tuscl

OT: shotgun for a 14 year old?

NinaBambina
Who the fuck is Ninabambina?
Thursday, February 2, 2017 2:20 PM
My little bro turns 14 in a couple months and I am getting him a shotgun. He is a total beginner, no experience. I don't want to get him a 12 guage because that will have a heavy kickback which wouldn't be good for a beginner plus he is lanky. But I don't want to get him a 28 guage. How about a 20 guage? Is that appropriate? Any info on specific guns that might be good for a 14 yr old beginnger would be helpful, I want to get him a really nice one. However I'm getting him a couple other expensive gifts so I guess I want to find the best gun for a beginner under $500 that is also "cool" (coolness is important to people his age).

75 comments

  • K
    •
    7 years ago
    I recommend a few classes and sessions at a range first and see how he handles it first. I am sure his instructor will be happy to help you choose the correct one for him
  • twentyfive
    •
    7 years ago
    He would be better off with a .22 caliber Marlin rifle or something like that any good gunshop would give you reasonable advice. BTW under $500 is too expensive for a 14YO, keep it under $250.
  • Corvus
    •
    7 years ago
    If you are going to get a 14 year old a shotgun a 20 gauge single shot would be a good option. If not a single shot then a pump action. I would not buy a 14 year old a semiautomatic. Mossberg is an OK brand, but Remington or Winchester are great options. I assume he is competent and lives in a rural area where he can hunt? And hunter education and gun safety courses can not be recommended highly enough.
  • impala
    •
    7 years ago
    If looking for a shotgun for a beginner, find a nice used Mossburg 500. A 20 gauge should be less than $200 (depending on where in the country you live of coarse), and are available in youth models. As stated above, make sure that the young man gets trained properly in firearm safety, and also remember that as a minor that he cannot legally own a firearm so check your local laws on who and where the firearm must be kept. And, as twentyfive stated, if he is truly a beginner, get him a cheep .22 rifle to start with.
  • gawker
    •
    7 years ago
    Coolness is important at any age!
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    My dad is very comservative and will make sure my bro gets trained properly. Thanks for all the advice so far, guys!
  • irishman1990
    •
    7 years ago
    My 15 yo daughter shoots in competition and has a 12 guage semi auto. Depending on the shot, a 12 actually can have less kick than a 20. I'm not sure a youth model would be a good option for a 14 yo boy depending on his size. Pumps and single shots might not be good depending on the goal of shooting.
  • Spirit_of_Alucard
    •
    7 years ago
    Don't buy guns for your brother. We should repeal the 2nd Amendment and confiscate and destroy all civilian possessed guns. Disband the National Rifle Association.
  • Hugh_G_Rection
    •
    7 years ago
    He'll put his eye out (Just kidding)
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    I love the humble brag.
  • jackslash
    •
    7 years ago
    A 20 gauge shotgun or a 22 rifle.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    He would love a rifle lol. I am leaning towards a 20 guage but I will ask my dad what he thinks of a 22 rifle. I am not buying a youth size.
  • Mainster
    •
    7 years ago
    There are plenty of reduced-recoil 12 ga loads to be had. Get him a Remington 870 Express or Mossberg 500 in 12 ga, he'll be set when he ants to move up to stouter loads. Training and practice ammo are the next concerns after the choice of gun. You say he's "lanky"; how tall is he?
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    "I assume he is competent and lives in a rural area where he can hunt? And hunter education and gun safety courses can not be recommended highly enough." Corvus - He is competent, very responsible, has made the honor roll every year since he was 8 (when I started paying him to lol), and is an all-star with extra-curricular acitivities. Great kid. Basically the most perfect kid to have ever walked the earth. I wouldn't let him use his gun w/o gun safety courses and I KNOW my dad would agree. They live in the burbs, but my dad is from the country where his parents' old farm is (80+ acres) and a few of my dad's siblings still live in that community and yes it is very rural. As far as hunting goes. I would just enjoy going to a shooting range with him. I love skeet shooting.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Lanky might have been the wrong wording, he is not tall, just skinny. He's in his growth spurt stage so he's probably about 5'6"ish but is growing like a weed, he has gotten a lot taller in the last year, his shoe size has gone up like 4 sizes.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    ^that was to mainster.
  • bubba267
    •
    7 years ago
    Look for a local 4H shooting sports club. They provide firearm safety and can introduce him to modified trap and other forms of sporting clays. They also have the different gauge team guns for him to try. Excellent youth development program and if he's like most kids who play video games, he will have quick success with the hand/eye coordination. To the original question he will probably like the properly fitted 20 gauge or perhaps a 12 gauge with a lighter load as several have suggested. Good luck.
  • rockstar666
    •
    7 years ago
    Start him off with an AK 47. If he can handle that, the commies won't stand a chance. Oh... the commies are now our friends. I'm SO confused!!!! Shotguns are for people who can't shoot...probably a good choice for a 14 year old. I gave my kids hand grenades....just to be sure.
  • impala
    •
    7 years ago
    I didn't now the size of the boy. At 5'6 and still growing a full sized firearm would most likely be fine, and if you do find that the stock is too long for him at this time most of your mainstream manufacturers (and aftermarket) do offer shorter stocks that are usually easy to replace, and as he grows can be changed back. I also do agree that a 12 gauge with reduced recoil ammunition would probably be OK. Best thing to do is if you know anyone with different shotguns get the boy out to handle and shoot him and find out what is comfortable for him.
  • impala
    •
    7 years ago
    Shoot them, not him (damned autocorrect)
  • jester214
    •
    7 years ago
    I second (or 3rd or 4th) the .22 idea for a lot of reasons.
  • Mainster
    •
    7 years ago
    The great thing about the shotgun sports is the social factor. I shoot 5-Stand on a fairly regular basis, and used to compete in Trap, Sporting Clays and Skeet. Hard to find a better atmosphere for a young man than a bunch of older men who have an interest in his welfare.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    The first time Nina has made a post with anything redeeming about herself. Good gift idea!
  • Estafador
    •
    7 years ago
    Children in Pakistan already shooting AKs at 8. Your brother is lacking hard.
  • warhawks
    •
    7 years ago
    You may want to start him out this year with a compressed air gun with a break barrel. And the. Move him up to larger guns next year. Most of these guns now come with a scope if you get the .187 or .22 guns. While they aren't like a gun you can shoot more than one time, they are actually pretty powerful and are excellent for teaching skill at target practicing. I have a few of them and they are actually fun to shoot at paper targets (especially with a scope) believe it or not. And you don't get the recoil of a shotgun if he's not quite ready for it yet. Plus, you can get them at a local TSC or on Amazon and have it shipped right to your door without the hassle of the background check.
  • Tiredtraveler
    •
    7 years ago
    Go with the 20 gauge. The Mossberg 500 is an inexpensive reliable shotgun. If you do not have experience teaching firearm safety take him to a class or find someone that does. You could even get a 12 gauge the recoil is not much worse and if you take him trap shooting(clay pigeons) you can use the low power target loads that are cheap and don't kick. There are advantages to either a 22 or shotgun and there are usually opportunities to learn and compete with both. Of the two shotgunning will have more places and opportunities to do fun things like mainster said above. A shotgun is not a toy and if he not interested and you are not going to assist in him learning properly then get him something else.
  • Tiredtraveler
    •
    7 years ago
    Stay away from 28 ga and 410 ga. 28ga is primarily a turkey gun and both 28 and 410 ga are very expensive both for the gun and ammuniton.
  • vincemichaels
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina, we have a target for him to shoot at. Dickbreath tittyfag.
  • crsm27
    •
    7 years ago
    Ok... lots of info on here. first off... DONT GET HIM A SINGLE SHOT.... single shot shot guns kick the most. The reason is because they don't have a mechanism/action to take the recoil. Like the pumps and semi autos. I have seen more kids get gun shy because of shooting single shots than other guns. If you are looking in the $500 range.... go with a Remington 870 pump action gun. Mossbergs are good guns but are cheaper made. I would get him a 12 ga. If he shoots it properly the kick wont matter. 20 ga. are nice but typically more expensive. Plus if this is a gun he wants to use the rest of his life... 12 ga. is the best. Now if you want to buy him a semi auto.... look at stoeger. Those guns are around $500. Good guns but heavy in weight.
  • Call.Me.Ishmael
    •
    7 years ago
    Sign him up for a course at a shooting range that allows him to shoot a wide selection of rifles and shotguns with direct instructor supervision. Find out what he likes and is comfortable shooting. From there, you can go shopping for something that works for him.
  • san_jose_guy
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina, does your little brother live in a place conducive to shooting? Most populated areas are not. And I agree with those calling for safety courses. And I mean responsible courses, not political courses put on by anything like the NRA. He needs to know how to stay safe, and all to stay legal. SJG
  • Dominic77
    •
    7 years ago
    the NRA isn't a political organization. What it really is the lobby for the association of gun MANUFACTURERS. Follow the money. There are usually classes by ex-policemen or ex-military. These are usually quite good.
  • Jascoi
    •
    7 years ago
    does he have an interest in firearms? if not... don't pursue this avenue. if he does... a cheap shotgun. for skeet shooting.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    He wants one. Lol I wouldn't just randomly decide to get my 14 y/o bro a gun if he didn't express interest in it. And yes we are going to do a lot of skeet shooting. I have a mossberg 500. I wanted something basic but good for home defense and something I could go skeet shooting with.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Flagooner there is no humble brag going on, I said my brother is the most perfect kid to walk the earth. That is bragging but that is not humble.
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    ^ Not the comment I was referring to, but you are right that it wasn't humble.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Hm... which comment were you referring to? Were you posting on the wrong thread?
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina: "which comment were you referring to? " Playing dumb? Or actually too dumb to figure it out herself? Lol!
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    I don't think she was playing.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Still waiting for the answer you're failing to provide, actually.
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    "I want to get him a really nice one. However I'm getting him a couple other expensive gifts so..." I'm glad you pointed out that you are buying your little brother so many "expensive" gifts. I would hate to think you were a cheapskate and only buying him a $500 gun.
  • beguiled
    •
    7 years ago
    12 gauge Remington Express Super Magnum synthetic. It's cool and will do anything he'll want it to do for a lifetime. [view link]
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Lol ok flagooner then I don't want to ever see you post anything about how much you paid for a stripper or for anything for that matter. Sorry you're a cheapo who obviously thinks spending money on your close family members is uncommon.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    @flagooner: You're right. Looks like she still doesn't get it. Clueless!
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Probably best she just stick to her basket weaving subject at her obscure community college. Lol!
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    I sense Columbine written all over this one.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Good point. If her brother is as big a nut job as her...
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    "I sense Columbine written all over this one." Massacres of American history make great tasteful jokes, huh? A true patriot you are.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    "Good point. If her brother is as big a nut job as her..." Nubster, at the age of almost-fourteen, my brother has made an exponentially greater impact on mankind than you ever have and ever will in your miserable, demented, pathetic little life.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Exponentially! You sure that exponent isn't negative? (A community college educated student of basket weaving student such as yourself probably won't be able to get that one. So just a joke to those members on the board who do.)
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    The fact that, although I went to an accredited UNIVERSITY, you constantly try to falsely paint me as a community college student w/ a "basket weaving" major, makes me think that you are very bothered by the fact that I did indeed go to a university and you are yearning to be dismissive of it. You have made that same false accusation about me on this forum about 50 times if I had to take a guess --- that is not healthy. You are not a happy person. Your obsession with me and MY personal life in unhealthy, as is your anger towards my university education (and future professional degree to boot). Seek help because clearly you need some and haven't gotten any and you still seem like the same miserable, unloved Nubster.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Nah, we have plenty of well educated people on this board I have no problem with. Must be something else about you, huh, that is different? Guess you weren't even able to think of the basic logical error you made there, huh? As for this "obsession" you think I have with you. Well that's just you seeing not the world as it is, but world as filtered through your anxiety disorder. Did you take your meds today?
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Oh, and just to let you in on a hint that difference is your odious personality.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Oh and if your "negative exponent" comment is supposed to be a joke, it's pretty lame. I attended elementary school, I know what a fucking exponent is. I suck at math once you get to Algebra and beyond and even I caught that stale ass "joke," as you call it.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Lol yeah Nubster, out of you and I, you think I'm the one with the odious personality? Now THAT is a joke.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    I'm not surprised at all that you suck at math. That's a consequence of your low capacity for logic thought. Lol!
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    I don't know Nina. Maybe we both do. Again you made another logical error there. I said you had an odious personality. Said nothing of my own. Better go back to logic 101! Should have invested 3 credits there and instead of in basic weaving. OOopps, forgot. You're not good at math though. Might have tugged your GPA down which is why you skipped it, right?
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    I could be a math genius if I cared enough to pay attention to it, because once you learn how to solve equations (etc) it is extremely robotic and repititive, but I don't care. Math is heartless and the biggest waste of my time. I'm not going to sit down and learn how to solve intricate formulas that I will never apply in daily life. And "skipped it"? Wtf are you talking about? Lying again? At my particular university math is required for every bachelor's degree and I'm sure it's the same at most colleges... ever heard of gen eds you dumbass? Don't ever insinuate that you and I have similar personalities. That is a delusion.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina: " I could be a math genius if I cared enough to pay attention to it, because once you learn how to solve equations (etc) it is extremely robotic and repititive" Nope they just make it that way in high and obscure community colleges so they can push people through dummies such as yourself and don't have to listen to them whine. What math is really about is theorem proving, which is quite non-mechanical or repetitive unless you are willing to invest "exponential time" (with a positive exponent) or get the help of a mathematician. If you just look at how interesting subjects are that require good math skills versus "law" and poltiical science there is really no question that people only op against the former in favor of the latter because they are weak at math.
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    Cool.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Yep, thinking about the folks I went to school with the ones who went on to be lawyers were definitely the Tier II student. Tier I all went into science, engineering, medicine, math.
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    My comment about Columbine wasn't meant as a joke.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Let's hope her brother isn't as big a nut job as she is!
  • crsm27
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina... Back on track with the original post.... Remington 870 Express.... most now come with interchangeable choke tube system. You can buy chokes to use for skeet shooting, duck hunting, shooting slugs (deer hunting), full choke for turkeys, etc. It is a great all around gun. Plus you can "trick" it out if you want. Lets say inbetween shooting skeet you want it to be a self defense gun... Buy a shorter interchangeable barrel... if he wants to put a scope on it and go deer or bear hunting (where seasons allow slug hunting)... he can buy a barrel for that. If he wants to change the stock options... ie: Pistol grip, thumbhole grip, longer stock if he gets taller.... or shorter stock if it doesn't fit correctly. The Remington 870 is a great all around gun that can be fitted for anyone and changed around so that you can use it year round... (hunting purposes, trap shooting, self defense.)
  • crsm27
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina... Not sure if you are reading this anymore or not.... But another good and reasonably priced shot gun that is a semi automatic is the brand CZ. Lower kick and a nice looking gun.
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    Does it come with a short enough barrel so someone can put it under their chin and still reach the trigger? Or does it have to be cut?
  • san_jose_guy
    •
    7 years ago
    flagooner, not nice. SJG
  • rockstar666
    •
    7 years ago
    14???? Shit, he should have had a gun when he was 7 if he's in the gun culture. At 14 it's time for an Uzi... or all his friends will make fun of him.
  • san_jose_guy
    •
    7 years ago
    :) SJG Gnosis - Secrets of the Kabbalah [view link]
  • NinaBambina
    •
    7 years ago
    "Does it come with a short enough barrel so someone can put it under their chin and still reach the trigger? Or does it have to be cut?" Ok, Flagooner. You've now made three very cowardly passive-aggressive remarks, two about Columbine and now one about someone committing suicide. This thread is about what I'm buying for my brother, so I can infer that you are for some odd reason making these comments about him - so why not grow some balls instead of the passive-aggressive and admit that you are so uncivilized that you'll make those extremely immature, spiteful remarks about a child. You are classless, disgusting, pathetic, and unmanly.
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    Were you really finding it difficult to figure out what I'm getting at. Buying a gun for a kid, even if the kid is perfect, who is not experienced with firearms and proper safety precautions is idiotic and just inviting problems. I guess this is the kind of idea that an education from UM or MSU or whatever remedial school you claim to have gone to produces.
  • Dougster
    •
    7 years ago
    Nina goes to a remedial school? Shit! And all this time I was giving her credit for being able to at least get into an obscure community college. That'll teach me to overrate her.
  • san_jose_guy
    •
    7 years ago
    Hey remember Jonathan Jackson and the Marin County Court House, when they took the judge hostage, they had duct tapped a short barrel shotgun underneath his chin. This kind of stuff is not funny. SJG
  • flagooner
    •
    7 years ago
    ^ Coming from the guy who rapes women in their sleep.
  • san_jose_guy
    •
    7 years ago
    Consensual re-entries! The girls love it. It shows in them the next morning too. The real challenge is in achieving re-entry without her waking up first. Need to do it with an absolute minimum of extra movement or bed bouncing. After that, I just steady her and hold on to her wrists, while speaking a few soft words. Once she awakens and realizes what is happening, she gets right into it. Only exception is sometimes the girl will say, "Wait wait wait, let me go to the bathroom first." And I understand this, women are sensitive that way. But then as soon as she is done, she is 100% ready to go. :) :) :) Also I have recently learned about some occult schools of thought where the girl is to be put into a kind of trance before penetration. I'll be reading more about this. Sounds really interesting. :) :) :) SJG
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