My 10-year old son and I went to a gun show this weekend and then stopped by a gun shop. While at the gun show, we checked out a Remington 870 youth shotgun with a laminated stock. It was a touch long for Michael, though he said he liked it. We went to The Stockade, a gun shop in Westminster, but all they had was another 870. It was the same LOP, but in a synthetic version. THe clerk there suggested I go online to Remington's website and check things out. I saw that they have an "Express Jr." model with a 12-inch LOP instead of the youth model's 13-inch LOP and an 18 3/4 inch barrel instead of the 20 or 21 inch. They have 2 versions, it looks like - the 870 Wingmaster with glossy blue and walnut stock or the turket version, which comes with a full Rem-choke tube. Since I have Rem choke tubes, that is not a problem.

According to the FAQs on Remington's website, you can order replacement stock and barrels. The only other item needed would be stock bolts. It appears that I can fit the gun to him as he grows with minimal work. I could move up to the 13-inch LOP then to a regular stock.

Any other makes out there for a 20-guage for a 10-year old?

Anyone have experience taking a youth model 870 to a full-size as the child grows?

(I also posted this in the Kids at the Campfire section but have gotten no response.)

We have two Remington Youth guns that grandsons have started on: an 870 Youth Turkey (camo synthetic) and an 1100 Youth Turkey (camo synthetic). Remington may say that they can provide stocks for these guns to grow with kids, but if they do, the camo won't match, and anything directly from Remington will be expensive.

Was the Express Jr. you saw wood? It is much easier to add on to a wood stock than to switch to a new synthetic. Adding a wood spacer between butt and recoil pad is easy to do and can actually be done to look really good.

While I am in no way a fan of the Mossberg 500, they do come in some Youth models...with wood stocks. I would suggest that you check them out.

Both my grandsons have H&R single barrel Youth guns (Greenwing Special) in 20 ga. For the oldest, we already added a slice of wood between butt and recoil pad to get to adult specs. If you like a single barrel, this is another way to go.

In retrospect, if I had to do this all over again, I would buy Remington Youth guns with no thought of adjusting them to grow with the kids. I might add a 1/2" slip on pad as the kid grows, but when he is ready for a full size gun, I'd sell the Youth model and buy a full size gun. (Note: Youth guns...good youth guns...are usually quite easy to sell.)

Good luck, however you solve your problem

GPA

Yes, it is a wood stock. There are several 870 wood stocks on ebay that are pretty cheap, particularly wooden ones.

Are 870 wooden stocks interchangeable between 12 and 20 guage?

To my knowledge....they are NOT interchangeable. You can check with Remington about that.

One thing to remember is that the 870 youth 20ga is a different sized action than the fullsize guns. I figured that out when I was looking at longer stocks for my youth model.

I ended up putting on a set of speed feed stocks nice stock but its somewhere inbetween a fullsize and a youth sized LOP.

That lil 870 youth 20gauge was a brutal lil gun in its factory form. I had bought it for a girlfriend to use and after the 5th shot she was pulling her head completely off the stock. And I would rather shoot my full sized 12gauge than that lil devil. This was all with light target loads.

I ended up putting on a Kick-EEZ recoil pad and replaced the plug with a mercury recoil reducer. Then it became a nice lil gun for anybody to shoot (although it did gain 16oz in wieght)

According the FAQs on Remington's website, they say you can buy an adult stock for it?

http://remington.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/remington.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=83&p_created=954356014&p_sid=29nMlGbj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0zMTcsMzE3JnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MTE*&p_li=&p_topview=1

If the link doesn't work, it is at the support, online help section, page 11 of the FAQs...

I have since heard from a friend that his now-older sons refuse to let him change the stock or barrel on their youth 870s as they like the light weight and handiness of them as-is.

Thanks for the info!

Dad bought me a 20 guage 870 Express youth when I was in 6th grade. I shot it that way into high school, then put a Speed Feed stock on it like Mud Bogger. He is right, it isn't a full sized stock by any means. The problem I had with it was the comb was too high, causing me to look down on the vent rib, rather than over the top of it. I still have the gun with both sets of stocks, will pass it on someday in the future, but won't ever sell it. Killed a pile of dove, quail, and pheasant with it.

Changing the buttstock out on an 870 is simple, remove two screws for the recoil pad, then the long stock bolt attaching it to the receiver, I can't remember if it is a slotted screw or hex head on an 870 though.

The foreend is a little trickier, but not bad, remove the assembly from the gun, and if I remember right you need to get creative and make a spanner of sorts to remove a nut, slide the forearm off the action bars, and put it back together in reverse.

I just used a screwdriver to remove the fore end.

I bought my son a Mossberg 500 20ga 'Bantam' a few yrs ago. He is 12 now. It comes with several pads/spacers to adjust the stock lenth & some provision to get a full length stock later on. The package I bought also came with a slug barrel, though there are no plans to use that anytime soon. I think it would be worth a look.

Go with the wood stock gun and I'd recommend the 21" barrel. Cut the wood stock to the proper length and add a Pachmayr Decelerator, you'll be happy with the results.

Stocks for 870's abound. You can get them from the factory or from aftermarket makers, no problems there.

In looking at the stocks, there is a 20 ga 870 and a 20 ga 870 LW - are the stocks insterchangeable?

I went with the laminated wood stock and the 21-inch barrel. Michael is growing so fast that the 12-inch stock and 18.5-inch barrel would soon be too short. Besides, Turner's had the youth model/laminated stock model on sale for $319 and a $30 rebate that lowers the price to $289! I checked into ordering one of the junior models and was quoted over $400!

I tried the 870 youth 20g and the Browning BPS youth 20g. Added Limbsaver recoil pads to both, helped in taming the recoil of the light weight shotgun. Of the two, the BPS had the least amount of felt recoil shooting Trap loads. I actually thought they both lifted very much at the barrel and had a sharp recoil due to the light weight.

Both of my sons went with 12g semi-autos after a season with the sharp recoil.

My daughter opted for the Mossberg over/under in .410 this year, lighter, low recoil and fit. She tried a Remington 1100 in 28 gauge but was not comfortable with the weight and length of pull.

Just remember to shoot the lighter loads in those 20's. The guns are smaller and lighter and when you opt for a big payload in a 20ga, often the recoil is worse than a 12ga.

Are there lighter loads available than the 2 1/2 - dram equivalents? What are some good ones?

I got him the 870 Youth model, 21-inch barrel and laminated stock. I've ordered a shorter Choate stock with 2 spacers to use as he grows. That way I can save him the matching stock for later. I picked it up Tuesday night. He bought the t-shirt when he was out shopping with his mom. I was down in the basement and he called me upstairs.

Just now saw this.

You both scored big, from the grin in that pic.

I was pretty jazzed when I got my first 20ga (a Savage SXS), about his age.

Way ta go CaHunter, and congrats to your boy.

BTW, I have a similar M870 but in the synthetic. I bought a 26inch vented barrel to go with VR 21-incher. Check out GunBroker.com, AuctionArms.com, and similar sites for new and used bbls.

That's what it's all about right there! Nothing better then when a child is thankful for whta they get and spend time with mom and dad enjoying there favorite past times together.