youth shotgun

[steamer]

im going to get my son his first gun for his birthday. i have it narrowed down to either the bantam or super bantam by mossburg.anyone have any pros or cons for either one of these .

[jwnissen]

I have a part time job selling guns, my fun job, and I get this question all the time. First, you need to size the gun to your son, put it in his hands and see what he likes and what feels good. I push the remington 870 youth model. I like where the slide release and safety are on the 870 vs the mossberg. Again personal preference. The safety on the mossberg is on the top side of the gun and could easle get caught on a loose vest or something and take it off safe. I show people both guns, offer my opinion, and inform them on other options. The nice thing about mossberg is that they have a lot of youth sizes. I deal with a lot of guns and if memory serves me right, I beleive the main difference is the size of the gun and a couple accessories. My opinion is the 870 is a much more durable gun and if it fits your son, I would spend the extra money on it. Either way I sell a lot of both guns and if you will only use them for a few seasons, go with the mossberg. I just dont like how they sound when you use the action ( sounds cheaply built). Good luck

John

[gotpointers]

Franchi al48 in a twenty gauge. They are not cheap but its a quaility gun and it can always be handed down for generations to come.

[Nick Miles]

Agree with gotpointers - get him a little twenty gauge. It can be kept in the family, it's a great addition to a wingshooting armoury.

[Allamakee1]

+1 on the 870. I just got one for my wife. She is only 5'2 so I got her the pink camo 20ga. All of the youth guns we looked at were 20ga. I also thought the mossberg felt kinda cheep. Also the 870 comes with adjustable length of pull so you can increase it as your son gets older/bigger until he is big enough to get a regular size gun.

Good Luck.

[ranmcc]

I bought a superbantam for my grandson and he is almost 8. Kicks too hard for him to shoot. Too light. Get something else. He may be able to shoot it when he gets larger and the stock is extended but not this young.

[RayGubernat]

My son's first gun was a .410 but it was difficult for him to wingshoot successfully.

I initially bought him a Mossberg in 20 ga, but after about a flat of shells, the slide became detached from the action. i returned the defective gun and bought a Winchester 20 ga. youth model pump with both stocks, youth and adult.

The Winchester is a fine gun and my son shoots it well to this day, but it has one serious design flaw. They placed the safety switch at the front of the trigger guard. That means a youth sized had has to slide forward from the pistol grip to push off the safety and then relocate itself on the grip. Not the easiest way to learn to shoot. The only other option is to push the safety off before mounting the gun and that is something I will not tolerate in someone I hunt with. The safety comes off as the gun is coming up...not before.

The Rem 870 has the safety release button in the correct place, at the back of the trigger guard. If I had it to do over again, I would buy the Remington youth pump for a first gun or a 28 ga., if I had money to spare. The Franchi auto is indeed a Sweeeeeet litle gun.

RayG

[Mountaineer]

I would never saddle a kid with a 410 for wingshooting....just to shoot or rabbits or squirrels, then sure.
You do not say the size or age of your son....makes a difference.
What can also matter is the balance the gun has....too muzzle heavy for the kid's strength and all else becomes more difficult especially fatigue and stance....too bulky for a good grip and the same results.
I would suggest considering a 20 gauge, with something like Fiocchi 3/4 ounce trainers, as need demands.
Personally, a 24" 391 or even a used short barrel O/U can work very well, all dependent upon the child....the old 21" 1100 properly loaded and monitored ain't bad either.
I would avoid a pump but that is just me....simpler the better many times.

For a very early gun , we need something like the old Savage 220 single with the top tang safety.
That was good cracker, as Andy used to say.

[Ms. Cage]

I really like my youth Rem. model 870. Then again it's the only gun I've owned.

[gotpointers]

Good points, the recoil on the semi autos is almost nonexistent with 3/4 loads. I dont want my kid flinching or scared to shoot due to recoil. I was parinoid with accedental fire with a semi but it seems my 11 year old had paid attention at hunter saftey. No problems. I made sure to leave my gun home for the first couple dove hunts and observed his actions. I saved the wood we cut off the frachi stock and i will glue it back on in a couple years. I also am a big fan of the beretta 390,391 my older son had a 390 i picked up brand new at wallyworld for less than 400 on clearance. Budsguns, gunbroker, gunsamerica all have some used and new berettas, benellis and franchis that won't break the bank. I just bought a xtrema 2 12 ga also very light and little recoil.

[Mountaineer]

One consideration for the 3/4 ounce trainers I mentioned...they will not consistently cycle a semi-auto....function was inconsistent in a 391.
Some will find that a selling point for the combo and slightly heavier loads can be a next step up.
There is an irrationaly fear towards semi-autos and kids.

[pinebrookkennel]

Steamer
We have the bantam model 500 in 20 ga, one nice thing about it is you can see the safety on the top. One glance from you
Or the shooter and you know its on or off.
Safety is ALLWAYS first with a youngster
The 20 is light little gun and very easy to carry around in the field. They also come with the sling clips new.
Thumbs up to the youth mossberg 500 bantam.

[rinker]

I bought my son a youth model 870 years ago and he never could shoot it very well. In my opinion a pump is not a good alternative for a smaller child, they can't reach the fore end. I ended up buying my son an off brand gas operated semi auto used in a youth model. I think I paid $299, this was about ten years ago. We shot a lot of skeet then and he nearly wore it completely out. I eventually traded it in on a used Ruger Red Label and had 3/4 of an inch taken off the stock. My son was and is an excellent shot, he won a 12 and under competitive skeet shoot a few days before his ninth birthday. He could never shoot that 870 well at all.

[Mountaineer]

I bought my son a youth model 870 years ago and he never could shoot it very well. In my opinion a pump is not a good alternative for a smaller child, they can't reach the fore end. I ended up buying my son an off brand gas operated semi auto used in a youth model. I think I paid $299, this was about ten years ago. We shot a lot of skeet then and he nearly wore it completely out. I eventually traded it in on a used Ruger Red Label and had 3/4 of an inch taken off the stock. My son was and is an excellent shot, he won a 12 and under competitive skeet shoot a few days before his ninth birthday. He could never shoot that 870 well at all.

Well noted and exactly why I inquired about size and age....still unanswered but oh, well.
The pump is always the first to be recommended for a kid with little more reason than cost and availability.
It can offer hurdles to overcome.

[steamer]

thanks for the replies. i ended up with the bantam in 20 ga. he just turned 10 . he is a bit above average in size for his age. he has had hunters ed, a season of shot gun shooting sports in 4 h, and alot of time carrying my unloaded single shot when we work the dog . i have been staying on top of him in the field about keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction until it becomes instinct . he shot pumps most of the time in 4 h. the club does have an auto loader but it was to heavy for him . i do like the al48 that is a nice gun. cz makes a nice looking youth auto loader also. hes put about a hundred rounds through it so far with out any trouble . i am curious about how it will hold up over time . its by no means the best built gun out there but not the worst either. now we are just waiting on hunting season to get here.