Any recommendations for what gauge shotgun for a young man to start with? I have an eighth year old grandson that's showing interest in turkey hunting. Also what's the availability for shells. I stopped at Cabela's on my way north to see what they had and there wasn't any turkey loads.
Turkey Hunting
Gauge shotgun for kids
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Stevens 301 in .410 is a great option. I use one sometimes myself. Interchangeable chokes, and a rail to mount a red dot. Feed it some TSS 9.5 or 10's and you have yourself a legit 40 yard turkey gun that weighs nothing and doesn't kick, and throws a pattern that will out shoot any lead load in any 20 gauge anywhere, and even beat some lead 12 gauges.
I'm all for the 20 gauge pump. My sons, many years ago, each got a 20 pump for their 12th birthday. One got a Remington and one got a Mossberg youth models. They actually still use those for grouse hunting. When they were kids (30 years ago) we hunted grouse and geese and these guns did just fine. Heavy loads work great for turkey too.
Started my son at 11 using a single shot .410. I honestly don't know that manufacturer. When he started hitting clays I bumped him up to a 20ga auto loader and he did great. I put a youth stock on one of my Benellis and he was able to consistently hit clays. I agree with Graceonpoint that the auto's kick less. No flinching which made him more confident. Fast forward, I got him his own Montefeltro. The last 12 years, he has been deadly on grouse and pheasant. We call him "Clean Up" because he knocks down the birds the old guys miss.
Outside of the Stevens 301, very few single shot shotguns have interchangeable chokes, which generally means you are stuck with a Modified or Full barrel...single shot shotguns are also lightweight, which means shooting a 3" turkey load will lead to significantly more recoil for a younger shooter, leaving them prone to flinching or discouraging them altogether. I would stick with the pump for the extra weight, interchangeable chokes and the availability of a follow-up shot, if needed. A Stevens 301 single shot will run you $199-219 and a Mossberg pump is $50-75 more. The Mossbergs are also drilled and tapped for a Weaver rail if you would prefer to mount a red dot sight. My wife uses TruGlo fiber optic sights that snap on the vent rib, but a red dot for some young hunters may help as well.
Another option came to mind after my previous post...Have you considered a single shot break action shotgun? They can be had very cheaply. If the stock is too long, just cut it down to size. As the grandson grows, add a spacer and/or recoil pad to increase the length of pull. This might be a cost effective option. You can always upgrade as needed.
Count me in as another vote for the 20ga pump. I too purchased a Mossberg 500 Bantam in 20 ga with two barrels, a rifled barrel for slugs on deer and a field barrel with interchangeable chokes for everything else, for my daughter when she was 13yoa and had completed Hunter's Safety. She shot sporting clays with us and even hunted deer for about an hour before she was too cold, too bored, and didn't have a cell signal. Now she's 28 and doesn't hunt but I use it occasionally when I want a light weight shotty in the woods. I did replace the youth stock with a full-sized adult stock. I think if your grandson continues his interest in hunting, the gun can grow with him. If not, Grandpa got a new gun. BTW, when equipped with the slug barrel and Hornady SST sabot slugs, it's the sniper rifle of shotguns.
Edit to add: 20ga ammunition is readily available in all sorts of loads for all sorts of hunting needs for less $$$ than .410 ammo.
Edit to add: 20ga ammunition is readily available in all sorts of loads for all sorts of hunting needs for less $$$ than .410 ammo.
Yup. A 20 gauge pump is a great youth turkey gun. My wife is 5'2" and very petite and she has killed several birds with a Mossberg 500 Bantam (youth) 20 gauge. I have her practice with 2 3/4" 1 oz #7.5 shot high brass game loads and when she hunts, I slip in a 3" Long Beard XR #6. She has never mentioned anything about the recoil when shooting at turkeys, and kills them very dead within 40 yards. The way I look at it, you can get similar or maybe even better performance out of a 20 gauge than a .410 shooting TSS...and for a whole lot less money! The biggest thing is to make sure the gun fits the youngster. My wife would never be able to shoot a full size adult shotgun with 14" LOP, and your 8 year old probably wouldn't be able to either! A Mossberg 500 with a wood stock is less than $300, and a Maverick 88 youth is even cheaper. Both have interchangeable chokes, allowing you to get a turkey choke (my wife has an HS Undertaker, which is $20) that will extend you range. Either 2 3/4" #6 or #7.5 shot will get you 30-ish yards and a 3" shell with similar shot size may stretch that to 35-40 yards. At 25 yards, a turkey will not stand a chance or know the difference! Good luck!
a 20 gauge would do fine.....make sure the kid can handle the gun and shoot it without problems....as for ammo....2.34 inch shells will kill a turkey fine....DON'T get caught up that you need special turkey loads to kill a turkey.....i have killed 43 turkeys without one special turkey load over the years
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