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I need to buy my 8yr old a turkey gun. What have some of you used for your children? I have been told a 20 gauge may kick too much, but I dont feel comfortable shooting a 410 for turkeys. Thanks for your help.

I know of a few gobblers that have died to a youth's 410. A few adults here have done the 410 in an "all gauge season" kind of thing as well.
As long as he is in at least 20 - 30 yards, a 410 will do the job if placed right.

I set up a beretta 303 20 gauge with a 24 inch barrel and a youth stock for my son. He has never complained about the kick. A bigger issue is making sure they have the upper body strength and long enough arms to handle it.

A friend of mine's son shot my Rem 870 20 ga last yr and he never complained about the recoil. He is 9, but fairly big for his age. He was shooting the federal heavyweight 3" #7, which is about the most payload you can buy at 1 5/8 oz. I know Federal makes a 2 3/4" version that has maybe 1 1/4 oz, which is still stout for a 20 ga.
I would go ahead and buy a 20 ga, and maybe use 2 3/4 shells to keep the recoil to a min. Maybe even use low brass #8 for practice and switch to turkey loads for hunting. He'll never feel it when that bird is flopping.

get a 20ga. have him practice with low power dove loads. then slip and 3" mag in during hunt time.

also a red dot, or holographic sight will help him a ton, especially if the gun is to big for him.

^^^^^^^ +100............ I had a buddy shoot one (his first turkey) at 45 steps last year (I wasn't sitting beside him because he was 28 years old) and when he shot the turkey didn't even flop! I've seen several people on here that shoot a 20 and they kill turkeys every year!

410 will work fine

I started off with a single shot NE youth 20ga at that age and never felt a thing when ole tom flopped.

billyho has a a tc encore. with a 20 gauge barrel for his little girl. it's got a sawed off stock so it fits her, and a 223 rifle barrel for deer hunting. virtually no kick, and it's small enough to fit her well, and very easy to let modify it for fit as she gets older.

A 2 3/4 20 ga will be much more versatile than any 410. I wouldn't ever really even consider the 410 unless you have lots of private land with some birds coming to a "food source" in a very specific spot where the kid can blind up.

So a 410 will kill one? I am not doubting anyone who says they will, but I am thinking...

I know my stoeger 410 single shot that my grandfather gave me shoots a pattern similar to a woman's fist at 30 yards. I shot 4 boxes of shells back in dove season and killed ONE bird. But by god, when he was hit.. he was HIT.

It's a bad booty little gun for squirrel hunting. Tall timber is no problem, the main problem is missing the damn thing and watching the pattern blow a wad of leaves up that are 4 inches to the left of the squirrel.

I remember reading in "The Flaming Turkey" how he was hell bent on killing one with a 410 until a mixture of the turkeys and camp members giving him hell drove him to ditch the idea. I do like a challenge, may have to do some googlin'.

Gant, I know a fellow who has a single 20 with the stock cut off for a kid (bought that way) that they use as a gun to keep on their kubota utv. I think he paid $30 for it. I think it's a Stevens. If you'd like, I can see if they'd part with it, it's not sentimental or anything. It's actually a pretty nice little single. You might be able to score you a pretty decent little single 20 for about 20.

My son has been shooting an 20g 870 express youth mod since he was 8 for turkeys. I have it set up with a jelly head choke and a red dot scope and it will dirt roll a turkey out to about 40yds. As far as recoil goes, as mentioned earlier if he will pull the trigger on it then he should not feel the recoil when hes starring down a tom or a jake.

If he is over 60 lbs, the 20 will be fine. Remington makes an 870 and 1100 in youth 20 gauge. Benelli makes a youth 20 Nova. All good guns...all will kill turkeys and he'll be able to use until early teens.