Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Which youth auto 20: Weatherby, Mossberg, CZ?

We are looking at getting a youth 20 gauge semi-auto.

It appears to me that the same shotgun is distributed by three different companies:
-Weatherby SA08 Compact
-Mossberg SA20 Bantam
-CZ 720

All three are made in Turkey, and are well-reviewed. Are they indeed all made by the same Turkish manufacturer?

Which "brand" would you pick and why?

I had the same debate a few months ago while looking for a shotgun for my wife. Lucked into a nice 1100 lightweight that someone had cut the stock down on and installed a recoil pad. She likes the way it fit her and she likes shooting it. Got it for cheap since the stock had been cut.

I know that does not answer your question, but there are other options out there. I was actually leaning towards the SA08 Youth, but stumbled across the 1100 before I could find a SA08.

Started mine with a youth 1100. Put adult stock later.

Very easy kicker very good first gun.

DF

I handled a weatherby 20 auto sometime back,very nice.

My son has the weatherby. It has been flawless so far and he likes it. I did hear that the weatherby only had one rail versus two on the Mossberg - or was it the CZ?

The only one of the three I've shot is the Weatherby, which works very well. Dunno if they're all made in the same factory, but they very well could be.

I bought my son a Tri Star Raptor youth 20, which looks very similar to the ones you listed above. It is a Turkish made Beretta copy (could be the same mfg). We have had good luck with it, and it has cycled everything we have put through it from light dove loads to 3 inch turkey shells. This model also has only one rail, but so far no problems with that, and it comes with the stock extension for a longer LOP if needed.

It would make a great turkey gun for an adult also.

I have made a couple of calls to Tri Star and someone answered the phone quickly each time I called and they were very helpful.

Bob.

if you can find one for sale do not turn your nose on a Franchi 720. i had a 712 (12 ga version) and it is a light and pleasant gun to shoot. their 720 is a set up with a shorter LOP for women or youths.

Have you considered the Stoeger 3020 compact?

Can't speak to any of the ones you list, but had my 9 year old (almost 10) in the LGS on Sunday.

On a whim had him handle a Remington 1100 youth 20, which he handled pretty well.

Then we switched to a Benelli M2 Compact 20. That thing weighs about 5.5 lbs and pointed like a dream even for a little kid. My son immediately said he liked it better and it now resides in our safe

I have a feeling I will get a good bit of use out of it too...

Dakota,
no experience with any of the 3 but a word of caution from experience. Look for parts availability online for each.
We try to stay with Beretta and Remington on our youth team due to wide availability of parts if needed. Both resell for solid pricing when the time comes to move up to the 12 if you go that way.

I agree with the 1100 sentiments.

I've shot the Weatherby and didn't love it. That tiny little bolt release is a PITA.
Had a jam on one too. Remember I had to remove the barrel to clear it.

1100 all the way.

My daughter has had the Weatherby for a number of years. I liked hers so much I bought one for myself. Owned an SA-20 when they first came out and it had issues so Mossberg bought it back from me. I know there is some parts interchangeability between the Mossberg and Weatherby and I believe they do come from the same factory.

Just because I had problems with a sample of one, it wouldn't keep me from purchasing another SA-20, but the SA-08 has better fit and finish to me.

My daughter just happened to be shooting a CZ 720 when I got her the Weatherby. It was a full size that I had bought a youth stock for. It doesn't look or feel anything like the Weatherby and Mossberg and is much heavier. Also had a very heavy trigger. I much prefer the other two over the 720, and I'm a big fan of CZ rifles and handguns.

I've had a couple of bad experiences with Mossberg customer service. My experience with CZ and Weatherby has been excellent. I wouldn't worry about parts availability with any of them.

My grandson and that Weatherby are inseparable, John. It hasn't missed a lick and handles great; it's the Upland model.

Winchester SX3

Good man.




Travis

Tough to beat 'em.





Dave

If you can expand the budget a bit, go for the Benelli M2 20ga.

Both the Weatherby and Moss are spoke of commonly on the turkey forums. I've shot some clays with the Weatherby and it seems like a good gun. My buddy runs the Weatherby for turkey as well and it does quite well. From the post on the turkey forums, the basic jist is that the Moss is an exact copy of the Wby(Sort of a Keltec/Ruger type deal), but has lower quality parts. That doesn't mean it's a bad gun, but I'd personally choose the Wby between the two.

I agree, they are great, but not really a youth set-up.

I have the SX2 and SX3 in 12s and the SX3 in a 20. I bought the SX3 thinking it would work well for my boy when he gets older, but kind of wish I hadn't bought it as it's pretty much identical to my SX3 12. It's a touch lighter(not enough to matter) and the LOP is about the same. I hope they come out with a shorter stock for it.