I have resisted comment on the “first gun”, but hope that somewhere the fellow who is giving a first gun realizes that the young person is only 12 or so. At that age, the hands are not developed enough to function with a hammer gun in most instances. I hunted quail with a young man who could not easily manage cocking the hammer when necessary. He wanted to walk along with a cocked gun, and you all can guess the problem. I started out with a Stevens 410 bolt action , clip fed, gun with a “real” safety. Got a fox, a jackrabbit, and a hawk of some sort in my first year. Later, much to my surprise, a pheasant and a mink. I think that that gun was much safer for a 12 year old to operate than a hammer gun.
