Purchasing shotgun for my wife

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  • Swaim13

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    327
    I am looking at purchasing a shotgun for my wife as she is petite and the range we go to does not have anything her size for rent. I will be keeping it locked in my safe where I will be the only one with access to it. Is it considered a straw purchase if I am the one purchasing and putting my name on the paperwork if the gun is meant for her use? She would only be going to the range with me unless she catches the shooting bug (which is the evil plan hopefully :D)

    Just trying to cross my t's and dot my i's before purchasing.
     

    Schipperke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 19, 2013
    18,540
    I am looking at purchasing a shotgun for my wife as she is petite and the range we go to does not have anything her size for rent. I will be keeping it locked in my safe where I will be the only one with access to it. Is it considered a straw purchase if I am the one purchasing and putting my name on the paperwork if the gun is meant for her use? She would only be going to the range with me unless she catches the shooting bug (which is the evil plan hopefully :D)

    Just trying to cross my t's and dot my i's before purchasing.

    Is this you Joe?
     

    Swaim13

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    327
    I should also add that I know my wife is legally qualified to own a firearm and was planning on doing this as a surprise which is why I am hoping to not have her go do the paperwork.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,884
    To clarify :

    Are you purchasing a shotgun for you to * own * , that you would then let small statured shooters such as your wife use at the range ? If so you are fine.

    Are you intending to make a legitimate Gift to your wife ? If so , you are fine , presuming she is not a Prohibited person .

    Or are you discussing a different scenario ?
     

    Swaim13

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    327
    It will likely be more the case of me owning it and letting my wife shoot it. I would love for her to have it as a gift but its mainly just to see if she will enjoy shooting trap and skeet. If she does, then definitely a gift to her. If not, it would be just sitting in the safe for whenever I would be letting a smaller statured shooter use it.
     

    KevinK

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 24, 2008
    4,973
    Carroll County, Md
    It will likely be more the case of me owning it and letting my wife shoot it. I would love for her to have it as a gift but its mainly just to see if she will enjoy shooting trap and skeet. If she does, then definitely a gift to her. If not, it would be just sitting in the safe for whenever I would be letting a smaller statured shooter use it.

    Since you noted your wife is legal to buy/own, buy it now and if it works out, gift it to her.

    Secondary Face-to-Face sales/gifts for long guns are still legal in Maryland.
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    In any situation where someone says, "what gun should I buy my wife/gf", the answer is basically all the same.... have her pick it out and buy it. Do you pick out shoes for her too? I ask because in that situation, you'd need to know what kind of performance characteristics, aesthetics, and fit she values. In which case, she'll have to be so involved in the buying process that she should just be the person to pick it out for herself. Having her buy her own gun also clears up any paperwork issues. You can always volunteer to pay for her gun if you want, as long as its hers and not yours.

    As for guns to look at, does she want a pump, semi, over/under? All of these should be available in a "jr" model, probably in a 20 ga. "jr" just means the stock will be shorter. Synthetic versions often come with spacer plates to customize the fit. Better and more expensive versions may also come with plates to adjust the drop of the comb. If you just want a cheap/small shotgun to start with, get a 870 jr synthetic stock and call it a day. You can also get a 870 compact, which can be found in a 21" barrel rather than the 18" so it won't be as loud to shoot and will give a better sight radius. Another option is getting a wood stock and just physically cutting it down to fit, then screwing on some kind of butt pad.
    https://www.cabelas.com/product/Remington-Model-Express-Compact-Pump-Action-Shotguns/709956.uts
     

    mxrider

    Former MSI Treasurer
    Aug 20, 2012
    3,045
    Edgewater, MD
    I am looking at purchasing a shotgun for my wife as she is petite and the range we go to does not have anything her size for rent. I will be keeping it locked in my safe where I will be the only one with access to it. Is it considered a straw purchase if I am the one purchasing and putting my name on the paperwork if the gun is meant for her use? She would only be going to the range with me unless she catches the shooting bug (which is the evil plan hopefully :D)

    Just trying to cross my t's and dot my i's before purchasing.

    From form 4473, answer question 11A and you can find your answer.
     

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    pbharvey

    Habitual Testifier
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    30,158
    Let her handle different guns and see what feels best for her and then give her the money to buy it herself.

    This may be a good option.
    Short length of pull + soft recoil.
    Also it is a very nice handling gun.
     

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    Michael S

    Active Member
    Nov 6, 2012
    416
    Towson
    I had also bought one for my wife to use when we go to range. I took her out to skeet shoot and found she could not hold anything I own to shoot well. I ended up buying a 12g 870 26 inch barrel and replacing the stock with a Hogue 12 inch rubber stock. Works very well for her. I also found I love the stock easy to grip nice look.

    https://www.amazon.com/Hogue-Reming...532621975&sr=8-3&keywords=remington+870+stock

    The whole setup was not that much. But allows her to come out with me once in a while. Stays lockup in safe most unless I take her.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    yeah rather than guess, find a range that DOES have a decent variety of rental shotguns so that you don't guess wrong. not tons of them out there, but the ladies that do shoot 3 gun, some are pretty petite and to my knowledge all use full size shotguns. with plastic stocks (eg benelli m2) they're not very heavy and the semi's dampen recoil nicely. sure you could get the stock cut down a little if needed.

    may be too far for you but check out bull run skeet shooting near manassas, va, they should have a good selection of rental guns. never been to the pg skeet center but that sounds large enough to also have a decent selection. also i'm guessing most if not all shooters there would let her fondle, hold and even shoot their shotguns to get an even broader sample size of what works for her.
     

    IronEye

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 10, 2018
    790
    Howard County
    To help with the original question see the 4473 instructions quoted below:

    Question 11.a. Actual Transferee/Buyer:
    For purposes of this form, a person is the actual transferee/buyer if he/she is purchasing the firearm for him/herself or otherwise acquiring the firearm for him/herself. (e.g., redeeming the firearm from pawn, retrieving it from consignment, firearm raffle winner). A person is also the actual transferee/buyer if he/she is legitimately purchasing the firearm as a bona
    fide gift for a third party. A gift is not bona fide if another person offered or gave the person completing this form money, service(s), or item(s) of value to acquire the firearm for him/her, or if the other person is prohibited by law from receiving or possessing the firearm.

    Actual TRANSFEREE/buyer examples:
    Mr. Smith asks Mr. Jones to purchase a firearm for Mr. Smith (who may or may not be prohibited). Mr. Smith gives Mr. Jones the money for the firearm. Mr. Jones is NOT THE ACTUAL TRANSFEREE/BUYER of the firearm and must answer "NO" to question 11.a. The licensee may not transfer the firearm to Mr. Jones. However, if Mr. Brown buys the firearm with his own money to give to Mr. Black as a gift (with no service or tangible thing of value provided by Mr. Black), Mr. Brown is the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and should answer "YES" to question 11.a. However, the transferor/seller may not transfer a firearm to any person he/she knows or has reasonable cause to believe is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), (n) or (x).
    EXCEPTION: If a person is picking up a repaired firearm(s) for another person, he/she is not required to answer 11.a. and may proceed to question 11.

    https://www.atf.gov/file/61446/download
     

    Mightydog

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    It will likely be more the case of me owning it and letting my wife shoot it. I would love for her to have it as a gift but its mainly just to see if she will enjoy shooting trap and skeet. If she does, then definitely a gift to her. If not, it would be just sitting in the safe for whenever I would be letting a smaller statured shooter use it.


    Why don’t you take her to a range and shoot a few. When she finds one she likes just say “let me get you that, honey”. That way you won’t end up with a safequeen.
     

    MigraineMan

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 9, 2011
    19,109
    Frederick County
    Do you pick out shoes for her too?

    Made that mistake many years ago. With the intention of "romantic weekend getaway," I had purchased her a complete wardrobe, soup to nuts, including shoes. I picked her up after work on a Friday (her brother was in cahoots to retrieve her car) expecting to spirit her away for a few days. She "needed stuff," and took to rooting through the suitcase. She got to the shoes and had an aneurysm.

    Apparently a woman's shoes are a window into her soul. Needless to say, the weekend getaway ended before it began. I won't be doin' that again ...
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    1) You buy the shotgun and allow her to shoot it - FINE

    2) You buy the shotgun for her as a present - FINE

    3) You buy the shotgun for her as she doesn't want to sign a Federal form - NOT FINE

    4) She gives you the money to buy it for her - NOT FINE
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412

    IMAG3848.jpg
    Screen Shot 2018-07-27 at 07.59.17.png
    As for options for stocks, I have an archangel stock for my 870. It's collapsable with a pistol grip. I normally have my 870 setup for hd/3gun, but convert it over with the 28" barrel for clay stuff. Having a collapsable stock allows me to just share my gun with my wife so she doesn't have to carry anything. I collapse it in to its smallest length for her, and then pop it out a couple notches when I'm up.

    Compared to a traditional stock, my wife and her twin sis also found it easier to manage recoil and control the gun with the pistol grip(new shooters, I dunno. For whatever reason they liked it better than a traditional clay-game setup).

    The only issue was that pg trap and skeet people saw the gun and wouldn't let me shoot with it there. They made a big stink about "pistol gripped shotguns are against the rules here". I tried fighting it (because this is a shoulder-fired stock, not a pistol-only grip), but management went full-maryland and said they weren't going to allow them because they are scary. Every other range has been fine with it.

    So, maybe take an existing gun you have and try a collapsable stock, or just buy an extra stock to cut down. A stock is much cheaper than a whole shotgun, and once she gets more in to shooting, she can pickup her own gun that she chooses. Reduced recoil shells are your friend if 12ga is too much thumping at first.
     

    Swaim13

    Active Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    327
    So from everything here, I am good to go with the purchase as she is either just going to be using the shotgun and I will own it or I will be gifting it to her (no money transfers and she is legal to own on her own).

    While I understand where people are coming from in regards to letting her try different things, I think getting her something will be better in this scenario. If she doesn't like it or wants to upgrade, just means it'll be a safe queen until I need it for kids or Ill need to get a bigger safe :D

    I currently have two break action 12 g shotguns. One is from my grandfather and I will not modify. The other is a single barrel break action that is very light and kicks so I am not going to have her use it. I am planning on getting her a semi-auto 12 g as she said the recoil was pretty much the same for the 12 vs 20 g semi autos she tried. She had more fun with the 12 g as she was able to hit more clays. Thanks for all of the help! :party29:

    Totally derailing this thread but does anyone know of anyone who does stock refinishing work for shotguns that have checkering?
     

    DCSCO

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 12, 2008
    1,547
    Frederick County
    Do not listen to all this let her pick it out talk. By what you think she will like. If no likey, buy another based on the objection. Can’t have too many.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

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