10 Y.O Daughter needs Gun

[Duck Hunter Paul]

My 10 YO daughter is going to take her Hunters Ed course in March and she wants to go Turkey Hunting this Spring.

What do you guys think would be a good gun to start her off with? She loves to go Waterfowling and shoot Doves to. What would be a good all-purpose gun for her?

Thanks Guys

DHP

[huntingbuddy]

you cant go wrong with a 20 ga benelli nova or 870

[HRK]

probably a youth model 20 ga ........... im not gonna recomend a brand. its like that chevy vs ford thing, and benelli vs whatever gun, big hooha.... catch my drift!

my suggestion take here to the sporting goods store and let her test drive some and decide what feels best to her, and buy a name brand.

[Maulers INC.]

I agree with Barry let her make the final decision give her some options and let her figure out what feels right for her. You dont want to give her a gun she doesnt feel comfortable with.

[h20fowler]

Here are my thoughts. I have posted this in other places as well, but in my openion it still holds true.

Youth guns are a tricky subject as people tend to focus more on age instead of size. So fit of gun is going to be more important based off her size and not his age. You also want to look at her growth spurts. If she hasn't had one for a while you might prepare for that as well. Keep in mind clothing also. You will need a shorter stock to make up for extra clothes, thickness of winter coat, etc.

I tend to see most people looking at the youth pumps, ie mossberg 500 bantam and remington 800 express. If you study them closely you will see that the Remington length of slide pull is a little over an inch shorter than the mossberg. This helps those shorter arms keep a better point of leverage on the gun keeping the barrel up while working the action. Advantage Remington.

However, the mossberg has that top thumb safety so dad can very easily see if the gun is on safety by glancing over. Advantage Mossberg.

Now Remington also has that lovely J-Key feature on the safety so you can lock that safety when it is stored. Nothing a $7 trigger lock won't fix on the mossberg.

Also, I can't say that this will always be this way. But mossberg TYPICALLY has a $50 gift certificate from Mossberg in the box so that you can upgrade to a "normal length" stock. You will still have that short (21"???) barrel. BUT as she grows, you can change the stock to fit her. Remington has the same option, but there is no gift certificate, and I think the slide stays the same. All you get is a longer stock. Advantage Mossberg.

Now, if length of gun is not a problem, but weight is. Look at the Franchi 48? auto in a 20 gauge. Very light gun and not overly priced. You can still enforce the one shell in the action rule. Just depends what your hunting scenario is. Weight while sitting in a blind is not a problem, but chasing upland birds it may be a factor.

Hopefully that helped -Best of luck in choosing the right gun. Let us know what decision you make.

[HRK]

DAMN
you an Drop EM are quite the authors........well said :wink:

[h20fowler]

Thanks Barry. That one was easy. I had just posted it on another forum a while back and knew where to go to find it. A quick find-replace for him / her he/she and .... we're done.

I honestly think the Remington is better for ease of use on small frames. It is amazing how much difference it makes when the elbow is pumping the action in the 110 degree to 65 degree range opposed to a 130 - 95 degree range. It's all in the leverage.

After that, its ones own personal preference. They all have pros and cons. It just depends what you are willing to give up to gain something else.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

H2o:

You da man!!!!!

Thanks for the info brother, very useful.

She is not a petite girl, she carries 50lb sacks of feed everyday in the barn to feed her animals, so "TEST DRIVING" is probably going to be the best route to take. I just was wondering also what guns some of your little ones are out in the field with.

What about gauge for the Turkeys? Is a 20 sufficient? I don't want to kill her shoulder, but I would hate for her to wound an animal with insufficient firepower.

She has shot my SBE II and it was not a problem other than the length and weight of the gun.

Keep the good info coming I really appreciate it.

DHP

[Silver Webfoot]

i have a ithaca 10 g she can shoot,,better start em off right!!!!!

[Duck Hunter Paul]

I gave her my BPS 10, but she couldn't carry the damn thing down the stairs :lol: :lol: :lol:

[h20fowler]

Any gauge is proficient as long as you are shooting at a target within it's range.

A 20 gauge inside of 30 yards and I don't think you'll have a problem at all. I fully intend to take 2 this year. One with the .410 and one with 28.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

H2O

Are you choking those guns?

Are the youth models set up to take aftermarket or interchangeable tubes?

[kingkilla]

try a new england single shot 20 guage. that what i had for one of my first guns.

[h20fowler]

youth models run the same chokes as regular gun in the same gauge. At least in the remington - mossberg - benelli. So if someone offers an aftermarket mossberg 20 gauge choke. It will fit the mossberg 20 and on down the line. I am pretty sure that wad wizard makes them in 20 gauge.

In fact, the new nova youth not only has the shorter stock, but you can get a different length butt pad as well. If I remember right there is like a 3/4 inch difference between the normal and the short. Don't quote me on that.

I am not able to change chokes on either of my small bores. The .410 is fixed full and the 28 is fixed mod - improved modified. That is why I say within the limits of the gun. I know I will need them close. My turkey last year was shot at 12 yards. I don't need 2 ounces of 3 1/2" 5's for that.

[h20fowler]

KingKilla - I am not trying to take anything away from the NEF so please do not take it this way. My first gun at age 9 was single shot 12 gauge. It kicked the he// out of me and I loved every minute of it. However.....

I do not suggest the single shot as a fist gun unless that is the only option due to a budget. It seems that kids outgrow the desire for the single shot faster then one would think and then you end up buying a second gun anyway. And here is my take on the single shot speaking on my own personal experience.

I grew up hunting upland game. At the age of 9 and 10 it was great to be in the field finally carrying my own gun. Yes it was heavy, yes it kicked, but it meant I could finally shoot something and have the possibility of actually bringing it down. (Something the crossman would not do! :) ) And I got to spend more time with my Dad and uncles. It was great!

Now, keep in mind how startling a covey of quail or a pheasant can be when they flush. At that age it sounded like a helicopter erupting at my feet. (Heck it still startles me at times.) Now after regaining my composer 9 times out of 10 I would forget to pull the hammer back so that the gun could be fired. I did not have the coordination (dexterity may be a better term) to do this with the gun shouldered. So I would drop the gun, cock the hammer, and then re-shoulder. By that time the bird would be to far away for a chance anyway. I might as well have had the crossman. It took the fun right out of it and it got to the point where I didn't want to go.

This will not be a problem with turkey and waterfowl as most of the time we watch them come to us. But something to keep in mind while looking at a first gun. If it's not fun to use... it won't get used.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

I checked out the Youth Nova and I might have to try and find one of those around here local, looks like it could do the trick.

Thanks Guys

DHP

[Max4Gooser]

I got my sun who just turned 8 tuesday a Mossberg 500 Super Bantam in 20 gauge. This gun won hands down sue to its modular stock that can actually be made shorter than the Remington 870 express youth. And like it was mentioned earlier, it came with the certificate for a full size stock, and you can always put a longer barrel on it. All in all it is actually a well built gun and priced nicely too, seems like it was under 250, bought it back in october. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing some pics of her with duck and geese she has killed.

[kansasgoosehunter]

benelli m1 in 20 ga is like shooting a .22. man that is a sweet shootin no kickin SOB. if i had some extra cash to buy another gun i would buy it for the range and the fields for pheasant hunting. man is it light to. also it is synthetic so no worries of dinging the wood or scratching it up bad. that gun will last her forever.

[Steelheader]

All the big name guys make good youth models. Even some autoloaders. I would go that route I have been looking hard for one for my son. He is 9 and he took his 1st bird this year with a BPS 20 that has a cut down stock but it had a 28" barrel on it. I am leaning towards the 11-87 youth I think it has a 21" barrel on it.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

How much have you seen an M1 selling for?

[h20fowler]

NOW you are thinking.

I went from the NEF to a H&K - Benelli montefeltro 20 gauge. At that time they were a newer gun to the market, and my dad got into one new for under $300. Granted, that was 20 years ago. But I still shoot it, it shoots like it is new, and I have never had one issue with it.

I honestly can not recall a shell hanging, jamming, sticking, misfiring, or anything of the sort... Not one. Granted, different time, and a different gun then today's benelli.

[Duck Hunter Paul]

H2O

So is it for sale?

DHP

[h20fowler]

I have seen them used anywhere from 650 - 800. Usually closer to the 800. I don't know about a new price. I have not looked. Sorry.

[h20fowler]

And is mine for sale... That is the first real gun of mine that my father gave to me. I used it this year on Teal, ducks, quail, and pheasants. In fact, here are a couple pictures of it. And I think that by the smile, you know where it is going, and that there is not enough money in the world to get it away from me.

3 years of teal openers

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/g1.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/DSC01748.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/Garrett_1stDuckHunt.jpg

Sad part is that about 9 years ago my apartment was broken into. They found the guns. The left the Browning 308 BAR, left the 20 gauge montefeltro, left the SBE. All cases open with the guns laying on the bed. So you know they looked at them. What they did take was a POS SKS with a folding stock, 50 round mag, and a couple other accessories for it.... :roll: I have never been so lucky in my life!

[Duck Hunter Paul]

Cause that gun was meant to stay in your posession forever and then go to your boy.

I was just kidding about the for sale part, I knew you wouldn't want to part with it.

DHP