20 gauge for deer? Youth model

[Bowtech32]

I finally got my son to shoot something bigger than a .22. He shot my 12gauge this weekend (with a little help) looking to get him a youth model 20 gauge and maybe some buckshot for him to take out some hogs and maybe some a deer.

My question is a 20gauge and Buck shot good enough for deer? Never shot buckshot for deer. We will be close range as all of my setups are for bow.

BTW he is 9 but small for a 9 yo. But he will not shoot a rifle yet.

[talltexasshoote]

My 9 year old shoots a 12 gauge with reduced recoil buckshot off of a Caldwell tripod. He has only shot hogs with it at 20-30 yards, but it has been very lethal. I see no reason it won't work on deer this year. The shells are not very loud either.

[ShockValue]

I killed my first deer at age 12 with #3 buckshot in a Rem 1100 in Mississippi at about 5 yards.

Keep the range like bow hunting and probably ok.

My kids have shot a .243, 7mm-08 w/deductibles recoil rounds, and a 22-250.

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

I will be taking my 11 yr old hunting on Ft Hood this year. Where we will be hunting you can only use archery equipment, muzzleloaders or shotguns with slugs. I got him a Mossberg 20 guage combo. He has been shooting the Remington slugs that come come 15 in a box from Wal-Mart. I am in the process of trying to get a scope put on it. Waiting for the saddle. Many people told me that a 20 guage would be great out to about 50-75 yards. Go for it and good luck.

[stinkbelly]

I was going to have my son use his 20ga with buckshot last year. We patterned it at 15 yards and it was about a 4 foot diameter circle. He would have hit the deer from end to end and every other deer in the area. We decided to stay with the crossbow.

Pattern it to see if your setup will work.

[krtnorris]

What about slugs. I shoot a 1100 in 20 gauge with slugs. I believe they make the reduced recoil slugs as well. I would try that.

[Coyote EMT]

Heck if you are shooting bow range. Maybe look into a 22 hornet. Or the new 17 hornet. A rifle he can learn to shoot and be acurate with a whole bunch less recoil than buckshot.

Just a monkey wrench in your thread here. Pay me no mind.


But with a choke tube and buckshot combo they are deadly. Look into the dead Coyote line.

[Uncle Saggy]

I would lean towards a slug.
My 12 ga scoped slug gun is still my go to for deer, up north we would only use buckshot if driving a swamp or real heavy underbrush

[goose48]

I remember putting my son on my bow tripod at a feeder when he was 9 years old with a Mossburg 500 youth model 20 gage, #3 buckshot, with a modified choke. The shot was 17 yards and he dropped a big bodied buck on the spot. I still remember the scream of happiness in the early morning air. I was sitting about 80 yards away with his brother in a ground blind watching. What fun memories. That son is now 21 and a fireman.

[DFWPI]

My brother lives in NJ and when he hunts with a firearm, its a 20 with slugs. The gun he shoots has a slug barrel and scope and he has killed deer out to 75-yards.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Slugs will be better for hogs too... IF you do choose to use buckshot, go pattern the gun first. I had a Remy Wingmaster that was deadly with #4 buckshot, but didn't shoot #3's worth a hoot. That's really why I switched over to slugs. At 50 yards or less, a 20 ga. Remington slug is hard to beat. They are plenty accurate, plus if you put it in the boiler room of a hog any size, he won't go far if he don't go DRT.

[KevBow]

Get him a 22-250

[hoythitman]

I dont know about buck shot but I've killed many pigs and a few deer with a 20 gauge shooting slugs.

[walker1983]

I'm sure a 20GA would do the trick - but maybe a little Savage Axis in .243 would be even better - and extend the range a bit.

I would think a 20Ga slug or buckshot load kicks more than a smaller caliber rifle.

[Drycreek3189]

I only ever killed one deer with buckshot and every pellet left a fist sized piece of bloodshot meat. Slugs, IMO, are the way to go. One thing you might try if your kid is recoil sensitive, is don't let him practice with full power loads. Twenty gauges are generally lighter and the full power loads kick a kid pretty hard. When he shoots a deer with a full power load, he probably won't even feel it.