My son wants to start turkey hunting with me this year and ducks next season and wants a shotgun for the tasks. he has a single shot .410 with a fixed modified barrel, but since his birthday is coming i have been looking at youth model 20s for him. He will be 11, weighs over 100 lbs and has been shooting since he was 4. He has shot .410, 20s and carries a 7mm-08 into the deer woods so i am not terribly concerned with recoil. Ive been looking at the Mossy super bantum turkey but have read some reviews that say it kicks like a 12ga, which may be a little much for an 11 year old. I have also had some recommendations for the escort (Hatsan) youth 20 but cant find one local to look at. Anyone have any suggestions, recommendations or pros and cons between the two?
Since it's going to be a dual purpose gun, I look for something with a 24-26" barrel and would skip the Bantam. The turkish built Weatherby is solid little gun as is the turkish built Mossberg. In the next price range up, the Franchi affinity compact is very nice and would be a good all around gun. I have a Hatsun airgun and it is way more gun than what i paid for it, never owned one of their shotguns.
I dont see a 22" barrel being a disadvantage in either the turkey woods or the duck blind shooting decoying ducks at 30 yards for the next few years. I have a Mossberg SA-20 which is just all around too big for my son, which is why i am looking for something that fits him better. When he outgrows the 22 in barrel in the duck blind he will more that likely be ready for a 12 gauge.
The super bantam from what ive read comes with a coupon for a full size stock so he can keep turkey hunting with the mossy for years. Just not sure which is the better route a semi for a little less recoil or stick with a proven mossy 500 pump
I hunted a super Bantam for a couple of years, very reliable, very light to carry, and great patterns with Fed HVWT and TSS.
recoil with the 20 gauge Fed 3" was noticeably less than a Fed 3" 12 gauge and probably not a problem for a young hunter when shooting at a gobbler.
the adult stock option is a plus for later on.
it was my first plastic gun and has a very "plasticky" feel to it to me, probably not a problem to someone used to that.
Thanks Crow. Ive got a Mossy 500 thats been my "upland" gun for twenty years and its never missed a beat. Just wondering if i am not doing him a disservice by not going with the semi auto for roughly the same price.
Im sure the recoil wont be an issue with a gobbler in front of him, but, ive never shot his 7mm-08, he sighted it in all i did was put it together (so to speak). I showed him step by step how to hand load the rounds and we started at a book minimum and worked up til he like what he had (im fairly certain we are above middle of the road). So he will be the one shooting whatever we pick out, ill start him with light target loads obviously, and work him up to the hunting loads, but he has to be the one to pattern it if he is gonna hunt with it. Thats the way i was taught and as much as id like to do it for him, i feel like it is a disservice to him. Plus if i shoot it, then i may want one. lol
My thoughts on longer barrel wasn't so much performance related, but more of safety concerns in a duck blind or pit. I've only really duck hunted south LA so it probably not an issue where you guys are. I hate being past the swing of a short barreled gun in the blind. I like sitting shoulder to shoulder almost and a longer barrel gun prevents them swinging with you in their line of sight if they get excited tracking a bird. I'm probably just over cautious.
If you are worried about recoil on the Mossberg pump check out the limbsaver recoil pad! My son shot the Mossberg Maverick youth at age 7 and killed his first turkey with that gun it has the 22 inch barrel and the gun would flat out pattern with a Carlson 575. I know you said that you have the SA 20 but do you have the SA 20 Turkey model 75790 ? This gun has a 22 inch barrel ,weighs 5.5 pounds,has fiber optic sights and also is drilled and Tapped for optics. Also comes with the Picatinny rail to mount optics. I have this gun and my son is now 11 and weighs around 100 pounds and shoots it just fine, I hunt with it all the time and love the gun. Mine is the one that Mossberg called the SA 20 Turkey Thug, they just took the thug out of the name of the gun (same gun). Again this one will flat out shoot with a Carlson .575 and has been the demise of several gobblers! I just thought I would throw that out there for you as it's a great gun! Good luck and I wish you the best in your search.
Quote from: dirt road ninja on January 29, 2020, 06:57:18 PM
My thoughts on longer barrel wasn't so much performance related, but more of safety concerns in a duck blind or pit. I've only really duck hunted south LA so it probably not an issue where you guys are. I hate being past the swing of a short barreled gun in the blind. I like sitting shoulder to shoulder almost and a longer barrel gun prevents them swinging with you in their line of sight if they get excited tracking a bird. I'm probably just over cautious.
That makes sense. When we go deer hunting, when its his time to hunt i dont take my rifle out of the truck so i can focus on what he is doing. I am planning to do the same with gobblers and ducks for a few years. I didnt think of how loud the short barrel will be though.
Quote from: Turkeyfever on January 29, 2020, 07:17:22 PM
If you are worried about recoil on the Mossberg pump check out the limbsaver recoil pad! My son shot the Mossberg Maverick youth at age 7 and killed his first turkey with that gun it has the 22 inch barrel and the gun would flat out pattern with a Carlson 575. I know you said that you have the SA 20 but do you have the SA 20 Turkey model 75790 ? This gun has a 22 inch barrel ,weighs 5.5 pounds,has fiber optic sights and also is drilled and Tapped for optics. Also comes with the Picatinny rail to mount optics. I have this gun and my son is now 11 and weighs around 100 pounds and shoots it just fine, I hunt with it all the time and love the gun. Mine is the one that Mossberg called the SA 20 Turkey Thug, they just took the thug out of the name of the gun (same gun). Again this one will flat out shoot with a Carlson .575 and has been the demise of several gobblers! I just thought I would throw that out there for you as it's a great gun! Good luck and I wish you the best in your search.
My SA-20 is a first gen with a 26" barrel. I have a carlson .575 choke in it and shooting federal TSS 9s. Great pattern to 40, and shoots to POA with just the bead, its just overall to big for him. Well at least it was last year, may have to pull it out again and see kid wont stop growing lol.
That model 75790 has the 22 inch barrel and is nice! Let me give you an in between as I have too many 20 gauge turkey guns! The stoeger m3020 model 31871. This gun is inertia driven Instead of gas( Benelli is same way). This gun feels great! I just bought this gun as it is a new turkey edition stoeger came out with Google and take a look. The gun is Mossy oak obsession and looks great it has a 24 inch barrel! I have shot light loads and shot some 3 inch the other day and no issues so far. This gun is light and feels great! I had no intention of buying this gun but I made the mistake of putting it in my hands at a gun store and I bought it. This model comes drilled and tapped for optics. The gun has a ghost ring rear sight and a fiber optic front sight . I hate to confuse you even more but I absolutely love the feel of this gun it is only 5 pounds also! Again just throwing that out ! I hope I am not confusing you even more! Lol, Good luck!
Ive looked at quite a few guns, however, i have no intentions of using which ever gun is purchased because i am looking for one for my boy, and want it to fit him, like i want mine to fit me so i am gonna stick with youth models. I really like the 7mm-08 he has, it is a you model put into a wood stock that i fit to him. I love the short barrel, but it is his gun, so i dont shoot it, i dont clean it, but i will fix it if its broken. If i were to shoot it, i would ask him permission. Trying to teach him ownership and the value of taking care of what is his.
I appreciate the suggestion on the Stoeger though, but to my knowledge they dont make a youth model semi auto.
Yes , I understand stand it is for your boy! Look above I have an 11 year old that weighs around 100 pounds. He has shot every gun that I am telling you about. I would just go with the youth model Mossberg then. I hunt with youth models myself ! Most of these guns are made compact now and anyone can use it they weigh less or same.as the youth model. Lop may be an inch or so more that's about it . I was just giving you less kick options , but you can't go wrong with a Mossberg in my opinion. Tough guns!
Quote from: Turkeyfever on January 30, 2020, 10:18:10 AM
Yes , I understand stand it is for your boy! Look above I have an 11 year old that weighs around 100 pounds. He has shot every gun that I am telling you about. I would just go with the youth model Mossberg then. I hunt with youth models myself ! Most of these guns are made compact now and anyone can use it they weigh less or same.as the youth model. Lop may be an inch or so more that's about it . I was just giving you less kick options , but you can't go wrong with a Mossberg in my opinion. Tough guns!
I hear ya and i appreciate the ideas. Ive run through most of them in my head already. I was dead set on the Mossberg super bantum because of the ability for it to grow with him until someone suggested the Hatsan Escort 20. Ive read a bunch of the "turkish guns" threads on a lot of forums and seems there is a lot of hate on them. The sa-20/weatherby sa-08 is a turkish gun, as is the stoeger if i remember correctly. So i was just looking for some input with the Hatsun before i "pulled the trigger" on the mossy, since no one near me has one on the shelf for me to handle. For the same money, im assuming the Mossy is an all around better gun.
I have the Mossburg Bantam 20ga and it is a great gun for youngsters. Part of the problem with kids is SHORT arms and arm strength. Its hard to hold that weight up in a heavy, long barreled and length of pull is way off. Bantam is light weight, reliable and pretty tough. Great price point. I set it up for my Dad when in his eighties and have used it on numerous youth hunts, nieces and nephews, ect over the years. Kids are why I have kept it. I put a red dot on it and built up a tall cheek pad so they can get their head down solid and correct. With a Pure Gold .570 and HW #7's it has smoked many a turkey.
I'd say go mossberg. My buddy I duck hunt with bought a hatsan this season and had a couple jams. His is a 12 gauge but I wasn't overly impressed with the quality.
Thanks guys. Gonna look to see if i can find the mossy locally to try on for size. Still have til april until i can get him in the turkey woods.
I have a super bantam i bought for my little brother probably 12 years ago. He was 8 at the time killed a bird every year with it until he out grew it. My nephew killed 3 with it and now my 7yo son uses it. Im not a mossberg fan by any means but i will admit its been the perfect gun for my boys. Being able to shorten the stock is huge for young hunters
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Thanks. Just got one for my boy. Havent had a chance to pattern it yet but have some fed tss #9s. Gonna shoot the xfull that came with it. What choke are you using and how do you like it?
I honestly didnt experiment too much with chokes. We use a hs undertaker. I liked it a lot because its not too extremely tight. I wanted something a little more open so the kids have a little room for error. If i could find the darn thing i would tell u constriction. It likes the tss 7s more than 9s but both are deadly. I shoot a indian creek 555 in my 870 20 gauge and its nasty but too tight for the kids. Keep that in mind when selecting tubes and constrictions. The factory tube might be the ticket. I posted a pic of 40 yds with the federal tss 7s. Plenty tight. The 20 yd pattern is tight but honestly pretty similar to the 40 which is why i like that choke so much(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200308/7932f35229fb206704de6f55e4ea8029.jpg)
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Thanks. We are gonna give the factory choke a shot. I think its .584.
Good luck!! Post some pics of your patterns with the factory tube if u dont mind id love to see how it does.
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Quote from: bower7706 on March 07, 2020, 09:35:30 PM
Good luck!! Post some pics of your patterns with the factory tube if u dont mind id love to see how it does.
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Going to try and get out this weekend to shoot it. Ill post pics.
Quote from: rdjustham on March 09, 2020, 07:26:06 AM
Quote from: bower7706 on March 07, 2020, 09:35:30 PM
Good luck!! Post some pics of your patterns with the factory tube if u dont mind id love to see how it does.
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Going to try and get out this weekend to shoot it. Ill post pics.
I have a jebs .560 Invector threads if you're interested in it. It's a nasty TSS/HeviShot choke.
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Quote from: WylieCoyote on March 10, 2020, 01:51:53 PM
Quote from: rdjustham on March 09, 2020, 07:26:06 AM
Quote from: bower7706 on March 07, 2020, 09:35:30 PM
Good luck!! Post some pics of your patterns with the factory tube if u dont mind id love to see how it does.
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Going to try and get out this weekend to shoot it. Ill post pics.
I have a jebs .560 Invector threads if you're interested in it. It's a nasty TSS/HeviShot choke.
Thanks but thats probably gonna be a little tight for my son. Looking for a nice even patter to 35-40yds with some wiggle room at 20.