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".
