game gun for 12 YO's?

[jeepnik]

I started at age 12 in 1964 with a Springfield Arms break-open single-shot 20 gauge (Chicopee Falls Mass, later to be acquired by Savage/Stevens) with no recoil pad. At that time I had no clue about stock fit, but it must have been OK as I had no complaints when shooting it. I certainly agree that when shooting a single-shot shotgun one must make every shot count, and with the scarcity of pheasants in Southern Michigan one never had much of a second chance.

Maybe we were a bit tougher back then, and I never grew over 6' tall even as an adult. When I enlisted in the USAF in 1971 I weighed 142# which was 1# over the minimum for acceptance, so I am not a big guy.

I'll take that 20 gauge gun any day to hunt upland birds. One just has to keep the gun moving.

Jim

Uhh, when I enlisted in the USAF I weight less that 140. No problem with any sort of minimum weight. But, I was a bit shorter 5'8". Maybe it was a height vx weight thing.

 

[cfullgraf]

I'm in the 20 gauge camp for starting out a youngster. Particularly today, you can get or reload 3/4 oz loads for the 20 gauge.

My oldest daughter started with a youth Winchester pump, a 1300 if I remember correctly. For skeet, she graduated to a my 26" barrel Citori 20 gauge when we stumbled into a stock that had been cut for a youth.

The point of the last remark is another option to a youth shotgun is to get a standard version with a second stock. Cut the second stock for the youth. As he or she grows, you still have the full size stock to re-install on the shotgun. The cut down stock can be passed on to some else that might need it.

As an aside, the cut down stock fits my 5'-2" tall wife to a tee. She has commandeered the 20 gauge Citori as hers. Skeet clays are not safe with her on the field.

 

[94045]

Remington 1100 LW Youth 20 Ga if you can find one on the used market. Promotional 7/8 oz loads if you can find them. Mine worked fine when I was a kid on those loads. My Mother now uses it (fitted with 18.5 barrel) with Rio 9-Pellet #1 Buck as a Home Defense Gun.