Youth Trap

[ONE HOLE 4570]

My son, 11 wants to join the 4H trap team here in our county. He shoots a Franchi 48Al 20ga semi auto with a 28 in modified fixed choke barrel with no vent rib. He has been shooting this gun for 3 or so years hunting doves , rabbits etc.
I also have a 48 al with a 28 in vent rib & screw in chokes that I could put thisbarrel  on his gun if needed.

1) Will this gun hold up over time It is probably 20 years old now & has an unknown # of round through it but still seems tight

2) should he use the fixed barrel or the screw in choke tube barrel with the vent rib

3) Should I look for another gun in a trap model ($is a little tight so this will probably take a little time & reduce my personnel gun inventory)

4) what else do I need to be aware of, he loves to shoot & I do not want to discourage him

[Graybeard]

If you want to encourage rather than discourage him I'd get him a dedicated gun for the job and tailor it to do the job properly. So long as he sticks to the 16 yard line a 20 gauge is no real handicap and a modified choke fixed or screw in is a fine choice for 16 yard line shooting even with the 20 gauge.

A pump is my preferred gun of choice for trap but a semiauto works OK. The problem with them is they toss hulls a long way and at many ranges if the hull hits the ground it belongs to the range and at others like the one where I shoot picking up your hulls is mandatory. If you reload you want them if you don't then you really don't care. At trap some semi autos will toss the hulls far enough to hit the shooter to your right and that's NOT gonna make you popular.

A Remington 870 is as good as anything for trap. The trap stock dimensions are a bit different than skeet or field and does help if you get serious about the game but for fun shooting just the standard field stock is fine. That's what I'd get him. You really do not need to be concerning yourself about your gun inventory when getting guns for the wife or kids. If you really want them to shoot with you get them their own first quality guns and to heck with what it costs. If you do the same for yourself then do it for them as well.

[ONE HOLE 4570]

Thanks GB

I think I will start looking for a dedicated gun & I have no problem selling off some of mine to get his own. He already owns a few quality pieces that are his. His Franchi 48al 20 ga, Model 7 7-08 , bear cat to name a few.

I think a 12 ga 870 with a 28 or 30 in barrel may be a bit heavy for him at the moment, I have a 870 express with a 21 in turkey barrel he can try for weight I know the barrel & stock are not the right combination though.

I have no idea if the youths shoot doubles or not, this weekend will be our first get together with them.  If they only shoot singles I might look for a used single break open 12 ga I can cut down & put a good pan on it then  replace the stock as needed.

Any ideas on a single barrel for a 11 year old

[Graybeard]

The single biggest problem as I see it with single barrel shotguns is the lack of a rib. In target shooting a vent rib really is a great aid to hitting. No one other than very casual shooters who come out to "get warmed up for dove season" comes onto the trap/skeet/sporting clays range with a shotgun without a vent rib. One might work for him but is going to handicap him.

I'm pretty sure he will NOT be shooting doubles and will not back up beyond the 16 yard line for a long time either. A 20 gauge is plenty gun for what he will be doing a 12 is not needed really and will be quite heavy for a smaller youth as will longer barrels. Still I'd not recommend a barrel less than 26" for trap. Most folks use barrels of 30" to 34" for trap longer does seem to be better here but not at the expense of a gun that is too heavy out front for the shooter.

I think a pump 20 gauge with 26" barrel would be a good starting gun for him.