Lightest possible 12g loads?

[tonycanevaro]

On the same vein as some of my other posts, I'm introducing my son to shooting and hunting this winter and spring. I've got a winchester 12g that will be his first shotgun to shoot. Suggestions on over the counter loads that will be as gentle as possible?

Thanks!

anyone got any 12g ammo they want to sell?

BPS had one ounce loads on sale when I was there yesterday. Think they were $69 for 10 boxes.

[Cowtown guy]

I believe that Winchester makes a 7/8 load in the AA's.
Even with a light load the boy may get booted pretty hard if the gun doesn't fit that well. Be careful you don't scare the beejeesus out of him.

[ACKLEY ABE]

Winchester "Light" target. Pretty mild. But as mentioned ...watch the fit of the firearm.

[tonycanevaro]

Thanks folks.

I started way younger than him and stated shooting a winchester 1897 with exposed hammer. It did kick the crap out of me.

I'll make sure he is pretty comfy with the .22LR and then use a padded shoulder for the first while while he gets okay with the gun.

[Hunter Trav]

If you were reloading you could go down to some 3/4oz loads that are supposed to be very mild, but for over the counter I think Win lites are as mild as they get.

[flyguyd]

I used the universal winchester 8 shot ,got them at walmart cheap. My 12 yr old daughter shoots them just fine so they'll probabally be ok for your boy .

[ward]

I have seen Winchester Featherlights at WSS. A 26 gram load at 980 fps. This is the lightest 12 gauge load that I am aware of.

[crawfy]

Those will all work fine unless it is a auto some of the light loads will not cycle thru. I find the winchester AA to have less bite than the cheaper ones at walmart.

[catnthehat]

You can buy youth loads that are 7/8oz, but as was posted already you can
also load 3/4oz loads, although I prefer a smaller gauge to shoot that stuff.....
Cat

[twofifty]

I introduced my 11yo kid to shotgunning with a cheap Cooey 410ga. break-action. Shortened the stock with a saw and added a recoil pad.
The recoil was quite manageable.

[220swifty]

Shot alot of pigeons (clay and feathered) as a young kid with grandpa's model 12 and Winchester AA loads. Grandpa was always right there of course (trying his hardest to outshoot his 8 year old grandson )

[PoppaW]

A 410 helps them learn the recoil of a gun. A 223 also. The 12 is big but it depends on the kid. My 7yr old likes 410 2 1/2" and then went straight to 3". I want to let him shoot a 30-30 but the gun does not fit him. My 5yr old really wanted to shoot the 410 but it was a little much for him. He seems more recoil sensitive than my oldest. Everyone is a little different. I won't force any thing on them and I told them that all guns kick and can be mastered with practice. I offered up the 460 and they both shook their heads. Go figure