Originally Posted by
berudd
I have owned a 20 ga Wingmaster for 4 decades and it still flawless. I always take a glance to see if I can find a 12 to go with it. I bought an 870 Express for my son and was not at all happy with it. It would rust before the hunt was over (finally got enough oil slathered in it to slow that down) and the fitment was not good at all. If I was going to go with a pump it would probably be a Mossberg 500.
I got rid of the Express and got a Mossberg SA-20 semiauto for him. That was, and still is, an outstanding gun and value. At one point, Tristar was selling it as well and a buddy of my bought one for his boys and had the same good luck we had with the Mossberg. It is made in Turkey which many wrongly assume means it is not a well made gun. That is false.
IMO, skip the single shot. For wingshooting, it is an unnecessary hadicap. I have heard some say they think a single shot is safer for a bigger because after it goes bang once, it is empty but I guess they don't realize a repeater can be loaded with a single shell. And I think that is only a false sense of safety anyway. Beginners should be taught that the gun is "always" loaded and not be allowed to thing that just because it has fired it does not need to be handled with the same care.
How big is he? Is a 12 gauge a possibility? If so, I would recommend the Beretta A300 Outlander. I have one as do several of my friends and all have been flawless. I cleaned mine mid way through duck season after carrying it around in the bottom of my kayak because I had a single fail to cycle one morning. Well, I took a handful of twigs and leaves out of that sucker. I am surprised the action would cycle at all much less fire and reload. I do recommend a camo model, not because it needs camo but because finish seems to be more durable than the black. It's not what I would call a cheap shotgun, but it is not outrageous and if well cared for, he will never NEED another shotgun.