Recoil Control for Youth with Shotgun or Muzzleloader

AnchorF22

WKR
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Columbus, MS
Somewhat unfortunately, much of my hunting these days is in states that don't allow rifle hunting for whitetails. I'm trying to get my 9 yr old son out for some hunts, but shotgun slugs and muzzleloaders all seem to be pretty high recoil. What are you thoughts on either of these two options, or what other ideas do you have?

1. 20 ga slugs with lower charges (Hornady Custom Lite slugs);
2. Muzzleloader with lower chargers behind a 250gr bullet, maybe 60-100 gr of Triple Se7en.

Thanks!
 
for years i shot litefield lites in my 20 ga 1100 because they were accurate as heck.
the hornady did not exist but my gun does not like hornady anyway.
 
I grew up hunting with a slug gun. I used a 20gauge single shot from 6th -8th grade. The first time I shot the gun was in 5th grade. I don't remember my height and weight through that time period, but I was pretty average in size and I was a skinny kid. I used regular brenneke slugs in that 20 gauge and I remember them being just fine. The gun's recoil pad was nearly hard as a rock. It of course kicked a bit but as long as the butt is up against the shoulder firmly and the shooter remains loose (not completely stone rigid) it should be fine. You can also get one if those slip on limbsaver airtech recoil pads and it will work wonders. Also, if you have him use a semi-auto it should help tame the recoil.

As long as you limit shots to 50 yards, I think the reduced recoil 20ga rounds should suffice
 
I have a Savage 220, 20 ga bolt action and it seems very tame in the recoil dept. For my guns that do have heavy recoil a good quality recoil pad like the limbsaver makes a world of difference. When my son was young and on the small side I loaded his muzzy with 250 gr Barnes and about 60 gr by weight of BH209. Still plenty of power but dialed back in the recoil.

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Thanks gents, I'll get looking for a 20 ga slug gun!
I wouldn’t look at much besides a savage 220, or one of the discontinued H&R slug guns. I believe you can get a 220 with a youth stock also, so that might help. I do think a muzzleloader with 80-90 grains of powder has less recoil in my experience.
 
A 20ga shotgun with some light loads would be good choice for your son. It's also something he can continue to use when he get's older.

All of my shotguns are either 12ga & 16ga, but I wouldn't mine adding a 20ga. (good for deer, small game, bird hunting or home defense.)
 
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the 1100 aint exactly a kicker to begin with so it was pretty light. and it was good out to a 100 yd.

now i have and encore 20 ga. slug barrel- it is just ok.

i used to have one of the h and r 12ga slugers. it was hells hammer on both ends. it was brutal-did you know they had a one inch diameter steel rod in the stock for wt?

you can load down a ML and really tame it.
the indians and pioneers used loads we would consider pop gun stuff. [because powder was so hard to get] and they had no trouble killing.
 
Thanks gents, I'll get looking for a 20 ga slug gun!

I have yet to find a charge volume between 70 and 85 grains (by volume) of BH 209 that my CVA Wolf doesn't shoot at or around MOA. The following combination is my go to:

85 grains BH 209
Winchester 209 magnum primers
Barnes T-EZ 250 grain saboted bullet

I find the recoil from that to be about comparable to a 7mm-08. On the lower end of the spectrum would be just fine for shots inside 100 yards and very tame to shoot.
 
I'd shy away from anything that's not an automatic ....let the gun eat the recoil.
 
A proper gun mount and stance go along way toward mitigating recoil and pain. A quality semi-automatic would soak up the most recoil. As previously mentioned, it's tough to beat the Savage 220 and H&R Slug Hunter.
 
I have 2 daughters, 13 and 11 that both shoot the savage 220 and haven’t had issues with any kind of recoil. I have a buddy who’s also used the same gun for his 10 year old son and he’s also smacked a few deer with it with no issues
 
Started my son out at 6 yrs with a .410 he killed his first 2 deer with it that little gun has more kick then the .410 I own. When he turned 9 i bought a 50cal knight muzzleloader shooting a 240 grain 44cal bullet with the 54 sabbot using 60 grain powder kept shots 50yds and under and he loves shooting deer with it he's 13 now and shooting 100grains of powder now
 
Just remember a gas operated shotgun reduces recoil over a pump, bolt, or single shot quite a bit.
 
My kids both shot deer with Savage 220’s and Hornady Custom Lite slugs starting at 8 and still do today. Even now that they are 12 they aren’t going to spend any time at the range with that combo, but one shot at game is manageable. If you want to manage the felt recoil even more I would look for a Remington 1100, lightest kicking shotgun IMO. I’d agree with the other poster that 90g in a heavy muzzleloader is about equivalent to the 20g Hornady Custom Lite slugs.
 
Thanks for the help, guys! I have Rem 1100 12 ga with a few boxes of reduced recoil loads, so we'll see how that fares. I also have a T/C Pro Hunter FX to try him out on, and I should be able to work up some lower end loads that will be suitable. I picked up the Triple Se7en pellets in 30 and 50 gr, so I can make combos from 50, 60, 80, 90, 100, and on up. Between those two, I'm sure I can find one that'll shoot well for him without too much recoil. Again, thanks for the advice here!
 
I’ve used a Remington 1100 with Remington sluggers for 26 years. Kicks less than the 20 ga I started with. Helped when I was 12 years old because I was flinching from the recoil. I still use that gun to this day.


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