I've pretty much made my mind up this is what I want. Ocho is hounding me for a shotgun of his own. I've always shot Browning but I like the price point of the Franchi. Plus the weight is really attractive.

Give me your reviews please

Or

A suggestion of a compact auto 20 gauge for an 11 yr old

If it were me I'd get him a mid range priced o/u 20 ga.I own a CZ Canvasback and a Lanber both in 12 ga.Both in the 7 bills range,great field guns that have performed flawlessly in the field and duck blinds for years.........and I'm not afraid to get a scratch on them like I would a 5 grand o/u.The safety factor for a young shooter is another consideration.Broke open during carry you'll obviously know he has it in a SAFE mode.

Ron

Primarily used to hunt..... Dove, squirrel, rabbits. He loves the sporting clays course. I take him about once a month

I loved my O/U Beretta. Not much comes close to a well-balanced O/U for fast target aquisition and you can get both shots off very very quickly. I prefer the O/U for sport shooting, have only hunted with a Benelli pump (don't feel like bringing my o/u in the field.)

I've not much experience with the semiautos, someone else will have to fill in for me here but my brother in law and my cousin both are avid bird hunters but one runs gas-piston, the other inertia. FN/Browning modern action and Benelli supersport?. I've shot both, and I feel like I prefer the gas-piston Browning action over the inertia for a couple reasons. One, you can shoot lighter loads with a gas system than inertia, and two, there was less perceived recoil on the gas system than the inertia.

Without hands-on, I thought it was the other way around, but if you think about it, the inertia driven needs enough force to overcome the bolt carrier lock to start moving rearward, so that sharp increase in pressure is felt more distinctly than the gas system which unlocks and drives the carrier backward slightly later than the inertia guns.

Either one of them is going to have less perceived recoil than an O/U or a pump because some of the energy is getting spent on moving the bolt/carrier group rearward.

Take that with a grain of salt, I've only shot those two guns and the owners of both will defend their system up and down. Personally, I'll keep my O/U for sport shooting. Not much of a hunter, went out a couple times and came back empty handed so I lost interest.

If you want an O/U, I might be able to steer you toward one that fits your needs.

ETA: For a youth size, that affinity seems to be everything you want.

It has sling swivels. This is the best feature I ever got in any of my hunting guns. I always have an armful of gear, and not having to tote a heavy gun in one hand is awesome. Especially coming out of the field at the end of a hunt.

I always hunted with pumps my whole life. Last year, I hunted with a Browning Gold Hunter. I have to say, that having a semi-auto is also part of living the high life. My Gold is gas operated, and works well, but is dirty. I just picked up a new style Browning A5, which is inertia operated, but have not fired it yet, so can't comment on the functionality.

Does the kid like that gun? If it is one he likes, the pride of ownership will help make sure he takes care of it. If he is a punk a$$, and it is not the one he wants, then he will not take care of it.

J

IMHO you might consider a Beretta A391. You can pick one up used for a good price and you would worry less about scratches and dings until Ocho is older and wants to invest in something more expensive. I learned on a 1950's Remington 11-48 and a Winchester Model 50. Old school spring action semi-auto. The Remington kicked almost as much as a pump. The Model 50 was much softer on the shoulder.

No matter which gun you decide to purchase, GET IT PROPERLY FITTED BY A PROFESSIONAL. Dad can get his gun fitted at the same time and share the Father-Son experience. You will both be thankful after the gun is fitted. He will be a better shooter and enjoy the sport and hunting even more knowing the gun will shoot where he looks/points.

Go to Wal-Mart, , ,

I just might have saw you and the boy on people of Wal-Mart, , ,

pedro,

NEVER start a kid on an auto loader...

Get a single shot or pump...

He'll be a lousy shot the rest of his life,,,

and MAKE him Buy it,,,

wheel,,

I failed to mention that he shoots about 60% with his moms 20 gauge. She has a Browning Silver Hunter. Bad thing for him is that it has a 28" barrel. It's just really long for him

That said, I give him one shell at a time. So I don't subscribe to autos causing poor shooting. He already does as well as many adults with a gun that doesn't fit.

And I made him a deal that I would match whatever money he saved for the gun. Keep in mind he's only 11. It's hard for him to save $800 by September. He wants the new gun for dove season

And many, myself included, would argue that the (appropriate) pump doesn't cause poor shooting. Then again all of my clay shooting is sporting, and I use a partial or complete remount on report and some true pairs. That helps these old eyes in target acquisition. Congrats on the great start he obviously has. Best of luck in the search.