Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Kids at the Campfire Youth 20ga (1st shotgun)

Side note the Stoeger (spl?) Condor 0/U 20 gauge is a nice starter gun as well.

Dober

I had a 1100 LT wt, youth, 20ga... Frikkin perfect starter gun.. single load it if you want... I very seldom to this day EVER shoot 3 rounds at a time.. maybe on geese, thats about it..

Received the 1100 today. I'm sure he'll be surprised and ecstatic! Thanks for everyones input.

I bought a 20 ga Rem 870 express for my daughters to use. It's so handy in the brush chasing rabbits, I use it myself. Not to pretty to get used and dreadfully reliable. Best $200 shot gun for my money.
I always wanted the 1100 LT as a young man but is was never ment to be. Congrats on yours!

My son just got a 20 gauge for his 11th birthday and went skeep shooting. He was so happy, did pretty well as well.

In the early days of this thread I had mentioned that I bought a Remington 870 youth shotgun in 20 ga. for my son for the upcoming 2010 Christmas.

He's had the opportunity to use it a few times since last Christmas and it's just about perfect for him. He's been thrilled with it and so am I.

Thought I'd share some photos of Christmas morning and his first hunts with his new shotgun.

Christmas morning coming down the hall w/ his sister to gather around the tree to open presents. He sees his gun for the first time...







His first dove hunt a few days after Christmas. He did very well, bagging a few for himself. A proud, content little hunter:






We spent an hour or two rabbit hunting last weekend. He spotted the first cottontail of the day and dropped it with his first shot of the hunt. We bagged a second bunny shortly after:






This has been a great experience for him. He already had a single shot .22 rifle, but I think getting his own shotgun has helped him understand the increased trust we're putting in him.

It's been a fun experience teaching him to hunt and shoot while he's still a young boy (he turned 9 this past Jan.). I didn't get my first gun until I was 18 years old and didn't start hunting until I was halfway through college, so I've really enjoyed seeing him develop such an interest in the outdoors at an early age.

Regardless which youth shotgun you decide to get for your kid(s), I think what really matters is the opportunities it provides for you to spend time with your son or daughter out in the field. That's where you'll get the most "bang for your buck".

Armen you just made my day....Thank you

Heck ya! congrats to your son! those are the memories that will truly last a lifetime..!

Armen-

You could put me in those pics, change the desert background to the upland fields of Kansas, and your story about your son would now be about me.

Now it is 20 years later since I got my youth 870 for Christmas, its stashed away in the safe, and I've got a 3 month old son that will get it in a few years.

Nice pics....I love my 870 Youth.

Armen, Great pics! I love the look on your son's face...Here's my two young ones with their Christmas guns....

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Scenarshooter, that pic of your sons is awesome. Their posterity is going to dig that photo for generations.

awesome. Get 'em out early.

No pic of the firearms, but my son used the Mossberg atr .243 on the deer and the youth mossberg for his jake. They are cheap enough (in case they get beat up) and can "grow" with the different buttpads. The shotgus is a little loose and noisy but it's good enough

Id be at wally world picking up an H&R 20 ga youth pump for $159. Sweet little guns. Well made and not overly heavy

Whichever brand you get, get the Youth sized version. The shorter stock MUST be balanced with a shorter barrel, otherwise you have a very muzzle-heavy and unwieldy gun in a novice's hands.

I've got a youth 870 that is a couple of years old...don't know what pad they are putting on them now, but I would put a decelerator or other quality pad on it before having a young 'un shoot it, as the factory pad is rather hard.

Jerry

Considering the availability of low recoil ammunition(birdshot, buckshot, slug and nontoxic), the 12 gauge is a better choice for starting off a youngster.