youth shotgun question

[Seascritch]

Thought this might be a good place to pick some brains. Looking at getting my ten year old son a shotgun (he's average in size) but really not inclined to drop more than a couple hundred bucks on this purchase just to have him outgrow the gun in two seasons. I know I can get a single shot 20 guage or .410 inexspensively but was concerned about recoil and having him not want to shoot because of it. The Tristar auto 12 was recommended but I can't seem to find a used one and the new ones seem to be 300 and up. I've checked at Greentop in the used gun section but can't find what I am looking for in the price range I want to pay. Age old dillema I know. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Anything?? Anyone?? Bueller??

[baysider]

A .410 has very little recoil. I take several kids each year on youth waterfowl hunts. Some use old single shot .410's and some use 20's. I have a 20ga 870, and with a 3" duck load it kicks as much as my 12 with a 2 3/4 shell. Autos tend to have less recoil, they are more exspensive, but they also tend to be a bit heavier too. I suggest taking your kid shooting targets or clays. Get some different guns from friends and let him see which one he likes. I started shooting a 12ga pump at the age of 12 so you never know. If he can handle the 20 it would be a gun he could use for many years to come. Ive killed deer, ducks and geese with mine, and my brother still uses the 20 he got as his first gun.

[crabby and son]

A good first gun for a 10 year old would be a H&R Ultra slug 20 Ga. in youth model. It is a heayy barrell and a single shot priced at $279.00. With the single shot, it is much safer...........Gary

[Will S]

I went through this with my son and the hardest thing to find but also the most important is a gun that "fits" size wise for a youngster. If the stock is too long the recoil will not be absorbed properly and he also will not shoot it very well. I ended up going with a Charles Daly 20Ga Auto Youth Model. It is a relaly good little gun and it fits him really well. He started off with a .410 that I had to have the stock cut on.
The pump guns from Mossburg and Remington are OK but most kids arms are not long enough to reach the forestock and effectively pump the action. I paid $399 for the Daly I bought and am sure you could find one cheap on GunBroker.com

[Bug Guy]

Seascritch - what do you plan to do with the gun? Deer only versus a general purpose gun makes a difference.

I started with a 20 gauge double barrel and it worked OK, but it kept me interested (which is the important part). If this is for deer only, what about a muzzleloader? My new TC kicks way less than any slugs I shoot through my 870, but I don't know if that is the case for muzzleloaders in general.

[baysider]

My BP rifle kicks like heck.

Try vaguntrader.com as well.

[Anything-goes]

My BP rifle kicks like heck.

Try vaguntrader.com as well.

The kick of a BP gun is relative to the amount of powder you shoot and the weight of the bullet. I plan on using an inline with about 60 grains of powder and a 240 grain bullet for my son's first deer gun. Personally, I shoot a BP under 7lbs with 80 grains of T7 and 300 grain XTPs with great success and not much kick. XTPs perform great with light loads since they're a pistol bullet and no issues with performance out to 100 yards.

Mike

[buckshotgumbo]

My sons first was a youth model 870 20ga. Obviously fitment is critical. But I do love an 870. Pretty much unchanged for 50 years or so. My 870 is still my favorite marsh gun.. I believe she'd cycle corncobs..

[vbfdsooty]

My son is 13 years old and has been shooting the Remington 870 youth model for two or three years without a single problem. There are no recoil issues with the gun. He has killed several deer with the gun and he couldn't be happier. He started off with a .410, but quickly graduated to the 870 20 gauge. We shoot buckshot, but the gun can be easily adapted for slugs as well. I think I paid less than $300 for the gun. I hope your son does well, good luck to him.

[Bug Guy]

I'll just add - my first gun was a 20 gauge double but my second was the 870 12 gauge. I think the 20 would be better, but the other thing that helped me was having 2 barrels for 870 and being able to shoot "the same gun" all the time. Made learning to shoot a little easier, and having 2 barrels got me out in more seasons.