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Montana16
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 11:51 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 14 Oct 2011
Posts: 110
Location: Eastern Washington

I went through the same process for my 10 year old last year. Found a Beretta BL3 20 gauge skeet gun and modified the stock adding a recoil reducer. He likes the gun and it balances recoil and safety (partial to breach loaders for visibility). While not the most inexpensive option, I can extend the recoil reducer out to 14 5/8" LOP so it should take him through to adult hood.
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Cheyenne08
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 3:01 pm  Reply with quote
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Mark my first gun was a 12 ga Win mod 97! Don't do that to him! You know your nephew better than any of us, so I say go with your gut.

I think a hammerless break action shotgun, 20 or 28 ga would be about ideal, matters not single shot or s/s OR o/u.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Dale

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slemley
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:43 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 67
Location: Fox Valley, WI

My first shotgun was a Remington 870 wing master in 20GA. It was a nice shooting gun compared to the Browning A5 that I tried to shot.In my eyes its better to start off light so they can enjoy the sport of shooting and being able to hit target verses not hitting

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Woody402
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:12 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Aug 2014
Posts: 286
Location: Finger Lakes

The 16 hammer gun with light loads would be a better choice thst a single shot 20. While easier to handle for a kid weight wise they real do kick a lot.
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16'er
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:55 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 1393
Location: Tappahannock, Virginia

Fiocchi makes a 3/4oz 20ga trainer load that is quite nice.
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gomerdog
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 8:15 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Sep 2015
Posts: 94
Location: Fremont County, Wyoming

A guy can also reload 20 gauge light loads: 12.9 grs. International in a Remington hull with .75 oz. of #8 shot can tame a light shotgun right down. CB1075-20 wads and W209 primers. Right from the Hodgdon website. 1150fps.


Last edited by gomerdog on Tue Dec 25, 2018 10:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 9:14 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

It's tough to recommend a specific gun. A single shot is simple but I remember most of them handling awkward when I was young. Any double, SxS or O/U can be made single shot by merely supplying only one shell. Same for a repeater.

I like your hammer gun idea to a point since the position of the hammer will be readily visible as you supervise. Pulling the hammer back when a bird flushes maybe a bit of added complication for a learning shooter though, so use your best judgement on what is allowed based on your nephew's progress.

I am fond of the SxS guns, but reality is that cross dominance issues do happen with some people's eyes, so that is a consideration. It's not common, but I have witnessed it with a few individuals. Only one way to find out on that one, if your nephew tries a SxS and another gun with a single sighting plane and there is a noticeable difference in scores, then it could be an issue. See if he shoots well with whatever you choose first.

For ammunition, if you reload there is nothing milder shooting than the 5/8 oz. 16 ga. loads. I love 'em. My .410 kicks as much with standard skeet loads but sure doesn't pattern anywhere near as well.

Make your choice and let us know how it goes.

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Rick Grimes
PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:07 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 18 Jun 2004
Posts: 438
Location: thick and uncivilized places in the Allegheny Mts.

16 ga. Hammer Gun with 3/4 oz loads. But you knew I would suggest that. Laughing Cool

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:43 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Central CT

I am with skeettx on this one. I did the exact same thing. Remington 1100’s fit more folks well than just about any other shotgun.......and the stocks are cheap and plentiful so you can cut the stock without a downside. There is also very little recoil.

One shell at a time is as safe as it gets with any shotgun.The action type doesn’t make a gun safe, the way you use it makes it safe.

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PIOBill
PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 12:15 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 Sep 2013
Posts: 136
Location: Fort Worth, TX

My dad started me off on a 12 ga 870 at 14 but I was a big kid. When my nephews go ready I bought a used 20 ga. 1100 with a broken interrupter so no more than 2 could be loaded. I bought an extra stock and cut it down and saved the cut piece. Eventually I put the original stock on.

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fn16ga
PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 4:45 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 09 Jan 2013
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Location: Florida

I just bought one of these for my son for Christmas , no hammer for young hands to struggle with and light weight . I got the 22' barrel

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/415001052

I loaded some slow 3/4oz loads for him , recoil is light .
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putz463
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:31 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 06 Oct 2007
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Location: West MI

UDF, thank you for taking the initiative and being available to share the shooting sports with a young person.

Given the season, a Red Ryder...kinda not kidding. Does he have a gun now? Does he understand how to shoot? In the first chapter of Bob Bristers' book, Shotgunning, The Art and the Science. He teaches a young person the basics of how to handle a gun and shoot using a Red Ryder BB gun. Pretty safe inexpensive low impact fun. If memory serves correctly as she progressed she graduated to a 20ga 1100 for the manageable recoil reason.

FWIW; I still have my Dads' RR he taught me on. How better to teach the idea of trajectory/hold over when you can watch the BB all the way to the target, fun stuff.

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Savage16
PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 7:38 am  Reply with quote
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As a former firearms safety instructor, my first thought was to get him enrolled in a local firearm safety class. Invaluable.Also, as others have said, no external hammer guns for kids,including 30-30's. Used to bring my Marlin into class and have them try to cock and uncock it. That exercise opened many eyes, including parents that would stay to watch. But also from a practical standpoint, its not easy to shoot the typical cheap single shot well . A little higher quality gun will be easier to shoot and kick less, helping him be successful and therefore keep his interest. The previously mentioned Mossberg 500 bantam has a lot to offer. The synthetic version has 2 extra stock spacers, choke tubes and my daughters came with a rifled slug barrel, but we've never used that.

If I really tell the truth, I'm just jealous that some 14 yr old might get to shoot your 16ga hammer double and I'm not Laughing Laughing Its a beauty.

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:58 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Sav 16,

I agree when the boy or girl is young that a hammer gun is not always the safest gun. However after we were old enough to be given our own guns at Christmas time, my father started us out on an old Savage DL O/U 22 Mag on top, 20 Gauge Mag on the bottom. The gun is a single hammer gun with built in switch lever on the hammer for barrel selection.

We used those guns for years on Turkey and Grouse, even with the Full Choke. We were definitely safety trained, with the guns. It made us very serious grouse gunners as we matured into our SXS L.C. Smith, LeFever and Parker double guns. I was lucky when I was quite young however, and learned to actually Grouse hunt with my Grandmothers SXS Parker 28 gauge double gun, special built for her it fit me as a child quite well. My Grandfather was right there teaching me gun safety even from the start. I loved that little Parker 28 gauge double gun as a boy, and wanted my own badly, unfortunately they were expensive even in that era.

If the gun would not have been destroyed in a house fire, I am sure it would have been passed down to me, to give to my daughter.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Hammerless double guns are a might safer to start our with.
[URL=http://www.jpgbox.com/page/55783_800x600/] [/URL]


Last edited by Pine Creek/Dave on Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:54 pm; edited 2 times in total

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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:00 am  Reply with quote
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Savage16 wrote:
As a former firearms safety instructor, my first thought was to get him enrolled in a local firearm safety class. Invaluable.Also, as others have said, no external hammer guns for kids,including 30-30's. Used to bring my Marlin into class and have them try to cock and uncock it. That exercise opened many eyes, including parents that would stay to watch. But also from a practical standpoint, its not easy to shoot the typical cheap single shot well . A little higher quality gun will be easier to shoot and kick less, helping him be successful and therefore keep his interest. The previously mentioned Mossberg 500 bantam has a lot to offer. The synthetic version has 2 extra stock spacers, choke tubes and my daughters came with a rifled slug barrel, but we've never used that.

If I really tell the truth, I'm just jealous that some 14 yr old might get to shoot your 16ga hammer double and I'm not Laughing Laughing Its a beauty.


Thank you Very Happy

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