Home Forums Hunting & Shooting The Lefty Forum 20ga suggestions?

the main thing to ....me.....is that the stock is cast for a lefty......or neutral.....right hand controls.....safety....ejection.....don't bother me, but a stock bent the wrong way, is probably not the best for good shooting......and if the stock is adjustable, better yet.....but once,cry once......bob

I am a fan of Ithaca 37s, which are a copy of the Browning design, but are lighter than the Browning. My Ithaca 37 in 20 gauge has been my go to upland gun since the early 1970s when it replaced a stolen 12 gauge model 37. I had a left hand safety on it before I even shot it. It loads and ejects from the bottom, so with the safety swap it is a true left hand gun. My son recently bought a used 37 in 20 gauge for $300. They are getting hard to find, but they are out there. I found a 16 gauge model 37 in a pawn shop about 6 years ago that already had a left hand safety on it. I paid $235 OTD.

I agree with Leon on the Ithaca 37. Used a 20ga. Browning for 25 years and while it is very well made it is just too heavy for a 20. My Browning 20 weighed more than my Ithaca 12 and both had 28 in. barrels. Now have a 16 Ithaca and I like it the best of all three. As far as changing the safety on the Ithaca goes I did it and I am no gunsmith. The new Ithaca guns from Ohio are supposed to be heavier than the old ones.

There is no lighter gun than the Ithaca 37 featherweight. If weight is your priority, go with it. The 20 gauge BPS is somewhat heavier but I would have your son make the final decision. Put one in his hands and see how he likes and handles it. Good luck.

I have both the BPS and Model 37. I much prefer the Model 37.

Both are 20 gauge?

I have the 3.5" BPS and it is a tank but good for magnum loads. We had a Franchi with the alloy frame it worked well for several thousand rounds and then seemed to shoot loose all at once.

I like to start youngsters with break action shot guns and have them keep it open while waiting to shoot. But if it is to be a life time gun hard to do better than the Benelli. In Columbia and Argentina I have heard that some of the outfitters switched to the SBE as it has good recoil attenuation and almost all the others would only last a couple of seasons. I have only shot the 37 a couple of times so no real opinion on them.

A new BPS Micro is in the same price range as a new A300. And the BPS either fits you or it doesn't. It doesn't for many people. I wish they fit me. Nice guns!

On the budget end of things, there's the Mossberg 500. There are youth and length of pull adjustable models. The Mossberg comes with drop shims. Sanding the drop shims, or just sticking a flat toothpick on the right side between the stock and receiver will get a little cast to make it fit the boy better.

The down side to the aluminum framed pump is they're too light for target work. Low recoil loads in the 20 ga and 12 gauge versions are about the same due to the differences in weight. A light 20ga with standard loads versus an A300 with low recoil loads is no contest. The 12 gauge gas gun is the softer shooter. To get as easy a shooting gun in a 20 gauge pump it needs to be up toward eight pounds.

I mention all this about recoil because we often forget just how fierce is the recoil of shotguns. A six pound 20 gauge kicks like a 30/06. Put duck or turkey loads in it and you've got an elephant gun in terms of recoil. You can add weight to a lighter gun, though. So it's not a deal breaker as long as you consider balance when you fill the stock and magazine tube.

I would not get a supposedly LH pump. The Mossberg safety is ambidextrous. Everything else on the LH model is backwards for LH use.

I own both in 12 gauge but have shot both in 20 gauge. I prefer the Model 37 over the BPS in both 12 and 20 gauge.

If I may give you my two cents worth, I gave my two sons 870 Rem 20 ga.youth models when they turned 12 yrs. old. My daughter I gave a BPS 20 ga. because she is left handed, when she was 14. Years later, having gotten remarried I gave my stepson a 870 youth model 20 ga. All I can say is that all four of these kids grew up to total animals with a shotgun, they didn't have to unlearn any bad habits like I did from shooting a shotgun that’s to long and heavy. They are all grown up now but when we set up they clay pigeon thrower and bust some clays they all bring their youth models and have a ball even though they have graduated to bigger and better guns.

Pointer: Is your son truly left-handed? Or, just left-eye dominant? If he is a true 'southpaw' then a left-handed pump gun would be the way to go. If he uses his right hand to load the gun then perhaps a RH gun would be the best option. I shoot left-handed (eye dominance) and am right handed so working the pump and loading/unloading with my right hand feels more natural so I stick with RH 870's and 7600's. I work the safeties with my left thumb. Never had an issue with doing that. Although most of my clay shooting guns are Browning O/U's in both 20's and 12's.

Mostly left eye dominant. He does most everything else right handed, except swing a bat!

Untitled by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

You do bring up a good point and one I'll look into with him (which hand he loads with). Thanks for bringing that to my attention as I hadn't really considered that.

like some others i really like few BPS i have.

When my son was 8 or 9, he started with a 870 youth 20ga. I found out he was right handed but left eye dominant after shooting rim fire rifles. He tried to shoot the 870, but didn't like the safety. I ended up purchasing a used BPS 20ga, and never looked back. He could hold his own shooting sporting clays with a pump, and loved the safety location. He shot his first turkey at 10 yrs old with the 20ga, then stepped up and borrowed my BPS 10ga last year. He shoots trap on the local school team. He started with the BPS, but soon switched to an o/u. He still uses the BPS' for hunting, and is very comfortable with them. On a side note, he shoots rifles lefty, and is ok with either lefty or righty bolt actions. Nothing can replace range time and practice/practice/practice until they are comfortable with any firearm.
So get out and get shooting, most of all, have fun with him. Time flies by way to fast as the grow up.

26 years later I still find myself shooting the 870 youth 20ga that my dad gave to me. It is a RH model but if you can find a lefty I would be a good investment. BC of the size I use mine now as my turkey gun in the spring and with a cantilever barrel it is my go to deer gun when I was in an area that was shotgun only.

However-- once I was big enough for a 12ga I went with a BPS. They aren't light but they are solid and easy to operate and it was nice not having something 'wrong handed'.

I am kind of in the same spot - I am hoping my 11 year old daughter will draw her first turkey license for this spring. She is pretty petite - 4’9” and about 75 lbs. Locally I have found a used 20 ga BPS Micro in great condition. Seems kind of heavy, but I’m not sure i’d want a lighter 20 gauge for her. I just recently read about the Stevens 555 Compact in 28 ga. Weighs just over 5 lbs. seems like that would be great gauge and size, but I have some concern about quality and doubt that I could ever resell it for as much as the Browning. If we take care of the BPS, we could probably sell it for near even money later if we so chose.

Well, the plot thickens...

Yesterday, the local Pheasants Forever chapter had a youth day. Unlimited trap and skeet, as well as getting to hunt 2 roosters over a dog. I took my son whom was shooting my RH 870 20ga. He missed his first 4-5 clays, but with a bit of instruction started to get the hang of it. By the end of the day it wasn't a surprise if he broke 4-6 in a row! To say he was excited and proud of himself would be an understatement. One great thing about the day, is he got to try out a couple of neutral O/Us that folks let us borrow. And he really liked them! They were both lighter than the 870, but he stated that both kicked less as well. Even better is that he liked the "budget" example he shot over the Citori he shot. The budget shotgun was a Mossberg Silver Reserve, FWIW.

So, I'd also be open to an neutral or LH cast, 20ga O/U suggestions! Especially those under $1K and the more below that the better! CZs, Mossberg, and Stoeger's seem to get the most bandwidth in that price range. Any and all suggestion would be welcome as I hadn't really considered O/Us as I didn't think he or I would like them. After watching him use one and seeing other youngsters pack them in the field, I can see a lot of attributes I like about them for a youngster.

PS- We still haven't been able to lay hands on a BPS or Ithaca, so they are not out of the question by any means.

I started both mine on over and unders. Top tang safety, very nice. Ability to glance at action and see if loaded, very nice. Ability to reinforce checking bores for obstructions, also very nice. Daughter is currently shooting a beretta 685 which does not have ejectors. We are liking it way more than we thought we would and it is a touch lighter as well. Might look for a used one of those as they run a little less money wise also.

Spend $12 and buy 20 ga shotgun bore sighter try it on various shotguns till you find one that points to where you look. Bought a nice 20 ga OU for my wife that way found one that fit her and she shoots it well.

With those swing fundamentals at 10, he may be buying you your next shotgun!