Took my boy to local gun shop yesterday evening and had him look at and handle several guns. We ended up ordering one for him. No idea when it’ll arrive. He will be getting a new Beretta 12ga SA a400 xplor with the kick off option. I’m excited for him to get it and start shooting with it! Should be a great gun for his Trap shooting and hopefully he’ll excel in the sport. Seems like the Beretta was a solid choice!
I guarantee you will never regret that choice! He MAY want to upgrade to an O/U in a couple of years, but I still think shooting a S/A for at least a year is the way to go. And, if you ever do want to sell it you will get most of your money back, as Beretta S/A's hold their value extremely well.
Now do two things -- first, take the stock off and flip (or exchange) the shim (between the stock and the action) to where you have raised the comb to its maximum and have just a smidge of cast away from his face (to the right for a right-hander). The gun will come with 2 shims -- one in the gun and one out. Most likely you will need to just flip the installed one over, and perhaps invert it, to get the setting you want.
It is, of course, not possible for me to fit a shotgun to someone I have not even seen, but, what I have recommended will be optimal for about 90% of boys out there.
Second, order and install the Briley Mfg. bolt release for the gun. You do not need the after-market bolt handle they also sell, but he will need the bolt release, as the factory button is a thumb-killer.
