10yr old lad - Ready to Start?

[MartynGT4]

Hi,

 

My lad has been coming clay shooting for about a year and desperately wants to shoot. He's had a go with a 20g O/U on a local 'open day' and loved it, although he was clearly finding the weight a bit much (not that he'd admit it or agree, but stance said it all). Now he's on my case to get a 20g for him to shoot, under my supervision of course.

 

My question is, is it too soon? And if not, what should I be looking to buy? Think a .410 is going to be too small for clay busting but he's not a big lad so would need something light enough without presenting recoil problems that might put him off.

 

Any ideas? (preferrably those that won't break the bank )

 

Thanks

[SSS]

try and find a nice little lightweight, single barrel 20 bore, that should suit him. Failing that a 28 bore should do it.

Personally, I dont think he is too young. Make sure he has decent ear defense and can handle the gun and he should be fine.

My mate has a Breda single barrel 20 bore that was shortened when he started shooting, that would suit nicely, but unfortunately, he wont sell it for sentimental reasons.

Good luck in your hunt for a gun and getting another youngster involved in the sport

[bruxie hill]

hi

if you are confident that he has good gun safty i would go for it my son had his first air gun at 9 then just after his 11th birthday we got him a nice little 20 bore and he started on 21 grm carts

after a few monthes he moved on top my 12 bore and his shooting improved he now shoots dtl

well and has just got his sgc

all the best bruxie

[JR1960]

Guess you have to go with your instincts, my son's had his certificate since he was 9, got "his own" 20 bore O/U on his 10th birthday and got a 12g auto when he was 13. I brought him (and my daughter) up going shooting with me and taught them safety etc early on. **** about, you never go again, is a great incentive. Now, safety wise I'd rather share a hide with them than anyone else i could think of. And the little ***** a better shot then me!

[alexr]

My son is a big lad for an 11 year old, but we started him off young, about five years a go he had a proper archery set we got from Decathlon. We used that to teach him some range discipline, when he was 9 he graduated to a .410 webley junior and now has a 20g. He also had a couple of lessons to tighten up on the discipline when he was ten. He loves it and it has given us a 'father and son' thing to do that does not involve freezing on the terraces.

[Fatcatsplat]

You're in a bit of no man's land there - The 410 is perfect weight and length wise, but can be horribly hard to hit clays with unless they are reasonably close - Skeet is a great 410 discipline. Probably nothing worse than starting out in a sport and hitting nothing. Best bet IMHO is a 28 bore as it's a great compromise with weight and power. Problem is they are rarer than rocking horse manure and downright ludicrously expensive!!

[berties]

Hi,

 

My lad has been coming clay shooting for about a year and desperately wants to shoot. He's had a go with a 20g O/U on a local 'open day' and loved it, although he was clearly finding the weight a bit much (not that he'd admit it or agree, but stance said it all). Now he's on my case to get a 20g for him to shoot, under my supervision of course.

 

My question is, is it too soon? And if not, what should I be looking to buy? Think a .410 is going to be too small for clay busting but he's not a big lad so would need something light enough without presenting recoil problems that might put him off.

 

Any ideas? (preferrably those that won't break the bank )

 

Thanks

I have just had the same problem for my son he had been having lessons on a 28 gauge and we looked at the price of carts and fors and against,hes abig 9 year old and we decided to get him a 20 gauge browning citori get the stock cut down put a gel pad on it,we have tried different loads through it 21g-24g-28g hes been comfy with it all,nothing worse than seeing a kid lean back with discomfort,after about 75 carts gets a bit tired,then we tend to do easy birds for morale

i am no expert by any means this is just personal experience,and as i am not far away from you you are welcome to let your son have a go and see how he feels as the gun has been cut down

[alexr]

You're in a bit of no man's land there - The 410 is perfect weight and length wise, but can be horribly hard to hit clays with unless they are reasonably close - Skeet is a great 410 discipline. Probably nothing worse than starting out in a sport and hitting nothing. Best bet IMHO is a 28 bore as it's a great compromise with weight and power. Problem is they are rarer than rocking horse manure and downright ludicrously expensive!!

 

Tend to use a 3" gamebore 410 cart with 16g of 6's and 7's. recoil is still minimal but it puts a lot more lead in the air than you might expect. However you are right he used to mis a lot with the 410 that he no longer misses with the 20g. Early on we also tried subsonic 12g ammo. He hit a great deal more with that too, but the weight of the 12g ment he could only use it in short bursts.

[COACH]

Hello MartynGT4.

I see your in Wiltshire, where do you shoot clays to ?

[MartynGT4]

Thanks for the good advice folks... this really is a top notch forum!

 

I'm going to give him a go, because if I think back to when I was that age I would have loved to shoot but didn't get the opportunity. Agree the .410 is going to be a hard sell and I don't want him to lose motivation when he struggles to hit anything so looks like I'm going to be taking my lad shopping for a 20g soon. As always, it's going to come down to cost, availability and best fit but I'm sure we'll find something suitable. One thing I do know, he isn't going to be getting a 28g, not at those prices

 

i am no expert by any means this is just personal experience,and as i am not far away from you you are welcome to let your son have a go and see how he feels as the gun has been cut down

 

Thanks mate, I may well take you up on that offer..

[MartynGT4]

Hello MartynGT4.

I see your in Wiltshire, where do you shoot clays to ?

 

I'm actually shooting near Wotton-Under-Edge with http://www.bristolclayshooting.com, they're charging £12 / 50 and then £10 for the second card. They're friendly, challenging and varied (have two grounds on rotation each Sunday + Thursday shoot at another). Not exactly the closest for me but I shoot with my father who lives in Bristol so its fairly convenient (for him). Also shoot over at Tree Tops in Newport from time to time but looking for something a bit closer to home as well. Any recommendations?

[Ferret Master]

I'm actually shooting near Wotton-Under-Edge with http://www.bristolclayshooting.com, they're charging £12 / 50 and then £10 for the second card. They're friendly, challenging and varied (have two grounds on rotation each Sunday + Thursday shoot at another). Not exactly the closest for me but I shoot with my father who lives in Bristol so its fairly convenient (for him). Also shoot over at Tree Tops in Newport from time to time but looking for something a bit closer to home as well. Any recommendations?

I have a recommendation.

 

PM if you want details of a local friendly club where you and your son will be more than welcome.

 

FM

[COACH]

Come on up to Wood Farm, Mere in Wiltshire, just off the A303. It`s very, very friendly and I`ll have a look at your son for free to see what he can manage and help you find a gun if you wish.

Open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Edited January 20, 2010 by COACH

[beerdeor]

My lad started at 11 with a hatsan 20b S/A light enough with little recoil get junior version and it will be short enough in the stock for him too

hope this helps Jim

[clayman]

Many people beleive the solution to lighter framed people, colts and ladies, lies in the lighter bores.

 

But the gauge of the gun is less important than the balance point.

 

Very ofter a larger bore gun, with a very short stock and short (25/26") barrels has far less forward weight than a 410 / 28g with std barrels and pull lengths.

 

410s are usually set choke for hunting, so 3/4 is typical, and a 12 or 16g load at 3/4 is a tight pattern with a small pellet count, as buying shells other than no6 is hard.

 

A 28gauge with 28" barrels and a 12" stock might be ideal, and good for many years as the stock can be lengthened again and up to 28g shells are available. Also, std sporters 1/4 and 1/2, or M/C are around - but as commented there is premium on 28s as they are so useful and not many in the second hand market. A new budget 28g M/C Webley & Scott is around £650 mark, and Lincolns either side of £1000 new depending on spec.

 

It may be good to take a saw to a cheap 20g, - £200 - £300 2nd hand, lop off the stock to very short and chop the barrels to 26" cy cy.

 

Great for skeet and close quarter clays, and will feel lighter than a longer stocked longer barreled smaller gauge. Using 21 / 24g cartridges and with the bit of extra weight the lad will not suffer recoil while the pattern is wide and full with no 8s.

 

The gun is balanced if the shooter can lean into it and still support it. If the have to lean back to counter act the gun, the head will be off the comb, ability to swing reduced, and control, and therefore success, will be poor.

 

If you have the budget for a 28gauge, get it - but a chopped 20g may be an excellent solution. Consider also something like a Remi 1100 on 20g with a short stock. The semi absorbs recoil and has a single barrel so the forward wt is much reduced. M/C and skeet vs available with short barrels too.

 

And lastly, and its very realistic, buy a single barreled 12b - plenty around sub £100. Hack it to the minimum legal, 24" barrel at cy, and chop the stock to 12" - For next to no money you have a perfect light starter gun. Use 21g in it and after a month or two he will have all the confidence needed to use a double gun, and you will not have blown a fortune finding out if he is ready.

Edited January 24, 2010 by clayman

[COACH]

I`m with Clayman all the way on this one.

[canthitathing]

Many people beleive the solution to lighter framed people, colts and ladies, lies in the lighter bores.

 

But the gauge of the gun is less important than the balance point.

 

Very ofter a larger bore gun, with a very short stock and short (25/26") barrels has far less forward weight than a 410 / 28g with std barrels and pull lengths.

 

410s are usually set choke for hunting, so 3/4 is typical, and a 12 or 16g load at 3/4 is a tight pattern with a small pellet count, as buying shells other than no6 is hard.

 

A 28gauge with 28" barrels and a 12" stock might be ideal, and good for many years as the stock can be lengthened again and up to 28g shells are available. Also, std sporters 1/4 and 1/2, or M/C are around - but as commented there is premium on 28s as they are so useful and not many in the second hand market. A new budget 28g M/C Webley & Scott is around £650 mark, and Lincolns either side of £1000 new depending on spec.

 

It may be good to take a saw to a cheap 20g, - £200 - £300 2nd hand, lop off the stock to very short and chop the barrels to 26" cy cy.

 

 

Great for skeet and close quarter clays, and will feel lighter than a longer stocked longer barreled smaller gauge. Using 21 / 24g cartridges and with the bit of extra weight the lad will not suffer recoil while the pattern is wide and full with no 8s.

 

The gun is balanced if the shooter can lean into it and still support it. If the have to lean back to counter act the gun, the head will be off the comb, ability to swing reduced, and control, and therefore success, will be poor.

 

If you have the budget for a 28gauge, get it - but a chopped 20g may be an excellent solution. Consider also something like a Remi 1100 on 20g with a short stock. The semi absorbs recoil and has a single barrel so the forward wt is much reduced. M/C and skeet vs available with short barrels too.

 

And lastly, and its very realistic, buy a single barreled 12b - plenty around sub £100. Hack it to the minimum legal, 24" barrel at cy, and chop the stock to 12" - For next to no money you have a perfect light starter gun. Use 21g in it and after a month or two he will have all the confidence needed to use a double gun, and you will not have blown a fortune finding out if he is ready.

 

My lad started at 10 and this is what i did. He quite quickly moved onto 12g with similar modifications and nice thick Kick Eze pad using 21gram hull cartridges.

Edited January 26, 2010 by canthitathing

[MartynGT4]

Thanks again for all the amazing response and great advice folks!

 

Particularly like the idea of adapting a cheap 20g. Happy to buy my lad whatever he needs but he does have a habbit of changing his mind so wouldn't want to commit too much until I'm sure this is something he's going to stick with for more than a few months..

 

I'm guessing gun mart is a good place to start..

 

Thanks again

[MC]

That is good advice about cutting down a 20 bore but please ensure you do not take it less than 40 inches overall length.

 

That could land you in some hot water.

[clayman]

That is good advice about cutting down a 20 bore but please ensure you do not take it less than 40 inches overall length.

 

That could land you in some hot water.

 

Check you shotgun defn

 

its min 24" for break actions and min 40" overall for mobile breach.

 

Its one or the other - not both at once, so a break action with 24" barrels can still be shorter than 40" over-all - otherwise a gun with the stock folded would suddenly be illegal.

 

As the S-A has a total barrel length up to 6" longer than the actual used barrel from the breech face to the muzzle end, its rather difficult to apply the 24" rule - hence a different rule for this type of gun - 40" over-all, but there is no legal requirement that the 24" break action should be 40".

[lasbrisas]

My 11 year old is very small for his age, very fussy eater and hardly eats anything. I was looking at a 28 gauge for him but as many have said they are very expensive. I then looked at a 20 gauge as I had the 28 and 20 gauge both weighed and they were both the same. The problem seems to be when you have the stocked shortened which makes it front heavy. I got it balanced by adding weight into the stock and my son has no problem shooting and he looks like an 8 year old. I think a 20 gauge will be suitable for most kids and if you need the stock shortened get it done by a pro who understands balance.

[TonySmith]

Interesting reads, thanks, keep us posted Martyn on how your lad gets on.

 

ATB

Tony