hi looking for a 20g shotgun for my boy. something like the escort youth semi auto would be great.
his first gun so dont know if he will take to it.. V8 facelift Range Rover Autobiography 22" wheels.
1976 Harley Davidson Iron Head Sportster

I learnt to shoot with a single barrel 4.10 and would recommend it as a first gun (pigeon dead in the air with my 1st shot - I'll never forget to look on my Dads face, he was lining it up for when I missed!)

My Dad was very much against getting a 20 bore - if you accidently put a 20 bore cartridge in a 12 bore, it will slip right through the chamber, fall down and logde in the barrel.

If you then put another 12 bore cartridge in the chamber.... well you can imagine what happens when the 12 bore shot hits the 20 bore cartridge lodged in the barrel, serious injury, even death, usually results.

In the interests of safety, I'd recommend a single barrel, non-auto gun. That way you know 100% whether the gun is loaded or not (I know lots of shoots where semi-autos are not welcome for this very reason) 2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

"In the interests of safety, I'd recommend a single barrel, non-auto gun. That way you know 100% whether the gun is loaded or not (I know lots of shoots where semi-autos are not welcome for this very reason)"

Graeme, i do see your point, but remember, a gun "is always loaded", even when it is not. l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

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Of course I agree you should always treat a gun as if it is loaded!

I think I was two steps ahead when making my previous point, I'll try to explain more clearly.

With a break action gun, and to a lesser extent bolt actions, everyone can see that it is not possible for the gun to fire, hence an increased level of comfort being around these types of gun on a communal shoot.

With a semi auto, there is no obvious way for people to know whether it is possible for the gun to fire, hence you are likely to find more nervousness and lesser acceptance on communal shoots.

Anyway, its been years since I was properly shooting, maybe things have changed  2007 Zermatt Silver TDV8 Vogue SE - now sold but was a great car!

I see your point now, indeed.  l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

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How old is he, and what sort of build?

First gun I owned at age 15 (very small and light for my age) was a 12 bore and I NEVER had any issues with it, in fact after going clay shooting with dad and a friend of his I was the only one not to be suffering the effects of recoil - that being mainly down to I was using a heavier sporter and they were using a lighter field gun.

What I am saying is dont discount the possibility of him being OK with a 12 bore maybe - better still a 12 bore auto.

Friend of mine has a Hatsan Escort 12 bore and its a fantastic gun for its price.

.... And regarding comments on auto safety, there is NO difference between an auto and a break action in that respect

An auto with the bolt forward can be assumed to be loaded just as a break barrel not broken can, on a communal shoot the only time my bolt is forward is stowing/removing from slip and when shooting, same for my O/U.

I did think about a 410 for my son but then I tried shooting with one - it is much more difficult to hit anything! Not great for confidence which in turn is not great for enthusiasm. However, if you start them young (I think he first shot at clays aged 11 - my daughter definitely tried at 11 too - she barely missed) then a 410 single shot is the way to go - anything bigger is too heavy and kicks too hard.

I ended up borrowing various guns and then buying a 20b for him when he was about 15/16.

hi thanks for the replies, i think a 410 is a little to light and yes you have to hit the clay good for it to break, it is indeed a toss up between the 20g and 12g, he is about 5.5 and quite slim, i think the 20g hold there money and can be resold very easy, i have had my gun for about 25 years,o/u single trigger multichoke,two sets of barrels.
biggest regret was turning down a trade in.. a silver pigeon that had a limited edition splatter paint job, looked very loud but i loved it at the time... V8 facelift Range Rover Autobiography 22" wheels.
1976 Harley Davidson Iron Head Sportster

I think you'll and he'll find the escort quite difficult to operate easily, if I were you I'd get him a yildz o/u if you want to get him into the sport start off with something he can use and operate under your safe full eye!

Lots of web sites out there Dave with hundreds of guns for sale  1994 softail full stars n stripes custom harley davidson

I would second the 12 bore with a 21g load as it will have a lot less recoil than a 20 bore with the same load.
You will be able to pick one up very cheap so it will be no issue to re-sell.
There is something to be said for a light 20 bore though as it is very fast. I absolutely love my EELL 20 bore for clays.

looking on gun trader as we speak... V8 facelift Range Rover Autobiography 22" wheels.
1976 Harley Davidson Iron Head Sportster

http://www.gunstar.co.uk/hatsan-arms-escor...uns/675236

or

http://www.gunstar.co.uk/beretta-silver-pi...uns/669964

Or better still:

http://www.gunstar.co.uk/beretta-so10-20-b...uns/661529

Folding Falco 410 is great for new shots and for keeping in the poachers pouch in the Barbour on those long walks with the Dogs