooting small gauges at Trap, 28ga shells are almost twice the price of 12ga. The once fire hulls are 3-4 times the price of 12ga hulls.

As an add-to, some recommend youth guns. They are a bad choice for women and not so hot for kids either. They are too short on both ends, too light and thus kick like mules. They are a great way to discourage a new shooter.

I would suggest taking your wife to a place that rents variuos guns and see what she likes AFTER shooting them. PG Trap & Skeet is a perfect place for that. They also have a very inexpensive instruction program for new shooters. If my wife were ever to decide to shoot, this is the route I would take. Shit, she won't listen to me!