The 870 is probably the safest shotgun ever made. Can be run as a single shot easily and, as a repeater, it will only fire the additional rounds if they are manually cycled into the chamber. I do a lot of duck hunting out of a canoe and will always shoot an 870. If your kids can handle the weight difference of a 12 ga, I agree that this is the way to go with reduced loads. If not, the 20 ga is a great round and a sweetheart with 3/4 oz loads. . Look for a good used one and they'll be in the $450 range. Have fun.
Last edited by mauserfan; 10/03/21.
