taz24 Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 My wife and her friend are away for the wekend so I'm looking after my own two kids and the friends lad, plus the dogs . I took him to a clay shoot this afternoon and let him fire my Remi. He loved it but unfortunatly he only weighs about 5 stone wet through and was not physically strong enough to hold the gun and withstand the recoil. I ended up with my hand behind the butt to absorb some of the impact the lads arms were just too short to hold the gun. He loved it though and I know that he would love to come back again but he is incapable of holding my gun. This is one lad that could turn out to be a bad un if he is alowed to continue the path he is on. He has been suspended from his school and now goes to a "special" school, he has had a few scrapes with the law and if somthing does not change the lad will cock his life up and end up in jail. He has no father but I have known him since he was a few years old he does not respond to many but because I have been a constant in his life he trusts me and I am sort of a father figure. I want to give him somthing else to think about and the discaplin asciated with shooting could do him good. So where do I go now. I only shoot clays and I thought about getting a small gun so he could come with me. Trouble is I can't afford to spend £100's on a gun but I know I could pick up a 410 for a small amout. Would it be a waste of time letting someone shoot at clays with a 410. I want him to enjoy himself and have the thrill of hitting the target some of the time, would he stand a chance with a 410 or would I make it worse by letting him shoot without the prospect of him hitting much. He is a lad that has no future but I don't want him to end up wasteing his life. I know shooting may make no difference but at least he wil have somthing to do that is in a secure environment and he will learn responcilbility. Any advice welcomed. Cheers taz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Good on you Taz. I reckon a cheap .410 would fit the bill perfectly, nice and light, little recoil, and I can crunch up clays with mine till the cows come home. Good luck with this lad, he is lucky to have someone like you to help him out :( ZB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 why not go down the air rifle route Taz? im sure you could both get a second hand one cheap enough, this would give him something to put his mind to. if you keep guiding him the way you are, he'll turn out ok :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 A mate of mine went through a very similar experience several years ago. He went down the 410 route, even shortened the stock. You can hit clays with a 410, just dont get too ambitious. You should use the shooting as reward for good behaviour. Make sure that he knows that he is going shooting because ??, similarly, he can not go shooting tomorrow because he QQQQQQQQ, but that he can go next week if he behaves himself... It does work, and as you say, may just be the thing that swings him in the right direction. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 A lot depends on the physical build of the lad, I would suggest trying to find him the largest gauge shotgun he can handle. If you get a .410, then within a year you will be looking for something bigger, whereas a 20 gauge or cut down 12 gauge will last for a heck of a lot longer. What you are doing is excellent and certainly deserves to be successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz24 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Thanks guys. I have no experience with a 410 and it is good to know he could hit clays with one. Air rifles are an option and I'm not ruleing them out but with clays it would be more organised and I think that would suit me more (I don't want to introduce anything that could worsen his situation). Thanks for the advice guys. Webber I agree with you and I think that the lad responds to me because I have been constant with him. He knows that my yes'es mean yes and my no's mean no. His mother does not discaplin him (not without verbal screaming) but he knows that I mean what I say. When he is with me he is like a litle lamb and as polite as any one could hope for. But he is a rum un and he could easly go of the rails. Cheers guys taz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz24 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 A lot depends on the physical build of the lad, I would suggest trying to find him the largest gauge shotgun he can handle.If you get a .410, then within a year you will be looking for something bigger, whereas a 20 gauge or cut down 12 gauge will last for a heck of a lot longer. What you are doing is excellent and certainly deserves to be successful. :( Thanks for the advice. He is a scrawny runt and when I say he only weighs 5stone wet through I am not exagerating. I would consider a 20 or 28 gauge but I would think they are out of the price range I would look at. I have not ruled out any option but I honestly think that if I let him use a 12g again even modified it would cause him harm. Cheers taz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead-Eyed Duck Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Don't think about a 28g as the cost of the cartridges will give you a heart attack. My lad started with a .410, and I took him to a charity clay shoot and he ended up getting a round of applause. Stick to 'easy' clay a reasonable distances and he should do ok. Great that you are doing this - he is obviously at a cross roads in his life, and any help will matter Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokie Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Taz i commend you for bothering with the lad . It is a similar situation to me . My brother does nothing interactive with his 14 year old twins . If allowed to they would run riot . The only time there mums bothers with them is to give them a bo!!ocking. When i started shooting again they showed great interest and always asked if they could come along. I saw a 410 advertised locally and at the right price. This purchased and we were off to the clay ground. We found a few traps that had easy targets . They then had the chance to enjoy something that only they had the power to opperate in which to break the clays . Also that this was indeed a treat that cost lots of money. Watching there face light up when they broke a clay was worth every penny. It is true that you should buy him the biggest gun that he can fire . But be careful that he will tire easily . The lads can use my 12 g semi but after a few shots they start to weaken and constantly miss. I have just upgrade them to a 20 bore but at no exta cost as they have been using the 410 for about 18 months and are now ready to move up . They love shooting to bits and I think it has taught them lots of respect which is my whole intention . Hope this helps and all works out well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 good point Stokie. hes at the point in his teen years which will form his outlook on the rest ofhis life. mould em now while they can be :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard756 Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) I have just started my little Brother on a 410 single barrel paid £60 for it great little gun Carn't go wrong and i'm sure it will send the lad in question the right way Edited June 1, 2008 by Richard756 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Im sure someone on here must have an old 410 they could help out with here.... i have taken a few kids clay shooting and the joy of them hitting their first clay is fantastic.. Good luck and well done... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz24 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) Cheers guys. Iwas realy proud of him and told him so when I explained the rules. I stated that for him at the moment the two most important rules were 1 never ever walk with a loaded gun 2 never ever point the gun anywhere except down range and he sad yeh because if it was to go off it could hurt sombody. So if nothing else ever comes of this he now realises the power of a gun and never ever point one anywhere except down range. Cheers taz. Another daft question!! 12g 16g 20g, 28g, I understand why they are called that and how the bore is sized, but why is a 410 a 410 and what gauge would one be? Cheers taz. Edited June 1, 2008 by taz24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
me and my lad Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 do the clay ground have anything to rent out ? nwss charge £5.00 to rent a gun could be worth asking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz24 Posted June 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) do the clay ground have anything to rent out ? nwss charge £5.00 to rent a guncould be worth asking Hi ya.. I shoot a few grounds and two have loan guns to my knowledge but unfortunatley they are 12g. I don't mind getting a 410 now that I know you can use them on clays. So it looks like I'm in the market for a cheap used 410 Cheers taz Edited June 1, 2008 by taz24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 if your in the market for a cheap 12 g let me no as i have a s/s that a 10 year old lad used with subsonic cartridges for sale as he's pinched me beretta 20 bore . little sod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 (edited) Another daft question!! 12g 16g 20g, 28g, I understand why they are called that and how the bore is sized, but why is a 410 a 410 and what gauge would one be? Cheers taz. .410 is the bore diameter measurement expressed in inches, just like .22, .38 or .50 cal. If it were a gauge/bore (ie 12/20/28 etc), then according to wiki it would be 67 or 68 gauge. However, to complicate matters further I have heard .410 referred to as 36 bore/gauge. ZB Edited June 1, 2008 by Zapp Brannigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loopy bunny blaster Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 what about getting a secondhand 12, maybe having the stock cut down and using calibre reducing inserts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz24 Posted June 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Another daft question!! 12g 16g 20g, 28g, I understand why they are called that and how the bore is sized, but why is a 410 a 410 and what gauge would one be? Cheers taz. .410 is the bore diameter measurement expressed in inches, just like .22, .38 or .50 cal. If it were a gauge/bore (ie 12/20/28 etc), then according to wiki it would be 67 or 68 gauge. However, to complicate matters further I have heard .410 referred to as 36 bore/gauge. ZB Cheers Mate always wondered.. taz what about getting a secondhand 12, maybe having the stock cut down and using calibre reducing inserts? I did not know you could use inserts!!! Do they go down the whole barrel or are they just in the chamber? If they are in the chamber only how is the expansion of the gases in the barrel maintained when the wad leaves the insert?? Cheers taz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loopy bunny blaster Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 i think they go into the chamber then a little way through the bore so the wad stays with the shot for a short amount of time, ive used them in a 12 bore, they worked well, i lifted a squizzer out of a tree at 25 yards with a 12 bore reduced too 28 bore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highseas Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 where ca i buy these inserts from 12 to 20 and 12 to 28 maybe even 410 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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