For those of you not familiar with rural Texas, kids down here usually learn to shoot long before they learn to drive. And they learn to drive on the ranch long before they can legally drive on public roads.
The grandson already has a .22 and a deer rifle. He wants a shotgun so he can go dove hunting with Dad and Pappy (not my choice of names, but Granddad was already taken). An over/under is probably the best choice, given that he's left handed. A standard auto would eject the shells into his face, and most pumps have the safety and other controls configured for righties. I know there are left-handed versions available, but they are usually more expensive. So all in all, an O/U is the preferred model.
Right now the front-runner is the Stoeger Condor. There are several other nice youth style over/unders out there, but the Stoeger is a little less expensive. Since the kid will outgrow a youth model in a few years, saving $$$ makes sense to me.
And to all you DamnYankees*, I'm getting him an NRA membership to go along with the shotgun...
(*I was 12 years old before I learned that DamnYankee was really two words.)
4 comments:
My dad was an avid hunter and gun collector.
Way back in 1950, when I was 8 I got a daisy BB gun for Christmas. I sharpened my skills on that beauty.
A few years later it was a Remington Nylon 66 .22 cal. semi-auto.
Then on to a WW-II well used Lee Enfield .303 with a barrel so worn it lacked Lans and grooves.
Later, when I joined the USMC I qualified with the M-1, M-14, Colt 1911 .45 and the M-60 machine gun.
There were no better times than when I have a weapon in my hands ready to shoot.
Yup, I'm an N.R.A. Member too.
If you're just handing them out, I want one! My birthday is in January.
TJ - The parallels are amazing. I got a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun when I was 8, then went through the .22 to .30/.30 lever action to .30-06 bolt action progression.
I was a little behind you in the service. By the time I was in the M-16 had replaced the M-14, but I still carried the 1911 and the M-60. Loved that pig...
Harper - Aren't you a little old for a youth model...?
Aren't you a little old for a youth model...?
That's exactly what I said to my ex husband about his new girlfriend.
Youth models are often a better fit for me due to my height, arm length and post-elbow surgery range of motion. I also have a 13-year old leftie that would enjoy it.
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