First guns for kids

when my son was 9 i bought him a remington 20 ga 870 (compact). it comes with a shim kit to extend the stock from youth to adult. :cheers:
 
I tried the single 20 but it was to long for my son I ended up with a NE 410 youth fit to a tee. I know alot of you don't like hammer guns but I have had no issues. I believe fit it is as important as anything. If you start with good form no problems.

greatlawn
 
I started with an old Western Auto 20ga side by side. I think it is a store model for Savage. It doesn't kick bad, not real loud and didn't have a hammer like the one my younger brother carried and it was a tense moment every time he cocked and didn't shoot and had to let the hammer down.

A young kid with a 30-30 with a hammer almost killed me 2 years ago while sighting in my deer rifle at the range....doing the same thing....letting the hammer down while not taking the shot.

I actually carried that 20ga all year for grouse and pheasant this year. I'm looking for one myself, turns out my wife's friends son wants to tag along next year....12 years old and about 85 pounds soaking wet.

-John
 
I'm not sure if a single shot 20 ga with a hammer is all that safe or not. I don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but did some research while looking for a shotgun for my daughter. It seems to me that I ran across a few articles detailing how a hammer could become inadvertantly cocked unbeknownst to the child, making it unsafe. Now this could be purely opinion, that's up to you to consider.

I ended up buying a semi auto Charles Daley youth 20 in camo. I wasn't real crazy about it until it was broken in, it's been a great little gun !

Another good gun is the Winchester Ranger, it's a pump that comes 1n 12 and 20 and the pump is clear back for the child or small framed shooter.
 
I started my son on a 870 youth with ajustable LOP, no problems whatsoever, a friends son blew a hole in my winger blind with a POS rossie single shot with a hammer, almost got my mojo as well, those type of guns are crap, dont waste your money, i wont even let one near me.
 
I just went through this with my 12 year old. Last year we borrowed a 20 gauge single shot for his first trip pheasant hunting. Got him interested and used to the recoil. I wanted to get him a gun that had the capability of a second shot but was concerned about having that option. We settled on a Stoger youth O/U in 20 gauge. At first I thought we would just let him put one shell in the gun at a time. It turns out that upon firing the first barrel the gun resets to safety automatically and he has to actuate the safety to shoot a second time; that is a great safety feature for a youngster who gets very excited when the first shot hits the target. The gun does not have the ability to extend as he grows but I have twin boys that just turned 7 so we will get good use out of it. Sure, the Stoger is not the fit and finish of a Browning etc but it makes a great affordable starter gun that really gave my son confidence this year. Should have seen his face when he shot his first rooster this year!
 
I started with a 20ga Ithaca 37. Was only allowed one shell at a time until I proved that I was capable of respecting what I was doing. I was then allowed another shell.

That being said, a 20ga youth 870 is probably the way to go. Price is right, kick is right. Start with one shell at first and work up from there.
 
I started with my fathers 20 ga Ithica SKB. He plans to have my son use that gun also. I also was allowed just 1 shell in the gun at a time.
I'm going to see how it fits him this year and then decide to let him use it or have to buy something else.
 
I know alot of you don't like the hammer guns. I do not mind them. I had my son carry it open until the dog went on point hammer no longer a issue. I carry my over and under broke open all the time.
 
Cobblestone said:
I started with a 20ga Ithaca 37. Was only allowed one shell at a time until I proved that I was capable of respecting what I was doing. I was then allowed another shell.

That being said, a 20ga youth 870 is probably the way to go. Price is right, kick is right. Start with one shell at first and work up from there.
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I also started with a 37 featherweight. I have killed a bunch of game with that gun. My older son used it untill he moved up. My younger son is a lefty, so it won't work for him. I still carry that gun from time to time. It is approaching 40 years old and still shoots straight. At a tad over 5lbs, it is an awesome carry.
 
I've just started looking around for a gun for my 10 year old son who is on the smaller size. This post has been super helpful. Thanks!!
 
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