Youth Shotgun Advice

I’m posting something here from Chris Walls that was in the turkey forum. My hope is to start a discussing on youth shotguns, as I have two that are approaching the age and it seems like others on here do too. Chris’s comments are quoted, and mine are below:

Quote:

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The gun that both the kids used is a Youth 870 pump. It’s been highly modified with a synthetic pistol grip/forearm, Tru Glo red dot sights and a bunch of barrel work done but any youth 20ga will work. Truthfully I usually take it for myself on the rare occasion that I’m hunting alone.

Keep the shooting fun, no turkey loads when practicing. I do all the patterning of our guns and let the kids use light trap loads. If you ask our daughter if it kicked she’ll tell you not too much even though she shot 1 1/2 once turkey load. They don’t notice the kick when the adrenaline is pumping.

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I ended up picking up a Weatherby Youth Black Syn. 20 gauge SA-08 for one of my boys. Gas guns are forgiving, and I’ve shot a friend’s 870 youth 20 that kicks much harder than you’d think.

What are you guys having your kids shoot?

Chris – Any pics of that modified gun? Guessing that pistol grip takes some punch out? What else did you do to make it a turkey-slayer?

Joel

WE used a full size 1100 and had a spare butt stock cut down. We got the the spare butt stock from a gunsmith who had boxes of them he donated it for a youth it wasn’t pretty but it was only used for a couple seasons. Most light weight youth models kick much harder than a full size model. Get a stock to use . You are right on taking the patterning punishment. Let the youth pattern with trap loads. I would not purchase a youth model. IMHO

Mwal

Picked up the 20 gauge 870 for my youngest last year. I’m positive there are better youth scatter guns out there but the 870s are like the comfort food of the gun world in our family. Love watching the boys eyes light up when he jacks that action

Got a youth 870 pump for the 10 year old last year. He shot his first deer with it this year. It fits him really well with the shorter stock. Went with the black synthetic

This 870 youth has had a ton of work done to it to the point it is really just the action that is stock. The trigger has been reworked; forcing cone lengthened; barrel, action and forcing cone have been polished; stock was replaced with an ATI synthetic pistol grip; a high mount B Square with Tru Glo red dot optics; backup Tri Vis fiber sights under the B Square on the barrel; raised cheek pad and a sling. With the barrel mods and the ergonomics with the pistol grip I’d be willing to bet it has less felt recoil than most gas guns. I’d guarantee it is a vast improvement over the stock felt recoil of these guns.

Why did I choose the 870 youth over the other guns? Reliable and proven out of the box performance using readily available ammo that threw turkey killing patterns at 40 yards was probably the biggest reason. I looked into many stock guns, read reviews and looked at what kind of patterning numbers the common hunter was getting before deciding on this one. I didn’t buy it with the intention of building it up but rather wanted stock performance just to get the boy going. Another reason is the majority of our hunting is not in MN but in multi bird states, but I don’t like the semi auto’s because of paranoia over the possible accidental discharge of the second shell. If there is the need for a follow up or a chance at a double I’d rather have the shell in the gun magazine instead of trying to throw another in to a semi auto because of my safety concerns.

Currently percentages in the high 90’s are very common in a 20″ circle at 40 yards. I’ve personally only seen two missed shots with this gun. First was at 11 yards and the second was a bird that barely suck his head up above the ridge at 5 yards away. Both misses were by our son when he was 6 and I doubt he’d miss them anymore.

Basically we started with a gun that fit him and was known to provide the results needed and went from there. I didn’t intend this to be a build but it has turned out to be a very rewarding one.

CW

With the various adjustable/replaceable stock youth models available at very reasonable cost, I only a few reasons NOT to go with one. They are easy to find on the used market as well, and it should not be hard to resell them without taking a huge loss.

However, all of this does not take into account tradition.

My father has shot the same 20 gauge Remington Model 11 since it was given to him at 8 years old. He would love to see his grandsons shoot it.

There is also Great Grandpa’s Winchester 97 and the boys must also at some point each take a bired with it. It was purchased in 1902 or 03 and said by family lore to have cost him the princely sum of $27. I don’t know if this price was accurate, but translating that to today’s dollars would put it at over $700. Such extravagance was almost unheard of from Edward, so he must have been impressed by the duck and pheasant killing potential.

Both old guns have (by today’s standards) short lengths of pull and neither is especially heavy.

So you have your modern-day choice and then you’ve got traditions that have to be carried on.

Grouse