My son started shooting 4H this last year. He used a 20ga Charles Daily semi auto. He is loving it and I'd like to get him a better gun to use. What should I get on a reasonable budget? Choke? Thanks for the info. He loves shooting. Dwight.
Get him a Remington 1100 12ga. Trap with either a fixed full choke barrel or a Remchoke barrel depending on how old the gun is. With Remchokes you can play around with modified, improved modified or full chokes. Take the gun and your son to a good gunsmith and have the stock cut to his length of pull and add a Kick Eeez recoil pad; That's all he needs. Recoil is light and as he grows you can either purchase another stock or add spacers. Just know that the 1100 needs to be cleaned often and it will give you great service.
I just went thru this with my 13 year old son. I would also consider the Browning BT-99 in 12 gauge. Great single shot platform for a youngster. Less possibility (almost none really) of a malfunction in a single shot vs. an auto loader. I like that because the young shooter has enough to think about on the trap line and the BT just makes it so simple. And simple builds confidence. BT-99 also comes in a Micro that is a little smaller.
Feel free to contact me if you want to get more info from our experiences.
At 5'3" and 140 he probably wouldn't need the Micro. For that matter, he may not even need the stock cut down on the 1100 that was previously mentioned.
As for a choke for the BT-99, they are interchangeable and a new gun will come with a flush fit full choke. I like the Briley extended Modified choke for the youngsters at 16 and 18 yards.
ditto on the 1100 12ga...and ditto on keeping it clean...then he's good to go for a long time. I love to hear about kids getting into the shooting sports...they usually turn out to be pretty good young men and young ladies.
Also consider that the autoloader has the potential to badly hurt a finger if the youngster leaves finger in the port by mistake when he lets the bolt slam home. BT-99 seems like a fine choice by default. Or...consider a Browning BPS trap, super, super value.
I have a 12yr Grandson that is using my MX 2000 that I have fitted a Precision fit stock to and as he grows I am able to keep him fitted to it correctly and i believe in the longrun it will workout cheaper than altering wood stocks.
Paul
Consider a Browning BPS pump,safer, less malfunctions, they do make a youth stock or cut it and trade the gun when he grows up. At over 6 foot he may not grow up but out and you might not need a youth stock. Also consider a Beretta 303, 390 or 391 less malfunctions (no O ring) also handles lighter loads better. Auto allows him to shoot doubles or sporting if he wants to play around with his friends(or dad) also not a bad hunting gun.
A couple of other points you are dealing with 16 yards not feet. 18 yds will be his handicap yardage.
We have 5 kids from 10 to 18 shooting 1100 Classics. They shot every state and national competitions in SCTP and AIM last season and not 1 problem from all 5 guns. Out of the 15 kids on our team there are 5 1100's, 2 Browning XT's, 1 BT-99, 2 Beretta 3901 RL's, 2 870 Classics, 1 Perazzi, and 2 870 express. All 12 gauge. The main thing is gun fit. Have whatever gun you get for your son professionally fitted to him.
There is a BT99 for sale on this site right now for $675. That would be a great starter gun. That is also a great price for a nice older BT99. I included a link to that gun above.
The Browning BT99 is what my son started with at 12yrs old. ALot of the kids on our High School team use them as well. Simple but quite effective and used by many adult shooters as well.
My son is about the same size. Got him a BT-99 micro, and put a kick-eez on it. Has worked out nicely. When he turns 16, will get him a full size BT, and the transition should be easy.
You state that your son is already shooting a semi-auto, so I presume that you & he are accustomed to their operation & maintenance. Those 1100s are very reliable & easy to get parts for (if needed) how many years did Leo H. shoot an 1100, if memory serves me he did quite well with them. My wife shot an 1100 for several years (but quit shooting--darn it) never had a problem. Also made in U.S.A. Ross Puls
I agree with BigBadBob and his favoring the 1100 and that gun fit is very important.
Your son will probably need a slightly shorter stock than 1100's have from the factory. For that reason and considering that he will grow, you might look into an adjustable stock, the http://www.fitaski.com for example.
An 1100 may or may not have a comb (top surface of the stock) that, with snug cheek pressure, puts his eye at a height relative to the rib that will allow him to look slightly down-onto the rib. For this reason, a stock with an adjustable comb could prove useful.
"Drop at the comb" (where the stock puts his eye relative to the level of the rib) is THE most important stock dimension. It controls whether or not your son's gun will "shoot where he looks."
Yes, Leo did shoot a 1100 for many years, but as he shot more and more targets, even as a kid, it too 3 guns worth of parts to keep one gun operating. Also, he had to have a diffent gun for doubles. Our daughter and niece both started out with the Beretta 391 and got along great.
One of our shooters has been shooting his 1100 Classic since he started 5 years ago. He just graduated from high school last spring and made the Lindenwood "GOLD" traveling squad this fall. He is the only member shooting a semi-auto much less an 1100. He was also a 97% shooter in singles competition class AA as a junior this past season.
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