Each year, the NRA invites a number of outstanding youth to join us as the NRA/Brownells Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors. (The Ambassadors come to us from our co-op partners Boy Scouts of America, BSA's Venturing, National High School Rodeo Association, Royal Rangers, USA Shooting and one youth representing NRA.) What's more, each year, the Ambassadors assist the editors of NRA Family InSights with a dilemma: We may know what we think are the latest and coolest products on offer, but do the youth of today agree? Towards this end, the Ambassadors visit the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, to let us know what new products interested them the most. Today, Venturing Ambassador Emily Goelzer is here to offer her opinion on what she found the most exciting.
CZ-USA Lady Sterling
The new CZ-USA Lady Sterling 12-gauge competition shotgun is specifically made for women shooters. Overall it is a good shotgun for women, only needing minor adjustments in order to fit most women. The first thing that I noticed when seeing the Lady Sterling was the significantly raised stock. Previous shotguns that I have used were made for men, so they did not compensate for the longer necks that women have. Mounting the Lady Sterling was the first time I could mount a gun properly.
It was an amazing feeling knowing what a gun is supposed to look and feel like. I could rest my cheek, not chin, on the gun and see right down the barrel while still mounting it properly. Another major advantage of the Lady Sterling is its well-balanced stock and barrel. I am a 5' 5", average-weight woman and the barrel length and gun weight fit very well. The size of the hand grip and trigger were also perfect for the average woman. The hand grip has a smaller diameter than standard shotguns, which allows for easier handling and a stronger grip when shooting. Other advantages of the Lady Sterling are its easy assembly process and ease of closing the barrel, despite being a new gun.
Some of the minor issues that I had when shooting the Lady Sterling were the inexpensive recoil pad, lack of adjustable comb on the stock and lack of center sighting bead. The recoil pad is hard and does not provide any absorption of the felt recoil, which was larger than I expected considering the weight of the gun. This made a significant difference in the amount of time I could handle the gun. The lack of center sighting bead also made it slightly more difficult to ensure proper mounting and sighting. The stock was just slightly too high for me so I had to push my head further into the stock than I would normally prefer. An adjustable stock, however, would ensure that the Lady Sterling would properly fit more women shooters comfortably.
Thankfully, it is fairly inexpensive to make an adjustable comb on the stock, insert a middle sighting bead, and change the recoil pad. The CZ-USA Lady Sterling has the major components of a good shotgun for women: small trigger grip and hand size, good barrel length, properly weighted gun and ease of use. With only a few minor additions or changes, the Lady Sterling would be a great gun for any woman shotgun shooter.
Syren Tempio Sporting
Syren, a division of Caesar Guerini and Fabarm shotguns made specifically for women, has the slogan "No compromises." Syren's new Tempio Sporting 12 gauge shotgun truly is just that. Being a woman shotgun shooter, I am very familiar with compromises when choosing shotguns. The typical stocks do not fit, the guns are not balanced well, and the hand grips are too large. Such minor aspects of a gun severely affect a person's ability to shoot well. With Syren's new Tempio Sporting, women no longer have to live with such compromises.
The Tempio Sporting is balanced well for a woman with the majority of the weight in the stock, rather than the barrel, making it easier for women to hold. The recoil pad and felt recoil are excellent. I had no difficulties or pain after shooting all afternoon with the gun. I am also impressed by the comfortable size forestock and grip. Because women's hands are smaller than men's, the smaller size forestock and grip allow the shooter to have a more comfortable and controlled grip on the shotgun. The adjustable trigger length and trigger pull weight also significantly improve performance because the shooter is able to make the gun fit her, rather than making the shooter fit the gun. Such minor changes make a huge difference in performance and score. Overall, the gun, including the stock and barrel, is of very high quality. Once buying this shotgun, there is no need for a replacement. The Tempio Sporting is a gun that I can teach my daughters and granddaughters how to shoot with years down the road.
The only minor issue with the Tempio Sporting is that there is no adjustable comb on the stock. Although the stock is raised significantly more than typical shotguns, it is still slightly too low and requires me to adjust my head after mounting. An adjustable comb on the stock would ensure that every part of the gun fits perfectly to the shooter. Fortunately, this is not an expensive addition to the gun and can be made after buying.
Syren's Tempio Sporting is a wonderful gun for women shotgun shooters. The weight, balance, size, adjustments and high quality of the gun make it fit well with every woman's needs. With only a minor adjustment after buying, the Tempio Sporting is a gun that will comfortably fit most women with exact perfection.
