Boy's First Gun

[JoeRinMD]

He's going to hopefully shoot a deer or ten with the thing.

A deer? ...for his first hunting prey? I'm not a hunter, but wouldn't it be better for him to start with something smaller, like squirrels or rabbits? I assume there will be someone accompanying him. Correct?

That said, from what I've read, a 20 gauge with slugs can be an effective deer round at short distances. However, that will definitely not be a low-recoil load. And if a deer is the goal. I would think it would completely rule out the .410 as a choice.

JoeR

 

[Uncle Duke]

If a shotgun, a single shot 20ga. would be my opinion also.

And most importantly, and regardless of choice, a whole lot of supervision.

 

[SS396]

My son got his 20 gauge pump when he was twelve. He had no problems shooting it and now uses the 3 inch shells for turkey. He can use a 20 gauge as an adult for many other things. I don't think the .410 is as versatile.

 

[Mdeng]

The 20 gauge is better. The gun will be heavier which will help absorb some of the recoil. Look for a used semi auto. The semi will reduce the recoil even more. If you would like to have him try one out before you buy let me know.

I don't suggest a single shot for a kid because they are lighter and they kick harder then a pump or semi auto of the same gauge. He will do better if he doesn't develop flinch due to recoil.

Also it is important to know the hunting regulations. It is illegal to hunt dear with a shotgun smaller then a 20 ga in Maryland. http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/firearm-regulations/

Firearm Regulations

Shotgun Regulations
Shotguns may be used to hunt all game birds, game mammals (except beavers, weasels, mink, muskrats, and river otters), nutria, and woodchucks. The magazine and chamber must be capable of holding no more than 3 shells total except for resident Canada geese during the September season, light geese when prescribed in the annual hunting regulations, or deer hunting (where the number of shells is restricted to 8).

Shotguns larger than 10 gauge may not be used to hunt migratory game birds.

Nontoxic shot larger than No. T (.20 inches in diameter) may not be used to hunt waterfowl and coots.

The possession or use of lead shotgun ammunition while hunting waterfowl, coots, snipe, and rails is prohibited.

Deer and bear hunters using shotguns must use ammunition that fires a solid, single projectile. Buckshot may not be used to hunt deer except in Dorchester County, where #1 size buckshot or larger may be used. The use of shotguns smaller than 20 gauge for deer and bear hunting is not permitted.

A person hunting turkeys in the Spring and Winter Seasons shall be restricted to only using shot sizes #4 or smaller. A person hunting turkeys in the fall season shall be restricted to only using shot sizes #4 or smaller or a solid, single projectile.

 

[outrider58]

If he is going right into deer hunting, I would recommend a Savage 220 bolt action shotgun. It's light, has very tame recoil due to the soft recoil pad and is relatively affordable http://www.basspro.com/Savage-220F-20-Gauge-w-22-Rifled-Barrel-Slug-Shotgun/product/10218652/ Around $500. And is accurate as heck.

 

[BigDaddy]

I agree with those that ask where and what is he going to shoot.
It wasn't really mine, but I got to shoot an old Remington pump 22 every time we went to grandfather's farm. Killed a lot of cans with that 22. If you don't have a range or an 80 acre farm, there are fewer places to shoot a 22 these days.

For hunting purposed as the purpose, a 410, doesn't really throw out a lot of lead.
I don't see a single shot as being a big advantage. Maybe I'm cheap and don't want to buy him another gun in a couple years.

I would suggest a Remington 870 20ga with a youth stock. Swap out the stock when he is older and he can use it the rest of his life. The 1100 doesn't handle target loads well, that's why I recommend the pump.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

I like the Rem 870 in 20g.

I'd go with the low brass for a while.

Luck.

 

[bowoah]

Not a full auto micro uzi

No Uzi no fun,

And possibly less potential for death


I'm mobile!

 

[Overboost44]

My first shotgun was at 10 and it was a Remington 1100 20 ga. I remember it being just right. Light recoil, yet good enough to hunt with.

 

[Raven-lab]

Here is my experience from buying my son his first gun at about the same age. I got a 20ga 870 youth and he did well with it and it didn't beat him up. It was great for shooting clays and dove. I had intended on having him deer hunt with it, but slugs out of the smooth bore were very inconsistent at 20 yards (sometimes it was on the paper - sometimes not ) and I didn't have a slug barrel. He ended up shooting my Black Powder for deer - but were unsuccessful for a couple years.

So, the Youth 870 is a great gun that will fit for a couple of years - my son quickly out grew it after 2 hunting seasons. If you find slugs that shoot straight or get a slug barrel for it - I'm sure it will put down a lot of deer.

We also have the Rossi combo .22cal barrel and 20ga barrel gun - it is ok for plinking. This is a single shot break action for both .22 and 20ga, so it is a good gun to learn shooting. I never put slugs thru it to see how it would do for hunting.

I also have a Ruger 10/22 - a really fun gun to shoot at any age

 

[campns]

you know this all brought up a great point, i think a mossberg might be the best choice, if your are going to have him go deer hunting a mossberg 500 series comes in 20 guage, and you can get some that have 2 barrels, one rifled, one smooth.

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/...+Pump+Action&cal=20+Gauge&fin=&sit=&pid=&inv=

 

[HT4]

"First gun" and "deer hunting gun" should not be the same thing IMO.

My first gun was a single shot .22LR bolt gun... a Marlin L'il Buckaroo. My second gun was a 22LR/410 Savage 24... though in retrospect, a .22Mag/20G would have been more useful. Like this one: http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?p=1736883

 

[sxs]

I concur with others about considering a 20 ga youth model rahter than a 410

A 410 might seem at first blush a great 'kid's gun' because of low recoil and the fact that many 410s are smaller framed and thus lighter weight. But as others have said, it throws very little lead and most are choked full to give it a little more range by keeping the shot pattern a little denser, However, it's actually a great deal more difficult to shoot well (partly because of the tighter choke...partly because of the limited ranges despite the tighter choke). Plus, as previously stated, a 10 year old will pretty rapidly outgrow the need for a smaller shotgun. Frankly, many shotgunners consider a 410 ga more of an experts gauge than a good gauge for kids.

As MDEG pointed out, it is illegal to hunt deer with a 410 in Maryland:
http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/firearm-regulations/

If shotgun size is your primary consideration, I started my son, then 11 years old, with a Mossberg 500 Super Bantam. It allows for a 12" pull, then you can add a butt piece (comes with the gun) to make a 13" pull. This gun was a Super Bantaam Combo and came with a 24" rifled barrel and a 22" field barrel. Later, when he was about 14 or 15, I bought a 28" accu-choke field barrels then added an adult butt stock I bought at a gun show for $25. I never bothered replacing the foreend. The youth foreend extends just a bit further back, but he has never complained about leaving it on his shotgun. This worked OK for him for hunting (started on doves), but before I even replaced the butt stock, my shooting club (Stoney Creek) changed range rules so no barrels shorter than 26" could be used (due to noise control and to discourage use of very short barreled, difficult to control tactical type shotguns on the range). As soon as the 28" barrel went on, his prowess increased on both clays and doves.

He still prefers to shoot his Mossberg over any other guns I have offered him for use (well except, very recently he has taken a liking to my Weatherby Orion O/U!!). 20 ga light loads are not bad to shoot, and ranges aren't as limited as a 410 would be. Frankly, except for Waterfowl applications where larger volumes of shot are often used, a 20 ga will do just about everything a 12 will, IMHO.

If I was doing it all with today's offerings, I would consider purchasing an Mossberg 500 Super Bantam with the cantilever rifled slug barrel in 20 ga. and forego the combo. Why, the 22" barrel is rstricted from some ranges and is too short/light to swing well. The cantilever allows use of a scope as an option and the scope stays with the barrel if you switch over to a field barrel so you don't have to keep re-zeroing. This would give good deer hunting ability in a youth shotgun....but then I would add a 26" - 28" barrel which is not only legal on ranges with restrictions, but a much better choice for clays and wingshooting than the 22" field barrel...presuming he can handle the weight...nd that little bit of extra weightfurther reduces felt recoil.

If you have a larger budget, semi -autos do mitigate recoil better, but my son never had any issues with his Mossberg 500 pump in 20 ga.

At 13 he began hunting with me in a rifle area and I ended up buying a Savage youth package in 243. When he was 16 or 17, I replaced that stock with a Hogue Overmolded Adult stock purchased from Midway. BTW, Mossberg and Savage each have a program to buy an Adult Stock for 1/2 price directly from the factory at some point for their guns (or at least they did when I purchase my son's hunting guns). However, the Mossberg Adult butt stock I bought at the gun show was cheaper than Mossberg's 1/2 price (to be fair, Mossberg's price replaced both butt stock and foreend) and the Hogue rifle stock was only $25 - $30 more than Savages deal and I believe the Hogue is a much better stock than the standard Savage synthetic stock.

For a 22 I used to have an old Stevens Favorite. It worked well, was single shot and he liked it...until he discovered he could handle my Browning BL-22. He has never hunted with a 22...just range shooting. My kids were shooting the Stevens...and a Daisy BB gun from about 6 years old.

That's my 2 cents, FWIW

 

[navyis2]

I was using a mosin at that age for hunting. Don't go soft on the boy.

 

[alucard0822]

I was using a mosin at that age for hunting. Don't go soft on the boy.

Yea, 30-06 BAR was my first centerfire at 8yo, scope-eye, bloody nose, shoulder bruised purple and red, and couldn't hear for days after a mere 4 shots accidentally rapid fired into the ground, berm, and next county. If it wasn't for loving the 22 I shot just before it I would have probably never touched a gun afterwards, took a year of experience till I shot the BAR again, then it was fun. 20ga is much more available and cheaper than 410, really doesn't kick much harder either, unless you go with the small light and cheap break action single shot most recommend for kids, usually don't fit well, and recoil is about as bad as it gets for a 20ga. A semi will be much lighter recoiling, even a heavier pump, O/U or SXS will be easier to handle. Good fit, good recoil pad, and should be fine for a long time. If they are recoil sensitive or new entirely, shouldn't be starting with a shotgun, a soft 410 load still kicks far more than a 22, more on par with a 223, and 20ga slugs can feel like a 308, there is a reason just about everyone gets plenty comfortable behind a 22.

 

[Abulg1972]

I agree on the 20 over the .410. Although the .410 will have less recoil and, thus, less chance of forming bad habits, it can be a frustrating gun because it's harder to hit things. He will grow into the 20. He will outgrow the .410.


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[Sticky]

Boy's first gun should be a 22lr (or a BB gun if he were younger), but... if you are intent on it being a scattergun, make it a 20ga. He can handle it and it'll be more useful in the long run for him.

 

[44man]

20 ga remington 870 youth.

it what I got my son when he was 8. it will last a lifetime is easy to learn on and he can use it for everything up to deer hunting right away.

 

[JoeRinMD]

20 ga remington 870 youth.

it what I got my son when he was 8. it will last a lifetime is easy to learn on and he can use it for everything up to deer hunting right away.

Another benefit of going this direction is that there are ton of stock options for the Remington 870. As he grows, you can replace the youth stock with a full-sized adult stock and he can continue using it into adulthood.

JoeR

 

[j_h_smith]

20 gauge pump shotgun. Can't ask for a better first gun. Remington does sell an 870 Youth model. I had one a few years ago for my kids. They all grew up and I sold it to a friend with a 10 year old (at that time). I really don't think you can go wrong.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith