Youth Shotgun reviews and comparison

[Allen]

I picked up a Ruger red label O/u this past year in 20ga and put a skeet over skeet choke in it and it shoots absolutely lights out on clays and has very minimal recoil. Just a fantastic little gun. Only downside is probably finding one under 1k nowadays

If you find a Red Label for under $1k, you really need to let me know. That is way less than the average I've been seeing them as of late.

 

[Srputz]

I bought my kids a tri star semi auto youth. They both used it till they outgrew it. Very accurate and very little recoil. Donated it to the local gun club so others could use it. They do multiple trap shoots over the summer for youth.

 

[Grumps]

Old fart here. No idea what the used gun market is now, but my kids (and now my grandkids) started out with a Browning BPS youth.

It's been an outstanding gun for us with a bottom load/eject so fits all dominant eye/hand combinations.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/browning-bps-field-micro-midas-pump-action-shotgun
https://shopdunns.com/product/browning-bps-micro-midas-pump-action-youth-shotgun/

Love the fact you are getting your girls involved.

 

[svnmag]

Anyone else have experience with those slip on recoil pads?

Not just any slip on pad--a Limb Saver.

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I would say 70% is correct. As above...7 Rem from a bench in T-shirt:


https://limbsaver.com/products/airtech-slip-on-recoil-pad

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I'm talking pure hunting not trap/skeet/SC. The pad WILL add an inch to LOP. The inch is "duplicated" with heavy clothing. BTW IMHO SC has lost it's way into a "golf". Conversely, better fit/gun equals more kills.

 

[svnmag]

I started on an 870 12 gauge. On the rifle side, I’ve favored sub 50gr powder charges for the cartridges i shoot as a way to manage recoil. It’s not that I’m afraid of recoil, it’s just not something I enjoy, so I don’t chase it.

For kids, and like many of us in our youths, recoil is something that needs to be tolerated to a degree and managed when possible. I started shouting heavy 3” mags as a kid and I turned out just fine as a shooter. That said, I own the same compact beretta 391 with a 24” tube in 20 gauge as other have mentioned. My kids will shoot that first, but if I didn’t have it, it would be 870’s.

For about the last 10-15 years, I’ve shot an 870 20 gauge with a full length stock with a 21” youth barrel. I love that combo. I’ve said that if my kids start on an 870 20 youth, that they would have the youth stock with the 28” barrel I have for 2 reasons: longer for barrel for muzzle control and added weight to help reduce recoil.

At the end of the day, buy what you can afford and don’t look back. We’ve all had bad recoils moments in our lives. Those who quit because of it, weren’t cut out for it anyways.......haha. You fall down, you get back up.

^^^^This also