I thought about that Rasbo. I was still worried a 12 would beat her and then shed be afraid to shoot. I figure she'll get a lot of experience under her belt with this 20, and then if she becomes a diehard duck hunter, her husband or Dad can buy her a bigger gun. If not, the 20 will make for a good house protection gun for her. One of the first things I did was have her shoot it at a couple different distances so she got the ramifications and understood what a shotgun can do. The three inch holes it left in the plywood at close range (I shot those for her) made an impression.