20 Ga. or 410?

I grew up with a Stevens barrel break single shot 410, bagged lots & lots of grouse over the yrs, my 3 sons, one by one went threw the same gun, it's still here and is still the favorite get to go gun on hunting days. We have a youth 20 ga and 12's galore and and and, but the little 410 gets the call most days! No problem for young'uns to shoot and come home happy with a barrel full of upland game birds! Don't whine about the cost of a few boxes of 410's, geeez! How much can a Jr shoot!
 
are you sure he is ready for a shotgun.unless he is a big lad i think i would buy him a 410 and use 2.5 inch shells. maybe let him shoot at some still targets and progress from there. in my experience a twenty gauge if you have a light gun can have as much recoil as a twelve.28 gauge is an option and probably a better choice for hunting and is a gun he could use for a lifetime if he was so inclined
 
20 gauge target loads are not more expensive than 12 gauge loads! Specialized loads, like slugs and waterfowl loads are slightly more expensive in 20. I bought a few flats of 20 gauge 2 3/4" 7/8oz 7.5 shot for $56 each
 
Personally a .410 is the way to go with 2.5 inch shells. A 10 year old might only weigh 80 pounds. The magnums don't usually pattern as well as the standard loads anyway.
 
Last Christmas my 8 year old son wanted an airsoft rifle , but after looking at the price, I decided to get him a H/R Tamer in .410. Took him and myself to our range to try it out, but he wanted me to hold the front foregrip to lessen the recoil. Fast forward to this summer, and with the prodding of his 16 year old cousin, the boy shoots it by himself. After smoking clay pigeons I had set up at different distances, he said " I can hit one if you throw it for me", and be damned if he did on his first try.
 
A single shot .410. he's not old enough to hunt anyway. it would be fun to shoot at least. He's still very young for a 20 gauge. he's still too young for a full size 12 gauge - it would be too long and too heavy, regardless of reduced loads.

12-13 years he can start shooting a 20 gauge, amybe a 12. I'd say if he wants to shoot right now get a .410.
 
i view it like this, and i'm probably gonna get hammered for it- 12 is for adults, 20 is for women and kids, 28 and 410 are specialty guns that require a LOT more precision than the 12, but shorter range- to tell the truth, i view the 410 as something i need instead of a 22- more often than not, i'd take the 22 over the 410- THERE WAS A PLACE FOR THE 16, even if no one shoots that anymore
 
Bottom line is most 10 year olds aren't physically big enough to handle even the youth model pump shotguns. Arms are still too short. He could plink away with a .410 but it's not a great (ok - it's bad) wingshooting gun, although it's good at groundshooting rabbits and birds out to 15-20 yards.

Your call. If you buy a gun that's too big he'll grow into it in a couple years so it's not wasted.

I started my son on a single shot .410. He shot some clay birds i threw for him, and a lot of grouse. He loved it. He uses a pump 20 gauge now that he's older, but he still likes the .410 for grouse hunting.
 
t-star said:
i view it like this, and i'm probably gonna get hammered for it- 12 is for adults, 20 is for women and kids, 28 and 410 are specialty guns that require a LOT more precision than the 12, but shorter range- to tell the truth, i view the 410 as something i need instead of a 22- more often than not, i'd take the 22 over the 410- THERE WAS A PLACE FOR THE 16, even if no one shoots that anymore
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There is still a place for the 16 I shoot one all the time and I love it.

As for the 410 it is not a beginners gun it is an experts gun.
 
To be honest I might be a little more confused than before. I'm now leaning towards the .410 more because I definitely DO NOT want to cause recoil "shock" or flinching, and the .410 sounds like it fits the bill for a 10 yr. old on those requirements. I personally used a 12GA single as my first shotty, but then I was 14 yrs. old.

But then again if I could find a decent smaller .22LR semi-auto I would probably get that for him. He would probably love that as much as I loved my first bolt action .22LR which I still own. :confused:
 
target said:
To be honest I might be a little more confused than before. I'm now leaning towards the .410 more because I definitely DO NOT want to cause recoil "shock" or flinching, and the .410 sounds like it fits the bill for a 10 yr. old on those requirements. I personally used a 12GA single as my first shotty, but then I was 14 yrs. old.

But then again if I could find a decent smaller .22LR semi-auto I would probably get that for him. He would probably love that as much as I loved my first bolt action .22LR which I still own. :confused:
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try fitting him with a 10/22 - that stock is short enough for most, and as he grows, you can replace it- easy peasy- if not, a bandsaw can 'improve" the dimensions
 
I started with a "family" 410, shot grouse and even a few ducks with it, then moved on to a 12g in my teens. The 410 can serve the purpose of introducing a youngster to shooting, but it is definitely not a long term proposition. I have a break action 410 that serves as a truck gun for grouse, and it will be available for grandkids to use if and when they become interested. Having said that, if you anticipate a longer term use/ownership, a 20g is likely the way to go.
 
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