Recommend a shotgun for a 9 year old

BlackWatch

BlackWatch

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Looking for recommendations for a first shotgun for my 9 year old son. He's big and very strong for his age. He's very interested in hunting so I figure I'll get him into rabbits first so I'm looking for a 20 gauge or 410. A buddy of mine suggested the 410 but I believe the shells are more expensive and they aren't as good at killing rabbits.
What would you guys recommend for overall length, models etc?
Thanks
 
I bought a mossberg 505 for my little brother. It's a 20 gauge with a short length of pull. The forend is positioned further back for child's smaller arms. It has a 22 or 20" ribbed barrel threaded for chokes. It's a very nice gun. Has all of the full size shotgun features in a child sized gun.
 
I bought the Winchester SXP Compact 20ga for my wife (bottom one in pic). It's been excellent, fits her well and the pad absorbs recoil well. The SXP or a BPS micro 20ga would be my recommendation.

 
I grew up shooting 410's, and that is what I would recommend. I don't know how big your boy is, but when I was 9, a 20 gauge would have rocked me. Lots of choices depending on budget.
 
410 for rabbit can be a pain in the butt and depending on personality type very discouraging to a young kid... I would go with a 20g over/under simple, fun and no tube blocking. Since you mentioned shell price you probable don't want to spend a pile so I'd look at the Canuck or my favorite Hunt Group (cheap, accurate, nice pad on them, 20g or 12g available. Even my wife that hates recoil and guns in general will shoot my 12g to bust a couple clays with me.


Something can be said for a mossberg 500 Bantom if size is a concern.


Good luck and great job doing this for your kid.
 
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Thanks for the responses guys. My father and uncle were huge hunters and grandfather was obsessed with fishing. It would seem my youngest son has inherited both traits lol. He wants to hunt deer, rabbit, coyote. It's a great way to spend time together and I think it's a dying activity in Canada.

I had him out shooting my new to me Tavor the other day and he took the top off a water bottle at 30 yards with his second shot (standing). I was more proud of that than his first goal in hockey. I'm going to borrow a 410 and a 20 off a buddy and if he can handle the 20 I'll get him a youth model. I don't want to spend more than $500. What site sponsors have the best prices on these?
 
Back when I was in Elementary school (Lord Byng) in Steveston a class mate would be late for class every blustery morning during Duck Hunting Season.
For his 13th Birthday he received a Remington 870 Wingmaster in 2-3/4'' the morning he came to class late he was showing off his bruised shoulder to everyone.
Well, the bruises where from the night flight before anyways, thats what he shot and they used lead back them, Imperial and CIL iirc.
He also got a date with a young blonde who later on became a Playboy Bunny by the name of Peggy A.... the names are hidden for privacy.

20 gauge is going to hit as hard as a 12 in regular hunting rounds....so if money is no object maybe a med heavy shotgun with a youth type stock option in apump gun or maybe an 1100 Remington Auto Loader might be the ticket.

Best Regards and dont forget pictures of the gun and the 9yr old shooting it too.
Rob
 
I picked up a H&R single shot 20ga. for myself and my son. He was able to shoot it fine enough I think. As with everything more practice and experience would be a benefit to him but time is always a challenge.
 
Mossberg 510 (20 gauge) is a great shotgun for a youngster. $429 at cabelas, I bought one used off the EE for my daughter for a lot less. Comes with chokes, adjustable stock, and is sized such that it is easy for a younger person to point and shoot. It looks just like a slightly shrunk 500 with a tang safety making if perfect for left-handed people (such as my daughter) as well as righties. She took her first wild turkey with it this year. It is a solid, no frills pump that I'm sure any kid would be thrilled to bits to have.
 
BlackWatch said:
Looking for recommendations for a first shotgun for my 9 year old son. He's big and very strong for his age. He's very interested in hunting so I figure I'll get him into rabbits first so I'm looking for a 20 gauge or 410. A buddy of mine suggested the 410 but I believe the shells are more expensive and they aren't as good at killing rabbits.
What would you guys recommend for overall length, models etc?
Thanks
Click to expand...


3/4 oz of lead shot at 1200fps in a 20guage is exactly equal to 3/4 oz lead shot at 1200fps out of a .410


Just sayin....
 
I bought my then 10 year old son an SA-08 20 ga by Weatherby for a turkey hunting trip. That was 4 years ago, all sorts of loads through it and zero issues. It may be a bit long for a small shooter but he was a big boy and does well with it. At 14, he's keeping up with me (or getting ahead) on the hand thrown clays.
 
FLHTCUI said:
And what is the felt recoil of those two loads?
Just askin'....
Rob
Click to expand...

I estimate the .410 to be about 2/3 felt recoil of the 20 gauge, but the weight of the gun can be an unknown variable.



Gauge, length (oz. shot@MV) Gun weight (lbs.) Recoil energy (ft. lbs.)
.410 bore, 2.5" (1/2 at 1200) 5.5 7.1
.410 bore, 3" (11/16 at 1135) 5.5 10.5
28 gauge, 2.75" (3/4 at 1200) 6.0 12.8
20 gauge, 2.75" (7/8 at 1200) 6.5 16.1
20 gauge, 2.75" (1 at 1220) 6.5 21.0
20 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/8 at 1175) 6.5 25.0
 
stubblejumper said:
Right up until you compare the patterns.
Click to expand...

How many pellets does it take to kill a bunny at 30ft away? Any more than a hundred pellets will blow it up.

Further to this, choke patterns are calculated the same for all shotguns. A full choke will give the same percentage of holes in a 30 inch circle regardless of gauge.

Full Choked Shotgun roughly places 70% of its shot within a 30 inch circle at 40 yards.
 
I did a lot of research on this exact topic, including having my kids shoot several different "youth" and "compact" shotguns.

In the end, the Weatherby SA-08 compact in 20g was totally the way to go, with reduced recoil 20g shells.

There are several things you have to really consider:

1) Size (ie: being able to hold it properly with shorter arms and smaller hands) Both the LOP and the distance between the trigger and the handgrip on the stock (monte carlo or pistol grip or thumbhole) has to be smaller than usual. The comb height is also a bit different for kids

2) Weight - An 8 lb gun might have lower felt recoil but how long can they hold it up there shouldered?

3) Barrel length - 2 issues, one is that the longer the barrel, the harder it is for a child to swing properly and the other issue is that oddly enough it's easier for them to hit things with sight beads that are closer to their eyes and closer together, doesn't work that way for adults but it does for my kids.

4) Frustration factor - If they can't hit anything or if the gun is a PITA to load, bring into battery or shoot, they are gonna get frustrated with it (I'm looking at you pump action grizzly release button!) Also if it's a semi, can they work the action or is the bolt lever to small to get a good grip on for kid strength fingers? (Rem 1100 this means you!) is the safety button awkward or stiff as all heck?

5) Recoil. They are small, a 12g break open is gonna hurt and make them not want to shoot anymore.

In the end, the only way to really balance recoil with lower weight was to go with a 20g 28g or 410g gas operated semi auto

28g is a PITA for ammo and 410g is harder to hit things with (ie: pattern) and also a bit of a PITA for ammo

It was easy to get low recoil 20g slugs but... finding a semi that would work with them? The Weatherby has 2 different gas valves, one for hot/magnum loads and one for regular/light loads and cycles just fine with the low recoil (I haven't tried the extra light training stuff yet tho).

Add in the fact that you can eventually swap up the furniture for adult size (weatherby sells a kit) and swap up the barrel for a longer barrel and it really turns out to be the best choice, for my kids anyway.

Be careful and TRY THE GUN somehow before buying one (maybe you know someone who has one or something?) I tried out a mossberg "youth" 20g and the thing kicked harder than my 12g 870 (MUCH harder)

Another option to reduce felt recoil is to get a ported barrel or port the barrel
 
My daughter was 10 years old when we filmed this video for her school talent show. She was shooting a remington 870 compact junior 20 gauge and using Winchester AA low-recoil low-noise shells:


At the time she weighed 65 lbs and stood 4 feet tall. We've since ditched the 870 (because it was rusting uncontrollably in my basement) and gone with a mossberg 500 youth bantam in 20 gauge.

She's hell on squirrels and pigeons, and hunts them as well with her low recoil low noise shells. Can't recommend the combination highly enough!

Good luck with your boy! If your experience is anything like mine with my daughter, you are in for the time of your life.

Cheers,

Brobee
 
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