gun for 11yr birthday

[kawie]

i wanted to ask this earlier but server was down.my boys birthday is today an i was thinking of getting him his first gun today.but not sure what to get him.thought about the 357/20ga combo or 410,combo would be better if it came with a 20ga with chokes instead of just rifled barrel.thick if it came with chokes it would be a great starter gun for kids like mine.any help an thanks. kawie

[Westbound]

The 357/20 GA combo should be a great starter that he can use into adulthood.  The 20 would make more sense if he can handle the recoil.
410 shells are outrageous these days, and I've always preferred getting more shot downrange.  Makes it a lot easier for new shooters to hit what they are aiming for, which builds shooter confidence.

[kawie]

the 20ga isnt much of a promblem for him,he used my winchester 1200 pump this year an shot a couple of squirrels and rabbits this year.shot a few rabbits on the run too.just wish the 20ga handi barrel wasnt rifled that way it would make a good big game small game combo.the way it is now its just a big game combo.thanks kawie

[Badnews Bob]

Just get the .357 don't get the combo. You can add a 410 or 20gauge smooth bore barrel later.

[deadrabbit]

Ive never owned one, but a 28 gauge always sounds like a great starter shotgun, or as an add on later.

[Westbound]

Sorry, I didn't read closely.  A rifled 20 Gauge is no fun!!
As Badnews Bob said, you can get the 357, then add a 20 gauge smoothbore barrel.

[Doublebass73]

They didn't have the .357/20 gauge combo at the time so I bought an SB2 receiver here in the classifieds and sent it to H&R for a .357 Magnum and a 28 gauge barrel. This is a great combo, I love it. Both barrels are shooters. Later on I installed a BC stock set and topped the .357 with a Leupold Rifleman 2X7X33 scope. I now have a combo made in heaven.

I'd highly recommend this combo for an 11 year old unless he wanted to hunt turkeys also in which case I'd get a 20 gauge barrel instead of a 28.

[kawie]

well i took my boy out to see what we could find for him.drove 1.5hrs to gander mountain were he tried to talk me into a rossi synthetic stocked 410 for 100 bucks,i dont know if there all like this but they felt like junk,one of them when you opened it up had side to side movement on the hinge pin they just felt realy low quality.so i then drove back home to the local dicks an the guy there gave me a card to a gunsmith/gun/bow shop that just open low an behold its own by an old friend from school.me an my son decided on just s rifle cause i already have 2 pump 20ga and 3 22,so know we are looking for a 357.the guy at dicks said that i could order just a 357 rifle,is this true,while the old friend is looking to see what he can find out for me hes calling H&R on moday cause he knows i want the sbII frame.so can you get the 357 on the sbII frame as a whole gun through H&R .thanks kawie

[quickdtoo]

so can you get the 357 on the sbII frame as a whole gun through H&R .thanks kawie

No, unless you can find one somewhere in existing stock, it hasn't been made that way since the end of 2007. The only other way to get one on an SB2 frame is thru the accessory barrel program when they get the barrels from Marlin back in stock, they've been out of them for quite a while now, they're expected any time.

Tim

[kawie]

thanks tim,what would be another good choice,i like to keep it on sbII frame so when he grows the barrel options grow with him.i liked the 357 for the option of using 38spec. for plinking an small game an then the 357 for big game then when he gets older we could have it reamed to max for more range.so would a 30-30 be another good option.hes shot my sidekick with 70grain loads an my 20ga 870 with sabot 2 3/4 sabot slugs.he said it kicked but it wasnt painful just a little scary lol.ive read that some are reaming the sbI to max whats youre take on this tim safe not safe or thin ice waiting for something to happen.thanks kawie

[Lon371]

 Watch for a .44 mag on the SB-2. I believe they are also not offered now, but you may find one still on the shelf. Not sure if they are available at present as accessory barrel or not.

Lonny

[FLNT4EVR]

A 30-30 is always a good choice.Plenty of power for whitetails.It has very little recoil. Ammo is inexpensive and can be found everywhere.And as if that isn't enough, easy to reload for.If you do reload ,you can use spitzer type bullets in the Handi which will stretch out the range a bit.

[ONE HOLE 4570]

Start him with a 30-30 & add a 20 ga at a later date. A whole gun 20 ga is not much. If you reload you can use pointy boolets in the old 30-30. My avitare is my son & his 1st deer 3030 125 gr sierra 131 yrds DRT. He said he will never sell it & it was a barrel I GOT HERE FROM MAC.

JUST MY 2 C

[kawie]

i did find a handi in 44mag.synthetic stock with iron sights,did notice that it said sbII on barrel but reciever didnt say sbII or sbI but i did remember that there was HX on reciever.would this be a sbII 44mag with the tighter bore.they want 299.00 for it.what do you guys thinck.i think price is a little high,its at gander mountain do you guys think i could talk them down a little.thanks kawie

[quickdtoo]

Barrels have usually been marked SB2, but the frames aren't marked except for the new SB1 rifle frames which are marked that they can only be fitted with the barrel that came on it, or something to that affect as stated on the H&R website. HX= 2007, so there's a good chance it has one of the Marlin made barrels that has the tighter bore, but no guarantee since they started making the barrels in early 2007, they didn't offer the SB1 44mag until 2008. That's a bit high, see if you can get em down to the market price which is about $250.

Tim

[LaOtto222]

I think the 20 gauge shot gun is the perfect first gun for a youngster. I got a 20 gauge Stevens single shot for my 10th birthday along with a box of "low" brass shells. Not only is the 410 more expensive to shoot, it takes a better shot to hit with it too. Just about all 410 have a full choke, while the 20 gauge shot guns are more open choked - mine was a modified choke. It throws a bigger; more effective pattern.

Our local Gander Mountain sells the 44 Mag with an SB2 frame for $300 with plain wood; at least they did in the fall of 2007. I bought mine (a SB2 frame) which was a special run for Gander Mountain that had with synthetic stock and fore end for $250 at the time. BTW 500 S&W also were selling for $300 at the time with plain wood stocks and fore ends. I thought they were price gouging, but I went to two other local shops and they had the exact same price on their rifles. This was just before the first deer season where you could hunt deer with a straight walled pistol cartridge of less than 1.65" case length out of a rifle. I gave up complaining about the high cost of Handi's - it made no difference in price and basically all I was is a Mal-content and no one wanted to hear it. In 2 years time they had went up 50% in cost (from 2005 to 2007) that was before Remington bought them out. It was explained to me on this site that shipping costs went up so Marlin had to charge another $100 for it - I guess that is the way it is so pony up the money. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[kawie]

thing is i stoped by my local dicks sporting goods an they could order one for 239.00,showed it to me in h&r price book.i still like the idea of the 357,i know a couple on here have reamed the new sbI to max but i would like to now what the experienced guys think about doing this,would this be an accident waiting to happen.if i get him the 357 can i load it wth the hornady 180 single shot bullets without taking away from case capacity,or using 360dw brass be better.i know people load the 180ssp bullet in the max but has anyone tried it with standard 357 brass or the 360dw an if you tried it whats the resualts.thanks kawie

[Badnews Bob]

I personally don't like the SSPs they don't shoot any better than the XTP 180s, and at .357 ranges I think flat nosed bullets hit harder. The 158 gr remmy bulk SPs work great also but my personal favorites in my mags and my maxes is a 180gr hard cast LFNGC, Plus they give you a reason to cast your own bullets. I don't shoot near as many jacketed bullets as I used too now that I cast my own.

[Jal5]

If you can find one an SB2 frame with a 3030 would be good to start. Then you can pick up a used 20 ga. barrel and he is set for a long time. The 357 would be fun too but perhaps harder to find used?
I started out my two boys around that age with a 20 ga, and with appropriate loads they were fine with it. Still have that gun, now 20+yrs later and I bought it used at the time!
Joe