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 05-09-2009, 07:27 PM | #1 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 154 |  Side By Side Shotgun for 12 Year-Old Daughter
My little girl wants to go hunting with "Daddy when he gets back from Iraq" and, like any great American Dad, I want to show her the ropes. I was nursed on a 12 ga. Savage single shot. Not too terribly pleasant for a 10 year-old boy... Nowadays I personally prefer side by side 12 ga. models when bird hunting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is personal safety.
However, I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to Isabella. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a starter model, and I am sure a 20 ga. may be pushing the limit. I don't, however, want to take her hunting with a 410 as I want her to be successful. Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Any recommendations of manufacturers and models? I know I will have to cut the stock down, but are there any shotguns that come ready made for a 5' tall, 12 year old girl? She's a tough one, but I just can't see saddling her with that old sawed-down Savage of my youth...
Thanks!
Chris | 
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| 05-10-2009, 02:45 PM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 2,413 |
Chris youth model auto-loaders can be a little pricey but a auto-loader in 20ga. will have less felt recoil. Although, don't underestimate your little girl. I teach hunter safety and most of the 12 year old girls shoot our Browning youth model pump shotgun in 20ga. Get her used to the recoil on a .410 and teach her how to properly position the stock in her shoulder and then move her up to the 20ga. Make certain the gun fits her properly and don't hurt her and she will probably surprise you with her progress. Just make sure she has the butt-stock placed firmly to her shoulder. Good Luck and stay safe, Hunter Joe __________________
God, Family, Guns, in that order. | |
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| 05-11-2009, 04:07 AM | #3 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 246 |
She should be alright. I didn't hit 5' tall 100 lbs. until I was 15. And I'm a dude. | |
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| 05-11-2009, 06:49 AM | #4 | I'm always 10-8 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: 150 miles NE of Sloppy Joe's Bar, in the "GunShine" State Posts: 19,165 |
__________________ .
 .. Colt 11101110111..MEMBER: FAAM, NRA, GOA, DAV, USSV, SAE
Colt, everything else is stamp collecting! - cane
"Given ten days for a project, a good engineer spends nine days figuring out how to finish it in one day."
Resistance is not futile.
It's voltage divided by current (R=V/I).
"If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it on a large scale." | Liked 3 Times on 3 Posts
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| 05-11-2009, 02:43 PM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,282 |
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACES 6
My little girl wants to go hunting with "Daddy when he gets back from Iraq" and, like any great American Dad, I want to show her the ropes. I was nursed on a 12 ga. Savage single shot. Not too terribly pleasant for a 10 year-old boy... Nowadays I personally prefer side by side 12 ga. models when bird hunting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is personal safety.
However, I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to Isabella. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a starter model, and I am sure a 20 ga. may be pushing the limit. I don't, however, want to take her hunting with a 410 as I want her to be successful. Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Any recommendations of manufacturers and models? I know I will have to cut the stock down, but are there any shotguns that come ready made for a 5' tall, 12 year old girl? She's a tough one, but I just can't see saddling her with that old sawed-down Savage of my youth...
Thanks!
Chris
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She will do a whole lot better than you think with a "big" gun, I am 4'10 and 101 pounds and do just fine with a 12 gauge. My sister is 13 she is 4'8 and 95 pounds she does just fine with a 12 gauge. A shortened stock is all you have to worry about, and teaching her how to stand. __________________
Not all of us are trophy hunters. | |
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| 05-14-2009, 06:11 PM | #6 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 154 |
The Mossberg over and under is awesome! I'll order that one immediately. Thanks so much! Bella will love it. | |
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| 05-15-2009, 04:34 AM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: North Georgia Posts: 201 |
I saw a 10 year old boy wax the whole dove field one day with a single shot 410,he came with 9 shells,he left with 9 doves,I can not say I did so good with a 12 ga auto,I was very impressed with his shooting. I would start her out with a 410 then move up to a 20 gauge,then there is always a 28 gauge,although rarer,might be a consideration. | |
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| 05-15-2009, 05:00 AM | #8 | I'm always 10-8 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: 150 miles NE of Sloppy Joe's Bar, in the "GunShine" State Posts: 19,165 |
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACES 6
The Mossberg over and under is awesome! I'll order that one immediately. Thanks so much! Bella will love it.
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Great taste, good choice and a very high utility gun. Five choke tubes. You will be able to configure her gun for any type of shooting!
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. - Firearms, Shotguns, Rifles, Accessories, and Precision Machining
http://www.mossberg.com/images/Mossberg_Guns/930/New/75433.jpg
 __________________ .
.. Colt 11101110111..MEMBER: FAAM, NRA, GOA, DAV, USSV, SAE
Colt, everything else is stamp collecting! - cane
"Given ten days for a project, a good engineer spends nine days figuring out how to finish it in one day."
Resistance is not futile.
It's voltage divided by current (R=V/I).
"If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it on a large scale." | Liked 3 Times on 3 Posts
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| 05-15-2009, 12:21 PM | #9 | Supporting Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Katy, Texas Posts: 1,376 | Mossberg P/O
Cane:
I bought one of those Mossberg O/U's in 20 ga. for my 5'-3" wife in an attempt to get her involved in the shotgun shooting sports. We took it down to Briley's to get the stock cut-down to fit her reach and have a better recoil pad installed. The Mossberg is made in Turkey, the barrel to action fit-up was a bit rough, and I had to do a bit of filing to smooth the action closure. There was quite a bit of loose rust and debris in the space where the two barrels converge with the chambers at the rear of the barrel (not a good bluing job there). The cocking springs are also pretty strong, and it is hard for her to fully break-open the action to re-load and cock the springs. It does talke more effort to cock than my Browning Citori. Later I let a more experienced female shotgun shooter try it out, and she also had a problem with the cocking effort.
My wife did OK with the Mossberg and is now more interested in shooting more clay pidgeons with me. So at least that plan was successful.
All in all, I am a bit disappointed with this Mossberg, and in hindsight I would have spent more money on a higher quality O/UI shotgun.
TXnorton | |
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