Advice on child's first gun

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oOVEGGIEOo

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While at the same time wanting to be conscious of ammo availability and cost, what would be a good first gun for my 11 year old son? I was considering a 20 gauge youth model and I've seen him handle the kick. But I want to make certain I'll be doin right by him.

He's a bit on the small frame side, but tall. Has shot my 243 and done fine as well as fired a single shot full size 20 gauge. He didn't drop it lol, but it hit him fairly hard.


I know 410 is a bit on the expensive side as far as ammo cost as well as 22 ammo. What about a 17? I have a 30 30, 300 wby mag, 243 auto loader, a single shot 223 and a 12 gauge at home. So when e is ready to take on something bigger he will have that.

I know I can teach him to use the 223 without problems, but the kiddo has been saving up and really wants his own.
 

Oklahomabassin

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Single shot shotguns will kick harder than a pump because of weight. 20 gauge is still probably cheapest to shoot next to .22lr. You can buy 100 rounds for $25-$27 and you can stand clay pigeons up in front of a dirt pile to shoot until he is ready to swing on thrown clays.
 

excat

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410 was my first shotgun, .22 short was first rifle. You aren't going to find any ammo cheaper than .22lr, even if inflated. Even if you are paying .20/round, you are still cheaper than any other round you listed. Next cheapest is .17 HMR, and you are still looking at .30-.40/round. You can get 410 for .40-.48/round for a target load. (Prices stated are current online pricing.)

Just because he can "handle" the kick, doesn't mean he's going to be able to shoot it for extended periods of time, or want to shoot it very frequently, OR tell you the truth that it is hurting him because he doesn't want to let his dad down. My dad started me on his 20g was I was 10ish, and while I could handle it, it was punishment to me, and I hated to shoot it, and I wasn't a very small 10 yr old. Not all kids are the same though, that was just my experience.
 

orangeRcode

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What is he wanting to do with the weapon? .223, .243, and 3030 are good for large game and varmints. I would agree on the 20 gauge for a shotty. My first shotgun was a single shot 20 which I still have. Got it for Christmas after my dad said there was no way I was getting one. I sure miss that honery SOB but I digress. 22 is a great plinking round.

My son is 10 and I've purchased a Browning Buckmark 22 for him and Marlin 3030 this year. He's shot the 22 a bunch and the 3030 probably 10 times. Both well suited for their purpose. He frequently shoots my pistols and rifles. Give him a chance to shoot several different calibers after you decide what purpose you are trying to fill. Don't know if that helps you or not. Good luck. Be sure and post what you ended up getting.
 

HardKnox

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Bought my 9 yr old his first rifle this year. It is a Mossberg Youth 243 Deer Thug and it came with the buttstock extension for when he gets a little older. Also just purchased him a Mossberg Bantam Youth 20 guage pump which he handles without issue. Both of these are great starter guns at a very reasonable price. If you ever get into reloading, you can cut back on the powder to alleviate some of the kick and still keep a good grouping.
 

Toney

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IMG_20130818_155200.jpg a cricket.
 

oOVEGGIEOo

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He's wanting to get into hunting or sure. Doesn't really seem to care about bird hunting, but wants to get his first deer. I'll let him use my 243 for that. I figure the 20 gauge is a more versatile weapon than the 22. But I want him to enjoy shooting. Going to have a heart to heart with him tonight and make sure that 20 gauge wasn't too much for him.
 

Old Fart

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I've kept a .22 single shot & a .410 single shot for many years just for this.
They're cheap and durable.
Everyone moved on to bigger and more powerful but those two have helped all my kids and G'kids, plus a few friends kids learn to shoot.

Plus there's the added benefit you of only getting shot once in the butt when a kids screw up. :wink2:
 

swampratt

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I started with a bent barrel 20 gauge single shot.
I hated that gun..when i did hit something it usually would not instantly die.
I later got a 12 pump..kick was the same..but ducks and birds died with less shots.

My son's first gun was a 50cal inline muzzleloader.
I vote for a 243 as a first.
If you go bird hunting let him use your shotgun.
I shoot my rifles way more than my shotguns..
Shooting small targets at 600 feet away gives me a bigger smile than shooting targets at 120feet.
Up to him really.. whatever he likes to do more.
 

aarondhgraham

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I'm for a decent 22 single-shot rifle or maybe a bolt-action repeater,,,
And/or a single-action .22 revolver.

They aren't expensive and can shoot any ammo,,,
And they slow the new shooter down,,,
So they learn to aim.

Later they can buy the newest whiz-bang autoloaders on the market,,,
Don't start a kid with the temptation to Spray and Pray.

START RANT

I hear from people who say,,,
"But my kids get bored with anything other than a semi-auto."

I say to them,,,
"If they get bored then maybe the shooting sports aren't for them."

Call me an old fogey but I get so sad when I see kids at my range,,,
And all they are doing is turning money into noise,,,
Burning though 10 round mags in 3 seconds.

One friend of mine actually got mad at me,,,
I offered to take him and his 11 year old to my range,,,
I brought a high quality Henry Acu-Bolt single-shot rifle for the kid to shoot.

My friend said, "I thought we were bringing him here to have fun.",,,
My answer to him was "I thought learning to hit a target was where the fun was in shooting.

I'll offer to take just about any kid to the range,,,
But I'm not fronting for the ammo if all they want to do is mag dumps.

END RANT

Buy him something with good quality,,,
But let it be something he can actually learn with.

The first rifle my Dad got for me was a Stevens 22/410 over-under,,,
Many of my friends had auto-loaders and I felt under gunned,,,
Until one day I noticed I usually hit what I aimed at,,,
I actually took rabbits instead of scaring them. :wink2:

JMHO - YMMV

Aarond

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