What does everyone recommend for a shotgun for a younger kiddo (10 years old) that is just starting to shoot ?

Mossberg 500 bantam 20ga
we have two of the 500C 20ga my son got his when he was 10 and I liked it so much I bought a match.
ours are the 26inch vent rib barrel

the 22" would be and even easier carry

all the but stocks interchange I currently have a little bantam stock we picked up used for 8 dollars for a young lady to shoot trap once we put that little stock on it , it fit her very well

we have test fit the stock off a 500A 12ga , they all work the center part is all the same size some are fatter side to side but they still work.
so finding wood to cut down or youth stocks is easy or a full size for when they are grown.

https://www.mossberg.com/firearms/usage/bantam/bantam-shotguns/500r-bantam-505tm-bantam.html?mb_gauge=20+Gauge&mb_model_family=500%C2%AE

What are you looking to shoot with it?

At this point, its just going to be target shooting. He has a 22 but his mother would also like him to have a shotgun.

find some that someone that will let YOU shoot them first. Many of the so-called "youth shotguns" kick more than the adult versions because of the reduced weight.

Coached youth trapshooting for many years and this is so true.
Thy and find a youth Beretta or Benille that’s semi auto which takes out a lot of the recoil.

boy has a good mom

Winchester 1300 or Mossberg 500. They are the only ones that actually set the slide back. The other just chop the stock down and cut the barrel and call it a youth. The only thing that EVER breaks on a Mossberg 500 is the plastic safety. They crack right through the screw hole. Someone makes an affordable aluminum replacement and then they never break again.

Yeah, Danny

She shot trap in high school. She likes guns.

youth model 870 was pretty hard to beat in my day.

Birds. Never feel recoil of any kind…till we’re shootin at a paper target.

youth model 870 wife and grandkids love theirs and reasonable to get.

[quote=Bear Tracker]youth model 870 wife and grandkids love theirs and reasonable to get. [/quote. I am we have a few but they are not near as small as the Mossbergs come. And 10 is still on the Small side.

Also have a youth Franci affinity and like it

All three of my kids started out with an 870 Wingmaster youth 20 ga. I ditched the short barrel it came with and substituted a 26 inch skeet barrel. I also hand loaded 3/4 ounce loads instead of the regular 7/8 target loads and kept the velocity around 1150. They outgrew the short youth stock pretty quick so I changed it out for a Speed Feed full size stock set. Now it's a bit of a battle to see who gets to use it.

Remington Youth 870 20 gauge. Got it for my son when he was 11. Used it on ducks, gees, turkey, deer. Wonderful little gun that will belong to one or both of his boys in a few years.

Moosetrot

Youth 870 is what kids grew up with. Wife used one for many years got her a compact Montefeltro
a couple years ago.

X2....picked up a 870 youth with 21 inch barrel in camo pattern for my son....nice little gun. He's grown out of it and now favors an 1100 LT 20 ga. Not getting rid of the 870...I occasionally use it myself for coyote hunting behind hounds in the thick jackpine...short barrel does not snag every branch as Im moving through the bush.
Ive never been a Mossberg fan....buddy had one back in the day and I could hear him walking through the woods at quite a distance. That model 500 was made so sloppy that every part of it rattled and Im sure the deer heard him even farther away. Im sure they have improved things over the years, but that has always left me with a quality control impression for Mossbergs.

My kids and grandkids started with a H&R Topper in .410. From there they graduated to an 870 Youth in 20ga. I actually like the 870 Youth for Grouse in cover or the scabbard of my wheeler.

My boys started with a BPS youth 20 gauge. Top safety, 3" chamber, screw in chokes. Now my daughter in law uses it.

Great thread. I'm in the market for a soon to be 10 year old. But I want the gun to grow with him. I don't think they make the Remington 870 youth anymore? I've been looking at the Mossberg 500 super bantam turkey. It has adjustable spacers for LOP and a 22 inch barrel. I've read about the mossberg rattle, but also read about how it's pretty easy to fix. I like the idea that there's so many 500's out there and that I could swap a full size stock or other parts if needed. I want to get my hands on one before I decide.

If I remember right, Browning had a thing where if you bought a BPS youth model, you could later get a deal on a trade for the full size model. Don't know if that is still a thing, but it might be worth checking into. (And you can't go wrong with a BPS).

If they are not making new yourth 870s there are a lot of used out there. Depending on what you want to spend there are some nice youth models out there sold as Compacts. Beretta, Winchester, a Frenchie aand others with great quality semi autos most with 1/4 shims to add as they growmany with shims to adjust cast on and off and drop at comb also. Yes they are more money but also allow for a better fit that will grow with them.

I have heard some noise about the BPS is discontinued, besides IMHO they are heavy. Something a youth doesn't need and this short barrel (21 inch) trend is another thing that a beginner doesn't need. They are whippy and difficult to control plus the muzzle blast isn't good for said beginner.

Remington makes nothing any more , the name is owned by Vista Outdoors owners of Federal , CCI and the name is only on ammunition and products like Rem oil


Rem Arms , is making the youth model 870
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product...8877+870+field+jr+cmpt+20+18.75+rc+md+vt

we have one of the older 870 20ga youth with the laminated stock for 4-H shotgun

I like the 500 because it is more ambidextrous I encourage kids to shoot to their eye dominance and not their hand

both are good choices

I like the 500 the way the stocks are interchangeable 20 and 12 because the center of the socket is the same , 12 stocks are just wider

Not a 410!!! That is a gun for experts not new hunters. I just posted that my first rabbit with a 410 but no range and a lot of misses before I got my 16. 3 or4 years later. the 20 gauge back then was not popular but the 16 was king, not now. Nowadays I would start with a 20 .......jk

I agree with you on the short Barrel. A little weight in a pump gun is a good thing though as it seems to soak up some of the recoil, in my opinion.
And any model with the top safety is a better choice for kids as they (and you) can see it all the time.

Primary use will be for turkey hunting so I'm ok with a shorter barrel. They do make subsonic 20 ga TSS if we get that far. He's got a cricket .22 single shot that he's been practicing with a lot. Been out for squirrel a few times this past winter, not too much bird hunting around here.

I have slightly different opinions especially for youth. More so for very young youth. Weight Is good for recoil reduction but it's got to be light enough for them to handle at the same time. Same for short barrels they are lighter and easier to handle. Kind of the point of having youth guns that actually fit them and need scaled down. Nothing is more important than than fit especially for shotguns for youths.

For a youth shotgun

Get him. A. Winchester model 1887.

Getting hard to find but a Remington 1100 LT20 is hard to pass up. Buy a youth butt stock from Remington. What I did. Kid is now over 6'. Sold the youth stock on here about a year ago.

Great gun my cousin has had one since he was 11 I have an Lt 20 in an 870 with strait stock. A few of my favorites. The 1100 is heavier but much less recoil even with just a 20g and light loads very noticeable after a few hundred rounds.

There is a Rem 1100 LT-20 on Gun Broker right now.

Y’all’s 870’s 20ga Youth Model must kick a lot lighter than mine. Mine would rock a kid. I wouldn’t start out with a pump either. I haven’t met a kid yet that will keep their head down trying to pump another shell. My son’s shooting improved dramatically when I bought him a semiauto.
I’d go with one of the 3 B’s. I bought my son a Benelli Ultralight 20ga and watched this joker shoot a triple on ducks in Arkansas. He was 11 I think and he still has that gun, he’s 27 and now that’s generally his dove/rabbit gun.
No one wants to spend the money on something nice, yet complain when their kids become disinterested from hunting, and most of the time it’s from the gun they’re shooting.

Well, the Op has numerous conflicting opinions now to choose from...Lol there are a lot of good options out there, im sure youll find one that is suitable.

Both of my boys have no problem with pumps less recoil than the lighter single shots due to more weight. They moved to pumps by the time they were 10. Boys are not starting out at at 10 either that were shooting squirrel at 5 with their .22 single shot shotguns were shot by 7. Gas guns have less recoil than the spring guns due to more weight and bleeding some gas off to operate the action.

Yet I agree 100% with you the 3 b's have great compact models and might be the best due to coming with all the shims for adjusting stock length, cast, and drop at comb. All great guns. Yet the op may be in more of a budget if so pumps win with price point.

the youth 870s were definitely scope wreckers. My brothers seemed to be really bad about i, and they kicked pretty good,

youth Mossberg 500 22 in barrell comes with 3 chokes and a slug barrell two easy on the shoulder and super lightweight

Benelli nova youth is the best ive seen so far for young shooters

The bad thing about a 1100 or 11-87 is you can only cut off about 1.500 inches of the stock. The recoil spring tube is so close to the end of the stock.

The only thing I know for sure is that the kid has a great mom.

I think I paid $45 for a 20 gauge 1100 Youth stock. Sold it two years later on here for $25.

I got mine from Remington. Not sure who to call now.

I bought Ethan a Benelli 20 gauge from Canadian Tire. its too loud for him he is going to stick with his 22 for now.

Hearing protection can have kids shooting .338 Lapuas. Most don’t notice the kick as much as they do the noise.

foamies and muffs
and learn how to put the foamies in , lots of kids need you to cut a foamie lengthwise with a razor blade and then they wear half of one in each ear , little ear cannals

roll them up grab ear pull up then insert in canal , then hold in and release the top of ear hold for 30 seconds.

also start with light trap loads get them hitting with that , when game is the target I seldom feel the recoil

really the ideal thing is foam ear plugs with electronic muffs over the top turn the volume up so they can still hear you and game

the howard leighs are the cheapest ones I would go with and the ones I use , they have independent microphones so if it is heard by the right mic it goes tot he right ear more like real hearing.

the auto shut off at 4 hours also so you don't put them on to dead batteries every time you go to use them.
when they auto shut off you roll the wheel to off , wait a couple seconds then back to on and set to desired amplification.

face down tight on the wood and pulled in tight to the shoulder , if they need built up to put their eye int he right spot , foam and hockey tape to build it up.

lots of people don't put their face on wood and get smacked more than recoil