Hey guys. I'm looking for a turkey gun for my son to get started with. He is 8 and I'm hoping to find something he can grow with. Seeing if anyone has some experiences they could share such as pros and cons of certain options out there. Please keep in mind we are very budget minded so guns such as the M2 are a little out of our price range. Thanks.
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Bought mine a Mossberg 510 in 20 gauge. He had been shooting an old H&R single shot in 20.
He is 8 as well. I plan to have him shoot the 2 3/4 Federal HW#7s in the Mossberg this spring.
I started him out with some very light hand loads in the H&R and worked up from there. He is not bothered by the recoil and loves shooting.
To be budget minded, I would look around at local shops on the used rack and try to find a youth model 870 Or buy a new 870, mossy 510, mossy 500 youth. Mossberg will have a coupon in the box with the youth model that you can send in and get an adult size stock as he grows. I would shoot fed hw7 11/8 2/34 for starters. If you watch the distance and know you're limits, 2-3/4 71/2 lead will stomp em too. If you feel you want the gun in camo but don't want to pay for it, try the mossy oak gun kit. 22 bucks on amazon and I love all of mine. If you'll be patient you can build a sweet little rig that you're boy will love for an affordable price. Good luck, and post pics when ya get it! Ps, have had good luck with the hs undertaker choke, true glo ssx, and primos tightwad. All very reasonable priced to
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Used Moss 500 youth or H&R Topper Jr
This is my first year with the youth hunting as well. I have looked at a pile of guns and the Mossy pumps and 870 will be your cheapest/ versatile choices. To me their age has zero to do with it, because all kids are different. So depending on how your youngster handles recoil (and only you will know) you could also go with a Semi auto.
My daughter turned 9 this month, she loves the woods and is wanting to go but she is very recoil shy. I wanted to get her into a 20g without making things worse so I picked up a Mossberg sa-20 for her to try. It was a little more money but the gas action really does help and its been worth every penny so far. I put a set of Fire sights on it and it has been perfect for her. It shoots super soft with 3/4 and 7/8 loads and she has had a blast busting coke cans with it . The only hunting load I have tried is 2 3/4 HEVI #6s (Witch she wont see until there's a turkey involved) and with the factory full choke it puts up a nice even 125-130 in 10 at 30 yards witch is great for the ranges she will be shooting.
Good luck with the decision for your boy and have fun with it, I know I am...
I went through this with my kids when they were younger. It's a shame there aren't more choices, and I would have thought by now, ten years later there would be.
I went the H&R 20 ga route, loaded 3/4 oz loads to get them shooting. Hacked off the stock and saved the two pieces to run wood screws in later as they grow. A slip on recoil pad was also used.
I guess Remington 870 youth and mossy 500 youth are still your best options cost wise. They are threaded and I'll say the 500 is drilled and tapped.
A red dot sight works well for kids also, just to consider
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Remington also makes a 20ga 870 called a "Compact Jr." It has a shorter stock than the youth model and a 21 inch barrel. It comes with 2 spacers and the screws to add them to the butt stock. With the spacers added the stock ends up being the same length as the youth model stock. Really just depends on what fits best.
Just bought my son a Mossburg Bantam turkey it come with an extra full choke 22 in barrel and a stock extension LOP is 12 to 13 in. It came drilled and tap ready to attach a red dot scope.
I bought a mossberg super bantam in 20ga last year for my (then) 6 yr old son. He killed his first bird with it last year. The stock's lop can be adjusted with the extra stock inserts that come with the gun. It can also be purchased in a combo set with a rifled slug barrel, if you deer hunt and have the need for it.
I bought my boy a Mossberg 500 super bantam. he handles it well, it comes with stock extenders and when he is old enough to handle a full stock, you can call Mossberg and request a full size stock. My son is 10, 8 when I bought it. I let him shoot light load 2 3/4 inch shells out of it a bunch, even "fake" patterning it. I actually patterned the gun with 3 in loads. He never new the difference when he pulled the trigger on an actual 3 in round when staring a bird in the face.
Wow you're getting great advice. Two things I'll mention as things to consider. The recoil sensitivity can be a problem for kids. A semi can def help that. The disadvantage is they are much heavier than a pump. If the child is tiny and can comfortably shoot the semi it's wasted energy getting it.
If you load, you can start with real light loads, stay within the data but load em light. And use two sets of hearing protectors. One inside the ears, one out.
Lots of kids seem less sensitive w less BANG
Quote from: TJR on January 29, 2015, 07:19:06 AM
Hey guys. I'm looking for a turkey gun for my son to get started with. He is 8 and I'm hoping to find something he can grow with. Seeing if anyone has some experiences they could share such as pros and cons of certain options out there. Please keep in mind we are very budget minded so guns such as the M2 are a little out of our price range. Thanks.
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the youth 20 gauge ESCORT are very nice guns. Borge daughters have one 11/12..... Have had them for almost a year.... Just cleaned them 2 weeks ago...... Used them all thru duck season and squirrel season
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Quote from: born2hunt on January 29, 2015, 10:53:00 PM
This is my first year with the youth hunting as well. I have looked at a pile of guns and the Mossy pumps and 870 will be your cheapest/ versatile choices. To me their age has zero to do with it, because all kids are different. So depending on how your youngster handles recoil (and only you will know) you could also go with a Semi auto.
My daughter turned 9 this month, she loves the woods and is wanting to go but she is very recoil shy. I wanted to get her into a 20g without making things worse so I picked up a Mossberg sa-20 for her to try. It was a little more money but the gas action really does help and its been worth every penny so far. I put a set of Fire sights on it and it has been perfect for her. It shoots super soft with 3/4 and 7/8 loads and she has had a blast busting coke cans with it . The only hunting load I have tried is 2 3/4 HEVI #6s (Witch she wont see until there's a turkey involved) and with the factory full choke it puts up a nice even 125-130 in 10 at 30 yards witch is great for the ranges she will be shooting.
Good luck with the decision for your boy and have fun with it, I know I am...
i agree... I started my girls off on a moss 510 20gauge... Huge mistake! That lil think bucks like a mule!
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Update. Bringing this one back from the dead. So last season we decided to hold off for a year or so with my son. Back looking for a first shotgun for him now. I found a great deal on a 20 gauge H&R Topper Jr. Doing some research it seems some say the recoil is pretty stout with the lightweight of the gun which I could see. Anyone have any experience with these and kids?
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Single shots like that kick like a mule. If that don't bother your kid your good.
An 870 with the new , good pads would be alot better.
The 1100/1187 with a 21" barrel 20 gauge is a very heavy gun and recoils even less.
Weight can be your friend. If the kid needs help holding it up, buy a tripod for steady shooting.
I just ordered a Remington 870 compact jr yesterday from Buds gunshop for my 6 year old son.
I bought the Superbantam Turkey for my son in December and will already be trading it in on an 870. The way the forend attaches on this gun with 2 rivets is an extremely poor design that results in a very wobbly forend and extremely loud rattle. I have also experienced peeling paint and 2 broken rear sights right from Mossberg.
I have a mosseberg sa 20 turkey thug. My 7 yr old shoots it great! He has no problems at all. I have a mosseberg 20 ga pump that he can also shoot but I put a limbsaver recoil pad on it,they make a huge difference on the recoil you feel. He shoots the sa 20 without any additional pad the fact it is a semi auto makes a huge difference!
When my son was 8/9 I was in you're situation. I elected to spring for the extra cash and got a BPS. Just because I wanted him to have it for a lifetime. It was big for him at that time. He grew fast,it fits nice now and he loves it. Me personally 870 youth would be a good idea for the budget minded. And it's a great youth gun. JMO :anim_25:
Do you really want to buy your child the cheepest gun you can get? Let me Let me preface this by saying that I have two boys 2 1/2 years apart and the second is left handed. I am still in the process of the "youth" shot gun journey. Before you buy anything let your child shoot a 20 guage with a lite load. If you don't have one borrow one. See if your child wants/is ready to shoot and are not scared of the noise/ recoil. Each kid is different. Some can not handle BB gun recoil while others can take the kick of of a 12 ga. and smile wanting more. If the child cannot stand up and hold the gun thay do not need to be shooting it. I have seen lots of dads at the shooting range with kids scared of shooting a BB gun because of dads pushing them.
Now my story. Where I made my mistake was going for the cheep single shot gun thinking they would grow out of a good gun to fast. I started out with the Trapper "Little Jake". It is ambidextrous but kicks like a mule and if your child can pull back the hammer then return it to safe then they are ready for a bigger gun. I never though that hammer guns were safe in the hands of a small child because of the strenght and coordination needed to move the hammer.
The second gun was a Youth 870 camo new out of the box for Christmas. I thought my son would keep it for his kids and my lefty could use it (he could not). The recoil was fine but the action was horrible. So hard and rough to slide that it was basicly a single shot. I know most of the people on here love these, but a straight out of the box the new Express 870's are junk. I have tried other Express's and own a Wingmaster. The old Wingmaster is a real gun. After shooting two years with the 870 my boy tried a friends 20ga BPS. Immediately he ask me if he could get a BPS. Being to cheep to buy him another new gun I finally found a used NWTF BPS 12ga. on CL. He had grown some by then so i bought it. Comming home from the first time shooting it I ask him if "he wanted to keep the 870 to hand down". His responce was "Sell It" with out batting an eye. The good news is I sold it for close to what I paid for it to a 40 year old making it into a Turkey Killer. He was happy and I was happy to see it go.
My lefty had to suffered through several years with the Trapper. The last two I was trying to find a used Micro BPS (good Luck). I finialy broke down and bought a new one for in time for Dove Seasion last fall. He loves it and so did his friends (and dads) in the Duck blinds last month. It is a great little gun that he is proud to carry. He is looking foward to taking a Turkey in a few weeks. He is hoping for his second bird. He shot his fist last year with my BPS last year. Yes, I liked my older boys gun so much that I got one for my self! We were in aground blind so he could prop it out the window. I ask him if he wanted to use the Trapper or the BPS. He chose the BPS.
The part that I have not told you yet is that before I bought the Trapper and the 870 youth I looked at the Micro BPS both times but did not want to spend the money on it. In the end it would have been less expensive and I think my boys would have had a overall better experance if I had bought the Browning.
Here is somthing else to think about. Both my boys started shooting under my supervision .22's at 5, both shot their first deer (does) at 6 with a youth .223, first dove (in a tree) at 7. When asked this year while setting in a dove field my 13 year old did not remember that he shot 3 does at 6. My 15year old thought he remembered but it was actually a Buck he shot at 7 1/2. I had to ask myself were thay really mature enough for that or was ego so inmature that I let them. I thought that I was making a memory for them. At least thay have the pictures.
I to tried to start my girls off with the 870 youth
Boy thy kick .I got the girls a mossy sa20. Semi auto 20g the girls can shot that gun all afternoon with trap loads and love it .I am working on getting it set up for turkeys now .going to have it drilled and tapped for a red dot then find a choke and s combo it likes ..great gun so far I really like the WY it shoots and it us a very soft shooting gun. Dutch
Picked up a NEF Pardner compact for a good deal. So that's our new project. Thanks for all the help guys.
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