Posted on 02/20/2018 11:20:32 AM PST by GOP_Party_Animal
Yes! Yes they do :-)
Getting into Hillsdale is no walk in the park and the work once there is very demanding. Understand that the order there is student-athlete. The team is currently on a 4-year National championship run, 5 of the previous 6 I believe.
As long as the NRA doesn’t teach him... (/sarc) ;)
Got my son a Franchi Instinct SL 20 ga at Christmas a couple years ago, when he was 12 years old.
He’d been shooting a Spanish 12 ga of mine before that. He went from a 17 avg to 22 avg that summer. His comments about his shooting improvement were that the new gun was easier to shoot due to less kick and that the new gun was lighter so it was easier to swing.
He outshoots me now just about every time, at 15 years old. Me with my trusty older custom stock Guerini Summit.
At son’s younger age, I am glad I went to the 20 ga OA for him. The light frame of the titanium SL made it easier for him to lug around doing Sporting Clays, which makes it more fun. And it was not so expensive that I would be worried every time he sets it down awkwardly.
But mileage may vary. Most important thing is to get them out there, enjoying the sport.
I’d go with the CZ Youth in 20 ga.
I have a 12 gauge 1187. It’s perfect for trap. I have to replace a spring on the reloader right now. But it’s the first issue I’ve ever had with it. Had it for nearly 10 years at this point.
Recoil is next to nothing for me and I’m not a big guy at 5’9’’ 170lbs though I’m currently about 20 lbs overweight with a gut that shows.
Bird bones and not stocky when I was in HS I actually had the wind pick me up by my jacket and drop me about 3 feet back....course I was only 125 back then....
The 11-87 is a good gun, one of the beginning shooters I have been instructing has one in 20 gauge and is very pleased with it. It cycles standard 7/8th ounce 1200 (2 1/2 Dram Eq) loads reliably.
Most trap shooters shoot needlessly hot loads which are unnecessary for 16 yard trap, where targets are broken an average of 37 yards from the shooter.
1 1/8th ounce of 7.5 shot holds 457 pellets, 1 ounce holds 50 pellets less. Fifty additional pellets distributed on a gaussian curve will not break more targets unless the gun is pointed in the right place. 20 gauge loads are available with 1 ounce of shot, as well as the traditional 7/8th.
Another consideration is that a 12 gauge will be a heavier gun, more tiring to shoulder over and over, and more difficult to get moving in your swing. This will be a consideration if he tries skeet or sporting clays.
For a young fellow starting out I would not consider the 20 gauge to be a handicap. I have broken targets with a 20 out to 55 yards with relatively open chokes at the clays course.
And anyway, it’s not going to be his last shotgun if he likes shooting.
Berretta 391 autoloader. Great gun no recoil. We use it for sporting clays.
My wife and I shot trap for 30 yrs. She shot for Beretta for a while and they gave her 2 301’s - semi-auto. We cut the stock to the bolt length and put a pad on it. She sold more 301’s for Beretta than you can count because people would see that 5’2” girl out there shooting 400 competition rounds + practice every day for a 3 day weekend. At the Grand American shoots we would shoot 1500 12 ga. trap loads in a week.
Most of the women and kids that get hurt from recoil are because the stock is too long. The manufacturers make them long so they will fit the largest men and then you can cut them down as needed and add a recoil pad.
Get a 12 ga. semi-auto instead of fixed breach like an 870. Then shorten the stock to fit.
Good luck!! It’s great fun!!
I have many other weapons but my favorite and most deadly for home defense is a 5 shot simi auto 12 gage with a open choke. You get into my house uninvited and you will leave with gaping wounds. Excellent close range. I use # 4 shot 3 inch mags but others might prefer double otts . I have a 9mm for shooting through walls and doors. Be sure you have a plan and a flash light. Lock your bed room doors from the inside.
What gauge are the other kids shooting? My son shot trap with a 20 and did just fine. Some of his friends were shooting 12 gauge and initially my son took some flack about his smaller gun (guy stuff). That lasted for about one match. My son was able to hit the “Bird” as it just left the box. It was pull-blaam. He could move that gun a lot faster than his friends and he would turn the bird into dust.
The last thing you want to have happen is that your son decides he doesn’t really like trap because the gun hurts.
Good luck.
Would a semi-auto add too much weight? Just asking
I bought my 15 yr old a Remington 870 pump 12 gauge. Couldn’t
be more pleased. Affordable and little kick.
For certain give this gun consideration.
Semis and pumps are pretty close in weight.
DO NOT consider a pump for competition. You cannot shoot pairs or doubles effectively with one...
I know several Sporting Clays and skeet shooters who routinely shoot in the 90’s with pumps. Of course they’ve had considerable practice. It can be done, just takes some work.
At my gun club’s annual all comers shoot, I watched a guy shoot an 870, 5 times faster than I would have believed had I not seen it.
He was also a Texas Ranger. I wondered if he had removed the disconnector but no he hadn’t.
GOP_Party_Animal
I’m going to offer slightly different advice. Instead of asking nice people like myself that you don’t know and may or may not know what they are talking about, why don’t you contact the coach of your kids team and ask the coach what would be an appropriate shotgun to get?
If that doesn’t make sense and you rather get free advice off internet forums, may I suggest that you try this forum... http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewforum.php?f=96&sid=c11817a904156d19a31249f744ca4e27
I don’t shoot much trap because I lack a good trap gun and I’m too vain to use my Remington 870 pump. But in my less vain days of youth it worked ok. Since I don’t shoot trap I’m not an expert but if you are talking about trap and not skeet or sporting clays it very well might be that a single shot is the way to go.
When I was a kid, my Dad ran a Junior Rifle Club. He produced numerous championship individuals and teams in 3 and 4 position smallbore Jr. competitions. 100s of kids got their first shooting experience thanks to my Dad. Never one time did a parent come to my Dad and have a good suggestion for a rifle for his kid gust starting out. Not one time.
You kid will enjoy the sport much better with an appropriate gun in the appropriate gage and the appropriate action. Trust me on this. Ask those that know and be prepared to spend more money than you think.
Sorry don’t mean to be mean.
I shot skeet with a fellow who was so fast with an 870, the first hull was about a foot out of the ejection port when he fired his second round.
I’ve shot doubles with an older Winchester 12, and it’s hard to be really accurate slam firing.
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