Youth shotgun?? 410/20 gauge

snakeoil · Mar 2, 2010

Just wondering if any of your kids shoot any single shot 410 or 20 gauge youth shotguns? My son's b-day is coming up and he wants one very bad, I am just wondering if the 20 gauge will have too much kick for him. He will be 7 but he shoots quite a bit with me, but the biggest cal. of guns he has shot have been my AR (.223) my 22-250, and he has shot a .410. Thanks for your input. Chad

sageadvice · Mar 2, 2010

Snakeoil, I see there is a youth 870 20 gauge listed in the "classified" forum, pretty reasonable!

Joey

cbeard · Mar 2, 2010

I vote for the 20 gauge. A .410 is pretty dang useless for serious hunting and if he gets one it really runs the risk of discouraging a kid-especially if he is wingshooting.On the other hand a 20 gauge is a game-getter and the recoil is manageable even for a little kid.

And I think the youth 870 is hard to beat.

RELH · Mar 2, 2010

I also reccommend the 20 gauge over the 410. The 410 is for experts only on wing shooting due to it's small pellet density.
Get the 20 gauge and look for light target loads to reduce the recoil for him.

RELH

440sixpack · Mar 2, 2010

A 410 is the quickest way to turn a kid into a golfer, they're worthless. I use a 20 for just about all my bird hunting anymore, they're great if you use the right shells.

REDDOG · Mar 2, 2010

I agree with all above the 410 aint for kids.

snakeoil · Mar 3, 2010

Looks like 870 20 gauge it is, stopped by the sporting good store last night to check out the new ones. I think I will go pick it up today. Thanks for the input, I am sure he will love it. Chad

sageadvice · Mar 3, 2010

Being your son is still very young, as RELH said, make sure that you keep him on the low base, light loads for a long time. Heavy loads, even in a 20, will still buck a kid pretty hard and take the fun out of it for him. A target or low base shell with 6 or even 7 1/2 shot will kill anything that he'll be hunting with it provided the target is not out of range.

If you and your son take good care of this gun, it will one day be one he will proudly pass on to his own son or daughter!

Joey

BeanMan · Mar 4, 2010

Put a Sims decelerator pad or something similar on it. That should help.

ElkSniper · Mar 5, 2010

What ever he is comfortable with. I started with a 20 gauge when I was 9. It knocked me on my butt. OUCH!

troutsniffer · Mar 10, 2010

I just bought a used 20 gauge for my 11 year old. I bought him the same gun I grew up shooting. It is an Ithaca model 37 featherweight. He is left handed, so the bottom eject was a bonus. Anybody else shoot a model 37?