Youth 20 gauge
08-26-2011, 07:01 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 872
remington 870. mossberg 500 bantam. how old is he? if he is 12 or older i would just go with a full size shotgun, in mossbergs case it would just be the 500 then. it may be a little difficult at first but he would grow out of a youth to quick. i think he may enjoy the mossberg better with the tang safety. I feel like it is easier to be safe with, an you can flip it off faster when shooting birds. since the safety is on the top if you have a friend who needs to borrow it, the gun goes both ways for leftys/rightys. Also you can find a lot of mossbergs that come with package deals that come with a rifled slug barrel and a scope mount for deer. good luck finding a gun!
08-26-2011, 07:01 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 872
remington 870. mossberg 500 bantam. how old is he? if he is 12 or older i would just go with a full size shotgun, in mossbergs case it would just be the 500 field then. it may be a little difficult at first but he would grow out of a youth to quick. i think he may enjoy the mossberg better with the tang safety. I feel like it is easier to be safe with, an you can flip it off faster when shooting birds. since the safety is on the top if you have a friend who needs to borrow it, the gun goes both ways for leftys/rightys. Also you can find a lot of mossbergs that come with package deals that come with a rifled slug barrel and a scope mount for deer. good luck finding a gun!
08-26-2011, 04:19 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central VT/Big Horn WY
Posts: 1,543
I bought my daughter a Remington 870 20ga Youth model. I think she was 11 or 12 when she got it. It's a sweet little gun and she has killed a number of turkeys with it. In the begining she had to use shooting sticks as it was heavy for her. Now she is 16 and can handle it well.
Good luck!
Good luck!
08-27-2011, 05:05 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: WY
Posts: 2,056
This one can be difficult. I have a Benelli Nova Youth around here somewhere, I've actually used it a time or two on pheasants. "Handy" would be my term, but I'm far more used to my Onyx to give it up.
What a youth gun will have going for it will be length of pull which sometimes shaves a few ounces off. Of course, most kids are going to grow and eventually need a longer stock - barring a few smaller-statured shooters. What it has going against it is that it's often going to be available only in 20 ga. Not to get into a debate that the 20 ga is by any means inadequate, the simple fact that a 12 ga throws a heavier, larger shot column makes it a bit more forgiving. Recoil-wise, I've never found the 20 to be a whole lot less recoil unless I'm shooting trap/field loads.
My recommendation: Either find a good, used 12 ga that you're not averse to cutting the stock down to fit, or plan on trading up in a couple of years. Brand-wise, I've had some problems with the Nova and light firing pin strikes (google it and it's apparently fairly common). I'd probably try an 870 Youth (I've two other 870s) if I were to do it again. Although the Mossberg's always available and priced reasonably, I've not been impressed with fit-and-finish. Can't remember if it was a Bantam or Maverick I looked at once, but it screamed "cheep" - though I'm aware they do have a reputation for reliability otherwise.
What a youth gun will have going for it will be length of pull which sometimes shaves a few ounces off. Of course, most kids are going to grow and eventually need a longer stock - barring a few smaller-statured shooters. What it has going against it is that it's often going to be available only in 20 ga. Not to get into a debate that the 20 ga is by any means inadequate, the simple fact that a 12 ga throws a heavier, larger shot column makes it a bit more forgiving. Recoil-wise, I've never found the 20 to be a whole lot less recoil unless I'm shooting trap/field loads.
My recommendation: Either find a good, used 12 ga that you're not averse to cutting the stock down to fit, or plan on trading up in a couple of years. Brand-wise, I've had some problems with the Nova and light firing pin strikes (google it and it's apparently fairly common). I'd probably try an 870 Youth (I've two other 870s) if I were to do it again. Although the Mossberg's always available and priced reasonably, I've not been impressed with fit-and-finish. Can't remember if it was a Bantam or Maverick I looked at once, but it screamed "cheep" - though I'm aware they do have a reputation for reliability otherwise.
