Posted on 06/19/2015 5:51:48 PM PDT by rey
I have an 11 year old girl who is interested in clays. Her grandfather had her try a 12 ga and a 20 ga pumps. I think he is wrong in this. I think she should use a single shot .410 and graduate to a double barrel .410 or maybe just a double barrel .410 scaled to her size.
I am unfamiliar with shotguns of this variety. Who are some good manufacturers and what are some good models?
Other suggestions are appreciated too.
Here’s the link to the adapters: http://www.gunadapters.com/20-gauge-to-410-45-colt-scavenger-series/
They have to protect themselves in certain neighborHOODS
I was thinking they would get in a little hunting when game is stirred up by a brushfire. LOL.
I have a 12 ga Condor Outback which I have rigged up with a rail for laser and or flashlight, and a bandolier sling for extra shells. Great little home defense tools. I have several different caliber inserts for it, including a 45 long colt and a 45 ACP long barrel insert. Nice two shot 45 ACP rifle.
Buy one of these and save a few bucks:
http://www.stoegerindustries.com/coach-guns-single-and-double-trigger-shotguns
then, if she takes to it (and I hope she does!) you can
invest in something better
Good luck!
Check Academy Sports for their brand semi-auto youth model 28 gauge. They are made by a company in Turkey and are remarkably nice. My GF got one in 20 gauge. Incredabe fit and finish and absolutely feeds any round you feed it. Lightest bird / target loads to 3” slugs. It was only $399 and came with 5 choke tubes!
I agree with jazusamo. If she can handle a youth model 20-gauge, let her go with that. For several reasons, I’d suggest. One, a double .410 is hard to find and expensive, but second, side-by-side doubles are pretty much out of style today. You are much more likely to find a youth model pump.
Then, even with light loads, a twenty has more shot in its pattern than a .410, giving her a better chance to hit the target, which can be important for beginning shooters.
If you should happen to find a side-by-side .410, I’d suggest letting her heft and swing the gun in comparison with a youth model 20-gauge. How the gun fits and how it feels to the shooter are often the most important factors in how a shooter likes the gun and likes shooting.
Good luck and thanks for bringing along a new shooter!
Me too Stevens .410 over/under was my first when I was five. Look around gun shops for old over/unders, usually much less expensive. She should be able to handle a twenty ga. also.
Might work with your family, be picking #6 shot out of my @$$ after the first time :)
You just took me back in time, lol. The first shotgun I ever fired was a double barrel 20 ga of my grandpa's. Must have been over 50 years ago. Dang, how did all those years fly by when I wasn't looking?
One line of thinking holds that the .410 bore is more of an experienced shooters gun due to the small payload. Light target loads in a 20 might be a better choice.
Don’t remember the brand name, do remember it had a plastic stock. As for the 20 gauge, great gun, just enough kick to remind you that shotguns can fight back ... another great starter gun for a young person.
Prolly a side x side too.
I have an over/under 20 gauge made in Turkey. The Turks know how to make good guns. I don’t even know if it has a name on it, but it looks and shoots like a much more expensive gun.
By the way, my grandfather started me off with a 3-inch .410 single shot when I was nine. I was a stout nine, but that gun kicked like a mule to me. It fit, though, and was the perfect shape. I got enough practice with it that by the time I was 11, I was shooting and hitting game as well with the single shot .410 as the adult hunters with 12- and 16-gauges and my grandfather moved me up to a double 12.
People say the 20-gauge recoils less than the single shot .410, but I’ve never seen the paper calculations.
Yep, it was a side by side. Wish I could remember the brand. Heck, I wish I had it in my closet!!
Good grief! I started with a .410 and hunted rabbits with it until I graduated to a 16 ga. when I was 12. The .410 is a great field gun for a girl.
You can pick up a NEF (New England Firearms) .410 with a
.22 interchangeable barrel for pretty cheap at most sporting
goods stores or gun shops.
My best friend at the time had a Savage single shot .410 with a hollow plastic stock. That thing had a nasty kick and was really loud. Not all that accurate, either, but cheap.
The 870's kick wasn't too bad and it was much more accurate than that Savage. I got pretty good with it and usually did as well with it pheasant hunting as my friend's dad and his buddies did with their 12 ga.s when I got to go hunting with them.
Unfortunately, that gun was stolen from me. Not sure if Remington still sells the 870 in that gauge, but, new or used, I'd love to get another one just like it. One of these days...
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