Looking for feedback - shotgun for my 12yo

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nitsuj

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Hi All! My 12yo is really eager to get into hunting, and I'm going to be in the market for a firearm for him to hunt with. Having not hunted at a young age, and none of my friends remembering what they used, nor do any of them have older kids, I'm looking for feedback, as I want him to have a good experience. We are going to be starting with birds, turkeys and pheasants and then move on from there. My thought is a Remington 870 Compact JR in 20ga would be a good fit, any feedback, thoughts, opinions are welcome
 
Bought my kid a 20 gauge benelli nova around that age. Been a great gun. I still use it for youth pheasant training for kids to borrow. Thousands of rounds thru it.

Personally not a fan of Remington pump gun quality nowadays. However if you think he will move on to deer hunting Mossberg and Remington deer barrels will be cheaper and easier to find than any Benelli.

If he needs a shorter stock that too will be easier to find in Rem or Moss.

My kid is 20 now and uses a 1959 Ithaca 37 12 gauge with a 26 inch imp cyl barrel. Hes deadly with it.
Lots of one shot kills this year at some impressive distances on pheasants.
 
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I still have my Ithaca 66 20ga my parents gave me for my 12th birthday. My son has used it for pheasant and bagged a 22# longbeard turkey with it.
 
I'd recommend a single shot as a starter gun for a young hunter. It will make him be more aware and careful of his shot. Single shots are also a good gun to reinforce proper gun safety and handling with. As far as gauge, a 12, 16 or 20 is fine just don't start him hunting with a 410. A 410 is really an expert shooters gun and he may get discouraged by his misses with one.

Make sure that the gun fits properly! This is more important than anything else.
 
Winchester73 summed it up. Cheap 20g was my first. Keep in mind if getting a "Jr" model, he may outgrow it pretty quick. Might look for something with a modular / adjustable stock or at least the ability to add and subtract spacers.
 
I got an 870 youth 20-gauge for the kid when he was littler than me - an outstanding youth gun!
Used it last week for skeet with the scouts - we put 12 boxes through it :)

p.s. MassWildlife puts on youth pheasant, turkey& deer hunts for kids that have taken Hunter Safety

Youth Deer Hunt Day

The Youth Deer Hunt day is the 4th Saturday following Labor Day. Learn more about this opportunity for young hunters.
www.mass.gov www.mass.gov

Youth Turkey Hunt Program

www.mass.gov www.mass.gov

Youth Pheasant Hunt Program

The Youth Pheasant Hunt is a great way for young adults (ages 12-17) to practice firearms safety, develop shooting skills, and join in a pheasant hunt with an experienced hunter in a friendly environment.
www.mass.gov www.mass.gov

also - see if there's an SCTP team near you - (it sez there's one at Massapoag): Scholastic Clay Target Program - Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation
they'll turn him into a deadeye marksman!
 
Mossberg 20 gauge combo would be a good start. Comes with a slug and bird barrel. My son was 12 when I bought it for him ....he's taken rabbit hare turkey duck deer squirrel and pheasant with it. It's a fantastic starter gun. He's 18 now and still uses it on hare hunts. He took a turkey with it last spring too.
 
Winchester73 said:
I'd recommend a single shot as a starter gun for a young hunter. It will make him be more aware and careful of his shot. Single shots are also a good gun to reinforce proper gun safety and handling with. As far as gauge, a 12, 16 or 20 is fine just don't start him hunting with a 410. A 410 is really an expert shooters gun and he may get discouraged by his misses with one.

Make sure that the gun fits properly! This is more important than anything else.
Click to expand...
Ill second that a 410 is not a good starter gun. Most of those single shots are full choked and kids do horrible with them when I train for the youth program.
Ill disagree that a single shot is not what you want to get. You can always load one into a pump to make it a single shot.
Its what we do when early training. But by the end many kids are ready to shoot report doubles, or even true doubles to inrease their skills. The kids with single shots cant do that.

Should the kids get highly interested in skeet they with a single shot they are limited. Pump they can play the game as it was meant to be.
 
Mark from MA said:
Ill second that a 410 is not a good starter gun. Most of those single shots are full choked and kids do horrible with them when I train for the youth program.
Ill disagree that a single shot is not what you want to get. You can always load one into a pump to make it a single shot.
Its what we do when early training. But by the end many kids are ready to shoot report doubles, or even true doubles to inrease their skills. The kids with single shots cant do that.

Should the kids get highly interested in skeet they with a single shot they are limited. Pump they can play the game as it was meant to be.
Click to expand...
I'll add that some of the "youth" model single shot 20s were designed by people trying to DISCOURAGE kids from getting into shooting. Before I bought my son his Mossberg 20 gauge I had borrowed a Rossi "youth" single shot. That friggin gun hurt like a mother f***er to shoot. My son was 12.....he took 4 shots at the trap field and his eyes were tearing up. That gun would about jump out of your hands it snapped so hard.
 
Thanks for all the replies! Definitely going to go 20ga, and as far as the Junior model goes, I'll have to take him to see how it fits him, I'm thinking the same way a few folks here are, the pump action would be a good choice since it can be single shot if I only give him one round. I plan to get him comfortable with it on a trap field as well.

As far as the hunter education classes, he will indefinitely be in one. He has done a firearms safety course already (his boy scout troop had a NRA instructor do the MA firearms safety course for them and tested them on it, he paid attention)
 
nitsuj said:
Thanks for all the replies! Definitely going to go 20ga, and as far as the Junior model goes, I'll have to take him to see how it fits him, I'm thinking the same way a few folks here are, the pump action would be a good choice since it can be single shot if I only give him one round. I plan to get him comfortable with it on a trap field as well.

As far as the hunter education classes, he will indefinitely be in one. He has done a firearms safety course already (his boy scout troop had a NRA instructor do the MA firearms safety course for them and tested them on it, he paid attention)
Click to expand...
At 12 years old he doesn't need the hunter Ed course to hunt. He can hunt with you "in direct control" and you can only have one gun between the two of you. He doesn't even need a license at 12.....he's hunting on you license. I hunted with my boy for years that way.

Once he's 15 he'll need an fid card hunter Ed and his own hunting license.
 
whacko said:
At 12 years old he doesn't need the hunter Ed course to hunt. He can hunt with you "in direct control" and you can only have one gun between the two of you. He doesn't even need a license at 12.....he's hunting on you license. I hunted with my boy for years that way.

Once he's 15 he'll need an fid card hunter Ed and his own hunting license.
Click to expand...

Right, I know he hunts under me, I would like him to take the hunters ed course regardless, I believe the youth hunt days require that he takes a hunters ed course
 
nitsuj said:
Right, I know he hunts under me, I would like him to take the hunters ed course regardless, I believe the youth hunt days require that he takes a hunters ed course
Click to expand...

Yes it does. If he hasnt taken it he will have to. Youth pheasant and Turkey also may require a classroom day for first time hunters. Even if they have taken hunter ed.

After that they just are required to attend shooting training and a prehunt workshop.

Im one of the teachers for youth pheasant at my club in central ma. Its a great program and weve had probably 1000 or more kids go thru it successfully over the years. Made many new hunters and shooters.
 

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