Shotguns & Shooting  |  01/26/2015

Syren, Reengineering Shotguns for Women


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Most of us have been there before, in the field with a girlfriend, wife or mom who has shown an interest in watching the family bird dog work and experiencing the “rush of the flush.” With good intentions all around, we hand over our shotgun for the day. However, like golf clubs and hunting boots, shotguns aren’t comfortable fits for both genders, even if it includes pink highlights. Enter Caesar Guerini. Last year at SHOT Show, Caesar Guerini introduced the new Syren shotgun specially engineered for the female hunter and sporting clays shooter. The Syren product introduction and subsequent sales have been so successful Syren stands alone as its own division at this year’s SHOT Show.
 
The recipe for Syren’s success focused on reengineering the shotgun’s stock. They adeptly recognized that women generally have smaller hands and longer necks than their male counterparts, so the fit of a standard shotgun automatically feels awkward when mounted. If you think about it, a shotgun hits your body at your cheek, shoulder, both palms and trigger finger. That’s a lot of spots to be potentially off the mark in a tool that’s been designed for men the last couple hundred years. Here’s what Syren changed in these touch points:
 
  • Trigger Finger: The Syren closed the distance between the stock’s grip and the trigger to better fit a woman’s hand. In fact, many models include adjustable triggers for your own personal fit.
  • Stock Length: Known as the “length of pull,” Syren also closed the distance from the trigger to the butt of the stock to better fit a woman’s shorter arm length.
  • Pocket Fit: The “pocket” is the area between the shoulder and chest where a shotgun’s stock rests against the body. In the Syren, the cast and pitch (angle of stock horizontal and vertical relative to barrel) have been modified to better fit a women’s body.
  • Cheek Comfort: In general, women have longer necks leading to a greater distance between a female shooter’s eye and shoulder pocket. This variable is a big deal when a standard men’s fitted shotgun recoils and slaps against the female shooter’s cheek. In the Syren line, their shotguns feature higher “Monte Carlo” style combs for a better fit against the cheek.
  • Elegant Design: The Syren will never be confused for a “meat stick.” The entire Syren line features gorgeously engraved receivers and the stock’s grip also includes Syren’s signature engraved roses on the Turkish walnut stock.
As with most bird hunters, you don’t need to know all the details of your shotgun’s fit as long as it’s comfortable. Therein lies the magic of the Syren—the proof is sporting goods stores can’t keep them on the shelves.
 
The only downside to the Syren is its cost, with semi-autos starting at $1,950 and over/unders starting at $2,980. They are priced fairly for their high quality, but a challenge for most entry level hunters. Look at it this way, a Syren will be the last shotgun a new female hunter will ever have to purchase. They are a legacy shotgun that daughters and granddaughters to come will cherish.
 
Bob St. Pierre, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre and listen to Bob and Billy Hildebrand every Saturday morning on FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN FM100.3.