When my children were young I picked up a youth model 1100 20 gauge which they all used until they were big enough to shoulder a standard size gun.
This gun worked great, some what a heavy gun and recoil was good, now I’m planning to try the RST 2.5 “ shells for the next generation.
Now with a large group of grandchildren coming up the 1100 has come out of the closet or again.
The next best one is a Bennelli 28 gauge legacy very light weight and very low recoil.
Keep the recoil as low as possible for kids.

Bob, I had an issue with ejecting the spent shells with RST's in my 1100 special field 20's and 12's. Some times they would kick them out and sometimes not.

Webb has been taught safety since he was three, just like his older first cousins. At age five he started shooting an AR pistol with .22 LR conversion. He comes next door and we shoot the BB guns in the basement. I'm still working on his form, but we both take success anywhere we can find it. He is so avid, I hate to thwart his enthusiasm. It is doubtful he will be able to accompany me more than a few time between now and summer. I will keep it to no more than four shots an excursion. Attached is a picture of Webb with BB gun in the basement (I put safety glasses on him) and one of Will when he was 11 with his first dove and the gun Webb was shooting.

These days, if you are not set up to reload, your options are very limited. Low recoil loads are hard to find.

My 8 year old quickly warmed up to the Stevens youth model 28 gauge over/under. (Thanks, Andy!) But only after we worked up a very light load. The standard 3/4 oz factory loads moving at ~1200 fps were mean on his shoulder.

I tried him on a 20 gauge shell-chunker, but the loads were either too unpleasant for him or too weak to reliably cycle the action.

Or perhaps he is just his father’s son and understands that 28 gauges are for gentlemen, while 20 gauges are for girls.

-Victor

Bob K., enlarge the gas holes in the barrel a bit and the RST or other light loads should function just fine.

I was trying to sneak around and post a video of Webb shooting, but my efforts failed.

I have a friend who introduced me to reduced loads many years ago and i found them very effective on clays. I do not use them hunting. My eldest granddaughter was started at 12 with a 1/2 oz. 20 ga. load and was very comfortable with it. After 2 sessions i went to 3/4 and said nothing about it then to 7/8 saying nothing about it or recoil. She now, at 26 shoots anything without any thought of recoil.
I believe if started on a very mild load with no discussion of recoil and working your way up to a normal load there will be no problem later.
This has worked on 4 grandchildren so far and 1 adult woman.

I believe if started on a very mild load with no discussion of recoil and working your way up to a normal load there will be no problem later.
This has worked on 4 grandchildren so far and 1 adult woman.[/QUOTE]

Yes, dont even bring recoil up, they see people shooting and know what guns do when you shoot one. If you start talking about a gun "kicking" than thats all they think about and not hitting at what they are shooting at. They will have enough on there mind just learning to shoot a shotgun or deer rifle.
scott

Your welcome Victor. At the time Gia was about 50lbs soaking wet and that gun hammered her. I wasn't set up to reload. The 20g gas gun with reloads are just great. Now if I could only find more Green Dot.

Grandson Jackson was shagging doves for me at 6 and 7 years of age. By age 8 I thought he was ready to shoot a little. I had won a Stoeger Uplander .410 at a sporting clays shoot so I shortened the LOP to be more suitable for him. I explained lead as simply as I could and let him watch a couple birds off the trap. Then, on his first clay target shot attempt, he smoked it. A few weeks later he joined me on the dove field and sat close, so I could monitor him. This was the result. He killed all these on the wing with a .410, with 1/2 oz. shot ......... on his first attempt at shooting doves. Many decry the .410 as unsuitable for a kid to start wingshooting. I started with one, and Jackson did, too. No problems for either of us. Can't be too bad. BTW, I began shooting a .410 the next year (again), in the early season, just to prove to him it wasn't a "kid's gun".

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