Syren pro-staffer Kate Ahnstrom understands the additional stress that waterfowling places on hunters’ bodies. Often that means bigger loads and heavier shotguns. Syren designed the XLR5 Waterfowler to meet the demands of women hunters.
Our options are becoming more varied in the industry as women prove they are serious competitors and hunters. One quadrant of the industry, waterfowling, has long been viewed as best left to serious hunters – you know, the guys who are dedicated to expansive decoy spreads, are able to handle hot and heavy loads and know how to operate a heftier shotgun.
I have plenty of students, female students, that love to drop ducks and get after geese. They are absolutely serious hunters and have no problem with the harsh conditions often encountered in a blind or boat. The problem has been that the industry has not opened up the options in gear for the female waterfowler. At least not until Syren built the XLR5 Waterfowler.
Form and Function for Beyond the Field
For years, we have had to shop for waterfowl gear in the guys’ section of sporting goods stores. (Purchasing oversized waders and adding extra layers inside coats that were two sizes too big.) Our gun options included clunky and ill-fitting 12-gauge shotguns that kicked harder than an ill-tempered mule. Complaints fell on deaf ears, and we were told to “just deal with it” or don’t bother waterfowl hunting.
Staying true to innovation and diversity, Syren created the Waterfowler to level the hunting field. The Waterfowler incorporates super smooth cycling with comfort through anatomically correct dimensions built for a woman. Whether you’re lying out in a cut corn field for snow goose or tucked down in a pit blind for ducks, the Waterfowler gives the female hunter a huge advantage.
Length of pull comes in at 13.5 inches and the pitch is measured at 7 degrees. This allows a woman’s hand to settle in securely on the pistol grip and keeps the toe of the stock from digging into the chest. Weighing in at barely over 7 pounds, it’s easy to carry the Waterfowler out to your next hunt. Chasing feathers in the blind or boat means that there is more than your fair share of moisture lurking close by and the soft touch coating makes certain that you maintain constant contact with the gun.
Lefty? True left handed eject models also available (as seen here).
Dodgy ducks don’t allow us time to second guess whether or not we can get our cheek in the correct position on the stock. Syren has incorporated a Monte Carlo style stock, so we simply need to lean slightly into the gun, head forward and down allowing us to quickly lock in our target beyond the barrel. Women have higher cheek bones causing us to scrunch and try to cram our face into the stock to achieve the correct sight picture. Once you add in heavy layers, typical in a waterfowl hunt, it’s going to be almost impossible to achieve a correct shooting position unless your gun fits you.
Pulse Piston System
The larger loads required to ethically drop ducks, geese and swans can often be a deal breaker for shooters. While you may be able to push through a few rounds of these teeth-rattling shells, ripping through a box or more is enough to make you cringe at the sight of Daffy Duck!
Crafting a shotgun that is anatomically correct for women was the easier part of building out the Syren Waterfowler. Making a shotgun that could cycle any loads and do so with ease and minimal recoil was the much trickier part. The Pulse Piston system literally throws the brakes on recoil. Since the system utilizes progressive braking, it contains fewer parts – making it simpler, easier to clean and offering impeccable reliability. What’s really astonishing is that the reduction in recoil on those heavy shells in no way affects cycling speed. The XLR5 platform is the fastest cycling semi-automatic hunting gun on the market. That means more shooting, less pain and in lightning-fast time.
Waterfowl hunting means non-toxic shot loads like steel, tungsten and bismuth. The majority of shotguns, if not proofed for steel can’t be choked any tighter than IC (improved cylinder) for fear of bulging the barrel, or worse. Fabarm shotguns are the highest proofed through the Italian National Proofing House at 1630 bar (23,641 psi). That means you are free to shoot any choke, including extra full, with no worry about barrel integrity.
So, ladies if you’re serious about waterfowl hunting, Syren has seriously got the shotgun for you. Don’t just take my word for it though, find a demo day near you and give it a test drive for yourself.
Enjoying this post? Read more just like it on our Syren Savvy Blog HERE.
*This article was originally posted in our column on WomensOutdoorNews.com written by Kate Ahnstrom and edited by WON Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird.
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