Trap gun for youth

[CPO Hog]

My daughters Ag class is putting together a trap team this spring, and she wants to give it a shot. She tried my M12 16 ga, but it kicks too hard. One shot and she was done with it lol. She can get a few pellets in a flying milk jug with my old 410 single shot, but not enought to smoke a trap. My 1187 12 ga is to much for her.

So, I'm thinking about getting her a 20ga and after some research I've come down to 2 possiblities. Yildiz over/under with 28" barrel, and the 870 express youth. Both are under $500. Does anyone have another suggestion?

Does anyone here have any experience with the Yildiz 20ga over/under? The reviews I've read are very good, but it's a mix on how hard kicks. My concern is; can a 15yo 110lb girl shoot 50 round through it without getting kick shy?

How much difference does a shock pad make? What about a shooting vest? I've never used either.

[kodiakisland]

My daughter shoots on her AG team.  Great to see more girls getting involved.  The first thing to get right is fit.  If the gun is too long, too heavy, too whatever she will not enjoy it and probably won't have much success.

Unfortunately, getting the right fit means a youth gun or custom stock.  Choices are limited or expensive.  I saw a really nice used Browning BT99 youth gun at Cabelas yesterday.  Expensive.  I also saw some youth shotguns like the 870.  Not made for trap but cheaper.

The Yildez might be the better option.  I have not shot one but would expect it to do fine for the intended purpose.  They are not serious comp guns but it's doubtful she will put several thousand rounds through it.  I would plan on replacing the pad with the softest you can find.  A light 20g can kick as much as a heavier 12g.

Now as far as can a 110lb girl can handle it, depends on the girl.  My daughter does fine with 50 rounds a day through her 12g.  Some boys aren't.  It will really depend on how the gun fits and her desire.

[CPO Hog]

Thanks Kodiak. Hopefully a soft pad and proper fit can reduce the abuse. I'm trying to find her the gun that will give her the best chance to succeed, yet stay away from expensive for now.  I can always trade up as/if her interest in shooting increases. Kids interest can change at the drop of a hat.

[DeltaBoy]

Mossburg also make a youth model in 20 gauge.

[Rocky&Boarwinkle]

I haven't been able to find a youth model 12 gauge.  Do they even make them?  My daughter shoots a youth model 20 gauge and has for 4 years. I have noticed that even with adjusting the chokes, she doesn't seem to have as good of a "spread" to hit the clays that most of her team has.  My son is starting shooting sports this year as a 6th grader and he is lighter and shorter than her, but has more arm strength.  I just wanted to go with a 12 for him from the start, but I can't find what I want.

[CPO Hog]

I haven't been able to find a youth model 12 gauge.  Do they even make them?  My daughter shoots a youth model 20 gauge and has for 4 years. I have noticed that even with adjusting the chokes, she doesn't seem to have as good of a "spread" to hit the clays that most of her team has.  My son is starting shooting sports this year as a 6th grader and he is lighter and shorter than her, but has more arm strength.  I just wanted to go with a 12 for him from the start, but I can't find what I want.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/prod/Youth_12_Gauge_Shotguns

[kodiakisland]

The big question is how much are you willing to spend?  Yes, there are some good youth/small shooter 12g shotguns out there for trap and skeet, but they are not cheap.  Lots of women shoot and want a gun to use for many rounds/years.  These fit the youths but are higher quality made to last 100,000 rounds.

What I did for my daughter was to hit the used market pretty hard.  Took several months but I found what I was looking for at a decent price.  Well below new price.

Beretta makes several models for the shorter shooters.  Any of their models that have RL at the end are a reduced length model made for serious shooting.  We have a 391 but I know the 400 and 3901 also come RL and there may be more.  Browning makes the BT99 and Citori in two different youth sizes.  I'm sure there are more but those are the two manufacturers I see.

You can also find decent used trap 870s or 1100s that could be cut down to fit.  The ones with 30-32inch barrels would probably be too long but the 28in barrels should do fine.  Same with any O/U with a cut down stock.

If your daughter is not hitting targets regularly, it may be more than just using a 20g.  Have you patterned the barrel?  A trap gun should shoot high.  Not all guns are centered and most non trap guns are regulated to hit close to center.  Some don't even come close to point of aim.  Having a mid barrel bead helps my daughter have the same sight picture every shot.

edited to add:  Just looked on Brownings site and they also make the BPS and Silver auto in several youth models in 12g.

[Rocky&Boarwinkle]

Thanks Kodiak.  Some very helpful information.  I am not a gun collector by any means, and my father in law bought my daughter the gun.  It is a Binelli, and I am pretty sure the shorter barrel is for a woman's model, not a youth one.  And yes, she tends to hit low if she misses. I have seen tons of her shots make the clay leap like a frog, without hitting it enough to break it.  I am not versed enough in motion shooting to know exactly what to do for her.  They have some pretty good "helpers" and coaches that have her moving well and hitting in the vicinity, and they have checked her for fit on the shoulder and hand placement.  Everything seems to be good on all of that.  She just seems to shoot a bit low, and now I know better why.

How do you go about putting a mid barrel bead on something?  Just tape a small thing on it?  And thanks for the leads on the brands and models.  I'll check those out.  I may have her try out my son's 12 when I get it and see if she has better luck with that.

[kodiakisland]

I'm sure it would be easy for a gunsmith to add a bead, but many models designed for trap or skeet come with them.  Most people teach holding a "figure 8" with the two beads.  It's a way to ensure they start with the same sight picture each time.  Where those beads end up when the trigger is pulled is anyones guess.  It just makes sure they mount the gun the same way every time, which in theory should make them more consistent.

In trap the bird is almost always rising when shot at.  It makes it tough if the gun doesn't shoot high. 

Does she have a Nova or a Monte?  Both of those are fairly light, so going up to a 12g would probably be about the same recoil.  Especially if she has a pump 20 and goes to a semiauto 12.

[kodiakisland]

I went to Academy and looked at a Yildez today.  Boy, I don't know.  The price is certainly low, but without putting several thousand rounds through one it's hard to say if it's worth it.  One trap season for a school team will be anywhere from 500 to 1000 rounds.  Year round trap would be lots more.  I wouldn't expect more than a few years out of the gun, but that may be more than enough to decide if they like it or hate it.

It is very light and the recoil pad not real soft.  50-100 rounds a day of even light 20g might get brutal.  I think I would at least plan on putting a softer pad on the gun.

I think the gun is worth getting, just don't expect too much from it.  It may last a life time or only a few years, but it should be enough for your daughter to decide if she needs and wants a better gun.

[Rocky&Boarwinkle]

Found a Winchester SXP Compact 12 gauge on Academy site for $329.  26 inch barrel and 6.5 pounds.  Looking like this might be the choice for my son.  Also, do you think the lefty/righty issue really matters, other than where the safety is for hunting purposes?  Both of my kids are lefties.

[kodiakisland]

I don't think the left/right thing would be any problem at all.  Sometimes there are issues with semiautos if the shell is ejected back into the face but I would bet most of those would be fine to shoot left handed as well.

[lumphog]

L. C. Smith dbl barrel If you can find one

[PintailKiller]

My daughters Ag class is putting together a trap team this spring, and she wants to give it a shot. She tried my M12 16 ga, but it kicks too hard. One shot and she was done with it lol. She can get a few pellets in a flying milk jug with my old 410 single shot, but not enought to smoke a trap. My 1187 12 ga is to much for her.

So, I'm thinking about getting her a 20ga and after some research I've come down to 2 possiblities. Yildiz over/under with 28" barrel, and the 870 express youth. Both are under $500. Does anyone have another suggestion?

Does anyone here have any experience with the Yildiz 20ga over/under? The reviews I've read are very good, but it's a mix on how hard kicks. My concern is; can a 15yo 110lb girl shoot 50 round through it without getting kick shy?

How much difference does a shock pad make? What about a shooting vest? I've never used either.

Most of the kids shooting in the AYSSP program shoot stock guns from WM or their local dealer.  The 870 is probably the most popular gun out there on a competition Saturday.  You will see some Prazzi's and very nice Browning's, but most of those kids are serious about trap and travel to compete.  My son started with a Mossberg 20 and used it in 7th and 8th grade until he could handle 50 rounds from his AYA, which he still shoots.
Good luck to your daughter.

[CPO Hog]

OP Update: HS Trap practice kicked off this month. Due to my daughters small stature I went with a 20ga BPS w/26" full Choke and bottom eject. We tried probably 20 guns for "fit" and when she put the BPS to her shoulder her face lit up - Perfect fit.

She has had 3 practices so far.
1st - she hit 1 clay. Singles, 4 rounds of 5 clays.
2nd - 4 Hits. Singles, 4 rounds of 5 clays.
3rd - 14 Hits. Doubles, 3 rounds of 5. She hit a single 12 times and one double.

Late in the 2nd practice she forgot to put a round in the chamber. I noticed it but kept my mouth shut just to see her reaction when it didn't fire. She jerked like a mule kicked her. I reminded her of this before her 3rd practice.
She's a still pretty slow getting on the second one, but she did hit one about 10' from the gournd. I was impressed the 20ga reached out that far.