What shotgun to get a kid for learning to shoot clays

ArmedBear said:

I've seen that often, with children and grown women of slight build. It's net even a matter of strength, necessarily; it can be simple balance. Too much weight out front, and the shooter tends to lean back to compensate. Leaning back = missing targets = frustration.

Click to expand...

Definitely a good point. That's my fiancee's biggest problem. The recoil doesn't seem to bother her with the light shells, but she just can't help but lean backward. She can't hold it up very long (left arm gets tired), and when she tries to lean into the gun, it throws her all off balance and she gets frustrated. I don't really know what to tell her to do about it except to put a counterweight on her rear end. I think a properly fitting stock would help a great deal, but most 12 gauges are still pretty heavy.

One could always put a mecury tube in the stock bolt hole and help balance the thing out. Absorbs recoil also. Fitting the stock helps most of all though. A long stock is why people lean backwards, because their arms are streched out.

There's a lady where I shoot that uses a 9# K-80 for sporting - she's late 60's, MAYBE 5' and 100 pounds

Stock fit is absolutely critical for success shooting a shotgun at clay targets or birds

a heavy gun will absorb recoil the best, add a gas action and felt/perceived recoil will seem less as well - add in shooting light target loads, and practically anyone can do it

However, there is a youth version with stock spacers to set it up for different LOP, with a shortened barrel and 6 1/2 lb.

Click to expand...

The rental gun was the youth model. It's still a brick. Yes, balance was a problem, but she honestly didn't have the upper body strength to hold the thing up. Certainly not a bash on the 11-87, I'm sure it's good enough...it just doesn't work for her.

A mid range Beretta O/U in 28ga; like a S687 EL, custom fitted, would be very appropriate.

My oldest daughter in her younger days 5'5" 120 or so lbs, always shot my BC Miruko 20 O/U did rather well with it, she really likes my SKB 505 28 ga. but she was in the 20's with either.

i have a 870 express youth model perfect for a kid?.... dudes that gun kicks like a mule!! its way too lite and the action doesnt help try for a auto 20ga or a pump .410

Do not hang counter weight on rear of GF, give it a few yrs. it be there all by itself!
I've said it before in other 12 ver 20 threads, smaller people need guns fitted to their body build. hey... hey ... I know your five old kids started on a 3.5 magnum with 2 ozs number 6 shot.... make sure the gun fits!
Jimmy K

+1 Milk. I keep an 1100 around for when I find kids that want to shoot.

JimKirk said:

Do not hang counter weight on rear of GF, give it a few yrs. it be there all by itself!

Click to expand...

Ha!! Might be, might be.

She's not really much into shooting, so on my budget it wouldn't make much sense to get a gun just for her, but I plan on either getting a youth stock for the HD gun when I get one or cutting the stock down. I figure I can shoot it fine with a shorter stock, but she can barely use the long one. She's good enough with the 870 but she can just barely get her arms around it, and the weight makes her want to tip over. It makes me wonder how good she might be with a lighter gun that fits her properly.

I wouldn't go single shot, I would go pump.

My first shotgun was a Mossberg 500E in .410; anyone can shoot that gun and with a little bit of instruction, maybe shooting at some still targets first, they can hit with it as well.

20 gauge may well be a better but, but if your getting a youth model anything, you essentially getting a smaller 12 gauge, and that can be a bad thing.

28 gauge is probably the perfect compromise, if only ammo weren't so hard to find normally. (as an aside, i see this year that every Walmart in my area has 28 gauge in abundance, which is a very strange thing.)

Here's what I did when my son was 11...My first thought was to get a 20 gauge 870 pump, but I'm glad I didn't. A wise shooter convinced me to get at Beretta 390 semi auto in 12 gauge because the recoil is softer than a 20gauge pump. The 390, because it's a gas gun, recoils very soft with ordinary shells. However, I started my son out using Winchester Featherweight Target loads and gradually worked him up to Regular 12 gauge target loads. The Featherweight loads were'nt even powerful enough to eject and the 390 is known for handling light loads well. He's 13 now and has no problem shooting 2 or 3 rounds of trap (50-75 shells) at a time. I also installed a high quality kick-ezz recoil pad on the gun. Don't let anyone tell you a 12 gauge is too much for a child as long as the gun fits well, the loads are light and you make it fun!. By the way, the Walmart Beretta 390, which is what my son uses, is a GREAT value. I think either Bass Pro or Cabelas sells them now also for about $550.

I started mine on 28 bore guns, O/U and a few years ago got a Franchi AL48D 28 bore semi that has no, zero, zilch, nada felt recoil...

The problem with pumps is that kids have short arms and they can't reach to rack the slide without moving the gun and this means bad habits...

Single shot with an exposed hammer, 28 bore, is probably the best gun to use for safety etc. and even better if you mount a new tech recoil pad, like LimbSaver, on it!

Forget the .410 gauge as the 28 bore ammo cost the same or a little less, has three times the pellets for a better chance of hitting the clay and that builds confidence and enjoyment, recoils the same (heavier guns usually) and are a joy to shoot...Same with the 20 bore as the recoil is a lot more pronounced especially on the child's small frame, there's no mass to absorb the recoil!

Then again my only experience is teaching my ten daughters and all their friends but the first four I started on the .410 and regretted it after seeing how well the next six did with the 28...

870 in the 20 gauge youth

Click to expand...

+1
..

If you get an auto loader (or a pump for that matter) only let him load one shell at a time so that he actually learns to hit targets. I was at the range a month or so ago and there were two kids there with their father. Each kid had a an auto loader and they hit most of their targets, but only after firing 3 or 4 shots at it.