youth 20 ga

[jpettit]

my 10 year old has been using a rossi single shot 410 & is ready to move up to a 20 ga pump. wondering what is my best option for a cost effective, quality gun to last him? i was thinking of a 870 youth 20 ga & would like to hear from what others have experienced. There also seems to be a mossburg also out there. or am i better off checking out a o/u ?

thanks for your input.

[SmilinBob]

This is a great opportunity for you to take him to a gun shop and let him have the most say in what he likes. The key here is to have him handle as many different guns as possible and get the one that works for him, getting 500 different responses here will do HIM absolutly no good, and having a sales person steer you doesn't help until you have it narrowed down a to a few final choices and want to compare pros/cons of each, then get a good, knowledgable person to talk it over with, there are a lot of people working big stores firearms counters just to collect a check, or promote the money makers. That said, the choices you mentioned, 870, mossberg 5XX (there are a number that are similar, 500, 535, 590 etc) line are the workhorses of the gun world, thats why there are so many and the value is good. These come in youth models, and when he outgrows it, it's a simple matter of replacing the stock with a regular one, getting onto a O/U in 20 is going to cost a fair amount of money if cost effective is an issue, but it would be a nice long term investment. Shop around and let him pick out his own gun, it will be fun and you will be suprised at the things you both will learn while doing it!

[sigosaur]

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[GatorBait]

There's nothing wrong with getting a few responses that may offer you a few avenues to think about. We are here to offer knowledgable information to assist fellow sportsman in this type of situation. That being said, yes, involve your son with the buying of his shotgun. The most important thing is that the gun fits him and he's comfortable with it. 870's and Mossberg's are great choices to start off with. Let him handle them, see what's comfortable and go from there. Personally, i'd stay away from the o/u's for now, they run higher in price and can be difficult for youths to manage properly. Enjoy your time finding a shotgun for him, it'll make his day when he brings it home.

[Fins-n-feathers]

I have always liked the Remington 870. Its a good gun that is very reliable. I have never heard of the Mossberg, but I stil would go with the 870.

Just my two cents.

[gspman]

From an economic perspective a youth pump 20 gauge is the way to go. Take a look at the variety of models and then do some internet research on each one and pick.

A youth semi-auto is also a great one to look at and there are many out there to choose from.

I don't know if there are youth o/u's but if there are you would want to consider shorter barrels so they have less risk of being in the ground when your son opens the action.

[tomfromblaine]

I just picked up a Remmington 870 youth from a fellow FM'r for my 10 yo daughter, IMO it's a nice looking/handling gun, we have yet to shoot it but she loves it, plus like as previously mentioned as she gets bigger we can change out the stock if needed. I also considered an auto but with the price of ammo these days I want her to work for that next shot

Tom

[jpettit]

thanks for all your input, we decided to go with the 870 2o ga youth compact. he is very happy & it's a great that as he grows we can put the standrad stock on it. again thanks for your input.

Jon