Youth gun for adult grouse hunting?

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huntingfish

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I used to carry a rossi youth .410 (single-shot, break open action) in my backpack while moose hunting for when I came across the odd grouse. It was light and perfect. It was about 4.5lbs and had a 13" LOP. I had a cheek-riser thing to stash some extra shots in and I could aim real good with it. With my son rapidly growing up and wanting to come grouse hunting with me, I was thinking of starting him out with that rifle. Now before anyone gives me the "why do you hate him so much" speech, do note that the grouses almost never take flight and that 95% of the ones I've killed were on the ground.

This leaves me with a great problem: Have to upgrade my own grouse gun!! ;) I have a pardner pump,...but it's just too heavy to lug around. I will leave that one for turkey and slugs.

I was thinking of going with an ultralight SxS or O/U. Would probably even switch to a 20ga to cut back on the weight even more...The Stevens 555 looks like a very decent gun for the money. The cabelas edition even has ejectors instead of extractors. Which would be awesome. But, I was thinking...I could bring the weight down to about 5 lbs if I got the compact version. If only I could shoulder both and compare...but no store has them locally. They do have a 13.25" LOP and if need by, I could always add a slip-on recoil pad to lengthen the LOP by 0.5 - 1.0" I would assume. Would make for a great 2nd for my son once he outgrows the .410.

Anyone ever take a youth gun for use by an adult? Other than the shame brought on by others, how did it work out for you? ;:confused:

David
 
I use my youth 870 20 gauge exclusively for grouse and late season ducks when the cold temps are in and I'm all parka'd up! No regrets, for grouse its awesome, my full size 12's stay in the cabinet most often.
 
260SnowBird said:
I use my youth 870 20 gauge exclusively for grouse and late season ducks when the cold temps are in and I'm all parka'd up! No regrets, for grouse its awesome, my full size 12's stay in the cabinet most often.
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Amen to that!

Out of curiosity...what's your frame like? I'm almost 6', 250lbs.

I'm assuming that using anything but target loads will rock your world with recoil hehe. Has that ever been an issue?

Cheers!

Keep on 'unting.
 
I'm 5 10, at 175, so just regular/average i'd say, I've taken 2 deer with Hornady SST slugs too with it, and shoot on the heavier side for late season duck, never have an issue with recoil with it, mind you the 20 gauge 870 youth isn't a real lightweight anyway, same frame as a regular 20, just shortened LOP for the most part, still a healthy weight to it,
 
The lighter you go, the more recoil, and since we are talking a gun that a youth will eventually be using, recoil will be a factor. I would look at a 20 gauge gas operated semi auto . with a shorter lop. Add a slip on recoil pad to lengthen the lop if desired.
 
I did see an Armsan (?) bronzed receiver 20ga semi-auto on tradeex. Looked dang nice. I just can't find any info on it though,...so that's putting me off a lot. No weight info, mag capacity, etc.

As long as it's light and fonctionnal,...I'll take a look. I even checked out Stoeger coachguns in 20ga...looked nice until I saw they weight as much as a standard 12ga with about a foot less of barrel lol.

Just wish I could handle the compact 555. I wouldn't mind making it a road trip thing to confirm the fit is good ;-/

David
 
I spotted a Stevens 555 in the EE. Seems nice and light. I'll give that a try and see how it goes. I might end up getting lighter guy for my son eventually. We'll see! I'd still want to get my hands on a 20ga eventually.

Cheers!

David
 
stubblejumper said:
The lighter you go, the more recoil, and since we are talking a gun that a youth will eventually be using, recoil will be a factor. I would look at a 20 gauge gas operated semi auto . with a shorter lop. Add a slip on recoil pad to lengthen the lop if desired.
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That's it, I was given a very light weight 16 G single shot on the grounds that it was easier to carry or something, but at age 10 or so the recoil would really hammer me and I came to really dislike that gun. I don't agree with going as light as a .410 for youth hunting however, at least not wingshooting, because I agree with the late great Jack O'Conner that they are the great cripplers of game birds.
 
Big Bad said:
That's it, I was given a very light weight 16 G single shot on the grounds that it was easier to carry or something, but at age 10 or so the recoil would really hammer me and I came to really dislike that gun. I don't agree with going as light as a .410 for youth hunting however, at least not wingshooting, because I agree with the late great Jack O'Conner that they are the great cripplers of game birds.
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The grouses practically never take flight where I hunt, unless you walk a bit too close to them or you shoot their buddy.

Once they see you, they slowly start to walk away...Perfect for a .410.

A few years ago, my girlfriend shot at a grouse 7 times with a single-shot .22lr and it just kept walking away slowly. On the 8th shot, she connected and got the grouse.

To this day, I still tease her about it ;-)

David
 
I shoot a 6lb Franchi 12 gauge with 1 1/4 oz loads for pheasant with no issues and practice with 1 1/8 oz loads at the range ( 50-75 a session) but the gun fits me very well and I think that's the main reason it's not unpleasant. Many guns have the wrong cast or comb height for the shooter causing discomfort, a Winchester pump I had in my youth that was heavier than my O/U darned near made me quit wingshooting even though it was significantly heavier than my Renaissance.
 
I bought my kids a savage Rascal that I have been thinking about trying to put into use for grouse. It weighs less than 3lbs, making it one of the lightest 22lr on the market (its like 6oz lighter than the Little Badger). LOP is tiny, but I've wrapped the butt with a tensor bandage and put on a slip-on recoil pad. Haven't used it much yet though, didn't get a range membership this year due to planning to move and then covid. It comes with a peep sight, and with some practice I should be able to reliably hit them out to 30yds or better.
 
I have a 20g, mossberg 500 bantam that I really like for grouse, the stock is quite a bit shorter and makes it easy to quickly shoulder and maneuver if you are in the trees....very nice grouse gun
 
hunter5425 said:
I shoot a 6lb Franchi 12 gauge with 1 1/4 oz loads for pheasant with no issues and practice with 1 1/8 oz loads at the range ( 50-75 a session) but the gun fits me very well and I think that's the main reason it's not unpleasant. Many guns have the wrong cast or comb height for the shooter causing discomfort, a Winchester pump I had in my youth that was heavier than my O/U darned near made me quit wingshooting even though it was significantly heavier than my Renaissance.
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This is very true. I’ve had my fair share of Franchi O/U’s...4 Renaissance and 3 Instincts....they were brutal to shoot because they didn’t fit me worth a damn. Bruised cheeks and shoulders were common if I used them on a clays game. I have other shotguns of a similar weight that fit me very well and the recoil is insignificant. Shotgun fit is the single most important factor to consider when selecting which shotgun to buy
 
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