I’m a form and function kind of person. When it comes to my shotgun, I like having something that will work well when I’m out hunting but can also perform consistently for a round of sporting clays. Having one gun that does it all has been a bit of a holy grail quest—adding the intangible of “It should look pretty, too” has been practically impossible. That is, until I found the Syren Elos D2.
Syren shotguns are designed to fit women's proportions. (Photo Courtesy of Jodi Stemler) Syren Shotguns: Designing Shotguns for Women If you are a woman who hunts or shoots, you’ve probably heard of Syren shotguns before. A division of Caesar Guerini and Fabarm , Syren was the pioneer on not just “shrinking and pinking” shotguns for women but truly engineering them with the female body in mind, creating great shotguns for women . Women typically have a longer neck and higher cheek bones than men, as well as smaller hands and different angles in our shoulder pockets. All of these things affect our alignment as we hold the gun to shoot and can affect our accuracy. The modifications made in the basic designs of women’s shotguns have been a game changer for women who can’t often find a gun that fits right out the box.
Syren led the charge on women’s shotguns a decade ago, but their development of the Elos D2 has truly hit a sweet spot. The beautiful Turkish walnut stock has a Monte Carlo comb that allows for a better cheek weld and reduces the potential of a longer-necked woman tipping their head down to meet the stock. The circumference of the pistol grip makes it easier and more comfortable for women’s smaller hands. It also has a shorter length of pull at 13.9” which is longer than a youth or compact gun but almost an inch less than typical full-size guns. What might be less noticeable is that the cast (the bend of the stock) and pitch (the angle of the butt of the gun) are modified to better sit against a woman’s shoulder. You might not know what the specific differences are, but I can almost guarantee that it will feel right.
Beyond how it feels, the Elos D2 is simply beautiful. The case-colored receiver features a gold-inlaid engraving of a pheasant on one side and a pair of quail on the other. The walnut stock has Fabarm’s proprietary Triwood finish that maximizes the look of the wood while creating a tough, scratch resistant, and waterproof finish. For me, another benefit is the soft black rubber recoil pad at the end of the stock—as pretty as a completely wood stock is, I like to have a little additional padding at the end of the gun to help mitigate felt recoil.
The Syren Elos D2 performed great on this Arizona quail hunt. (Photo Courtesy of Jodi Stemler) Field Testing the Syren Elos D2 Shotgun The Elos D2 checks the boxes on both beauty and fit, but to me, a key aspect of this gun is that it can function just as well in the field as on the sporting clays course. This Syren model comes through the Fabarm side of the company, so it sits at the lower end of their price point—but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. Quality is worth the price, but it is nice that you could make that investment on one gun that will work well for most applications.
My first time shooting the Elos D2 shotgun was on a local sporting clays course with a couple other women. It was a demo 20-gauge that was sent directly from the manufacturer and our goal was for each of us to try the gun and evaluate how it shot. In addition to myself, I brought my daughter who has been shooting shotguns for many years and has good skills, but she is smaller in stature so I wanted to see how the gun would fit her. We also brought my friend who was a relatively new shooter and had never shot an over-under before. It was very apparent that we all found the Elos D2 to be comfortable and easy to shoot. In spite of our size differences, the modifications in the stock dimensions hit a sweet spot that worked for us all. We also shot very well, even my new shooter friend! The gun is extremely well balanced and easy to shoulder, form a solid cheek weld, pick up the targets, and swing through the shots. I enjoyed the shotgun enough that this is the first time I decided to purchase a gun that I had field tested!
When I received my new gun, I had some time on the clays course and then took it with me on our October pheasant hunt in Montana with our nine-month-old Brittany. We had a great hunt and carrying the Elos D2 through some pretty harsh cattail cover and prairie uplands was easy and comfortable. It was also nice to have a softer shooting 20-gauge to handle the more powerful pheasant loads without leaving an aching shoulder. A few weeks later, I used it for another pheasant hunt and then took it on a desert quail hunt in Arizona. After three days of hunting in steep, rough terrain, I greatly appreciated that this light little gun was just over 6 pounds. Walking in the field for an extended period of time makes having a lightweight gun that is easy to handle when targeting fast moving quail particularly appealing. When I connected with my first-ever Mearns quail, it confirmed that this gun checks all the boxes.
From the field to the clays course, Syren shotguns can do it all. (Photo Courtesy of Jodi Stemler) Syren Shotguns Can Do It All It is easy to allow the beauty of the Syren Elos D2 to overshadow its performance, but this nicely engineered shotgun can be used proudly in the field and even at the highest-end sporting clays range. It is not easy to find a gun that can do it all, and women shooters might ultimately decide that different shotguns will fill different niches. But to have the option to have a beautiful over-under to take in the field or on the sporting range makes the Syren Elos D2 a winner.
Syren Elos D2 Shotgun Specs Gauge: 20 (tested) or 28 Barrel Length: 28” Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz Length of Pull: 13.9” Grip: Pistol Chamber: 3” MSRP: $3,575
Website: https://syrenusa.com
