Starting to shop around for a 12g autoloader for my 12yo son. He is 5’10” and the docs tell us he will be taller than I (I’m 6’7”).

He has been shooting a borrowed 20g 1100 LT.

This gun will primarily be a clays gun, mostly sporting clays, then skeet, some trap. Would also like for him to be able to hunt upland, turkey and maybe ducks with it if his interest go there.

We just had to put our bird dog down, so by time we get a new dog, and get it trained, it could be 2+ years before he joins me on an upland hunt.

He is loving sporting clays.

Preferring wood over synthetic for this gun.

So...not looking for a dedicated clays gun. But something that does well with clays and something he can take hunting. I’ve got o/us and sxss he can shoot when ready. But really want him to have a 12g autoloader for his first. I’ve been out of the autoloader market for a long time, so need some opinions please.

What do you all like for this situation? Remington 1100? Beretta A400 xplor? Benelli Sport II, Ethos? Something else?

1100 Sporting 20

My 11 yr. old ( 5’8” 150 ) shoots a Browning Gold 20 ga. I found a used stock and cut it down for him . Very light recoil.

I just bought a Beretta A400 to shoot practice with.

The more I shoot it the more I like it.

It would me a great gun for your son.

Get him a Beretta A400 or Benelli Super Sport -- oh, and get him a 30" barreled 12 gauge! He's big enough to shoot a 12 and either gun will manage lighter target loads and be competitive until/if he moves to an O/U. Both are excellent, reliable and easy to maintain. Fabarm is also excellent and worth a look, but tends to be a little heavier and has fewer aftermarket options than the two B guns above.

This gun will do it all http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtop ... 4&t=515662

Remington 1100 Competition Synthetic. Yeah, it's a synthetic stock instead of wood, but it comes with a 4-way adjustable comb and adjustable butt plate (so he can adjust it to fit him perfectly), a Ken Rucker Autobuster (recoil reducer), and a nickel finish including on the magazine tube (easier to clean), all for about $1000. It's the best deal around if you can find one.

If you want the wood look, spend a $100 and get it wrapped in a wood grain film.

Our youth teams have done well with this gun.

Highly adjustable and reliable, very soft shooting. It’s what I recommend to parents asking about a gun for a growing kid.

Having owned both a Remington 1100 and a Beretta A400 Xplor 12 g. I can only recommend the Beretta. Even though I maintained the 1100 well, replacing O rings, recoil springs etc. on a routine basis, the gun malfunctioned enough to cause me to lose some confidence in it. It also has a few parts that broke during competitions (action bar fracture, connecting piece shaped like a tuning fork behind the bolt assy.)
The A400 however has been completely reliable, no broken bits and cycles lower velocity ammo with ease.
Good luck with your choice of guns and your sons future success.

Thank you all, much appreciated!

1100 sporting is my favorite. If he likes shooting the 1100 LT 20 then a bigger version of the gun should feel fairly familiar to him in a 12 gauge. Plus it'll last at least a quarter million rounds if taken care of, which isn't that hard to do. Softest shooting gun I have ever had.

The Beretta A400 is also very very good, but I haven't owned one so I can't tell you the pros / cons of it really. I have shot them though and know by reputation that they are just as good as 1100s.

The Benelli Ethos sport is a good gun as well but way overpriced in my opinion. Plus it will kick more being an inertia gun that is WAY lighter than the other two.