What slug gun for kids ?
 

I live in IL, which allows shotguns loaded with slugs as the only long gun for deer. [:@]Too much flat land, I guess.

Moving is not an option right now, and I have a 4 year old daughter that wants to hunt deer with me in the next few years.

I hunt deer with bow and gun, and the minimums legal for deer are 20 gauge and 40 pound draw. I figure she'll be able to shoot the gun beforeshe getsbig enough to pull the bow, so I'm looking into guns now that might be good.

Have you ever successfully setup a kid with a slug gun?
I'm thinking 20 gauge semiauto to tame the recoil, and because of the long reach required by a pump.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I know both mossberg and remington make youth models, 870 youth from remington and bandit from mossberg.

870 is the same 870 pump adults used, just scaled down. Bandit is a model 500 pump, scaled down. The bandit comes with (well it did when my son bought his) a certificate to help upgrade to a full sized 500.

The bandit slug barrel is ported to reduce recoil and both come with recoil pads.

they are both awesome guns for youths.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Either Remington or Mossberg youth models would be fine choices. Also there aresingle shot 20 gauges made by NEF (New England Firearms) with a rifled barrel and scope mounts from the factory. Muzzle loadersis also a option as far as long guns for Illinois. I just got one myself so I don't feel comfortable making recommendations for something I haven't hunted with yet myself, get more experienced guys thoughts on those. Take a serious look at the 20 gauge single shots though. Good luck

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I have a remington 870 in 20 gauge and the gun is exellent for deer hunting. The kick for a 20 gauge isnt bad but its not like a .22 either as long as she is waering apad of some sort it should be no problem. The remington also comes in youth models
good luck,

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

500® Bantam™ & 505 Youth™ Series















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Firearms >500® Bantam™ & 505 Youth™ Series



Built to Last. Built with the Beginner Shooter in Mind.For more than a decade, the Mossberg® 500® pump-action shotgun has served as one of the most practical starter shotguns ever made. Now, with the same standards of quality, dependability, and safety in mind, shooters and hunters will find the 500® Super Bantam™ truly remarkable. Unequalled in practicality and loaded with custom-like features, these new pump-action shotguns provide an affordable opportunity for beginning and growing shooters to get started with a safe and reliable shotgun. The Mossberg® 500® Bantam™ is the choice of youngsters and smaller stature adults - from beginners to seasoned shooters alike. With the same standards of dependability and safety in mind, Mossberg® now offers the 500® Super Bantam™ 20-gauge pump. Like the 500® Bantam™ it is geared for young sportsmen and smaller framed shooters. Its superior versatility however, is what makes this gun truly "super." Here's how it works: The Super Bantam™ features a standard 12" length of pull (one full inch shorter than the standard Bantam™) and it comes with an innovative stock spacer and extra rubber recoil pad to bring the synthetic stock to 13" overall. When the shooter is ready for a full-sized length of pull, (14"+) just turn in the certificate that came in the box, for a full 50% off the price of the full-sized stock.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I got an 870 Remington Express 20 gauge combo (interchangable slug and shot barrels) for Christmas when I was 12. I'm 24 now and it's the only gun I've ever owned or used.

I've taken 3 deer with it including a 250 lb buck all downed in 1 shot, works great!

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I would use a .410 they shoot alot further, ive never used one but ive heard that they are rifle like because the size and weight. Sounds like something i would try.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

410 is not legal in Illinois to hunt deer, minimum is 20 gauge.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Bulzeye _ I won't give you no Bulzshiet.

H&R Ultra Slug Hunter (USG) in 20 gauge will ABSOLUTELY deliver thesmallest amount of recoil. NoIF's AND's or BUT's.

The gun will deliverfantastic accuacy andinstill great confidence in the shooter.

DON'T OVERLOOK (WASTE YOUR TIME) THIS ONE. ;)

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Ooops, I said Bandit, its bantam, that's what my younger son has! Great little gun.

They do kick a bit with slugs, but with trap loads, which we practice with the kids can shoot all day. Sighting in for deer or with 3" turkey loads they didn't like, but they have both (other son has 870 youth from remington) they don't feel a thing when shooting at animals. With these "kids" guns, they have taken 18,20 lb turkeys, button buck, several geese, lots of ducks. Everything falls stone dead, they are GREAT guns!

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I'd go with the 20 ga. 870 thats what i had when i started....they're great slug guns

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I'm in the same boat, looking for a gun for my son. I looked at the NEF/ HR singleshots. Great little gun, but very heavy IMO. I've looked at the 870 youth gun, no one around here carrys the 500 bantams. I'll probably end up getting him the 870 combo in 20ga.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Good choice!:)

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I think you're going to have to wait a while. Unless your daughter is really big, any 20 ga. is going to be too big for her. My son has an 870 20 ga. He is ten years old, almost five feet tall and 108 lbs, and the 870 is a little too big for him. He can shoot it fine on a rest, and can even shoot skeet pretty well with it, but his position is all wrong on the gun. He has to hold the very back of the fore grip, which has caused problems chambering the next round during cold weather when he's wearing gloves.

I also have to disagree with the recoil being really low as mentioned previously. My son's 870 (pump) 20 ga. seems to have about the same felt recoil as my 11-87 (auto loader) 12 ga. Which isn't really bad, but for a 4 year old girl, I'd say it is excessive. She will develop a flinch if she shoots the 20 ga. at this age.

I have four children (two boys and two girls). This year I hunted deer with all but my youngest son who just turned two this week. My youngest daughter is five and she road in my pack as we stalk hunted, and I must say, it was really cool. We both had a great time. Even though she didn't have a gun, it must be cool to ride on the back of a hunter sneaking through the woods. We even came up with some hand signals for her to alert me with if she were to see some deer, since she was up a little higher than me.

My seven year old daughter came along a few times also, and we took a little four pointer (one I would have normally passed on, but we'd agreed four or more points was a taker for the day). She was too heavy for me to carry for hours on end and is a little too small an irresponsible to carry a loaded gun, so we took a different approach. I explained the property boundaries, activities associated with the time of day, the terrain and wind direction and she took control of the hunt, and made it happen. It was a great time.

And my oldest - well we had a great time too. Unfortunately we didn't take any animals on our outings, but passed on a few not so optimal shots, which I think was good ethics to pass on to him and we had a lot of fun together. He carries either his 870 or my sks.

My point is, don't rush it and you can still have fun without her carrying a gun. You could do some of the things I mentioned above, or come up with something new for yourself. She could always carry a toy gun, and then graduate to an unloaded gun and then finally to a loaded gun? Ride in daddy's pack or take control of the hunt. Nonetheless out hunting with dad, and I think that is what really matters. But if she really wants a gun, and you want her to have it, get it for her. Let her shoot it, but when you see what I'm talking about, just explain that you're sorry but it may be a while before she's ready to carry it while a field.

Good luck,
KP

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

not a good choice, and illegal in most places. a 20 is light years better

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Sorry about that i didnt see that you was talking about 20 gauge, i just went by " what slug gun for kids"..... how much does a remmy like that run for??? Thanks

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Howdy. The biggest mistake I've made so far in my hunting career is selling my remington 870 youth 20 gauge. Sure its a pump but it doesnt kick much and it was accurate with slugs. Its also a good all around shotgun for other hunting, and they are reasonalbly priced too!

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Santa brought my son his 20 ga. 870 this year. The cheapest Santa could find it, was $229.

Good Luck,

KP

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

OK... .410 is small for deer in any state but it is illegal in IL anyway.

The 870 in my opinion may kick a bit much with that small of a child, for one any pump kicks more than an auto of same weight. Not to mention that children can't always pump the gun or reach the pump properly..

The single shot H&R is a good gun and very accurate BUT, it weighs a ton.. That helps with recoil but it will be tough for a child to hold.. And I know some say they don't kick but I have shot many of them and I'll tellin ya that the single shot really kicks also, no place for the gas to go except out the end of the bbl.

There are many options and working for a gun shop I get this problem quite often with youths and hunting..

In your situation here is my humble opinion..

I would buy a used remington 1100 in 20 ga. IF you want to shoot sabots order a fully rifled slug bbl for a couple hundred bucks, I would choose iron sights to start.

With an 1100 you get lighter recoil, reliable classic gun along with a wood stock that you can trim an inch or so off of for a youth and very easily put a full size stock back on it later when the child out grows the smaller stock. Stocks are easy to find, I've bought several off Ebay for 30.00 or so.

This way you have a gun that can be used for more than just deer, a reliable gun, less recoil, easy to change as the child grows, and really inexpensive for what you get in my opinion..

Just my thoughts, good luck...

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Please correct me if im wrong, but in IL, don't you still have 8 more years before she can legally hunt? ( you said she's 4 right? ).

Either way, I do agree with the 870 Youth model. Thats what I started out with. Dad got it when I was about 10 or so to shoot and practice with, then started hunting at 12. I'm now 21, and still occasionally shoot that same gun ( little brother uses it, but he's not as much of an avid hunter. He's a "when it's not raining, snowing, or only the first 3 days of season" hunter ;) ). So when we're doing drives through the thick junk, i still to this day carry the 870 Youth. It's a lot shorter than my Ithaca, which is nice when going through a thicket, hah.

One thing I would say... for a first gun I would reccomend the pump over the semi-auto. Makes you wait. I know someone who started off with a pump, but got a semi-auto in his 2nd or 3rd year hunting, was maybe 14? Emptied his gun two different times fast enough that he never had a chance... I think having a pump slows down a young hunter's follow-up shot just enough to make them settle down. Thats JMHO!

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Theres no age limit in IL that I am aware of. My neighbors kids hunt and the oldest one is 11.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Let's take this situation ONE STEP AT A TIME.

Daughter is now 4.

She wants to start deer hunting with you "in the next few years". This will bring her to 6 or 7 years old, correct?

In order to hunt in IL she will have to successfully attend a hunter safety education course and pass the examination. At 6 or 7 YOA (or sometimes even 8 or 9) the kids are not able to read the test. We are not able to turn anyone wanting to take the class/test away based on age (discrimination), so one of us instructors (we can't allow parents,siblings or others to do it) will read each of the 50 test questions to the student and read each of the 4 multiple choice answers.

I have never seen these young of studentspass the test. It breaks my heart because as I read the questions, as hard and helpful as I try to be, I know the students do not understand the great majority of the questions.It is QUITE HEARTBREAKING at times, believe me. I teach these classes because I love kids and getting them into the outdoors with their Moms and Dads. I would love to walk away at the end of each class and test with a warm feeling but when the young kids are in class I know all weekend that I will have to walk away with a bad feeling. Kinda like a lump in my throat that I have to swallow.

IMO getting by this obstacle first should be priority. You may have to repeat the classes several times so be sure to be upfront about this with her to minimize disappointment. I see plenty of kids leave in tears. Sometimes I practically shed tears myself.

Then worry about the gun.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I just finally had time to read all the responses today.
Thank you for your input everyone.
I'm pleased to see how many of you have helped children learn our favortie pastime.

As I stated in the original post, the legal minimum for IL deer is 20 gauge, so that throws out anything smaller. My little girl will already have the shooting basics down pat by the time she hunts. If she's interested, she'll start with an airgun, then a 22 carbine, then a 22 pistol, and only then will she be moving on to bigger things, but I'm concerned about the 20's recoil.

She will also accompany me on my huntsin the ways several of you have suggested. She needs to learn the ways of the woods, how to read sign, how to move quietly, how to use the weather and wind, and needs to observe deer under a variety of conditions so that she can learn their ways too. There is no substitute for personal experience, and I'd like her to learn much before actually pulling a trigger.

I feel that all beginnerhunters would benefit from having a mentor show them the way, but I definitely want my daughter to learn things in the proper order, and demonstrate safety and responsibility on the rangewell before she walks with a loaded gun in search of game.

I am jumping the gun here a bit since she is still so young, but I want to be ahead of the game in my thinking, and to be a good resource for anyone who asks me what might work best.

In spite of the pump's lower cost, simpler manual of arms, and forced time to think before shooting follow up shots, I'm still leaning toward the 20 semi for the reduced recoil, and avoiding having her not able to cycle the action of a pump because her arms aren't long enough yet. I can limit her additional shots by simply loading only 1 shell, and keeping extras handy. Not ideal, but a good start.

It's good to know that there have been problems getting kids to pass the test. I would have thought that with proper study, practice, and well written clear questions, that it would not be incredibly difficult for kids to pass. I truly hope that the main cause for this is that the kids taking the test are not properly prepared, and not that there is a flaw in the testing.

I wish I could set her up with a nice 243 bolt adn not have to consider this so much, but the powers that be have deemed us IL residents too unfit and unsafe to hunt with any weapon that shoots out past 200 yards. [:@]

Thanks again.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

My boys started out, and still pretty much use, two guns.

First was the same exact gun pictured earlier in the forum. The mossberg 500 youth gun. We have two barrels, one is 26 inches (I think) w/ a vent rib and choke tubes. The other is the rifled, ported 20 gauge. It still does kick a bit, but they started shooting it when they were 7 or so with little problems. The rifled barrel combined with partition gold sabots will flat bust a deer out to 150 yards easy, (of course, I limit my kids to about 80 yard broadside shots). Also, it really has great terminal performance, the boys have taken 3 or 4 with it in the last three years, all clean shots through the deer with devestating damage.

The other gun is a T/C Black Diamond muzzle loader. At first blush you may think it not a reasonable gun, but let me finish. I took a used Black Diamond and cut 4 or 5 inches off the barrel and recrowned it. Has about 19 inches or so of barrel left. I then took two or three inches off the stock, put several ounces of lead in the stock cavity and put a limbsaver recoil pad on it. Topped that off with a Bushnell Dusk to Dawn 3x9 scope. Makes for a very nice and handy scout type rifle. We use 70 grains of 777 loose powder and Hornady 240 grain XTP hollowpoint bullets.They have killed 5 deer in the past three years with the m/ler and every shot has been a clean passthrough with a good blood trail. At 100 yards it shoots a pretty decent 2 inch group.The lighter load, combined with the lead in the stock, results in a light to moderate "shove" rather than a kick. All the guys here love the gun and tease my boys that they are going to sneak it out of the truck.

My oldest son, now 11, much rathers the muzzle loader to the 20 any day. This is a good option, because with this gun they can hunt in both the gun and m/l seasons. They only have one shot, but so far, that is all they have needed with either gun.

Good luck
Hank

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I hadn't considered an ML since I don't use one, but that may indeed be a viable option. I'll have to do my homework, but your modifications are quite inventive and make a great deal of sense to my little pee brain.

Thanks

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Here is a pic of my youngest with the m/ler and a spike from two years ago. He was 7 then. One shot, one kill. Balances in the wrist, perfect for a youngster.
Hank

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Not sure how the 20 gauge Remington Reduced Recoil will cycle a semi-auto. But they are sure softer than anything else - that's for sure. I bet they would feel very soft in an H&R. I'll have to try a box and see.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

Please do.
I really do want to find a good slug or ML solution for the youngsters, and have good info on some alternatives.

RE: What slug gun for kids ?
 

I got this exact combo for the wife and kids. you cant go wrong here folks.