Small-gauge shotgun

[pato]

I'm looking for a shotgun that my 10-year-old son can comfortably learn on, but one that will retain some practicality later. We have a 20 gauge, and he could certainly fire the 20 without ending up on his can, but I think the noise and kick would still be enough to make it an unpleasant, bad experience. I don't want to imprint him with the idea that shotguns are scary and painful.

I recently went on a bird hunt with some cousins, and two of the teens used 28 gauges with good effect on pheasant, chukar, and quail. So I'm now leaning toward getting a 28 gauge rather than a .410. I doubt anyone in the family will get good enough with a .410 to use it down the road, but I've seen that a 28 has practical value as a bird gun.

My problem is that, cheap b*stard that I am, I've yet to spend $300 on a shotgun, and I don't intend to start now. I found a tollerable 20 gauge and an old Higgins 12 gauge that I love for under that, but 28s seem harder to come by. There are plenty of high-end ones for the serious wing shooters, but not so much with the 28s.

Any suggestions on where to look? Any ideas for another alternative to meet my objectives?

[allingeneral]

Second half of this video is my youngest daughter with my Mossberg 500 12Ga. She had just turned 11, and this was her first time shooting this gun. First part of the video is my oldest with my .38 revolver.

[Utah]

My opinion...not going to find a decent 28 for $300, however I've been wrong before. With that said you have some options fairly inexpensive. If your can operate a pump you can find used Remington 870's for under $600 if you look around, if he can't operate the pump you should be able to find a CZ Woodcock for $1k little less. The CZ is a decent gun very light 6lbs. and handles very fast. There are other inexpensive 28's out there but these are the only ones I have first hand knowledge of.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[pato]

Thanks for the feedback. I take the point about the video, but I note the pistol grip and the non-shoulder mount. I think a 12- or 20-gauge shouldered would still be a little too much for my kid to comfortably fire.

As for under $300, I did find this single-shot: http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/prod ... 26+Hardwoo. Any views on New England/H&R guns?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Hocktl]

I'll throw my 2 cents out there. Considering by your own admission you are cheap I would propose you go to the ammo shelf and you compare shells for the 410 and 28 gauge vs 20 and 12. I suspect you will decide 20 gauge is what's right for you.

I've got one of these in 410 I shoot skeet with and won't hesitate to take for dove. http://www.mossbergintl.com/pages/silverreserve.htm
I reload 410 though. What a blast to shoot with.

Well, that was 2 cents twice.

[GeneFrenkle]

One thing you may want to consoder is that kids grow and grow quickly. Somethin "small" enough for right now may be looked down upon by ypur child in a year or two. Youth sized guns can also be an issue as arms lengthen. Interesting thread in terms of tradeoffs.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[pato]

Excellent points re ammo costs and growth of the kid. Maybe I'll just wait another year and see if he seems ready for the 20 gauge when he's 11. No particular rush, anyway.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Reverenddel]

Why hate on the .410? Many a squirrel, rabbit, and dove has been harvested. Has more to do with the choke, and shot than anything. Granted you have to AIM a bit more... but still.

[RWBlue01]

I am going to suggest something different.

Get a 12ga single shot or double barrel and get a reducer.

These are the cheap ones.
http://shotgunadapter.com/

Single barrels are CHEAP. They teach people to make their shots. You could also do an Encore with switch barrels.

But a nice double is, well something to use for the rest of his life.

[DryBones]

those adapters are cool. do they work well? I wouldn't mind doing this for the wife to get her use to the gun and move her up through the gauges until she is comfortable with 12.

[Hocktl]

Why hate on the .410? Many a squirrel, rabbit, and dove has been harvested. Has more to do with the choke, and shot than anything. Granted you have to AIM a bit more... but still.

Who is hating on 410? I just pointed out you can buy 20 gauge shells a lot cheaper than you can buy 410 or 28 gauge. The demand is not as high and that translates to more expensive to shoot.

[RWBlue01]

those adapters are cool. do they work well? I wouldn't mind doing this for the wife to get her use to the gun and move her up through the gauges until she is comfortable with 12.

I don't have much experience with then. (I just shoot my 12GA. I have always done better with high brass and larger shot.) But if you search the web you will find many discussions of them being used by trap and skeet shooters with EXPENSIVE guns. I don't think these guys would put up with something that didn't work.

[pato]

RWBlue01 -- Thanks. I'd never heard of a reducer before. That might be about perfect for my purposes, and the price certainly suits my budget. Of course, as someone else pointed out, a nice o/u is something we'd have for down the road a bit, but, at least in 28 gauge, that's more than I'm inclined to spend. But I'm going to look into those.

I've never seen a reducer in a gun shop, or at least never noticed one. Anyone know of a shop in northern Virginia that carries them?

[Snakester]

Have you considered a Rossi Circuit Judge... .410 / .45 Colt . You can shoot buckshot , bird shot , slugs or .45 Long Colt. A lot of fun to shoot. I have a Judge .22/.22 Mag. but the .410/.45 Colt is on my wish list.