New Member...Need Advice for Choke/Load for my sons 20 Gauge

[david1475]

Excited to find this forum...Was hoping to get some suggestions on a choke and load for my 9 year olds Remington 870 Compact JR 20 gauge.
The barrel is 18" with a 12" pull for his tiny frame.
Really don't want to spend a lot of money trying to find the right choke and load that would work best.  Don't wont anything super tight.
I have used Kicks/Indian Creek ...
I have read a couple recommendations for the Remington 20 gauge to be
TruGlo SSX ... with hevi shot 1.25 ounce # 6 or 7
Swarm... with hevi shot 1.25 ounce # 6 or 7

Thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated

[USMC0331]

Welcome. You can call Sumtoy and he will tell you what will work best out of your son's shotgun. He does a lot of testing on all types of shotguns. I bought one of his choke tubes and used a factory load he suggested for my son's shotgun and thus far it has been flawless.

[Spitten and drummen]

Indian creek and heavy weight 7"s. just about any after market choke will perform well but i would stick with fed hvy 7's. also winchester came out with longbeards for a 20 this year. they may be worth looking at. oh and welcome!!

[1iagobblergetter]

My son has the same 870 youth. We use the Primos tightwad choke with H13 #7s also had good luck with Heavyweight Fed #7s. Those combos changed my way of thinking completely on the effectiveness of a 20 gauge for turkeys.

[david1475]

You guys think a ported choke would help with recoil ?

[Greg Massey]

In my youth 20 ga. 870 i use a Trulock choke 565..it a good all around choke. it will shoot the 5, 6 and Federal HW 7 great...If you don't like the choke Trulock will work with you on getting the right one...

[tha bugman]

go to the thread page and ask allaboutshooting....he is aaaawesome!

[WyoHunter]

You guys think a ported choke would help with recoil ?

Not imo. I'd put a Limbsaver pad on it to help with the recoil. Which ever choke you decide to go with I'd try some Federal Heavyweight 7's. If you go the lead route I'd try some of the new Longbeard 20 ga in 6's.   

[dirt road ninja]

You guys think a ported choke would help with recoil ?

Makes 0 difference.

[THattaway]

My son has the same 870 youth. We use the Primos tightwad choke with H13 #7s also had good luck with Heavyweight Fed #7s. Those combos changed my way of thinking completely on the effectiveness of a 20 gauge for turkeys.

Same experience except my boy has a 1187 compact 20ga. A tightwad and H13 7s will put 160s in 10" at 40yd in his gun. Plenty of killing power there and a little insurance if it proves to be further.

[Marc]

You guys think a ported choke would help with recoil ?

No, but it will make a louder sound for the guy sitting next to him...

I have ported barrels on a clay gun, and the only thing the porting does is make the gun sound more loud...  Porting was never really touted to reduce recoil, but instead to reduce barrel jump (making it easier to stay on target for the second shot).

Honestly, I notice no difference in recoil or barrel jump, and I would never hunt with ported barrels due to the increase noise factor.  (Actually, ported barrels are not louder, but they do not direct the sound away from the shooter, and so the shot sounds much louder to someone standing near the shooter).

As to the OP...  If I could not find Hevi-shot or Heavy Weight shells before the season, I would consider the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads...  1 1/4 oz 3" or 1 oz 2 3/4" nickle plated lead.  I patterned them in my own 20 ga., and they would comfortably kill a bird out to 35 yards, and probably to 40 yards.

[DocHolliday]

I'm gonna deviate from the norm around here. Try the factory modified choke or even Imp Cyl with either Hevishot or Fed HW. Pattern it starting at 10 yds going out to 40. You will be surprised at the effective hunting range. Both my kids used ImpCyl and Hevishot 7 out to 35 yds until they had killed a couple of birds then switched them to double barrels and they never looked back. Point is, an excited 9 year old is going to be waving that barrel like a conductor at a concert when that old longbeard is in his lap! Lots of experienced "experts" have missed because of a too tight choke. Don't hamstring a kid with a baseball size pattern at 20 yds trying to put up big numbers at 40. Getting that boy his turkey is the object!!

[chatterbox]

I'm gonna deviate from the norm around here. Try the factory modified choke or even Imp Cyl with either Hevishot or Fed HW. Pattern it starting at 10 yds going out to 40. You will be surprised at the effective hunting range. Both my kids used ImpCyl and Hevishot 7 out to 35 yds until they had killed a couple of birds then switched them to double barrels and they never looked back. Point is, an excited 9 year old is going to be waving that barrel like a conductor at a concert when that old longbeard is in his lap! Lots of experienced "experts" have missed because of a too tight choke. Don't hamstring a kid with a baseball size pattern at 20 yds trying to put up big numbers at 40. Getting that boy his turkey is the object!!

This^^^^^^^
Up until last year, my son had a full  flush choke in his Mossberg 510, and has been shooting Federal Heviweight 3-1.5-7's.
That gun will put up a beautiful 93-98 shot pattern in the 10" circle at 30 yards.
He has killed 4 birds in the last 4 seasons, and all except 1 have been well under 30 yards.
Much easier to have a more open hunting pattern for a youth hunter.

[Happy]

I will agree with the above. My son's first tom was taken at 23 yards with a improved modified and 2 3/4" high brass #6 shot. We kept it close and it did a fine job. I would rather have some wiggle room and keep shots close with kids. Teaches them good ethics and not throwing lead whenever their target is in sight. We. Have graduated to 3" federal hevi weight now and a turkey choke but it is still pretty forgiving at 20 and I wouldn't push the pattern past 40.

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[THattaway]

I've seen the other side of it so I will stick with what I suggested earlier. I started my boy with a .410 and wouldn't let him shoot past 20 yards as the gun wouldn't hold a killing pattern any further. The first season he had to watch 7 different birds walk inside 30 yards but not break that 20 yard line. He went on to kill two with it the second season at 12 and 15 yards. A 20ga and hevi 7s that will put 160s in 10 @ 40 ain't a rifle and still throws a nice pattern with wiggle room at 20. The point of achieving the 40 yard numbers is so the kid is not hamstrung for only close in shots but is deadly from 30-40. Would rather have a flat miss than a wounded sprayed bird any day.