Best shotgun for a very small person

Forget he 20ga and the 410 bore a youth 12ga semi soft recoil 7/8oz load or 1 oz load or 11/8oz load in a 12 ga psi is 7500-8500 psi 7/8 oz 20 ga 10,000 psi it’s not rocket science with a youth or compact model it comes with stock spacers so it can be lengthened as needed . He can carry it with a single round chambered and no rounds in the magtube . Franchi model 900-1,200 $
 
I like the idea of a semi too. He is 4'11" and 85lbs, you all got me curious so we did that tonight. I just want to get him out and enjoying himself, need a buddy to tag along with me. I am honestly leaning towards a 20g semi or that little .410 cricket and then just grouse hunting.
 
blasted_saber said:
20g 870 in a youth stock.

It will serve him the rest of his life. Can be restocked if needed. 410 is not a beginner's gun by any means, and if you want to go waterfowling is a complete non-starter
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This and good luck killing something that is running or flying away with a 410 especially a beginner.
 
Mossburg youth Bantam. I have 2 my older son has used one for years. Thousands of rounds without a problem. He has made some amazing shots with it. Dropping flying ducks. Seen another on the ee a while back. I had to grab it. Now my younger son 8. About 75lb. He shoots it alight. Dosnt have the proper stance yet. I was impressed by him the other day. I brought a box of trap load out to brake stationary targets. He rattled off the box. Ask why I didn’t bring more ammo. Lol. That’s in 20g.
 
my oldest got his PAL at 12. He was "average" size. prob 90 lbs

He has been shooting an old 20 ga singe for 3 yrs now.

uses for grouse and turkey

Con:
on a long grouse walk it gets tiring to lug
it can take some effort to bring it up and hold position

Pro:
it was free!
Because its heavy it helps dampen the recoil

I have no advice on specific make and model as thats really a personal thing but i will say that going 20ga was 100% the right choice.
 
When the old man was around, I talked to him about getting a 20 gauge to teach a girl I was dating to shoot and he reminded me that I was shooting the 12 gauge since I was a kid and I wasn’t a big guy.

410 is just fine for grouse, but he’ll need at least a 20 when he starts wanting to hunt other things. Guns are heavy, you can give him a 22 lr for grouse (at least in BC) and walk with him while carrying the 12 gauge and then let him try the 12 when you come across grouse too.

Standing so he can sway and then holding the shotgun tight for the recoil and I’m sure he can fire the 12, but maybe not carry it all day.

It won’t take many years to get stronger ... think of the teens carrying heavy Enfields and Mausers in WWII
 
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City Boy said:
When the old man was around, I talked to him about getting a 20 gauge to teach a girl I was dating to shoot and he reminded me that I was shooting the 12 gauge since I was a kid and I wasn’t a big guy.

410 is just fine for grouse, but he’ll need at least a 20 when he starts wanting to hunt other things. Guns are heavy, you can give him a 22 lr for grouse (at least in BC) and walk with him while carrying the 12 gauge and then let him try the 12 when you come across grouse too.

Standing so he can sway and holding the shotgun tight for the recoil and I’m sure he can fire the 12, but maybe not carry it all day.

It won’t take many years to get stronger ... think of the teens carrying heavy Enfields and Mausers in WWII
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i was started with too big a gun and i have worked years to overcome a flinch.
 
Maybe other people had different experiences, but I was a little guy and we just made sure to hold the gun with good form and always standing so I could sway with the recoil. I was just thinking about a few adults we had taken shooting a few years ago and we did have one grown fellow that would just not hold the shotgun tight enough into the shoulder pocket and would lean back and couldn’t deal with the recoil because of his form. I’ve taken smaller ladies to the range that had no issues either ... now we didn’t shoot all day long either though.
 
Semi-auto - just not a good idea for an inexperienced shooter - nothing to do with age - my Dad was the worst - 50 or more years of shooting single shots and bolt actions, he was convinced that the safest gun was one that had just been fired - he was damn DANGEROUS to be around at the range with my semi-auto's, and could not be convinced that his way of thinking was "wrong".

Kids and recoil - when my son was 14 he was skinny beanpole type - but could handle my full size Win 70 in 338 Win Mag quite easily - three rounds, standing, off hand - I never did let him shoot that one from seated position on sandbags. He had been shooting rifles - started with .22's - since he was about 7 or 8. Don't let the kid get hurt - they will have a ball at whatever you are doing. When I was 13 or 14, I was given a single shot 12 gauge - "Silver King", I think the brand was - steel butt plate - arm would be black, blue and swollen after a few shots at ducks - bleeding from the break lever getting jammed into my thumb and forefinger "Y" - but always wanted to go back for more!! Helps to have rocks in your head, I guess.
 
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I should say, I had a pellet gun and knew the fundamentals of how to aim a long gun and how to hold it properly before I ever picked up the shotgun.
 
can you start a kid with a 12 ga? yes, 100%

if you do it wrong can you create life long bad habits that are hard to break or even worse turn them off guns all together. also yes.

im not saying never start with 12. just if you do you need to be careful and put the time to develop good form.
last thing any of us want is the kid to not enjoy it.

a 12 will work, a 20 is just easier
 
My BPS is a heavy chunk of gun, great for ducks and geese, I can shoot 3" shells out of it all day, but for grouse I put a sling on it as the 8-9lbs it weighs gets heavy after a while. I like the idea of a 20gauge, and get a sling for upland hunting maybe. Shotguns look a little silly with a sling, but I appreciate it after the first few kms.
 
FLYBYU44 said:
My son turns 13 here in a two months, he has been working on the online Hunter Safety course and he is ready to write the test and do his PAL course. I want to get him a shotgun of some kind for the fall. I hunt grouse, ducks and geese mostly and I just use my Browning BPS for all that, it works great. Unfortunately my son is very small for his age, he weighs just 80lbs and is quite short. Besides the gun being way to big for him, I think 3" BB shells would put him on his butt in a hurry. I was thinking about a gun to use just when we are grouse hunting, so it would have to be light enough he can carry it all day as I sometimes cover 15-18kms a day walking when I hunt grouse. Kind of in the dark on this one, being a big guy, I mostly have experience with 12 gauge guns, never really played with 20G or 410 too much. Used to have a 410 for grouse, but the 12 gauge is a better gun for a do all kind of gun. Any suggestions on a smaller, lighter gun that won't beat him up too bad? For budget I would say $700 max.
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See if you can find someone in your area with a youth sized 12g and see how he does with 2 3/4" bird shot.
What guns does he enjoy shooting right now?
He is likely to have a growth spurt at some point and regardless of whether it happens this year he will still be taller and heavier next fall.... :)

.22lr is all I use for grouse but a good fitting 12G with a nice recoil pad should be manageable with bird shot.
 
Potashminer said:
Semi-auto - just not a good idea for an inexperienced shooter - nothing to do with age - my Dad was the worst - 50 or more years of shooting single shots and bolt actions, he was convinced that the safest gun was one that had just been fired - he was damn DANGEROUS to be around at the range with my semi-auto's, and could not be convinced that his way of thinking was "wrong".
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That's silly thinking. Then just give them one cartridge. Better yet - teach them proper gun handling safety. Your dad's experience is very anomalous.
 
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