Looking for recommendations...

[Deerthug]

For a shotgun for my 12 yo son. He is taking the hunters ed course next Monday and I would like to surprise him with his own shotgun when he gets his small game license. I was thinking of a 20ga for him to start with and which he can use through his teens. The only thing he shot was a .22 rifle this past wek at camp, and which has basically no recoil. I don't want to give him a 12 ga and turn him off with the recoil. Any thoughts?

[TheTruth2]

20ga bantam model mossberg 500. Not a big fan of mossberg but i bought one for my girlfriend who recently got her license, (shes 105 pounds) and she says its like shooting a BB gun. Easy to clean and the safety is, well safe. He'll grow out of it relatively quickley but for a gun to make him not shy away and flinch at recoil, its the way to go.

[papabear]

when my youngest daughter turned 12 I got her a Remington 870 20 gage youth model  she is now 25 and still use this gun

 

[carloracer1987]

I agree and 20 gauge should be sufficient, just don't have him go out and start target practicing with slugs or buck shot haha

[Pygmy]

A 20 gauge is a good choice..Another consideration is action type.. A gas operated auto has considerably less felt recoil than any fixed breech gun.

All that said, a twelve gauge is somewhat more versatile, and you can avoid excessive recoil by using light field loads, rather than the high velocity or magnum loads. Twelve gauge low brass loads with 1 or 1 1/8 oz. of shot kick no worse than comparable 20 gauge loads and kill small game and upland birds just fine.

[Deerthug]

Thanks! A lot of good suggestions. I too was thinking a semi-auto in 20ga.

[Pygmy]

 

Thanks! A lot of good suggestions. I too was thinking a semi-auto in 20ga.

 

That's a good way to go.

Many years ago, my ex-wife decided she wanted to hunt.. She was 5'4" and weighed perhaps 120..We went to the local pool hall/cigar store/gun shop and she picked out a 20 gauge Ithaca M 37 pump..Nice, quality shotgun , but it weighed 5 3/4 pounds. That gun was fine to shoot with light loads, but with magnum turkey loads or slugs, it kicked like a MULE..I hated sighting it in from the bench.

After a couple of years she decided she'd like a gun that didn't kick so bad..I bought her Remington 1100 LT-20, which, at 6 1/2 pounds was still reasonably light..What a difference ! You could shoot it from the bench with slugs all day and the recoil was more like a gentle push , unlike the Ithaca pump which was more like holding a 2x4 to your shoulder and having someone drive it with a post maul.

[ny hunter]

I bought my son a youth model Mossberg pump in 20 ga.15 years ago .It also came with a coupon to switch the stock and forend but I never did.Anyway it has served him well and I use this gun when teaching friends kids or a new shooter.

[Woodjr55]

How big is your son? My cousin is 11 now and last time we where at camp I let him shoot my 870 12 ga. He had no trouble handling it. I started him off with one shell at a time but by the end of the day he was shooting 5 no problem. My cousin is a bigger kid though

[josephmrtn]

my little bro is 9 and shoots my mossberg 930 semauto 12 ga no problem... its just that its so long he can hardly hold it up... he needs a little shorter gun...

[jjb4900]

my son shoots a 20 gauge 870, get the full size gun and buy a youth stock to put on it....a lot cheaper than buying another gun.......and to be quite honest, 20 gauge isn't only a good starter gun, but can pretty much get the same job done as a 12 gauge.............the 870 is a great gun and won't break the bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2013 by jjb4900

[Elmo]

I've heard from people that 20 gauge isn't a good choice in semi-auto because there isn't enough recoil to reload the next round each and every time.  Pump might be a better choice when going 20 gauge.  But this is based on hearsay.  I don't have 1st hand experience with it.

[Early]

I started my grandsons on a Remington 1100, Youth Model 20 ga auto. It was designated a "magnum model", but it cycles all 20 ga. ammo without a problem...with very little recoil. Both boys "graduated" to full size 870's in 20 ga., and they bring home more "bacon" than all their adult hunting partners.

My suggestion: 20 ga. auto

[ants]

I would also look at the Mossberg 500 or the Remington 870, youth models in 20 gauge. A lot of people like to hate on the Mossberg, but as far as function and reliability goes, I think they are every bit as good as the Remington, and they are usually a few bucks less.

[Early]

A Mossberg is a Remington NOT!

[ants]

A Mossberg is a Remington NOT!

Never said the two were the same....but if you want to get a real good wrench set and save a few bucks buy a set of Craftsman's instead of Snap on. They will work every time. Maybe they won't look as purdy but they will be solid performers and maybe even have as good or a better warranty.. What ever..I own both 870's and 500's and no one will ever convince me that Remington is a better performer than the Mossberg.  I admit that the 870's are a little more refined and look a little better. 

[Larry]

deerthug a 20ga will be fine I bought my son an 870 20ga when he turned 12 and the dam thing patterned better at 40yds for turkeys then my 11-87 12ga. I just made it into a deer gun, for me. I found a 20ga Hastings barrel and pined it to the frame shoots great. A pump is the way to go.

 

Edited July 6, 2013 by Larry

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Winchester Ranger 120

Edited July 7, 2013 by ELMER J. FUDD

[Deerthug]

How big is your son? My cousin is 11 now and last time we where at camp I let him shoot my 870 12 ga. He had no trouble handling it. I started him off with one shell at a time but by the end of the day he was shooting 5 no problem. My cousin is a bigger kid though

He is smaller than most 12 year olds. I think I'm going to start him with the 20 and go from there.

[Pygmy]

 

I've heard from people that 20 gauge isn't a good choice in semi-auto because there isn't enough recoil to reload the next round each and every time.  Pump might be a better choice when going 20 gauge.  But this is based on hearsay.  I don't have 1st hand experience with it.

No offense, Elmo, but your statement is not only hearsay, but it is total BS...

Semi autos have been made in 20 gauge since the early 1900s... Bonnie Parker ( of Bonnie and Clyde fame) used one.. They are ABSOLUTELY as reliable as a 16 or 12 gauge in any auto that I have ever used or SEEN used.. I had a Rem 1100 in 20 gauge that I shot 1000s of rounds through at skeet ( as well as deer and game) and never missed a hitch. I have had several 20 gauge semis over the years and every one was as reliable as the 16 and 12 gauge autos that I have owned.. I currently shoot a Browning A-5 light 20 that is as dependable as any shotgun I ever owned.

In my 50 + years of shotgunning, I have NEVER heard the statement that 20 gauge autos were any less reliable than any other semi auto..

Where the heck did you HEAR that stuff ??

[Elmo]

Two fellow hunters I've ran into and chit chatted with. Which is why I noted that it was simply some thing I heard and decided to throw it out there. I use a 12 gauge pump so I've never experienced it myself.

[jjb4900]

if you decide to go with a 20 gauge 870, get the adult size.....I have a youth stock my son has outgrown, more than willing to hook you up with it.

[Pygmy]

 

Two fellow hunters I've ran into and chit chatted with. Which is why I noted that it was simply some thing I heard and decided to throw it out there. I use a 12 gauge pump so I've never experienced it myself.

Actually the 20 gauge averages a HIGHER chamber pressure ( 11K to 12k PSI)

than the 12 gauge (8K to 9K)...

[ants]

Winchester Ranger 120

 

 

Another real good choice.

[Fantail]

I got my son a 20ga for Turkey hunting it likes the rem nitro's off the top of my head can't remember the choke. But then we picked up a few boxes of slugs and it took to the buckhammers - now it kicks like a 12 ga.