Kid's play 410 or 20 ga

[Moore]

Hi,
My son said he wants to go hunting and kill his first bird. I have 12 ga. I know that is was to much gun for him. A couple gents I take to either geta 410 or 20ga. My question is what are the range on the and what would you start a nine year old with? Is there any benefits to one or the other?
Thank in advance.
Moore

[Happy]

Depends more on their build and mental toughness than their age in my opinion. A stout, stocky kid can handle more than a thinner, taller kid. Unless than the thinner taller kid is tougher than the stout, stocky kid. So long story short start light and see what their limit is. I know I started out with a 12 Guage stevens single shot and 3" shells just cause my so called step-dad thought that would keep me from bugging him to shoot a gun. It darn near knocked me over but didn't come close to stopping me.

[jbrown]

I would buy the 20ga, maybe shoot ,2 3\4" shells  the first year

[TurkeyReaper69]

20 gauge. I want to see as many pellets in a turkeys head as possible. A .410 was never an option for me. I had to suck it up and use the 20, although it was a relief after grandpas 12 gauge kicked me like a mule when I shot it while still knee high to a grasshopper.

[Hwd silvestris]

20 gauge for sure!  I know federal made low recoil tss 4 or 5 years back.  It wasn't bad at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Turkeytaker203]

I started my grandkids with an 870 20 gauge with an AT3 RD50 red dot. I have a Stevens 301 .410 which they love but we went with the 20. The only issues they had was stock length, which I fixed with a replacement stock. The fit was more important than the recoil. Once I got that right, they shot well. Also. I always had them practice with light load 2 3/4" shells. When we went hunting, I would slip in a 3". They never noticed as they were so intent on the job of shooting at the bird. I wanted them throwing as much shot as possible at their target and the .410 didn't fit that need. The .410 ammo we have now is really good, but my little folks needed something that required less precision.
  Also, the addition of the red dot really helped their aiming. It gave them a lot of confidence. They knew if they put the dot on the target, they would hit the target. They were less accurate using the rib mounted bead. The whole experience was as much fun for me as it was for them. I enjoyed working through their issues and making them better shooters. Some of the kids were better than others but that is the way of life. I have one granddaughter (she's the best shooter of the bunch) and six grandsons, some of the boys are way too little to participate so I have more to work with in the future. That makes me happy!

[Yoder409]

In most cases, I'd opt for the 20 gauge.  Might want to choose a gas autoloader if the kid could be recoil sensitive.  If you limit your shot distance...........a low-brass #7 1/2 will do the trick.

[Number17]

The biggest issue with smaller kids and autoloaders is they want to grab the receiver because they can't reach the fore end.
You have to watch they don't get their finger slammed or pinched by the slide.

I got a youth model SA-08 weatherby for the kids and it still thumps them pretty hard.
Now we have a 301 stevens .410 to try. With 9.5 TSS it is more than adequate for 40 yard head shots.

[Turkeyfever]

I have both and either will do with the correct ammo and keeping shot distance within reason. I only shoot 35 yards and in myself, I will not let my son do any different. The Savage 301 T in 410 is an awesome little gun that I have and will shoot TSS #9 with the stock tube really good. With that being said I started my son with a 20 gauge and put a limbsaver recoil pad on it. He shot 2.75 game loads while practicing and never new the difference when a different shell was put in when he killed his first Gobbler at 7 years old. The auto loader as someone suggested takes away a lot of the kick as I have both types in 20 gauge. Either will do you just have to decide which you want then get it set up for him to hunt. 20 gauge probably gives you more options with ammo available to hunt with. The gun I started my son with was a Mossberg Maverick youth which is a pump, never had any problems and it's still his favorite gun at age 13, we have both killed turkeys with the gun.

[MK M GOBL]

I went with a Compact semi-auto 20 gauge, are you planning on more than just turkey with it? I think this a much better option as far as versatility with the gun, range of loads and what you could hunt with it.


MK M GOBL

[FL-Boss]

+1 ... use the smaller light shells and he will be fine.  Then he can grow into the 3in loads later...

I would buy the 20ga, maybe shoot ,2 3\4" shells  the first year

[sswv]

20ga all the way.  you can get light loads to get him going and build up from there.

[Hook hanger]

410s kill them reliably to 40yds 20ga kills them reliably to 40yds so either option will work to turkey hunt. Just take your son and have him hold up a couple different one's at the gun shop. Whichever one he likes buy it.

[30_06]

I started my oldest on a 20ga, and then the remainder started and will start with a 410. Single shot 410 with a red dot weighs a touch more than 3.5lbs, minimal recoil, easy to sight, and will reliably kill to 40 yards. The only downside is the price of ammo to make it reliable to that distance.

Esse quam videri