As teachers of shotgunning, people frequently ask Vicki and me what kind of gun they should get for their son, daughter, or wife. The typical reason for the question is that a father enjoys shotgunning (either hunting or clays or both) and wants to share that joy with a spouse, sibling, or child.
Here are a couple of statements and ideas we have encountered as professional shooters and instructors over the past 20 years:
This comes just about as close to shooting yourself in the foot as anything we have encountered. My uncle Dusty Garret of San Antonio used to tell me that 90% of the fun of doing anything is having the best equipment you could afford. Shotgunning is no exception.
You can buy a shotgun for as little as $500 to $600 and spend as much as $50,000. However, we are talking about a gun for a beginner. If the money is spent on the correct gun, it becomes an investment. If, however, it is spent on the wrong gun, it becomes a waste of money, time, and effort.
Say you spend $1,000 on a shotgun that a beginner could use for the next 3-5 years or more. If you amortize $1,000 over 3-5 years, it becomes an investment of $333 – $200 per year, respectively. You are better off spending a little more upfront and getting the best quality gun possible in the beginning.
Once you have made the purchase, get the gun cut down and fitted to the shooter with a good recoil pad on it. In shotgunning recoil is the enemy. If it hurts, kids and wives are not going to participate.
Several things contribute to felt recoil – the kind of gun, the kind of ammunition used the fit of the gun, and the weight of the gun. Semi-autos kick less than over/unders and pumps because of the gas-operated action. Pumps have to be pumped and are typically light. And because of the light weight, they kick more. They also take some time to learn to operate. The over/under is simple to operate and can be made safe in a second simply by opening the gun.
Although the statement is true, because they are light, they kick a lot. There is no tradeoff between weight and recoil. Light guns kick and heavy guns don’t. This is why target guns are heavy and field guns are light. Target guns are made to be carried a little and shot a lot. Field guns are made to be carried a lot and shot a little. We would not recommend a 20-gauge over/under for a kid or spouse as a first gun. If you are going to buy a 20-gauge for a first gun, buy a semi-auto. It will kick less.
We have advised many people over the years that the most ideal gun for a kid to start hunting with is a 28-gauge over/under. I started my wife and son and daughter on one and they are still shooting and hunting with me. The 28-gauge is a light gun with very little recoil, which is crucial for a kid’s first hunting gun. Browning, Ruger, and Beretta all make 28-gauge over/unders in different price ranges.
Without exception, every person who has taken this advice has called or written us to thank us for it. I just recently received one of these letters and would like to share it with you.
Dear Gil,
In 2002, my son Eric was 8 years old and weighed about 75-80 pounds. I had given him a youth model single-shot .410 gauge shotgun two years before. Using that gun, he had shot some quail and doves, but earlier last year he had a real hard time killing whitewing doves on a hunt.
Because of those problems, I called you and we met at the 74 Ranch in Atascosa County. You picked up a 28-gauge Beretta over/under that had a short stock and we proceeded to the clays range. After giving Eric a short safety talk stressing eyes and ears, (I really appreciated that) you gave him the gun. Your instructions were easy for him to follow: from a low gun position, just focus on the front of the bird, bring the gun up in front and shoot it. You had him busting the targets in no time.
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