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Old 03-18-2019, 08:14 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Default First Shotgun For Youth Shooters

I was shooting the 410 at skeet yesterday, and a discussion started as to starting new shooters out with a 410. While it will break clays, and it will kill birds at close ranges, I would not start a youth out with a 410. The recoil is light, but starting a new shooter out with a 410 usually just leads to frustration for the shooter. I would much rather start a new shooter out with a 20 gauge gas operated semi auto, as they will hit a great deal more , and will be encouraged, rather than discouraged. While a semi auto 20 gauge will cost more than a 410 single shot, the cost of ammunition will be much cheaper, and if the youth shoots a lot , the ammunition savings will soon pay for the difference in initial cost of the gun. And as the shooter grows, a 20 gauge semi auto will likely still get used for upland birds, not abandoned in a safe as happens with many 410 shotguns.
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:46 AM
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Default 20 gauge is my choice.

I started out my kids with a 20 gauge just gotta remember not to over do it. When they are younger their arms get tired and can start to flinch a little.
I started them out on a pump though just for mechanical and safety factors.
I’ve just never been a 410 guy.
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:50 AM
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Agreed on the 20 vs 410. I'd start em out with a pump or single shot though. No way I am giving a kid a semi. Almost had my leg blown off in a goose blind lat year from a guy who was not handling a semi safely. In fact, I think you were there. Scary.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:19 AM
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Good post. I started my kids off with a single-shot .410 (Cooey) and soon realized that for the amount of recoil a light gun like that delivers...they'd be better-off with a 20ga pump. I bought an "870 Youth" (laminate stock, 21" VR barrel) and never looked back. In fact, many years later...that gun is still a favorite, and even I'm surprised at how often it gets used. Great gun for anybody new to the sport, younger shooters, ladies, etc. I honestly think that if a kid is old enough to be shooting a shotgun, it ought to be at least a 20ga. I base the advice I give friends on that. In other words, if they can't handle a 20ga, they might not be ready for shotgun use.

Just my opinion..

If you're looking, Remington makes an even smaller 20ga ("Compact Jr.?") with an 18" barrel, but looking at how short a LOP it has vs even such a short barrel, the balance feels "off" to me. I wouldn't recommend one of those, but the 21" youth works...and even I can shoot it well @ 6' 1" tall.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:35 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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One thing that people overlook, is that a semi auto can be used as a single shot. With one round in the gun , it is as safe as a single shot. But a gas operated semi auto will produce less felt recoil than a pump or single shot, of the same weight.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Groundhogger View Post
Good post. I started my kids off with a single-shot .410 (Cooey) and soon realized that for the amount of recoil a light gun like that delivers...they'd be better-off with a 20ga pump. I bought an "870 Youth" (laminate stock, 21" VR barrel) and never looked back. In fact, many years later...that gun is still a favorite, and even I'm surprised at how often it gets used. Great gun for anybody new to the sport, younger shooters, ladies, etc. I honestly think that if a kid is old enough to be shooting a shotgun, it ought to be at least a 20ga. I base the advice I give friends on that. In other words, if they can't handle a 20ga, they might not be ready for shotgun use.

Just my opinion..

If you're looking, Remington makes an even smaller 20ga ("Compact Jr.?") with an 18" barrel, but looking at how short a LOP it has vs even such a short barrel, the balance feels "off" to me. I wouldn't recommend one of those, but the 21" youth works...and even I can shoot it well @ 6' 1" tall.
A friend purchased a youth model 20 gauge and I thought that it kicked harder then my 870. My thoughts are with it being lighter and it made the recoil harder.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sns2 View Post
Agreed on the 20 vs 410. I'd start em out with a pump or single shot though. No way I am giving a kid a semi. Almost had my leg blown off in a goose blind lat year from a guy who was not handling a semi safely. In fact, I think you were there. Scary.
Yup, was all set to get my boy one, Ill leave the semi till he is at least 16 or so--way too much room for error
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Old 03-18-2019, 10:08 AM
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My son started with a Weatherby SA-08 Youth 20 ga semi auto at 7 years old.
It's a nice little gun but it is pretty light so it does have some punch. At first he only wanted to shot a box or less. He is 10 now and last time out he went thru 3 boxes and was looking for more (but I didn't bring any more).

No issues with the semi for us but we did start with only one shell until the gun handling improved.....

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Old 03-18-2019, 10:13 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Justfishin73 View Post
Yup, was all set to get my boy one, Ill leave the semi till he is at least 16 or so--way too much room for error
I have introduced many people to shotgunning an a skeet or trap field with a semi auto or O/U. To start out with, I handed them one round at a time, until they demonstrated that they were safe enough to be trusted with more than one round in the shotgun. And in the field, the same practise can be applied. When I was first given a pump shotgun to use in the field at 12, I was given one round at a time, so I would try harder to make the first shot count.
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Old 03-18-2019, 11:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes View Post
A friend purchased a youth model 20 gauge and I thought that it kicked harder then my 870. My thoughts are with it being lighter and it made the recoil harder.
That's true, we found the .410 (due to an extremely low weight) felt harder than it should, but a load of #7-1/2 bird shot from that 20ga youth felt about right. Remington 870s aren't known for being light guns, so even that 20ga does seem to gobble-up a good deal of the recoil. Again, talking light loads. I might also add~it was a budgetary consideration at the time too, or I might have looked at semis. I had so much 870 experience that I knew what to expect, and how to remedy any issues that might pop-up. Never had a single issue with it though. Even the chamber of that gun is buttery smooth, not a single hiccup.

My daughter (at 12 years old) used to love shooting my 12ga Winchester Defender. I remember her running slugs through it one day and saying to me "that wasn't so bad!" lol My youngest son is 15 now, almost 6' 2", probably 250lbs...and the only 12ga of mine he'll shoot is my Versa Max. lol If you've shot one of those...you know they're very soft-shooting. I won't tell him how his sister (1/2 the size, 3 years younger) could handle 10X the amount of recoil. Kids are all different.
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