Shotguns! Can We Chat?!

[sawhorseray]

AFTER REVERSE REPLACEMENT SHOULDER SURGERY ON BOTH SIDES ALL MY LONG GUNS ARE GONE NOW. MY LAST SHOTGUN WAS A WINCHESTER SX-2, THESE DAYS I BELIEVE IT'S NOW THE SX-4. SEMI-AUTO THAT WEIGHS SEVEN POUNDS, HANDLES 2&3/4" QUAIL LOADS TO 3&1/2" MAGS, 28" BARREL, FAST AS A BENELLI, I NEVER HAD A JAM. COMES WITH CHOKES THAT'LL HANDLE EVERYTHING FROM DOVES TO GEESE, GET SLUG CHOKES FOR BUCKS TOO. ONE GUN THAT'LL DO IT ALL, MINE LASTED 25 YEARS, GOT $500 FOR IT AT CABELAS WHEN I HAD TO DUMP IT LAST YEAR, PRETTY TOUGH TO BEAT.

I HAD A REMINGTON 1100 DISINTIGRATE IN A DUCK BLIND IN MY HANDS, AND THEIR SEMI-AUTO 22 MAG BLEW UP IN MY FACE. IF YOU DECIDE ON A REMINGTON GET A 870 PUMP, THEIR AUTOS ARE JUNK. RAY

 

[chopsaw]

REMINGTON 1100

My buddie had one . Drive 8 hours to Iowa to pheasant hunt . Bang , jamb ,, cuss , cuss , bang , jamb , repeat .

FAST AS A BENELLI,

I heard that about the Winchester .
I was looking at a Benelli years ago . They had a video of it shooting five shells before the first casing hit the ground .

 

[schlotz]

Lots of good advice & opinions here on what to get. Teaching him to shoulder it correctly before squeezing the trigger would be my first suggestion. Done properly either gauge will work for your son. Once you decide, take him skeet shooting. Great place to learn a number of valuable techniques.

In earlier days this Browning 20ga was my choice. Purchased brand new in 1969 - Belgium produced. Haven't used it in a number of years, but the grandson is now 11 and it just might come out of hibernation

 

[chopsaw]

A5 Browning ,, awesome shotgun .
A feature I love on those is the chamber lock out . Blocks the feed , and you unchamber the shell . Leaves the chamber empty for moving around .
Always wanted one .

 

[schlotz]

FYI, don't properly hold this 20 ga for a lengthy skeet session and you'll come home black & blue. Don't ask me how I know

 

[crazymoon]

Justin, I too agree with the "get a 12 ga." crowd. You can always buy a slip-on Limbsaver recoil pad until your son gets a bit older. No picks for make or model, there are too many good ones out there .

 

[pineywoods]

Justin I started using a 410 at age 7 and have owned quite a few shotguns since. Right now there are a bunch of shotguns in my gun safes. They are mostly 12 gauge but I do have a 20 gauge or two as well. I would suggest as Mr Wipple did buy a 12 gauge 3 1/2" magnum just because it can shoot 3 1/2" magnum shells you don't have to shoot them until he decides he wants to hunt something he needs them for. If he's bird hunting for dove and such he would be using birdshot and it doesn't kick much if shouldered correctly. I have seen several different brands mentioned and there a a lot of good ones. I have mostly pumps but do have a Benelli semiauto in 12 gauge 3" also a Browning 12 gauge 3 1/2" Gold Hunter semiauto. The Mossberg 835 is a nice pump gun. When I was younger we used to deer hunt with dogs and we all carried shotguns. Thick woods narrow dirt roads and running deer makes the shotguns the best at least for about 15-20 of us that hunted together. I have killed a lot of deer in my life and most of them have been taken with a 12 gauge Mossberg model 500 chambered in 3" magnum. If you practice or shoot enough you can shoot the pump about as fast as an auto and they don't jamb. I also have the first model 3 1/2" that I had ever seen it is a 12 gauge Browning pump.
As far as brand if you stay with the ones that have been listed in this thread I would say buy the one he feels fits him the best. I have two shotguns loaded and where I can get them fast both are pumps one 12 gauge the other 20 gauge.

 

[WaterRat]

Add me to the 12ga crowd. If your son is close to average size for 16 it’s no problem. I was using a 12ga at 13yrs and I was kinda scrawny. I think the year before I used an Uncle’s 20ga that had a cut down stock to youth size.

If it’s also mostly for waterfowl I’d go synthetic stock with full camo paint job. My Dad actually just picked himself one up on a black Friday sale.

Autos are nice, pumps almost never fail. My late 80s Rem 870 still runs like a champ. Though as others said the new 870s are best avoided.

Happy hunting!