12 or 20 gauge for my boy.

I started out with a 20 ga pump and still favor it for all upland game. You can start out with 2 3/4" target loads and as he gains experience move up to 3" shells for hunting. He will use a 20 ga 870 with a 3" chamber for all his hunting needs excepting waterfowl.

20 auto. Make sure it fits! Canting your head either way will make low-gun shooting impossible, and give you the wrong perspective on birds that are level versus descending or ascending a little bit.
Richard
www.schennberg.com

+1 oneounce (as usual)
Just gonna say that the 12ga. is king for most clay games, esp trap.
If you think you might shoot some trap or sporting clays etc......you will probably shoot 20X more shells at clays vs hunting.
The trap range is a great place to practice safe gun handling as well as getting "tuned up" for hunting season.

kbbailey, you *do* want him to be able to shoot enough to actually practice and develop good skills, right? He's 95 pounds, for goodness sakes. Two shots with a 12 gauge and he'll be done, assuming it doesn't knock him on his butt with the first shot.

Wardenwolf...
I was the Illinois State Trapshooting Assoc junior champ back in '80. Probably put 1000 rds thru my mod 12 (12 ga) by the time I was 10.
Light loads, good pad, shooting vest, earphones. oh yes,...and a Jess Edwards recoil reducer in the stock, and a Bill Staub inertia control in the mag tube.

A 20 sounds better for a boy that young and light. Do you have or have access (borrow) to a 12 guage he mght try? Then you could get a better idea.

Start him on a 20 for the love of pete! My uncle handed me a 12 gauge at 14 to teach me how to shoot. I was about 115 at the time and he thought I would be fine. Damn thing kicked like a mule and hurt like a bitch. I was not prepared for the amount of recoil I would experience. I really wish we would have started on 20 to give me an idea of what a shotgun was like.

I started with a .410 junior model break barrel and shot birds with it until my dad thought I could handle his 12 ga. 870. Eventually, I went out and bought my own instead of borrowing one of his all the time.

I had this same decision to make about 3 years ago. In the end, I bought a used Beretta 390 semi-auto, the kind that walmart sells new for around $550. I was fortunate to find it used at a pawn shop for $350. Here's the deal, with a good semi auto like the beretta the gas system makes the gun very soft shooting. On top of that I added a high qualilty recoil pad and finally, I only let him shoot my soft shooting 1 oz. target loads. He didn't have a probelm whatsover and he was 11 at the time and we often woulld shoot 3 rounds of trap which is 75 rounds. I doubt he would have taken to it so quickly if he was shooting a Rem 870.

Lots of different views/opinions on the subject. 12 ga, lite loads and see what happens. If he`s not happy, get a 20 ga and you take the 12.

There's no wrong answer or perfect solution, just get a quality gun that fits and get out and shoot.
The years between age 10 and 20 go by too fast.

I started with a Winchester Model 120 (economy version of a 1300) 20ga in a youth set up at age 11 and it was not bad at all. This was mostly for the weight rather than the difference in recoil. When I started Dad completely plugged out the magazine so it was a single shot only, this was for the first 2 years as I recall. I killed a lot of ducks and pheasants with it.

I still carry that shotgun for upland game and ducks over decoys with an adult stock and a longer barrel. When I have kids I will put the youth stock and 21" barrel back and hand it down.

Which ever gauge you decide on, I would look at a press. Light 7/8 oz 12ga or 3/4 oz 20 ga practice loads are real nice to shoot. Factory bulk pack loads can beat you up after a while especially in a light gun.

Buy a 20 ga pump or a 12 ga auto.
ll

Try a 28 gauge - especially since you reload in a BPS. The recoil is mild and the gun is a little heavy making it pleasant to shoot. That's what I did for my youngest and when we're shooting everyone wants to shoot his gun. I bought a youth stock from cdnn and had a local smith put it on.

If you like remington, they made an express and wingmaster in 28 awhile back. I have the wingmaster...it has a j lock which I hate but other than looking stupid the j lock has caused no problems.

If you get an express, some people have had problems with the chambers requiring finishing...search the boards there's a lot on this subject. You can do it yourself or send it back and they will do it if you have problems.

kbbailey, you *do* want him to be able to shoot enough to actually practice and develop good skills, right? He's 95 pounds, for goodness sakes. Two shots with a 12 gauge and he'll be done, assuming it doesn't knock him on his butt with the first shot.

Click to expand...

Unless that shotgun can generate 95 pounds worth of recoil, he ISN'T going to get knocked on his butt. In fact shooting the heavier 12, with light target loads will have LESS recoil than a 20 because a 20 is typically a pound lighter.

One of the women I shoot with weighs right at 100 pounds and is pushing 70 years old and she shoots a 9.5 pound Kreighoff with great success

Target shooting means gun weight is your friend, and for anything except trap singles, the pump is not heavy enough nor agile enough, especially for a beginner, to work well enough for the second shot.

If you want him to be successful, get a good gun that fits, the heaviest possible, and use light loads (and NOT a 410)

A 28 gauge semi from Remington would be ideal if ammo wasn't so expensive

oneounceload, you forget the leverage factor. You don't have to generate 95 pounds of force to knock over a standing 95-pound person. You just have to rapidly displace the upper part of their body from directly over their legs. A 12 gauge on a 10 year old's frame can easily do that. A 10 year old typically lacks the physical size to roll their shoulder sufficiently to handle the recoil it's going to cause.

When I was in high school (almost 10 years ago at this point), a measly 5'8" at 150 pounds, I frequently knocked over or displaced 200+ pound 6+-footers who thought it was a good idea to mess with me by blocking my path. I simply threw my weight into my arm horizontally across their chest and quickly walked by. They learned quickly that, short of an outright physical altercation that would attract all the wrong attention, they weren't going to stop me from coming through. In the future, a stern warning that, if they didn't let me by, I was coming right through them was generally enough.

Sorry Warden - I'll disagree...............some of the women I shoot with are smaller than this kid and are in their late 60's and 70's - they shoot 8.25 to 9 pound guns and have NO issues

Recoil is a matter of Newton, not leverage..............a 12 with LIGHT loads, and a gun that FITS, is the best thing for him

i started with a 410 then a 16 then a 12, didn't get a 20ga till i was 50.

By the time I was 10 I had got passed the 410/20 and using 12 light loads.
I think you can't go wrong with 20 or 12 as he will do well with either.
I lean to the auto 12 with light loads as it just does not kick that hard and you will not have to buy an up grade gun in the future.
(I think a good shot can do the job with a 20 as good as a 12 but the shell selection / price / avalible is the thing you should really think about.)

20 is lighter and will make him a better shot.