Buy my son a Shotgun

[Dick Chaney]

Confused on what to buy him exactly. He is 7 and what I know is I want to use it for trap and sporting clays and maybe some squirrel hunting. I figure either a 20 gauge or a 410. I really believe I would want him to have a semi instead of a pump. I just need a good gun to have some time with my boy before he is to old to spend time with dad. Thank you.

 

[commiezapr]

Confused on what to buy him exactly. He is 7 and what I know is I want to use it for trap and sporting clays and maybe some squirrel hunting. I figure either a 20 gauge or a 410. I really believe I would want him to have a semi instead of a pump. I just need a good gun to have some time with my boy before he is to old to spend time with dad. Thank you.

Not sure what I would recommend to someone whose name is one letter away from a certain public figure who doesn't know how to use a shotgun.

 

[pbharvey]

Take him to the range and rent or borrow a shotgun and see how he does. Seven can be young for a shotgun. Maybe not too young to shoot a few shots but an entire box of shells might wipe him out.
I started my boy on a 20 ga. 870 youth model.

 

[commiezapr]

Good call on the semi-auto, maybe look into a gas operated one since they're said to have less recoil.

 

[august1410]

My daughter started shooting at 8. At 10, she got a Mossberg 500 20ga.

 

[rmiddle]

Confused on what to buy him exactly. He is 7 and what I know is I want to use it for trap and sporting clays and maybe some squirrel hunting. I figure either a 20 gauge or a 410. I really believe I would want him to have a semi instead of a pump. I just need a good gun to have some time with my boy before he is to old to spend time with dad. Thank you.

I have never shot a 20 gauge but I have shot a 410 and a 12 gauge and there is a hell of a diff. 410 has more of a kick then a .22 but not much. You want the experience to be fun I would look at a small 410 since the kick wouldn't hurt and will make it fun.

Thanks
Robert

 

[44man]

i know you said you would prefer a semi but i always recommend a remington 870 youth in 20 gauge for kids that age. they usually have a short enough stock for kids to work with and they are a joy to shoot and since its a pump you dont get that accidental oh sh*t associated with a new shooter and a semi auto.

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Buy him a semi-auto 12 gauge gun that can be used with a youth stock and then have the option to put a full size adult stock on later. Buy the fella a gun that he have for a lifetime of memories.

7 is a big small to be using a pump and he will be fighting the barrel weight rather than shooting properly. Maybe look at a combo deal with a short barrel and then have the option to change to a longer barrel. Then he will have a gun that he use for both Deer and Wings.

If you buy him a 410 or a 20 gauge that will get old really really fast. Especially a single shot. My old H&R 20 gauge I had when I was his age did nothing but turn my shoulder black and blue and I didn't want to shoot that gun period. Damn what a nice gun my first Mossberg 500 12 gauge pump was at age 9.

 

[byf43]

My youngest son was 7 or 8 when he said that he wanted to learn to shoot a shotgun.

I wound up buying a Remington 870 Express "Youth" in 20 ga.
The stock was still waaaaaaay too long for him, so, I found a 'beater' stock at a gunshow (Remington 870 20 ga and Remington 760/742 series are the same size frame) and cut that down to fit him.
That 'beater' stock cost me a whoppin' $10.00.
I also bought another buttstock from Remington, in case I needed a little longer 'cut-down' stock. (Still have it, un-touched.)

Be forewarned - for a small(er) sized child, even the 20 ga is gonna 'beat' on him/her, especially in a pump or single-shot shotgun.

I also bought a Remington 11-87 Sportsman "Youth" 20 ga, for my wife to shoot.
Niiiiiiiiiiiiice shotgun!!!!! (She's never touched that scattergun, btw!!)


My now 17 year old son loves to shoot it!!



FWIW, the Remington 1100 in 12 ga, with mild loads (18.0 grs of Red Dot) and 1-1/8 oz of shot, is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry mild and easy on the shoulder (and patterns extremely well and 'smokes' clay pigeons!), will be a shotgun that your child can use for the rest of his/her life!!!!!

 

[mdram]

lets see i was given an h&r youth 20ga single shot 3" mag at that age
i dont recomend it

 

[Second Amendment]

Interesting forum name when inquiring about shotguns.

 

[paxfish]

So - Autoloaders are great because they heavy and have a softer recoil. But they are heavy.

And yeah - 7 is not quite big enough for a shottie bigger than .410. We had the Webelos to the range a couple of weeks ago, and even at 11 and 12 some of them were struggling with twenties.

My boy started at 12 with a 20 gauge dbl using soft loads. He won the youth sporting clays that year (and shot his first deer). At that age, the .20 Rem 1100 was too heavy for trap/skeet for him. If the kid is big, you might be able to start him sooner, but not much.

Prior to that it was all single shot .22 rifle.

 

[Dick Chaney]

Thanks for all the advice. You all make good points for both.

 

[Hellrazr78]

Not sure what I would recommend to someone whose name is one letter away from a certain public figure who doesn't know how to use a shotgun.

Interesting forum name when inquiring about shotguns.

I thought the same thing!

 

[frdfandc]

I started off with a 20 gauge when I was younger, but quickly moved to a Mossberg 500 12 gauge with low recoil shells.

 

[trap]

IMHO, 7 years old might be a little bit too early to start in the Shotgun Sports. If you start with a 410 for a lesser felt recoil, chances for hitting the target will be less because of the less number of shots in it. He will just feel disappointed.

If he will be able to tolerate the weight of the gun, a semi-auto should be good. Less recoil as compared to the pump or break open. I started my daughter at the age of 10 with a 20 ga semi-auto. She can now do 3 rounds of trap straight with it.

 

[freddie]

To me 7 is way way to early - however I have a 7 year old relative in KY that killed a deer last year - so what do I know.

 

[tsphillips]

Too young for a shotgun

From having kids and knowing some about child development, I would advise against a shotgun for a 7 year old. The shotgun needs a fair amount of physical strength, dexterity, and quick thinking to be both effective and safe. I'm not saying no 7 year old can effectively wield a shotgun, but I would wager that very few can.

That said, 7 is not too young to get into shooting sports. Some options would be pellet rifles, Airsoft guns, or a .22 rifle. In all cases the child should be very closely supervised and not allowed to shoot if they are in a bad mood or tired. Either state of mind would significantly reduce the safety consciousness of the child.

Tom

 

[hvymax]

Until my kids could wield a pump or semi with some authority the O/U had a good balance of size and weight for them.

 

[coopermania]

Good call on the semi-auto, maybe look into a gas operated one since they're said to have less recoil.

I bought my son a Remington 1187 20 Ga camo about 5 yrs ago. It has a adjustable buttstock and is super comfortable for him to shoot. It was not cheap but money well spent.