Youth Shotgun for Deer??? Help.

It's been awhile, a long while actually, since I hunted deer in Washington but I can't imagine starting a ten year old with a shotgun anywhere I hunted (west side of the mountains or east). I started my son hunting there when he was about ten and bought him a youth model Winchester M70 in .243.

As others have noted, it is important that the gun fits and that he shoots it enough to be comfortable with it and accurate enough to actually hit what he's shooting at. That would be quite a challenge I think for a ten year old with any slug gun at any appreciable distance.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
I suggest a youth Remington 870 and add a rifled barrel. Light and accurate yet very powerful with the right slug loads


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My vote would be Mossberg Youth 20ga. I bought my grandson one that I found at my LGS that was going out of business. $120 out the door but it was pink, no worries had forearm and stock coated.
Shotgun allows the child to also small game hunt.
 
It seems that many people are saying that a 20ga is ineffective. I would have thought the same before I had the opportunity to hunt a property in the shotgun only portion of Minnesota. I picked up a used Savage 220 Slug Hunter for a pretty good price and added a 2-7x32 scope I had on an old muzzleloader. I sighted it in at 100 yards and called it good when I had a four round grouping all touching each other with Federal Trophy Copper Slugs. That season in less than 24 hours it killed a buck at 115 yards, a doe at 170 yards and another buck at 135 yards, I pulled the trigger on a buck and doe while my hunting partner took the other buck. All dropped with one slug. All clean pass through. To say a 20ga slug is ineffective or underpowered is comical. That being said if it is legal to use a rifle I think that a .243, 7mm.08 or .350 legend might be better options for a youth given the low recoil and lighter weight of the gun. Most of the new Savage models come with removable shims to allow the shooter to grow with the gun. To those who say to get a pump shotgun for both bird hunting and deer hunting I feel like although it may not be as frugal it's just better to have a dedicated gun for both. A combination shotgun may be effective but it may not be the most efficient and for youth success often keeps youth engaged in the outdoors for more than just a season and often a lifetime.
 
A 20 ga. is enough for any deer. It is all about hitting the target in the vitals. Get a used 870 and cut the stock for him if needed. As he grows you can always get another stock of greater length for a modest cost. Stay away from scopes as young hunters in their excitement can get their eyes too close to the scope/or let their stock drop a bit and wind up with catastrophic eye injuries. I have seen the latter happen twice. Most regular slugs will be ok since this is a close range deal thus you need not buy the most powerful ones on the shelf.
 
Unless I missed it, a decision needs to be made as to whether a semi-auto or pump should be selected. As for youth shotguns go, they are nothing but a standard gun with a cut stock. If you find a good used gun with a wood stock, it can be cut to fit perfectly right now. A year or two down the road, the cut piece can be cut again to lengthen the stock. Lastly, you can buy a replacement standard stock and have a gun that your grandson can have a nice 20 gauge shotgun that will be very useful when he is an adult.

As for pump or semi-auto, I would definitely pick a semi-auto. Much less recoil which can be a problem for a young hunter. I have seen way too many father's at the range with an old 12 gauge pump that easily overpowered their son. Some kids will become afraid to shoot big bore guns. Starting our with a 20 gauge Remington 1100 could be a great start. Used semi-autos from other manufacturers will work just fine and if buy you buy a used one, an extra slug barrels would be easy to find as well.
 
Mdclinks said:
It seems that many people are saying that a 20ga is ineffective.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's what most are saying. It think it's more the generally very limited range of smoothbore slug guns. At least that was my reason for saying not to go with the shotgun unless it was legally mandated.
 
Back in the 70s I hunted a few whitetail with a 20 gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster. Worked very well for me.

We had mostly brushy bottom ground so scopes were out.
 
I have to strongly disagree with TimeTraveller , and other naysayers .

This isn't 1970 anymore , Slug Guns are common . Rifle sights , scope bases , both smooth and fully rifled , in single, pump, semi , and bolt action . Purchased as a two bbl package of slug bbl and field bbl , at modest upcharge .

Fully rifled is capable of 150 plus yards . ( Certain ammo mfg advertise 200 or even 250 yds , but 150 plus is conservative rule of thumb . For much of Eastern and Southern US , particularly in wooded areas , most shots are far closer , and sabot slugs are not a limiting factor . I've been known to use my Marlin 512 with BRI's in areas where rifles were also allowed.

Even with smoothbore , rifled sights ,with modern slugs is good for 75- 100 yds , and isn't a handicap when I hunt near home .

Back when they were still mfg b the H&R/ NEF singles were extremely accurate , And very economical . But alas , since being unwisely discontinued , the collectors have driven up prices to where the Mossberg M500 full rifled ( including Youth) is a better value .

Even 20ga is .62 cal , and BRI , Breneeke , Tru Ball , Buckhammer , and others will easily fully penetrate whitetails .
 
Iowa has for decades been a shotgun slug only state. Prior to our allowing straight walled pistol cartridges in rifles for deer hunting, I used three different 20 gauge slug guns.

The Savage 220; Very accurate, bolt action three shots available, but it's full sized and too much for most kids to carry.

An H&R thick walled rifled barrel slug gun: Shot OK, but clunky.

CVA Scout: Nicer finish than the other two, and with Remington Accutip's it will touch three shots at 80 yards all day long. You can buy a shorter stock for it if you need it. Most cost effective, and the best of the three I've used.

With good sabot-ed slugs the 20ga is a solid 180 yard deer gun.

These days I am shooting a Dave White rebarreled CVA Apex in 357 Maximum. It pushed 150gr bullets at 2450fps from it's 20" barrel, and adds 125 yards of effective range over the 20ga Accutips. Anywhere I can safely shoot on my farm, the 357Max will kill deer just fine.
 
diyj98 said:
I don't think that's what most are saying. It think it's more the generally very limited range of smoothbore slug guns. At least that was my reason for saying not to go with the shotgun unless it was legally mandated.
Click to expand...

A typical 20 ga. slug weighs 280 grains, travels at 1500 fps, delivers 650 ft. lbs. @ 100 yards and will kill a deer easily out to that range. If you cannot get that close to a whitetail, might want to look for better hunting areas.

With a slug barrel, they come with adjustable rear sights and front sights, so accuracy is absolutely adequate out to 100 yards. Both 20 ga. Remington 1100 and 1187 can be fitted with a slug barrel. They can be found on ebay and other gun websites.

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glowe said:
A typical 20 ga. slug weighs 280 grains, travels at 1500 fps, delivers 650 ft. lbs. @ 100 yards and will kill a deer easily out to that range. If you cannot get that close to a whitetail, might want to look for better hunting areas.
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If you can hit it. I've shot a number of non rifled ones that I wouldn't accurate enough to attempt a shot at 100 yards. A lot of them would end up hitting the deer in guts, rear end, lower leg, etc.

I kill deer every year with archery equipment, but I stick to 30 yard and under shots. So I could make the argument "if you cannot get that close to a whitetail.....", but I think the original question was about what firearm for a youth's deer gun. Not how great a hunter I am.
 
When my twin boys started hunting with me back in the 90's I picked up a pair of Remington Youth 870's in 20ga for them. They hunted with them for years with no issues. I eventually started carrying one of them when I went squirrel hunting instead of my usual 870 12ga Wingmaster. The 20ga was lighter, shorter and easier to handle out in the woods. The shorter stock wasn't an issue even though I've got long arms.

I've got twin grandchildren now and when they are old enough to start off with a shotgun it will be with those same two Youth 870's.
 
I've only fired two guns in my life that brought tears to my eyes with the recoil. One was a SKB 20 gauge side by side and the other was a Youth model H&R Ducks Unlimited 20 gauge crack barrel. Fixed breach light guns KICK especially with bad stocks . My vote would go with a youth model 1100 if you can find one or better yet an 1100 upland special with straight stock and a 21 Inch barrel. BUt I seriously doubt you could find either of these at a price point you could live with.
 
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