What are yall setting your kids up with in the shotgun department? I have 6 and 8 year old boys that are really getting into shooting and hunting but I don't have any kind of youth/compact shotgun.

I watched a lot of comparison videos on youtube but wanted yalls input on whats working for yall that wont kick the snot out of them. I'm thinking a semi-auto 20 gauge that they can grow with?

not a good grow in to shot gun. I think the youth Mossberg and Tristar are best route

I got my 7 year old a mossberg youth 28 gauge semi auto for Christmas. Thing barely kicks

Not an automatic, but put me in the Mossberg 500 youth camp. For some reason it seems to recoil way less than an 870 youth, even though it's probably lighter. I assume some difference in the stock or something.



If I remember right you can buy stocks in a couple of different links for a little bit of the "grow with it type" stuff. Obviously the barrel is still going to be 22 ish or whatever they are

Not a fan of semi’s cuz it’s too easy to waste shells, BUT, at those ages my vote goes to the 28 semi for recoil purposes. Shells are expensive, get them involved in reloading (good family time) to save.

I’m a semi-auto guy for kids and women. Take as much kick out of the gun as possible.

Load two shells in it if you feel like that’s what’s needed

So, what's a good lightweight 20 gauge for that type of stuff? About the only thing I can think of is the Beretta. I think Frankie and Benelli make them, but with the inertia system they're going to kick about like a pump gun. So, does Beretta make one and does anybody else make something viable. And by viable I mean lightweight and actually works LOL. I'm not against an automatic 20 gauge for kids / women, but when it comes to kids people usually want to keep the cost down and that's why I'm always ended up on the 500 pump gun. They do kick harder than a gas gun though

Weatherby makes a small semi auto, the SA-08. My wife shoots one.

Getting a kid to be proficient with a shotgun at 8 years old is gonna be tough, it largely depends on their frame and hand/eye coordination. Most kids don’t get to be decent until they are around 12 years old or so, decent being relative. So don’t rush them into it, let it develop naturally.

With today’s semi-autos there really is no reason to own a pump gun unless you just want a cheap beater gun. That’s my opinion for any shooter.

20 ga. Single shot H&R Topper.
Just kidding.

I had a 20 ga Sears or Montgomery Wards break open single shot then I saved my money and bought 20 ga wingmaster for $116.00. I still have that gun today it's 56 years old.
Remember kids grow like a weed so don't spend too much money on a first shotgun that will be out grown in a few years.
Kids & guns always safety first, less is more for everyone.

My 8 year old is pretty small framed and very thin. My 6 year old is shorter but pretty solid and weighs as much as his older brother.

I grew up on a 41 bolt action and a sxs 20 gauge that kicked me pretty good, which made me not really want to shoot much. My main thoughts behind the semi was to reduce some of the kick.

There's a fella on YT that his 9 year old compared the Franchi affinity 20ga compact to the Winchester SX4 20 compact. He said the Win was slightly heavier and kicked less but ultimately picked the Franchi due to it being slightly less weight.

I've seen some of the Tristars online but didn't know anything about them or if they were a decent gun or not.

That's a lot better price than the Franchi and Winchester I was poking around at

THIS !!!

While great guns, the Frankie affinities are going to kick more like a pump because they are inertia driven and not gas guns. That's also one of the reasons they're a little bit lighter than the Winchester's.

I've never messed with the weatherby, but it might be a good gun as well.

One of the biggest things is going to be stock fit. It'll have as much to do with felt recoil as what the gun actually recoils. So if they don't have a "kid" version of the gun, buy short barrel version and buy an extra stock. Chop the extra stock off and keep the long stock for when they get a little bit bigger. I know you can do this with the Mossberg pumps which is one of the reasons I recommended them. But, a Mossberg pump still ain't an automatic and if that's what you want that's what you want lol. Just make sure you get that stock close to the length they need with whichever one you buy

I coach trap for kids 12-18. Lots of good options out there. If you get one you want them to grow with, get one with a youth stock now and go ahead and get the adult stock for it. Don't get an adult gun for an 8 year old.

Its tempting to get a Remington 870 youth because they are easy to teach a kid with and safe because they have to work the action. But a pump just isn't a semi-auto. O/U or SxS will have more recoil.

Gas gun like Remington 1100 or Beretta would be most friendly in terms of recoil. Remington is heavy, but a great gun. If you can find a used LT 20, its a great first shotgun. I have a Beretta A300 in 20 ga that's pretty good. I also have a Franchi 48 AL that is pretty nice with just slightly more recoil. Franchi makes some great guns as well. lightweight and well built. An inertia driven gun doesn't recoil that much more, but it is more than a gas gun.

Nothing wrong with a Mossberg or Weatherby, but I have several kids shooting a SKB semi-auto and I'd probably get one of them before the Mossberg or Weatherby. I've been impressed with how well they are doing.

Thanks for the input, yall. I'll be adding these to the list of some to look at and let them hold.

Tristar’s are a Turkish made expired beretta patent. Finish work is pretty good, Cabelas usually get a bunch. Weatherby SA-08 is probably made in same factory. either option is good with tristar have lower priced all synthetic and same finish quality. mossberg has their bantam series in pump and auto.

Bought my son the Weatherby SA-08 when he was around 8 and it's been a great gun. We started off with the low recoil shells which effectively makes it a single shot, which is fine for a kid that age. He very quickly moved to regular loads though so he could shoot at doubles like the other kids.

We did the 4H thing and the shooting instructor was awesome. Had him breaking clays on his first day which got him hooked.

The semi's really take the recoil out. There were a few kids out there with single shot .410's and they were miserable. They'd try my son's gun and then show up with one the next week. I should get a commission from Weatherby.

As far as growing with them, that's kind of difficult. You put a full size stock on them and then you have an awkwardly short barrel for a full size gun. Good reason to buy a new gun.

A lot of parents don’t want to invest money into getting kids starter gear, they go the cheapest route and then wonder why the kid gets frustrated and has no interest. A single shot .410 is about the worst. You can give a kid if he is going to shoot anything other than cans or squirrels sitting in a tree.

Shooting a shotgun is completely different than shooting a rifle. Just like a golf club or a baseball bat, if it doesn’t fit, they are not gonna be able to hit with it.

I probably worded the growing with them wrong, but this makes a lot of sense and I agree.

I also plan to try finding one of those SA-08 somewhere that i can put him on it to see how it is. I'm kind of doing my research now so I'm not waiting until right before dove season and am rushed. Some great info here.

Semi-auto 20 gauge for kids. I keep the shells until I'm comfortable with them having them. One at a time. I shoot 20 gauge also so no mixing of shells. Worked for my daughter, grandson and now the granddaughters. All learned on the same youth Beretta 303 20 gauge, 24" barrel.

This is the route I'd go and in a few years get a auto 20ga for the older son.

Couple things to consider...
The gun needs to be light enough for them to shoulder and hold on their own.
The gun also needs to cycle properly and not all 20ga autos cycle the light (7/8oz) loads well, forcing one to shoot 1oz loads.
A lightweight 20ga, shooting 1oz loads (think Rem Heavy Dove), is still going to kick a small kid pretty good.

If they were older, I'd say go ahead and get one of the 20s mentioned above, or maybe an ATA Venza youth, but at this age, I'd start with a 28.

I would say most 6 year old kids are not ready for a shotgun at all. Even at age 8, you’re really pushing it. Not just based on my kids, but other relatives, cousin’s kids, etc.

At the end of the day though, it depends on how bad they want to go. If you are pushing them *at all* it will be a miserable experience for you both when it comes to recoil. But if they are just begging to go and chomping at the bit, you better take ‘em.

If it is the latter, a 28 gauge is probably the best place to start someone that young. A .410 throwing a half ounce of shot is just too hard to hit anything with. A 28 gauge is the minimum I would start anybody on, and if they can handle more use more. Easier to hit stuff.

I would also say if you got a kid that is very eager, congrats. It’s gonna be a fun ride raising that kid Even if they can’t hit anything, as long as they have the basics of gun safety and can be trusted that far then go ahead and give them the .410. He’d probably rather be included in the hunt and miss every single shot than to get left behind.

I started out with a single shot 410. Mostly squirrel hunting and not bird hunting. If a kid is gonna bird hunt, then that Weatherby compact 20 gauge looks like a great choice. As for recoil, do they still make that strap on shoulder pad. PAST, was it?