Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Kids at the Campfire shotgun suggestions for kids

What are you guys starting your kids out with? I would like to start with a youth 870 in 20 gauge, but since the demise of Remington, I'm open to suggestions. My 2 boys are 8 and 10 and there is a local SCTP chapter in the local school that I'd like them to join. Thanks for all advice.
kstockfo

When mine were young, I started them out on a single shot Pardner 20 gauge!

Very safe, with one shot at a time, and it taught them how to work and respect the Firearm,
with two boys, I didn't have to worry about, other rounds in the chamber, as kids get excited,
as we do, with hunting situations!

Both those Boys turned out to be fine young Men, one a Marine Corps Sniper, and the other,
a very proficient Hunter/shooter!

Was even able to teach other fine young Men the same Way, and then, even Donated those Firearms,
to them, as they have taught theirs!

Kinda tough since they grow too fast to keep fitted and you don't want to slam their brains around in their skulls too much.

Mine uses a Yildiz o/u in 20ga. The loads are about the same as .410. When he's big enough it'll be a Beretta A300 with appropriate loads.

i started my son with a ported 20 ga. 870 Remington at age 8 then when he turned 13 i got my son a Beretta auto 390 12 ga. if i did it again i would just have got him a 12 gauge auto probably just the 390 Beretta and use 1 oz. loads. my reason is the 12 ga. auto has less recoil with 1 oz. loads than the 20 ga. pump did even with 1 oz. loads.i would have also put a gracoil recoil pad system on this shotgun so i could adjust it for length as he grew.

I got my son a Stevens 320 field compact. It is a super nice rig for a low amount of money. He is 10 and can shoot 3 rounds of trap with it no problem with 7/8oz loads. He smashed some doves with it this year as well. He seems to really like shooting trap so I may bump him up to something a little nicer one day but I have zero complaints about the Stevens. I have no plans to get rid of it when we upgrade, I will dove and rabbit hunt with it all day long.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/97944/stevens+320fld+20+ga+22in+youth

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.

I bought my boy a 1100 youth 20 gauge, he shot it well at 10, put a recoil pad on it when he got a little bigger for more length. My granddaughter shoots it now. She is 5’2, maybe 110 lbs.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Has anybody seen/used a Weatherby SA20? Or a Mossberg SA08?

Get a Mossberg 500 Bantam. They come with stock spacers so that you can increase the LOP as they get bigger.

Single barrel 20ga is hard to beat, cut the stock for their length of pull, do a trigger job on them if you can, 12 pull does them no good at all.

I have two single barrel Trap guns with 13.5" LOPs. One is a Browning BT99 and the other is a Rottweil AAT72. I'd make a deal on either one.

I agree!

I did the same. 1100 kicks less than single barrel or an 870.

When they grow, put on a longer stock.

We still have that gun. Boy is 42, has his own family. May be getting time to go back with the short stock Generational stuff.

DF

Mossberg 500 20 gauge.

My son was about 8-9 when he started with an 870 20ga youth, then we figured out he was left eye dominant. Switched to a BPS and never looked back.
As far as SCTP goes, I have 2 high schoolers shooting and I also help coach. My advice would be to start with a BT-99. I made my son and daughter both only do 16yrd and Handicap their first year (my son started in 6th grade and daughter as a freshmen). Had them focus on the fundamentals before getting into skeet/doubles/sporting clays.
They both have State and National titles to their credit, and love the shooting sports. There are many great people and kids from all over the country they have met through the sport.
Keep it fun, keep it positive and it will last them a lifetime.

A magnum load out of a single barrel or even pump will rock a kid that age. I even did a limbsaver job on the single shot I had as a kid and it still too much my sons. Not to mention most have terrible triggers.

Winchester makes some low noise and low recoil 20ga shells.

I'd find a youth auto loader of some sort. Preferably gas. I bought my oldest a franchi affinity youth 20 but it is a pos. Lucked up on a cheap 1187 youth during the walmart close outs. Its been wonderful. My 10yo put two boxes through it at doves over a couple hunts and it didnt even phase him. Took his first turkey at 9 with it last season shooting some strong tss loads.

Make their first experience with a shotgun a GREAT one! Light recoil to begin with...they are NOT happy with heavy trigger pull of a single shot, nor the recoil of some big azz kick. Some of the kids never get over the recoil, and the heavy trigger pull makes it difficult for them to shoot.

Gas operated 20ga is a dream, especially if it is a light 20 Rem 1100 with a 20" barrel.

For guys that hand load, they can load light 3/4 oz loads in their 12 ga, but I hope you stone the sear or cut a coil off the hammer spring.

Limb Saver Air tec recoil pads are the best in the industry, think slip ons.

In our family, youngsters have a battery of pellet guns and bb guns till they are 13-14 when they are big enough to handle a full size gun. They are started off with 22's, bolt guns only. Aim Small-Miss small is the saying we all repeat to this day.

Killery, I would have a 11"-18" of that picture on my man cave wall!

May want to check out the Tri-star line. I bought my 7yr old the compact semi auto 20 and he can easily handle the TSS loads for turkey. Besides the action lock being a tad goofy, it is a sweet shooter.

I just went through this for grandkids. I went with a Browning BPS Micro Midas in 20 gauge. It's not the cheapest up-front, but should work out well as time goes by. With the tang safety and bottom eject left handers won't be a problem, the LOP is 13" with two additional 1/4" spacers, and Browning offers a "growth insurance" deal that's 50% off a full size stock - which I did immediately.

The kids will have access to a nice 20 gauge for now and for life. I have a good pointing dog so for now on pheasants I'll go with 7/8 oz. 6 shot at a touch over 1200 fps.

I'm going with the 870 with light loads and a full length plug in it to make it a single shot. Even better would be a semi auto with a full length plug. It locks open after the shot and all they have to do is drop a round in the opening and press the bolt release.

Single shot break opens with a hammer are just not kid friendly, having to pull a hammer back that can easily slip with small, cold or wet hands, having to release a hammer if the shot isn't taken, heavy recoil even with light loads. 20ga are not pussy cats, I shot a 20ga sxs at an International skeet tournament when my 24gram 12ga loads didn't show up on time and even with target loads in the shotgun I hurt after 200 rounds.