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First shotgun for 9 year old

LilBastage

LilBastage

Meat is murder! Tasty, tasty murder.
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
5,461
My son is 9. He's pretty much average size and build for an athletic 9 year old. He's been shooting bb, pellet, and .22 rifles for a couple of years now. I want to get him a shotgun to get him ready for hunting season in a year or two. I know we have quite a few shooters around here so I thought I'd ask for the opinions of the CP populace on this endeavor.

I know what I started out with as a young man, but I was a big kid and my Grandpa was a bit of a sadist at times.

I want something that will last, but I don't want to spend a whole hell of a lot of money on this. The fancier firearm will come when he turns 16 as is our family tradition.

So, what's out there that I should be looking at? Caliber and action are the biggest considerations after fit, of course. If you have a specific model in mind I'm all ears, too.
 
Of course a 410, but for more versatility, I like the Mossberg Bantam line:

http://www.cabelas.com/pump-action-mossberg-500-bantam-8482-super-bantam-8482-youth-shotguns-2.shtml

I also like the Remington 870 Jr. :

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/special-runs/shotguns/model-870-express-jr-specialrun.aspx

I've been looking at these myself, my boy is going to start asking soon. Have been canvassing my friends and local shooting ranges
to see if there are any around for him to try.

I'll try to find the softest load, and take it from there.

I think they are both solid. What got me on to them was an old article in an outdoors magazine, whose name eludes me.
 
The first shotgun my father bought me was the Remington 870. I know you mentioned buying him another one when he gets a bit older. One thing that I can reccomend is getting a new stock for the gun. You can get one that is cut down for his size now and save the origional for when he gets a bit older. Just an idea that might save you from purchasing 2 guns.
 
If I were buying a first shotgun for taking game, I'd go with a 20 ga rather than a .410.

If you consider factory loads, a .410 moves 1/2 oz of shot at about 1200 fps. A 20 ga moves about 7/8 oz. of shot at the same speed, roughly 1200 fps.

Yes, the 20 ga will have more felt recoil. But, if your intent is taking field game and not just breaking clays, the extra shot will help ensure cleaner kills, more game on the table.

Hard to beat a Remington Wingmaster. Depending on what you want to spend, Mossberg makes a really nice 505 "youth" model at a very reasonable price that might just be the ticket.

http://www.mossberg....0/NEW/57110.jpg

http://www.mossberg....2&display=specs

Personally, for a 1st scattergun, a nice Mossberg would be high on my list.

JMHO - B.B.S.
 
BSchmidt1981 said:
The first shotgun my father bought me was the Remington 870. I know you mentioned buying him another one when he gets a bit older. One thing that I can reccomend is getting a new stock for the gun. You can get one that is cut down for his size now and save the origional for when he gets a bit older. Just an idea that might save you from purchasing 2 guns.
Click to expand...

He'll be getting a new Winchester shotgun when he turns 16 in lieu of a car. That's what we do in our family. I still have and love the Winchester I got when I turned 16, the car I bought is long gone.
 
I'm no expert, but my first was a Mossberg pump of some kind. Its been a long time since I've shot clays and even longer since I've hunted but Mossberg is still around and they make decent weapons. My dad got me a 12 guage and I am sure I was around that same age. Nothing wrong with a 20 guage or .410 but my dad reloads and I think he didn't want to bother with reloading the 20 guage and figured that this way even if I wanted a nicer gun as I got older, the 12 guage might serve more purpose to him.

I do recall that first time at the range, man was my shoulder sore...but eh...you get used to lol.
 
I know a little bit about shoguns and have the trophies to prove it. I was nationally rated a AA sporting clays shooter in my younger days. I no longer compete, but get out to the courses a number of times a year. The .410 is called an idiot stick for a reason. It's an experts gun, plain and simple. I would recommend a .20 bore semi-auto. .28 bores are usually too expensive although Remington used to make an auto that was quite nice. Ammo for it is cost prohibitive, however. Shooting light loads in the .20 bore, the recoil is manageable. It's important that the shotgun fits the shooter or he won't be able to hit anything. Remember that your eye is the rear sight and the gun must be mounted exactly the same way every time. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me. I'll help you all I can.
 
BlindedByScience said:
If I were buying a first shotgun for taking game, I'd go with a 20 ga rather than a .410.

If you consider factory loads, a .410 moves 1/2 oz of shot at about 1200 fps. A 20 ga moves about 7/8 oz. of shot at the same speed, roughly 1200 fps.

Yes, the 20 ga will have more felt recoil. But, if your intent is taking field game and not just breaking clays, the extra shot will help ensure cleaner kills, more game on the table.

Hard to beat a Remington Wingmaster. Depending on what you want to spend, Mossberg makes a really nice 505 "youth" model at a very reasonable price that might just be the ticket.

http://www.mossberg....0/NEW/57110.jpg

http://www.mossberg....2&display=specs

Personally, for a 1st scattergun, a nice Mossberg would be high on my list.

JMHO - B.B.S.
Click to expand...

In my experience the felt recoil of a 20ga is less than from a .410. It depends on the gun, of course, but that's been my experience.

A Mossie is high on my list.

Devil Doc said:
I know a little bit about shoguns and have the trophies to prove it. I was nationally rated a AA sporting clays shooter in my younger days. I no longer compete, but get out to the courses a number of times a year. The .410 is called an idiot stick for a reason. It's an experts gun, plain and simple. I would recommend a .20 bore semi-auto. .28 bores are usually too expensive although Remington used to make an auto that was quite nice. Ammo for it is cost prohibitive, however. Shooting light loads the recoil is manageable. It's important that the shotgun fits the shooter or he won't be able to hit anything. Remember that your eye is the rear sight and the gun must be mounted exactly the same way every time. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me. I'll help you all I can.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Doc. As I move closer to a decision I may take you up on the offer.
 
He's at that in between stage where a .410 is going to seem like a pea shooter in a few years, but a 20 gauge might seem a bit much depending on his current size/weight.

I'd recommend a Remington Model 870 Express JR 20 gauge shotgun. It won't be sadistic, even if it seems a little scary to him at first, he will quickly gain confidence in shooting it, but will not grow out of the gun itself as quickly.

You should be able to find one in the $320.00 - $340.00 range. Wood stock and forearm for looks....Synthetic for the abuse it might take in the woods.
 
Nothing like that first kill with your first shotgun. Have fun Alan!
 
My son's first shotgun was an H&R single shot 20 ga youth model.
Easy to operate and learn from as well. Using field loads the recoil is not much more than a 410 and the shot pattern is far more forgiving.
After a couple of years of mastering that gun we then moved up to a 12 ga pump.
The H&R also was low cost and you don't mind if it gets banged up a little bit while they are learning proper shooting and maintenance.
 
My first was a 20ga. Mossberg pump. Great gun, and damn fun to hear that action rack back and forth. That's my vote.
 
My first shotgun was a 410 that my father gave me when I was about 10. My grandfather had given it to him when he was a kid. My son is only 3, but one day I plan to give it to him when he is old enough. I remember the Christmas he gave it to me. That night he showed me how to clean and properly care for it before he let me shoot it. It was pretty cool. Whichever gun you decide, I would suggest picking something that is sturdy and will last so it can potentially become part of a family tradition, too.
 
I'd have to agree on a 20 ga. but I like a break-action for a first gun. Easy to load and unload, easy to make safe, absorbs more recoil due to more weight. A .410 is too difficult to hit with and would only be discouraging.
 
My first was a Remington Model 11 16 gauge from the 40's.....I loved that gun.....wish I still had it. :(
 
In our family we all started with a 20 gauge single shot. This was to get you use to shooting a shotgun and to practice accuracy. You have one shot make it count, we learned to be decent marksmen that way. Starting of with the wrong gun can create bad habits. When we were proficient with the 20 we got the 12 gauge double barrel. I now shoot a 1100 now and rarely pull the trigger twice.
 
I would say it depends on how long you need the shotgun to last. With your son's boyscout background he will grow out of a single shot relative quickly. If you plan on recycling the gun to another new shooter then I could see picking it up as a trainer of sorts. For a longer service life I would agree that a .20 ga Mossberg or 870 youth would be a solid choice. Lets face it kids don't stay kids forever. Like Doc said a .410 is a different animal and shells are more expensive.
 
Thanks for all the advice, fellas. .410 was never really on my radar as that's what I started out with and it took me a long time to be able to shoot accurately. It kicked like a son of a bitch, too. I learned to shoot well with it eventually and learned to love it, but I almost gave up before I did. I don't want to put my boy through that.

I'm weighing the pros and cons of a pump v. a single shot. I really want to concentrate on safety (even though he's been shooting for a couple of years, I don't think you can ever emphasize safety too much with kids) and accuracy. I think I can manage both with either action. This is going to be a woods gun mainly for small game, so I also need to consider that environment in my selection. Some of these newer single shots don't weigh a thing, so even a 20 is going to kick pretty good.

His 16th birthday will bring with it a Winchester 101, so this one can be more of a utility shotgun. I'll let everyone know what I decide when I decide. We're heading down to the Sport, Boat, and Travel show this afternoon. That will give me a chance to talk to just about every gun shop in the area and see what they have available for youngsters and what he gravitates toward.
 
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