WTB .410 for petite 12yo

pastork · Aug 25, 2023

I am looking for a good used .410 for my 12yo daughter as her first hunting gun. She will be hunting Turkey this next spring.
She is VERY petite, and at 70#'s needs something on the shorter side.
Preferably a semi-auto with interchangeable choke tubes. I am not looking for a "safe queen", rather a good useable weapon she can grow with.
PM me if you have something.

tkdguy · Aug 25, 2023

Simple single shot cheap, bolt action at Oregon Rifle Works seen this afternoon..

Joe13 · Aug 25, 2023

410 is smaller which makes it harder to hit things.

Lighter the gun the heavier the felt recoil will be.

Simi-auto takes even more felt recoil out.

I would go with a 20ga simi if I were looking but only you know what your daughter can handle. Any which way I wish you both the best of luck this season!

matts · Aug 25, 2023

Joe13 said:
410 is smaller which makes it harder to hit things.

Lighter the gun the heavier the felt recoil will be.

Simi-auto takes even more felt recoil out.

I would go with a 20ga simi if I were looking but only you know what your daughter can handle. Any which way I wish you both the best of luck this season!

I agree, a mossberg maverick youth 20 guage pump kicks less than a single shot 410. Personal experience speaks.....

But definitely buy her what she wants.

Spitpatch · Aug 28, 2023

Another vote here for a 20ga gas operated semi-auto. Low base loads will kick LESS than a solid breech .410 (especially 3" loads).

Remington and Winchester (and others) did "shorty" versions of these guns for kids and ladies. Perfect.

When turkey time comes. she needs that first try to be a clean kill. 20ga (turkey-capable load) will help a lot with that.
A .410 might turn her golden chance into disaster, souring her on the whole deal.

...and a 20ga will allow for her to use it effectively for a lot of other things for the rest of her life.

pastork · Aug 29, 2023

Joe13 said:
410 is smaller which makes it harder to hit things.

Lighter the gun the heavier the felt recoil will be.

Simi-auto takes even more felt recoil out.

I would go with a 20ga simi if I were looking but only you know what your daughter can handle. Any which way I wish you both the best of luck this season!

matts said:
I agree, a mossberg maverick youth 20 guage pump kicks less than a single shot 410. Personal experience speaks.....

But definitely buy her what she wants.

Spitpatch said:
Another vote here for a 20ga gas operated semi-auto. Low base loads will kick LESS than a solid breech .410 (especially 3" loads).

Remington and Winchester (and others) did "shorty" versions of these guns for kids and ladies. Perfect.

When turkey time comes. she needs that first try to be a clean kill. 20ga (turkey-capable load) will help a lot with that.
A .410 might turn her golden chance into disaster, souring her on the whole deal.

...and a 20ga will allow for her to use it effectively for a lot of other things for the rest of her life.

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the reminders about recoil management when it comes to 20 gauge versus .410 and the addition of a semi-auto action. I forgot to factor that in. My first shotgun was a .410 pump, then second was a 20 gauge single shot. I will admit that as a below average size kid the single shot had more felt recoil for those two reasons. To add credence to your observations, my current shotgun (Remington 1187, 12ga) has less felt recoil than my old 20ga single shot.

Now I need to see if i can find a used youth size 20 gauge semi-auto.

Thank you again!