Load the little guy up with some padding on the shoulder and let him take a few shots as he gets used to it start introducing the clays etc . I bought a mossberg 500 last year and took my son to the range . Guess what it was the wrong gun too but my son can sure shoot with it . Pretty much the only "right" option from the experienced guys was to start out with one of their Used shotguns for about 4 grand! IMO if your kid is having fun then you are on the right track maybe look into a pachmayr slip on pad or a small shooting jacket . See how he does with a few shots (not aiming at a clay just down range at the 25 yard target or something if he does ok then move him up to the clays . or take him out and toss a few one on one without the club regulars helping till he is ready to step up to the line and start putting the old guys to shame with his dirty little field gun .
Bought a Mossberg 20GA Bantam for my little boy for Christmas..need advice.
- Thread starter sheekster1977
- Start date
A shotgun does seem like a lot for introducing a young boy. A cooey single shot .22 would be a nice start and he could work up from there. First gun I shot was the .303 enfield when I was 5... I loved it but it didn't teach me much!
ianthomson
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lincoln, NB
Same as everybody else said WRT the .410. Although is is a nice light shooting gun, do not even try to teach him to wing shoot with it., It works great for pop cans, sitting grouse and rabbits, but patterns way too small to learn a kid to shoot. But on the flip side, if he can hit anything with a .410, he will be deadly on the bigger bores.
- Location
- northern Ontario
ok everyone is giving two cents of advice so ill bite
I honestly don't think a 20 is to big and if he is responsible enough to handle it I don't think he is to young I got a 22 when I was 5 I shot one when I was 4 with very close supervision and my daughter is 4 and is not a safety issue when we are shooting. (we keep a very close eye on her and she sits on my lap to shoot a couple rounds)
I think the younger the better if they can do it and are safe and responsible my neighbours kid is a hazard with a pencil it depends on the kid
the bantam with short light trap loads and a good shooting jacket pad or vest will probably do the trick
if you are worried about recoil and want him to shoot full matches earlier maybe look at the weatherby 28 a dream to shoot very light
a semi I don't think is a good idea also kids aren't wise with amo in one safety stuff aside if he shoots an sks it might not be an issue but my brother is 19 and wheni give him a 1022 with a banana clip the first round hits and the rest follow all around the target cuz its fun
have fun and good luck
I honestly don't think a 20 is to big and if he is responsible enough to handle it I don't think he is to young I got a 22 when I was 5 I shot one when I was 4 with very close supervision and my daughter is 4 and is not a safety issue when we are shooting. (we keep a very close eye on her and she sits on my lap to shoot a couple rounds)
I think the younger the better if they can do it and are safe and responsible my neighbours kid is a hazard with a pencil it depends on the kid
the bantam with short light trap loads and a good shooting jacket pad or vest will probably do the trick
if you are worried about recoil and want him to shoot full matches earlier maybe look at the weatherby 28 a dream to shoot very light
a semi I don't think is a good idea also kids aren't wise with amo in one safety stuff aside if he shoots an sks it might not be an issue but my brother is 19 and wheni give him a 1022 with a banana clip the first round hits and the rest follow all around the target cuz its fun
have fun and good luck
Yeah, i've ultimately decided to keep it(the Mossberg). My son's pretty big for his age, and I often fail to remember how young he really is. Like i said, he efficiently and safely loads and shoots my .22 semis(under a close eye of course), and enjoys the occasional pulls on an SKS, and has been doing so for about 1.5 yrs.
The gun itself is just too cool to give up! The camo, the combo barrels, the interchangeable chokes, It's light weight and it's adjustable LOP...Just a good gun to have regardless.
I'll wait till he weighs about 90lbs..I think that's a good time to get him into a shotgun.
My son shot the Mossberg bantam silver over and under but I reload reduced loads for him,3/4 oz loads the gun barely moves.There is some good info out there for reduced loads for starting out young or new smaller shooters.Just keep it fun every one loves to see clays bust weather they are sitting against a log or flying in the air.He has now moved up to a 12 guage but again I load light 7/8 oz loads no recoil big smiles.
Ok, 1st of all, i want to thank anyone who posted their opinions on this thread...i 'do' consider everybody's input.
So that being said, i just want to give you all a quick update.
I took the Mossberg out to my range yesterday(as i stated before, i didn't want to shoot it in case i wanted to return it)..the suspense was eating away at me as to how much recoil this gun really has!
Before i get into this gun, i want to talk about the alternative i was considering, which was going to be a semi-auto 20ga youth model. A friend of mine who shoots Trap with me brought one in, and let me shoot/feel out his 20ga SA(at this point, i still haven't fired the Mossberg pump i bought)
I was expecting hardly any recoil from the SA, under the premise that some of the cartridges energy is used to cycle the gas system(obviously), but found it surprisingly 'recoil heavy'..
So yesterday afternoon, i bit the bullet, and took the Mossberg out for a spin. I literally fell in love with this little thing!
The recoil was definitely manageable, and to me, was felt even less than the SA!
Now although 'I' felt it kicked relatively little, it's all about whether or not the boy will feel it....and i think that with some light shoulder padding, light target loads, and ear plugs(obviously), he's gonna like it!...hopefully LOVE it.
I 'WILL' report, and possibly have pictures of when he shoots it..
Cheers.
So that being said, i just want to give you all a quick update.
I took the Mossberg out to my range yesterday(as i stated before, i didn't want to shoot it in case i wanted to return it)..the suspense was eating away at me as to how much recoil this gun really has!
Before i get into this gun, i want to talk about the alternative i was considering, which was going to be a semi-auto 20ga youth model. A friend of mine who shoots Trap with me brought one in, and let me shoot/feel out his 20ga SA(at this point, i still haven't fired the Mossberg pump i bought)
I was expecting hardly any recoil from the SA, under the premise that some of the cartridges energy is used to cycle the gas system(obviously), but found it surprisingly 'recoil heavy'..
So yesterday afternoon, i bit the bullet, and took the Mossberg out for a spin. I literally fell in love with this little thing!
The recoil was definitely manageable, and to me, was felt even less than the SA!
Now although 'I' felt it kicked relatively little, it's all about whether or not the boy will feel it....and i think that with some light shoulder padding, light target loads, and ear plugs(obviously), he's gonna like it!...hopefully LOVE it.
I 'WILL' report, and possibly have pictures of when he shoots it..
Cheers.
- Location
- northern Ontario
very cool have fun and good luck
