New dog, great start.

[npaden]

We went back and forth on getting a 20 gauge or a .410.

We discussed that it might be easier to hit flying birds with a 20 gauge than with the .410 but there might be a little more recoil.

The big difference for us was handling the shotguns. Academy Sports has a import deal with a Turkish company Yildiz and I shoot one of their over/unders and am very happy with it. They make a 3 pound 3 ounce .410 that handles really easy for my son. The lightest 20 guage youth model with could find was 5 pounds and he had a harder time holding it steady. At $130 for the Yildiz .410 I figure it can be a gun he just uses for a couple years and it would still be well worth it. He's a pretty darn good shot with that Red Ryder BB gun and I'm hoping that he can knock some birds down (or at least kill a few on the ground) with the .410.

We have a TON of birds this year and my setup has been working really well so hopefully we can capitalize on it.

 

[double_a85]

Looks like a great time with a great looking Lab!

 

[maxx]

We went back and forth on getting a 20 gauge or a .410.

We discussed that it might be easier to hit flying birds with a 20 gauge than with the .410 but there might be a little more recoil.

The big difference for us was handling the shotguns. Academy Sports has a import deal with a Turkish company Yildiz and I shoot one of their over/unders and am very happy with it. They make a 3 pound 3 ounce .410 that handles really easy for my son. The lightest 20 guage youth model with could find was 5 pounds and he had a harder time holding it steady. At $130 for the Yildiz .410 I figure it can be a gun he just uses for a couple years and it would still be well worth it. He's a pretty darn good shot with that Red Ryder BB gun and I'm hoping that he can knock some birds down (or at least kill a few on the ground) with the .410.

We have a TON of birds this year and my setup has been working really well so hopefully we can capitalize on it.

While light is nice for handling it isn't so much for recoil. My buddy bought a single shot 410 and he said it sucked to shoot.

My boys cant really handle the gun to shoot flyers yet. My 10 year old is a medium framed kid. He is a kid and I just want him to have fun so he water swatted his first duck.

 

[npaden]

Well, we went out last night for the first time with a real gun in my sons hands. A Yildiz single shot 410 shotgun. We practiced target shooting with it the day before, and he thought it kicked like a mule. It didn't help that it had the stock thin plastic butt plate and my wife had picked up the shotgun and the salesman sold her some 3" shells with 11/16 oz of shot. Great for later on when he can handle it, but not the best choice for his first shots.

He only shot twice at some clay pigeons on the ground and did manage to connect on one of them. He thought that was enough with the recoil for sure being a factor. Yesterday after church I picked up a Limbsaver recoil pad and some 2 1/2" shells with 1/2 oz of shot. Not as effective, but hopefully more manageable.

He opted out of practicing and wanted to just go out for the hunt. We got out and set up the MOJO decoys and before too long a dove flies in and lands next to the decoy. He lines up on it, pulls the trigger and BAM, he has is first ever bird! High 5's all around! First shot at any live animal and he made it count.

He ended up only taking 2 more shots. I forgot to remind him to get the butt of the shotgun up firm against his shoulder on the first shot and it recoiled and got him in the arm a bit. He is left eye dominant, but right handed, and he actually seems to prefer shouldering a gun to his left shoulder which would be good for the future, especially for a shotgun anyway. He swapped over to his right shoulder for the next 2 shots and said the recoil wasn't as bad when he kept it up against his shoulder. We talked about closing his left eye when shooting from the right side and he missed the next bird that landed, but shot the one after that.

All told he took 3 shots and got 2 birds. He was very happy with that and so was I. Very proud of him.

Another thing that made me feel really good was as we cleaned them he wanted to keep his birds separate so he could eat his own birds next time we cooked some up. I thought that really showed that he understood the concept of why we hunt.

Oh well, very long winded post, but I was so proud of him. Our dog Sage did a great job too, it was hard on her to watch the birds land by the decoys, she sees the flapping wings and them hitting the ground and thinks that is something she is supposed to fetch. Had to call her back and buzz her a couple times when she broke for one that landed before Eli shot. She is really getting pretty good, I think there were only 3 birds last night that she didn't fetch without help. One of those was a double and she just didn't get a good mark on the other 2.

Here's a picture of us back at the house with our birds.

I'm looking into options for adding some weight to the stock. There is a hole in the stock that I think I could add some weight in, but don't want something in there rattling around. I haven't started looking yet, maybe there is something available to add weight pretty easy. I think that would help on the recoil without affecting his ability to hold the gun steady too much.

Very fun hunt. He really seemed to enjoy himself and was super proud that he got a bird with his first shot. I told him it probably took me 7 or 8 shots to get my first dove and that was when I was out of college. Love those Mojo decoys!

 

[1_pointer]

Congrats to your son on the birds! I'm think I'd like a .410 like that.

Lead shot and epoxy is a cheap/easy way to add weight that won't move around.

 

[maxx]

Nice!

My older boy is right handed but left eye dominant. I notice he kept trying to use his left eye to shoot a rifle when he was young.

I forced him to shoot lefty. He has shot lefty since and is pretty good. I even have him shooting a bow left handed. He hate it at first but he has adapt nicely. The hardest part for him is the strength aspect. Kids are just stronger with their dominant hand.

 

[npaden]

The shotgun weighs 3lbs 3oz so it is very light. Lighter than his Red Ryder BB gun.

I've read a few posts on adding weight and it sounds like sticking a couple rolls of nickels in there toward the front and then filling up the rest of the space with cotton balls may be a easy option that will work.

The nickels are supposed to fit in there just right. Maybe end up using a little masking tape to make sure they don't move at all.

 

[DAVIDKERR]

i cant afford 410 ammo