Talk to me about starter deer guns for kids.

[skyhightree1]

I have been talking to deepsouth and discussing which gun to start my son off with to deer hunt. I grew up my first guns I had to hunt with were a 12g iver johnson single shot with a 36" barrel and a single shot springfield or stevens .22 I still have those today. The 12 gauge kicked like a borrowed mule so my first deer was killed with a .22. I have been thinking about buying him a single shot .410 where he can shoot 3" slugs or buckshot but then again I also thought about just letting him use my rabbit gun which is a bennelli 20 gauge. This will be a gun used for still hunting in a shooting house either on a field or food plot he isn't ready for hunting with dogs I want him to get a few under his belt still hunting. I have a .243 he could use as well but he can't use it at home I would have to take him an hour away. What do you all think and why ? Deepsouth had great points and gave some good information. I just wondered what everyone did with their kids that hunt.

 

[Jogeephus]

.22, 20 gauge, .243 & 7-08.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thats good Jo I got 3 out of the 4 lol I guess I will just let him shoot all 3 see which he can handle better. I may let him take a shot at a squirrel with the 20 gauge and see how that goes.

 

[Bigfoot]

My son has the Mossberg bantam in 20 gauge. Very nice gun, with a handful of chokes.

The cricket 22. Nice gun, single shot and safe. I spent more on the scope than the gun. I got a wide angle scope, so he could find what hes trying to shoot.

H and R youth .243. Its single shot, and I believe fairly safe.


Just a tip: My son never shoots a turkey load, until he is shooting at a turkey. He would jerk in fear of the recoil if he knew how hard it kicks. I bloodeied my nose with his gun, the time I shot a turkey load through it.

 

[tater74]

Sky, get a T/C encore. You can change barrels for the different needs. The single shot will help him make sure of the shot. I've seen too many of the spray and pray" hunters. Just because you have 5 rounds doesn't mean you have to use them all.

 

[highgrit]

A 20 gauge gets my vote. A kid needs to learn to sit still and be quiet. I'm not sold on letting a kid sit in a box or on a green field, or by a feeder. Teach him how to hunt, not kill. My son shot deer with his BB gun first, then went to a 20 gauge. A 20 gauge with 3 buck at 10 yards wrecks them.
He will only shoot his first deer once.

 

[3waycross]

Sky if you can only hunt with a shotgun where you live a would suggest a 20ga single shot if you can find one that is capable of shooting slugs. A lot of them are choked pretty tight. I personally would not hand a kid a semi auto shotgun. I did that and regretted it. Too much to think about for them to be as safe as possible with a semi auto.

As far as on the road your 243 is an excellant rifle for deer sized game.

 

[Tim/South]

A .410 with 3" shells packs a bigger punch than I thought. Made that mistake years ago with my son. I saw the recoil and he did not want to shoot the Christmas present again. He had been shooting a single shot with regular loads before that. Bought him a pump and heavier loads.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks yall... Yea he has been tagging along with me while scouting and squirrel/deer/turkey hunting and he can point out rubs scrapes and trails. I taught him how to tell where animals were and how to find them make ground blinds etc. He can sit still and stay awake. He has sat in the cold but when my kids get cold all there mind tends to be on is getting warm and I want him to concentrate on the hunt not on how cold he is. Most of my fields are on fields and plots as there are not alot of hard woods here I am in thick pine country which is why they allow the dog hunting. I have some hard woods but not alot as compared to the fields and pines. I feel as though I have taught him the basics of how to hunt and find the animals and what techniques to use and now its time to get him started on how to take an animal. Yea 3 way you are right on the semi I want to keep it as simple as possible. The 243 has no kick at all and would be ideal. Really the 410 has that much kick? what about the 2.5 inch shells?

 

[Tim/South]

2.5 inch shells are fine. I believe it is the 3 inches going down the small bore that makes the difference.

 

[skyhightree1]

2.5 inch shells are fine. I believe it is the 3 inches going down the small bore that makes the difference.

I gotcha. I didn't figure it would be much difference I have never had a .410.

 

[3waycross]

2.5 inch shells are fine. I believe it is the 3 inches going down the small bore that makes the difference.

I gotcha. I didn't figure it would be much difference I have never had a .410.

hey are great guns for adults who are good shots. They are also great for training kids how to miss.

 

[dun]

Foe the places that require a shotgun, I would think a 20 ga semiauto would be the ticket. Just because it can hold more rounds doesn;t mean it HAS to have it loaded with them. Federal slug loads would be my preference if I had to use a shot gun. Buckshot can lead to too many fringe hits that will cause injury without killing. Slugs it's garder to would without killing.

 

[skyhightree1]

2.5 inch shells are fine. I believe it is the 3 inches going down the small bore that makes the difference.

I gotcha. I didn't figure it would be much difference I have never had a .410.

hey are great guns for adults who are good shots. They are also great for training kids how to miss.

I gotcha.

Foe the places that require a shotgun, I would think a 20 ga semiauto would be the ticket. Just because it can hold more rounds doesn;t mean it HAS to have it loaded with them. Federal slug loads would be my preference if I had to use a shot gun. Buckshot can lead to too many fringe hits that will cause injury without killing. Slugs it's garder to would without killing.

#3 Buck in a 20 gauge had wounded alot of deer that were not shot up close.

 

[dun]

Good grief, I just looked at the spelling on my previous post. For an excuse I'll use that I was still recovering from anesthetic.
Here's how it should have read

For the places that require a shotgun, I would think a 20 ga semiauto would be the ticket. Just because it can hold more rounds doesn;t mean it HAS to have it loaded with them. Federal slug loads would be my preference if I had to use a shot gun. Buckshot can lead to too many fringe hits that will cause injury without killing. Slugs it's harder to wound without killing.

 

[skyhightree1]

Good grief, I just looked at the spelling on my previous post. For an excuse I'll use that I was still recovering from anesthetic.
Here's how it should have read

For the places that require a shotgun, I would think a 20 ga semiauto would be the ticket. Just because it can hold more rounds doesn;t mean it HAS to have it loaded with them. Federal slug loads would be my preference if I had to use a shot gun. Buckshot can lead to too many fringe hits that will cause injury without killing. Slugs it's harder to wound without killing.

We will accept that as an excuse since you are not in a wacky tobacky state :lol2:

 

[shaneb]

Sky, how old is he? Why cant you use rifles? For a rifle, i know deepsouth mentioned a 260, just because i know thats what his girls use. If i had my choice between a 243 and a 7mm08, i would choose the 7mm08 due to better knock down. I have the 243 for my kids as well. I found one for a great price. We use the same gun in 7mm08 for our handi cap hunts and i see better results. Thats why i reccomend it over the 243. As for shotguns, i would go with a 20 guage. Easier to find shells, can be used for life, better knock down than 410. Set him up with a good slug barrel and have a gun with exchangable barrels for going back to bird shots or rabbit shots. Thats my 2 cents.

 

[skyhightree1]

Sky, how old is he? Why cant you use rifles? For a rifle, i know deepsouth mentioned a 260, just because i know thats what his girls use. If i had my choice between a 243 and a 7mm08, i would choose the 7mm08 due to better knock down. I have the 243 for my kids as well. I found one for a great price. We use the same gun in 7mm08 for our handi cap hunts and i see better results. Thats why i reccomend it over the 243. As for shotguns, i would go with a 20 guage. Easier to find shells, can be used for life, better knock down than 410. Set him up with a good slug barrel and have a gun with exchangable barrels for going back to bird shots or rabbit shots. Thats my 2 cents.

Shane,
We are in flatlands and they do not allow rifles to deer hunt only for predator hunting. Yea I am leaning towards the 20 gauge way. I will buy a .20 gauge and have it worked on like my .12 gauge so its really accurate. He can have my current 20 gauge.
Edit: He is 9

 

[dun]

Sky, how old is he? Why cant you use rifles? For a rifle, i know deepsouth mentioned a 260, just because i know thats what his girls use. If i had my choice between a 243 and a 7mm08, i would choose the 7mm08 due to better knock down. I have the 243 for my kids as well. I found one for a great price. We use the same gun in 7mm08 for our handi cap hunts and i see better results. Thats why i reccomend it over the 243. As for shotguns, i would go with a 20 guage. Easier to find shells, can be used for life, better knock down than 410. Set him up with a good slug barrel and have a gun with exchangable barrels for going back to bird shots or rabbit shots. Thats my 2 cents.

Shane,
We are in flatlands and they do not allow rifles to deer hunt only for predator hunting. Yea I am leaning towards the 20 gauge way. I will buy a .20 gauge and have it worked on like my .12 gauge so its really accurate. He can have my current 20 gauge.

When I was in VA it seemd like you had be somthing like 30 foot elevated to use a rifle but a shotgun you could use from the ground or a stand. In the swamp at 30 feet in the air you couldn;t even see the ground!

 

[3waycross]

Poor kid!!! Imagine having to suffer thru using a Benelli 20ga. Almost borders on child abuse. :lol: