My 9 yo son is excited to be receiving his first deer rifle... a 'campfire special' in 257 Roberts on a Turkish mauser action w/ an Apex take-off.
His oldest sister's boyfriend, a gifted artist, is helping him design a stencil for his rattle-canned (temporary) tupperware stock. Once he is full grown we'll get him a custom walnut stock, having made a few refinements along the way.
Can't wait to see my boy take down his first deer with HIS rifle... I have a feeling he'll take many, many heads of game with it.
Please allow me to tell a quick story and make a suggestion.
When my son took his first whitetail with a Ruger 77mkII Ultralight, it was chambered for the .257 Roberts. After the whooping and celebrating was done, and he had put his hands on his deer, I asked him if he had a knife on him. His little 8 year old eyes looked sheepish, when he had to reply in the negative.
I sat down on the ground beside him and that big old doe, then produced the small boker fixed blade that I had purchased for him. I told him that I couldn't give it to him and asked if he had any money. All he had was the penny I had given him for luck when we left to go hunting that morning. I took his penny and gave him that little knife, explaining that my Grandfather had taught me never to give or accept a knife from a friend. That I should always "buy" or "sell" with the purchase price of a coin.
I got the hug I was looking for, and then borrowed his knife to show him how to dress his deer. He's finally doing his own now, but I'd do another if I could go back to that hunt.
If you got him a .257 to hunt deer with, you would do well to make sure he has a knife, because he'll be needing it.
