10 Year Old: 1st Shotgun

[MCgunner]

My 9 year old son will be getting a new H&R Youth .410 this spring. Don't worry- it's already purchased.

According to a currently running thread, H&R is out of business on single shot shotguns. No more production. You bought it in the nick of time. Bummer.....hate to see a good line of unique shotguns die, but such is the world of 180 dollar Chinese made pumps for competition, i guess.

 

[HB]

I would take him to a gunstore that has a good selection of shotguns and make sure the one you buy is the best fit.

I started shooting and hunting when I was 10. I got a 12 gauge BPS which is far from an ideal beginners gun but it was the first gun in the house and my family didn't hunt.

The most important thing is learning the CORRECT way how to do things when he is young. I got heavily involved with the Missouri Department of Conservation in various ways.

Go to a few classes with your son and you will both learn. Often its hard for parents to teach their kids because they don't want to listen and you don't want to relent (wait till he learns to drive).

I'm 23 now and still shoot the BPS exclusively for all things flying. I've owned other shotguns but always sell them and keep the BPS. It fits me perfectly but I think that's because my face and shoulder was pounded into the ideal Browning fit

HB

 

[WardenWolf]

I recommend a semi-auto 20 gauge. An 11-87 is a good choice. I don't recommend a .410. The reason is that most .410 shotguns tend to be poorly made compared to 20 and 12 gauge and they are not really a good choice for a new shooter due to their small pattern. They also tend to be overly light, and have a nastier recoil as a result. My father started me on a single shot break-action .410. Awful gun, and it turned me off shotguns for years. Even he could barely hit anything with it.

 

[cluttonfred]

I shot a break open .410 a few times as a kid and don't remember it being any big deal. I still like that option as a great way to get started. I would have suggested an H&R/NEF with the option of extra barrels, but that seems like history now.

 

[TimSr]

My son started with Remington 870 20 guage youth model. Got several squirrels that year. At 11, he got his first deer with it using slugs through the regular smooth barrel. He's 20 now and still shoots it, but its a little small. He's talked of trading it in for an adult 12, but I think he's got an emotional attachment to it.

I chose this gun because it fit, and was inexpensive as I assumed he would outgrow it quickly.

It is light, but not as light as singles.

It has screw in chokes for multipurposing.

20 gauge for low recoil, but still be effective. (Read the history of .410 and WHY it was created)

Semi auto has reduced recoil, but I'm not a fan of them for kids unless they single fed, and we wanted more than a single for hunting.

 

[WardenWolf]

My father got me a Winchester 1300 XTR in 20 gauge when I was ready to try shotguns again. It's a nice little shotgun. Very smooth and fast for a pump. I'd probably still be using it except it turned out to be poorly-suited to quail hunting in Arizona. When quail are spooked, they fly low and fast, then dive to ground. You only have a very limited opportunity to hit them. That 20 gauge pump didn't have the range or the speed, and was also a little heavy.

 

[41magsnub]

Kinda - mine is a 20ga

 

[spazzy]

Maybe change up the thinking of what you guys would be hunting? I started hunting squirrel and bunny with a .410 single shot at about 9 years old and had a ball. I then switched to 20 gauge to shoot clays and eventually birds a few years later.

 

[jmr40]

I found a steal on a Mossberg 9200 in 12 ga with a 24" barrel and a cracked forend for my son when he turned 10. Mossberg replaced the forend for free and I had the stock cut to fit him.

We only used the lightest loads which were 20 ga equivalent. In the heavier, gas operated 12 recoil was WAAAAAY less than a pump or single shot 20 or even 410. It gave good patterns with an IC tube which lead to lots of hits and confidence.

I'd do and recommend something similar again. A 20 ga would be an option, but as long as you choose ammo carefully 12 isn't too much for a beginner in a gas operated semi.

 

[IdahoSkies]

I went through this exact same calculus last year. I ended up getting my daughter the Weatherby sa-08 28 gauge. It's a 5.5 lbs gas operated semi auto. Cdnn usually runs a special with a good price. The 28 gauge can do everything but geese as long as the ranges are reasonable. My girls are not real big and they can handle it well. The stock is wood and can be cut down to size. Get your hands on one and you will love it. Your kids will to. A 20 gauge in a light gun is punishing. The .410 is really not enough gun for a starter gun. The 28 was the perfect choice for us.