I've started my grandsons(9&10)shooting this summer. I looked quite a while until I found a gun that would fit them. I picked up a youth model Charles Daly semi-auto in 20 ga that is near perfect with short stock and 21" barrel.Price of $279.00 wasn't bad either. I loaded up some low recoil loads and started them on the Skeet field. The first outing dealt mainly with safety, gun handling and etiquette and a short session of shooting. The oldest went to it like a duck to water. The younger not so. The recoil was not pleasant to him, so I switched him to a cutoff .410 which didn't fit the bill either. He decided he would pass on shooting for awhile and I didn't press the issue.
The older grandson loves it and is an unusually quick shot, especially on high 2 and low 6. Where he does stuggle is on low 7!!....I have yet to figure that out. We've gone through about 5 flats so far and I have learned a few lessons.
1. Kids are eager to please and get discouraged quickly if not breaking targets.
2. They will shoot until there fatigued if you let them.
3. It is best to bypass those windy days if possible.
4. Take breaks often and let them describe there shots amd what they are seeing.
5. Always end up on a good note, make them pickup there hulls and wipe down there gun.
5. Although my son loves to hunt, he never really cared for target shooting. Now I've got a clay busting machine!!!!
PS The younger grandson let me know he's ready for another go at it! They've got that brother competition thing going on!!!
