Thread: Getting the boy ready for next season

My son has tagged along on a number of pond shoots and pheasant hunts, but hasn’t fired a shotgun yet. He has done some target shooting with my rimfire rifles, but I’ve been meaning to get something suitable to get him started on birds. He’ll be 10 in November, and I want to get him shooting targets and comfortable before next game bird season rolls around, as I’m hopeful of getting back into some maimai shooting on Tauranga harbour with him and my dad.

Neither of my 12ga are suitable (heavy 1187, and lightweight 101), so I was looking for something he could start with, but not have to throw away after 1 season. Needed to be able to handle target loads through to steel. Wasn’t interested in those small kids single shot guns.

So I stumbled across a couple of good deals on Armsan semi 20ga guns. I’ll be controlling the ammo supply and loading (from a safety perspective and to teach him to not rely on a full magazine) so a semi isn’t an issue.

Did a bit of research and was able to inspect a couple in the flesh - not a bad little Turkish gun. So I pulled the trigger (pun intended) on an A620 with a nice walnut stock and some gold accents (action inlay and trigger). It was bought new last season and fired less than a handful of rounds - didn’t work out for them.

Apparently Armsan do a youth plastic stocked version, but the nz distributor isn’t bringing the stocks in as spares, so I’m planning on cutting the stock down (well a very competent friend will do it - I’ve seen his custom muzzleloader work and it’s amazing).

Here she is...


Plenty of time to get the mods done and some practise in before next season...and maybe even some time for me to try it out on pheasants this season before it gets the chop!


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