NEF 20 Gauge for 10 year old kicks too hard

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oldhammy1

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Just bought a NEF 20 gauge for my 10 year old. It kicks harder than my 12 Ga. full size. I don't want to go to a 28 Ga. or .410. Any reccomended youth 20 gauges that won't kick his tail. BTW- want to keep the price down so as to not burn bridges with the Wife.

Oldhammy1
 
I had one of those when I was 10. didn't bother me. Make sure he's pulling it in tight to his shoulder.
 
A 20 gauge kicking more than a 12 gauge?

:confused:

That's odd.

I have shot both and found the 12 to be a lot more punishing.

Well take the gun back and try a Remington 1100 youth model 20 gauge.

Good gun, I have one. Gas operated lessens the recoil apparently.
 
Keep in mind the actual weight of these single shot guns because that factor will affect your felt recoil to a great extent. Something like the Remington 870 or 1100 youth models will most likely have a bit more overall weight and thus less recoil per given round.

Ideally you might try and compare guns (even on the easier to find 12 Guage level) to determine the differences for yourself.

Good luck!

:)
 
Good little gun, I've got the .410 for my 9 year old. If you want to save on money, rather than buying a new gun, you might try some of the lightest loads you can get for a year or two (get thee hither over to the reloading forum and ask those guys for advice, you might be able to get hooked up with somebody in your area who'll make you special loads). Also an extra recoil pad will go a long way.
 
I'd say, either get spring for the money for a semi-auto 20 ga, or get a single shot .410. A .410 will kill small game quite effectively with a good shot. Or, as you mention, a 28 ga.
 
It's shouldn't kick that much. There are the reduced capacity 12ga loads, you might look for that in 20ga. This is the 12ga http://www.impactguns.com/store/aguila_minishell_dual.html

oldhammy1 said:
Just bought a NEF 20 gauge for my 10 year old. It kicks harder than my 12 Ga. full size. I don't want to go to a 28 Ga. or .410. Any reccomended youth 20 gauges that won't kick his tail. BTW- want to keep the price down so as to not burn bridges with the Wife.

Oldhammy1
Click to expand...
 
I would agree to get away from a single shot , they always seem to kick a little more. Go with a pump or auto in a 20
Nothing worse than taking your kid out and he/she does not want to shoot because of being knocked around because of not holding gun tight or just to much gun.
I hope you and your son enjoy!!!!!
 
Whatever you end up doing, make sure the gun fits the shooter. That and using the lightest loads you can find/make will do more than any other single thing to keep the recoil "manageable" :)
 
I bought the H&R 20 ga for my son when he was 12. He never was too keen on shooting it. Shortly thereafter, I found a deal on an old Wards 20 ga sxs. He liked that a lot better.

But within two years he was shooting an old Stevens 12 ga pump my father in law had given him before he died.

He just told me a couple of years ago (he's 28 now) that that single shot 20 kicked harder than any of the others.
 
Anyone know who makes extra light loads for the 20 Ga. Have only found them for the 12 Ga. Thanks for all the info thus far.
 
They make sleeves for shotguns to reduce the bore and shoot smaller shells. Should be able to get a liner for yours that reduces it to 28 ga, or .410. In addition it will increase weight so you would have even less felt recoil.
 
1) Autos are softer, but I really prefer pumps or break-action guns for beginners - easier to see instantly that the gun is safe.

2) There's a light-recoiling line of 20/28/410 ammo which is a good idea - I think it's SMS from Remington.

3) I think 410 is a bad idea for beginners, just because it's very difficult to hit anything - 28 is way easier, and not much more kick.

4) I tried a Model 870 in 28 for my wife and daughter, and found that an old (large-frame) 20 gauge 870 with the light loads was actually easier for them to shoot.

FWIW...
 
Larry Ashcraft said:
I bought the H&R 20 ga for my son when he was 12. He never was too keen on shooting it. Shortly thereafter, I found a deal on an old Wards 20 ga sxs. He liked that a lot better.

But within two years he was shooting an old Stevens 12 ga pump my father in law had given him before he died.

He just told me a couple of years ago (he's 28 now) that that single shot 20 kicked harder than any of the others.
Click to expand...
I had one of those (20 guage, full choke, 26? inch barrel) as a young teen and they do kick like a darned :D old mule even with dove loads. There's almost no weight in the barrel and that may have been part of the problem. I'd either add weight to the stock and try it again or just replace it. Also a young teen, I was able to shoot an old 12 guage single-shot (long 30+ inch barrel) with no recoil pad and it kicked less than the lightweight 20 guage.

Those are evil little shotguns, but it'd shoot a pattern tight enough to consisently kill a blackbird at 50-60 yards. It probably would have been a good turkey gun for an adult.
 
I agree with most of the replies . . .a single shot can be more painful. I'd look into a youth pump (shorter length of pull and they usually have a slightly shorter barrel to save weight). When they get older you can just replace the youth stock with a regular one.
 
I would suggest a recoil pad or vest like Past.

field.jpg
 
I am never too keen on the idea of single shot hammer guns for kids ever for a safety reason. I find most young kids do not have the thumb strength to reliably pull the hammer back without sometimes slipping and the ones we had did not have a safety independent of a down hammer and thus to be safe you had to carry the gun with the hammer down and thumb it back when a bird presented itself. One slipped thumb and AD/ND. I know the low price is attractive, but in reality, buying a 20 guage express youth or junior, give you a much more functional shotgun and one that is in high demand. Around here a used Youth 870 goes for just as much as a new one. My kids both learned on 870's and they did real well on them
 
I have one of those H&R 20s. it does kick harder that my 870 12.

Does the stock fit him? To me that makes all the difference in the world. I have to agree with most though that a 870 youth 20 might just be the ticket.
 
My solution to this problem, (about 28 yrs ago) was to take the butt stock off, shave 3/4 in. off, and while I had the butt-plate off I took it over to the neighbor. He was a Master Cabinet Maker, and I had him spend all of about 5 min. hogin' out the inside of the stock, and then we poured in about 1.5-2.0 lbs of # 6 shot (what he had laying around) we then poured hot candle wax over the shot about 3/4-1 in. thick (filled the hole), and put the butt plate back on. The shotgun still tracked good, extra weight being to the rear, and the recoil was a lot softer. There was still a bit of "whip" or barrel rise to it, but the actual "shoulder pounding" aspect was gone.

It worked very well for me, but YMMV
 
make sure it fits. my 20 gauge kicked the snot out of me before my dad chopped it and put on a recoil pad.

get some trap loads for it.


consider weighting the buttstock and forend.
 
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