Im looking for a youth 20 gauge. One thats vey light and with very low recoil because the boy that will be shooting it is really little. If you have any suggestions that would be great.
well unfortunately the terms "light weight" and "low recoil" generally don't go together. All things being equal the heavier the gun the less the recoil. I generally think that starting a kid with a light weight single shot is a bad idea because it will kick like a mule and make shooting not fun. My first gun was a youth 870 20 gauge and I think that would be a pretty good starting point. It has a little more heft than a single shot (generally) but he should still be able to handle it, and it gives you the option of being a single shot (only give him one shell at a time) or a repeater. I'm quite sure they make a youth Remington 1100 as well. It will cost you quite a bit more i'm sure and it will likely be a little heavier but the gas system will soak up some of the recoil. If I was in your shoes (and i'm not so feel free to disregard any of this) I would probably go with the 870. If he tries it and it is either too heavy or kicks too hard I would put it in the gun safe and leave it there until next year because he is probably too little right now. I think it is better to wait an extra year and make sure he is physically ready, than to start him too soon and have him not enjoy himself because the gun tires him out and beats him up.
Im looking for a youth 20 gauge. One thats vey light and with very low recoil because the boy that will be shooting it is really little. If you have any suggestions that would be great.
How little?? Is this kid 5 years old little or is he 10-12 and just small frame?
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If you want something with low recoil a .410 doesn't seem to be a bad choice. Of the 20 gauges I've shot they aren't horrible but I don't know that a little kid would want to shoot them. The .410's I've shot aren't bad at all.
Unfortunately, recoil and weight are a trade off and there's no free lunch as they say. If you get a gun that is light enough for a small framed kid to carry around all day comfortably, and it's going to kick harder. No way around it. You can use light target loads, but they're still going to kick pretty good from a very light shotgun. The felt recoil is a factor of the mass of the payload and powder, the velocity, and the mass of the gun. A lot of people buy a 20 gauge to reduce recoil, but they can actually wind up with a harder kicking gun depending on what shells they shoot. A 20ga shooting a 1oz shot load at 1300 fps that weighs 6.5lbs will kick more than a 12ga shooting a similar load that weighs 7.5lbs. I'd say get him a nice, mid weight, pump gun like a Remington 870 if he's big and strong enough to operate it. Load it with the lightest target loads you can get to start and work him up to the heavier field loads. If he's too small for the 870, you can try an NEF single shot 20ga (my first shotgun when I was 8). It's simple to operate, but you're going to want to put a really good recoil pad on it because the stock "pad" doesn't do much. Have the stock length of pull cut down to fit his frame. A good fitting shotgun is not only essential to accurate wingshooting, but it will also help reduce felt recoil.
I'll go the other route and say stay away from a single shot and pump. Get a auto. Being gas operated I don't think they kick as hard as a pump or single. My son is 8 years old and 60 pounds and was able to fire his no problem this year using buckshot loads. Not many to choose from though. Remington 11-87 youth, Charles Daly youth and Escort youth. There might be one or two others. Saw a Smith and Wesson youth this past year. Was more than the 11-87. I would go with the Charles Daly. It and the Escort are made in Turkey and I think the Daly is a little better. Around 250 cheaper than the 11-87. I have the Escort for my son and it is decent and has nice walnut but he bangs it up. Also with the Daly, it uses the Rem Choke system so chokes are easy to find versus Escort which uses the Huglu system in 20 gauge. Just my 2 cents.
Be observive of the shells you are using, stay away from heavy dr. eq, high speed, heavy weightloads and stick with the light ones. I would suggest getting some Winchester AA Feather Weight Low Recoil Low Noise Target Loads. I have been training youth for years with the 12 ga version and theynow offer it in a 20 ga loading. Great loads to start someone that is recoil shy on till they can tolerate heavier recoil. They will not operate/cycle a semi-auto though and if used in them they inturn are a single shot. However, the Feather's can be used in other actions with great results.
It's a catch 22 with kids/youth, women on the weight thing, less weight equates to more recoil and vice versa. I do however notice that alot of students of today are generally "weaker" that kids of yesteryear strength wise. Some dont have a problem with recoil but have difficultly dealing with the weight of a firearm.
No matter what type of 20 gauge you decide on, I strongly urge you to give the Winchester Feathers a try. They might be harder to find but are well worth it, trap and skeet clubs and Cabela's usually stock them.
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Youth 20
