Robb,<br><br>Some target shooting can do a great deal to familiarize both of you with the operation, handling, & pointing, of a shotgun as well as its capabilities. Typical police shotguns have 18-20" barrels with cylinder or improved cylinder chokes. Such configurations are excellent for shooting skeet.<br><br>Try using ammunition appropriate for skeet. It will have #9 shot, which is the smallest shot size readily available. Trap & skeet loads tend to be low powered & light in recoil. That is conducive to learning to shoot well. As I indicated in my earlier post on this subject, lower powered loads--lower in weight of shot charge, lower in velocity, lower in weight of gunpowder--will tend to have less recoil. You will not only shoot more comfortably, but also with more endurance & fun with lower recoiling loads. That will in turn lead to proficiency & confidence in the use of the guns. Good experiences in target shooting will overcome any misconceptions your wife may have re the "kick" of shotgun. Incidentally, have no illusions re the recoil of the higher powered loads (including most magnums & rifled slugs). They do recoil significantly; however the recoil will not be anything an experienced shooter cannot handle (whether he will want to or not, or do so well are different questions). You can get a fairly good idea of the recoil of load in advance by calculating it (see my earler post re Recoil in guns ca 2/28/02).<br><br>Unless your wife, and you for that matter, happen to have the dimensions (e.g., arm & neck length, & neck thickness) of the average man for whom the shotgun is designed, you may need to have the stock altered. If the stock is too long (butt to trigger dimension), have someone skilled in gunsmithing cut off the appropriate length of stock. I have seen a number of Remington shotguns with factory recoil pads which seem designed to rival the wood in hardness. Have a gunsmith fit a good recoil pad such as a Pachmayr Decelerator (tm) to molify the recoil. Adding a slip on recoil pad over whatever is there presently will also lengthen the pull of shotgun stock about 1" That is helpful for us taller people. Remember if you remove the existing recoil pad & replace it with a new pad, you will be maintaining approximately the same length of pull on the stock. If the gun shoots high, a pad can be added to the comb (top of stock where the face touches) to lower the point of impact. If a gun is shooting low, its point of impact can be raised by having a gunsmith reduce the height of the comb.<br><br>Awhile back, I acquired an obsoleted police Rem. 870 12 ga. shotgun. I added a slip on recoil pad to conveniently increase the length of pull by about 1". I also added a Choate extended magazine tube to increase the gun's total capacity to 7 rounds; and a Tac Star Sidesaddle to carry an additional 5 rounds clamped to the left side of the receiver. These last 2 additions significantly change the appearance & image of the gun. I'm not so sure that if a jury had to consider my potential criminal/civil liability after what is euphimistically called a serious social use that the jury would look favorably on the gun. OTOH, if I ever have a situation requiring that shotgun, I will probably be glad to have the extra rounds so readily available. Those changes also changed the gun's balance, & increased weight, thereby decreasing recoil. If you make any such changes, be sure to shoot the gun fully loaded & nearly empty to learn how differently it feels.<br><br>Good luck,<br><br>John