Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Looking to set my 6 year old son with a rifle that'll last a lifetime

While I am a newcomer on this board, I've foraged this forum for years and have come to respect everyone's knowledge and opinion.

I'm looking for anyone's input on a rifle I should get my oldest son (6 years old), that'll last him a lifetime hunting in the northeast. He's one hell of a shooter at 25yds with his savage rascal smacking a squirrel spinner target using peeps and has shot my AK & AR without a single fear.

Where we live, white tails and black bear are the game we pursue and shots are typically 100 yards or less.

My vote would be for a .30-30 or .35 Remington in a Marlin 336. Or perhaps you could go for a Savage 99, in say .300 Savage. Hunting in our N.C. mountains is similar to hunting in the Northeast, and the Marlin 336 is my go to rifle for this type of hunting. Heck, once in a while I use it to hunt a field in the Piedmont area of the state and stretch it out a bit.

Winchester M70 featherweight in 30-06.

It may be slightly heavy a caliber for a 6 year old, but when he gets older, short of wanting to shoot an elephant or cape buffalo, he can hunt pretty much everything. The M70 is also a nice basis if he decides he wants to customize it.

Last year I helped my BIL with the same situation for my 6yr old nephew. Ended up choosing a Rem Model 7 CDL in 260Rem. I found a youth synthetic stock for it in the classifieds on here. He can bang up the synthetic stock for a few years while the nice CDL stock is safe in a closet. When he's older and can take better care of it, the walnut stock will go back on it.

I've worked up some reduced loads for it with a 100gr Hornady SP. Figure he'll move up to something in the 120gr range in a few yrs and that should handle anything around here. If he ever wants to go hunt elk someday, I'll load up some 140gr Partitions for him.

I bought my son a Rem 700 7mm-08 when he was 6yrs old. He is now 10 and has 8 Texas whitetails and several hogs to his name.

I have been loading it with reduced 120 grain ballistic tip loads and will slowly work him up to full strength loads as he grows.

I had the original tupperware SPS stock cut down to 12.5" when he first started shooting but have since dropped it into a B&C stock that is 13" LOP and he shoots it just fine.

If your not a handloader Remington makes a reduced recoil load that is really easy to shoot.

Good Luck!

I wasn't going for beauty, just function, so I got mine a savage in 243. I lopped the stock off and when he was bigger, put an adult stock and a 308 Win barrel on it.

He had 3 or 4 kills with the 243, and killed a huge cow elk with it in 308 with a 150 partition.

Good suggestion on the trustworthy 30/30. I'll have to look into the 336Y

Please let me know if you decide to find that stock a new home!

Check the WEIGHT of that 336.

I'd think it's HEAVY for a 6 yo.

Good Luck

Jerry

This would be my suggestion as well. I'd also throw it out there that a Rem700 Mountain Rifle in 7-08 is a really light and easy package for a kid to handle. My daughter shot mine quite a bit and enjoyed it. Very light up front, so much easier on little arms. Load 120 NBT's at 2600-2800 fps to start with.... as he gets older, the sky is the limit with a 7-08...

A stainless M7 in .223..
Cut the cheap synthetic factory stock to fit for now and replace it with a lt. wt. Wildcat stock out of Alberta when he quits growing.
A .223 is a rifle that he can use throughout his lifetime cheap and fun to shoot.
And the more you shoot the better you get.
Everyone should own a handy lil' .223 .
Or two.

What about a 25/06 or some sort of 257?

A light bolt gun in 6.5 Creedmoor or 7/08.

For what it's worth, I grew up in similar country, northern NY, and learned hunting in Lewis and St Lawrence counties in the western Adirondacks. That's left me with some strong opinions that may fit your question:

I like hearing that your son is using a peep sight. Get a rifle that works well with iron sights and put a peep/receiver sight on it. Let him learn big game hunting and centerfire rifle handling for awhile before going to a scope. He will have better skills in the long run.

Generations of northeast hunters started with the 30/30. It's still just about perfect for deer and black bear within 100 yds. My first rifle was a Savage 99 in 30/30 (its not my only rifle, but I still have it, still has a peep sight, its 93 years old and going strong - not me I'm only in my 50s!). My brother still has his first deer rifle too, a 30/30 94 Winchester with a Williams receiver sight. My father (who is in his 90s!) started with a 38-40 Colt Lightning Rifle - I don't recommend that!

If you don't want/like/find a 30/30 there are lots of solid options. I'd recommend staying with short action cartridges. I just can't see starting a 6 yr old out on a long action rifle, and there are lots of very versatile short action cartridges out there. Please be careful about going too small in caliber. Yes, 223s, 243s and the like will kill deer, but a young hunter is not always going to make perfect shots. Larger calibers can be a little more forgiving and leave better blood trails. I'd probably not go below a .250 Savage or .257 Roberts, anything 260 or larger based in the .308 are good choices. The 7x57, 300 Savage, 32 Winchester Special, and 35 Remington are great classics. I don't know much about the 6.8 SPC but that might be an option.

I wouldn't start a new hunter with a semi-auto, but if you're a fan and he handles them Ok that's your business, but it will limit your cartridge options.

This is getting long. I'll quit for now.

I wouldn't give a kid a lever action in 30-30 or 35. They are heavy SOB'S, the crooked stocks kick much harder than the numbers say they should, they are the most difficult to load, unload, and operate. The most likely to have an unintended discharge with as well.

I wouldn't try to buy a 6 year old one rifle forever. By the time he is 16 he'll want to pick his own. Most likely he won't really want the rifle you pick now.

My top pick would be a RAR youth in 223 or 243. He can add a longer stock as he gets older and still use the gun the rest of his life. 2nd option would be an inexpensive break action in the same calibers.

Save your money and for a HS graduation present let him pick out the one he really wants. IF he even wants to hunt or shoot by then. You never know how things are going to work out.

That's what I did too. A 700 ss 7mm-08 with a few inches cut off the tube and the stock swapped for a youth model with Supercell pad. My girl killed her first deer at 7 with it. Reduced loads kill just fine inside 150yds.

Bob's mention of the 6.5 CM is a good one too. A 260 would also serve.

http://legacysports.com/hogue-youth-2-n-1-with-scope-package

I've seen them for $200 cheaper w/o the scope.

+1

I would go with a bolt gun in 7mm08. Probably a m700 or a m70. Synthetic or wood stock. This will allow you or him to easily customized it through out the years keeping things interesting. He may want a larger (or smaller) caliber later on but the 7mm08 gives him a solid start.

I have a TC Venture Youth in 243 for sale in the classifieds if you're interested. It has a 12.5" LOP and a 1" spacer to accommodate him as he grows. It's practically brand new, only fired at the range less than 20 times.

With modern bullets there's not much a 243 won't do well up to and including elk.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...C_Venture_Compact_243_FS/FT#Post11143397

That is a GOOD deal.

I would recommend purchasing a Youth sized bolt action rifle, Rem 700 or a Howa/Vanguard, in .243 Winchester and let him shoot the heck out of it. As he gets older you, or he, can replace the stock with a quality full size one and have a great rifle to use the rest of his life and he will still know it is the one you gave him. He or you can have it rebarreled to any number of good short action cartridges later if desired.

I found a great Remington Stainless Youth Model 700 at Sportsman Warehouse (I think the stainless model is an exclusive for them) for one of my grandsons and it is a great little rifle. His is 7mm-08 but it was available in .243 also. Another grandson has a matched set of Weatherby Vanguard Youth rifles in .223 and 7mm-08, and he shoots the .223 for practice and hunts with the 7mm-08 with reduced loads.

For someone as young as 6 years old do not over gun him, a .223 Rem would be best but no larger than .243 to get him started.

Or a Featherweight .270.

Either one would be a great choice.

Youth 223 tikka stainless super lite.
he can use that for deer, varmint, target.
When he gets older buy a full size stock.
I wouldn't give him anything bigger so he doesn't get turned off by recoil.
If he was 10 or 12 I'd say 243 or 7-08

My first deer rifle was a 94, 30-30. Less than 2 yrs later it was GONE and I haven't looked for another one.
BTW, I was 22 yo, not 6.

FWIW in comparison.

Jerry

There are 3 good reasons to look for something else.

I've always like the 336 better than the 94 BUT...

Everyone of them I picked up was HEAVY. For a 6 yo. ? ?

Jerry

I'm not a fan of typical 30-30 lever guns for kids/wives/new shooters. As others have noted they are HEAVY. Many are quite easy to reload and not ease the hammer down thus a safety issue. I DO like a 30-30 bolt gun for new hunters if you can find one. The 99's are a bit pricey these days.
I'd concur with many who would opt for a youth or ltw bolt as many have special stocks now and the stock can be replaced when needed.
I have found the 243's have more bark and I prefer a bit more bullet on game so I'm in the group suggesting 260, 7/08 and even 308 (anything in that caliber range). If you do not hand load the reduced recoil ammo is available and more than adequate in killing power.
Lots of options these days in youth compatible rifles so shopping should be great fun!

lightweight 7-08 would be my choice

My first was at 36 when I bought myself a Rem 710 in 30-06. It's long gone and I don't miss it, but I wish I'd had the foresight to buy a quality firearm as my first so I would have kept it. It would mean something to still have the rifle I killed my first deer with, but I just had no desire to keep a crap rifle once I started collecting.

When it came time to help my BIL find a first rifle for my nephew, I wasn't going to make that same mistake. That's why we chose the Model 7 CDL. I understand being on a budget, but when buying a first rifle for a child, buy the best you can afford. You never know when the child may want that rifle to be an heirloom to be handed down to future generations. Do you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to start out with a RAR,Savage Axis, or Rem 770? Or would you prefer an M77, Rem 700, or Win Model 70? JMHO

A .223 will get more use year round for a shooter's life than most any other centerfire. May not be the deer/bear rifle the OP is looking for but it's one that can be enjoyed as a 6 yo and a 76 yo. Easy on the shoulder, easy on the ears, easy on the wallet to feed, etc.

I started out with a .35Rem in a 760 that didn't fit well at all. Next was a .35rem in a Marlin 336C. I wouldn't do that to a kid, JMHO.

In life before kids, I bought my wife a Model 7 in .243. When #1 son was ready, I picked up a youth stock on here. Cut it down and added a slip on Pachmyr recoil pad. He killed a few deer with it. Changed stocks when he grew then eventually bought his great grandfathers 788 in .308 for him.
#2 son is getting ready this year and will do likewise for him. He too has a 788 in .308 for when he gets older. I may rebarrel the Model 7 then so all 3 will be shooting the same caliber.

I would suggest a lever gun or a single shot of some sort, firing a cartridge that will serve him well if y'all venture out of your bailiwick. (You can load it down to levels he finds tolerable, and increase them as he grows into the gun.) Reason for a lever gun or single shot: You can fit a shortened stock to fit him, and save the original stock for when he outgrows the short one. If you shorten a bolt gun stock, that's it- it'll look bodgered no matter what you do to it 10 years from now.

A Savage 1899 carbine, takedown or solid frame, weighs but 6-6½ pounds. I wouldn't call that heavy. I never saw a M94 that weighed a whole lot more than that. Most anything in the realm I suggested will weigh in at between 6-8 pounds- if a kid can't handle weight of that nature, then perhaps he needs to grow up a bit more before taking him into the woods. You go too light and it'll belt him even with reduced loads and may well turn him off from shooting.

308 or 7-08 would be my choice.

This in .223.


http://www.weatherby.com/products/rifles/vanguard/vanguard-synthetic-compact.html



dave

Flave's in a drunken stupor again/still.......The 7-08 is a great choice.

+ 1- - S O P

I'm going thru the same thing with a 5.5 year old. In a local shop the other day,I ran across a Ruger 77 mkii compact in 260 Rem. I figured that the 16.5" barrel won't be to blasty with reduced loads. When he moves up to full house loads I'll send it back to Ruger with a check for $110 and get a 20" 260 barrel screwed on.

Outstanding opinions & advice fellas!

My list is narrowing down to a bolt in 7-08. I currently run a Kimber Adirondack in .308 and absolutely love it.

Has anyone had a smith install peeps on a Remington M7 or any lightweight Kimber offering?

Yep, a 7-08, in bolt is what immediately came to mind when I read the title.

I have my personal preferences, and you have yours. Any way to get his input?

Remington, Winchester, and Rugers are easy to tweak as he grows. Start with a short stock/barrel and change as needed or desired.

Built my son a 308 with a blueprinted Rem 700 SS action, 1-11 twist Lilja SS barrel at 21" with NECG express sights, bedded in a Brown Precision stock. Doubt he'll need another rifle unless he starts hunting elephants.

I'd get a 6 year old a tack-driving .22. It'll be cheap fun his whole life. Next rifle would be a .223. A .243, 6.5 Creed or 7-08 would follow.

Will never happen...one rifle for a lifetime. Show me just one guy who hangs here who has done that, just one.

For eastern deer and bear hunting, I'd look for a 308 Win 70 and an extra youth stock to use until he grows up a bit.

Winchester model 70 Featherweight in 270, just as effective at 30 feet as 300 yards. Put a 1.5-5 or 2-7 Leupold on it.

I didn't see if you handload or not. Years ago I started my son and daughter on reduced 270 loads. Now he's 25, she's 27 and they both use the same rifles with full power handloads very effectively.

Remington makes "Managed Recoil" loads.

The Marlin 336 is heavy, as pointed out earlier.

Your comment is largely humor, but I think you are right. It would be like buying a pair of shoes for a 6 year old and saying they had to fit for his entire life. A gun has to fit, and something that fits someone 3' tall will not fit someone 6' tall. For example, a grip that is small enough to give him adequate control now would be half the size he needs as an adult.

A little H&R handi-rifle for now, a good bolt action when he is big enough to manage a stock cut off to about 12" and then switch to a full size stock once he hits about 5'6".

caliber choice would be a 260 or 7/08.... even a 243...

action doesn't really matter...

I'd still be tho, that when he grows older, he'll want something different, regardless of your best intentions now...so get ready for that disappointment then...

gave my son his first rifle when he was 12 or 13.... he wanted a 30/06... so I gave him a Browning A Bolt... one I had had for 12 to 15 years at the time...

I've had to down load it to equal factory " Managed Recoil" loads, but he still wants to have a 30/06... when I have 243s, 260s etc also readily available in the gun cabinet..


if you do pick a Savage bolt action, it'll be easier to rebarrel to another caliber as he grows older...

You're probably headed in a good direction. Seems like a 260 or 7mm08 are good choices. I think some versions of the model 7 come with fixed sights,if you can find one swapping out the rear for a peep should be easy. Getting a second stock that can be cut down should also be pretty easy. The Kimbers are nice, I'm have a Montana in .308, but mounting a front sight on the thin Kimber barrel may be an issue, maybe ask the question in the gunsmithing forum?

Guns with hammers have long been recommended for kids since it's easy to see if they're cocked. Problem is, little hands have a hard time controlling that hammer and it's all too easy for a finger to slip onto the trigger during the struggle. One virtue of the hated Marlin cross-bolt safety is that it can prevent a whoopsie, but only if it's used. Best to stick with a light bolt action, I think, perhaps single-loaded, which might eliminate some of the detachable mag guns with small ports.

A decent red dot will mount on a Weaver base and cost less than mounting sights on a naked barrel. Irons on factory bolt guns have pretty much gone the way of the dodo, unfortunately. Rifles stocked for scopes may not even allow the use of irons.

A rifle that will last him a lifetime a 6 years old will have to come with another stock.

That said, something in .243 would be what I recommend.

If I knew mine could only have one hunting rifle in his lifetime I would buy him a Rem 700 SS mountain rifle in 7mm-08.

2nd choice for the ranges/game you mentioned would be a SS model 7 in 7mm-08.
Remington and Hornady both make reduced recoil loads to bring it to 243 levels so Id pass on a 243. Can step up to regular loads when he grows into them.

I got my daughter a model 7 compact in 243 when she was that age. I liked that the stock came with spacers so I could add length as she grows, and plan on replacing it with a better stock when she is done growing.

Although more recently, she's been trying to claim my T3 superlite in 7-08 as her own.

I agree, but would add the sako A7 in either 7-08 or 308.

No kidding, but it is nice to dream.

I didn't take the OP's question to mean that he expected to buy a rifle that would be the ONE rifle for a lifetime, just A rifle that would last a lifetime.

I still have a walnut/blue 12ga BPS shotgun that was the first gun given to me by my parents, and it's still in excellent condition. If it had been a cheap synthetic Mossberg, I might have sold or traded it in my younger days. Now that I'm old enough to appreciate it more for sentimental reasons it will never be sold, and I have many other shotguns. There's something about that first one, and it should be a nice enough one that the child will want to hang on to it.

Remington 700 SS 243 win sps (cheapo) chop off 2" of barrel and put it in a Mountain Rifle stock (Micky, take off or Bell and Carlson type). Bed it and put some nice glass on it. Doubt he would find it lacking in any way.

There is no gun that well suits a 6-year old that will equally well suit a 26-year old.

So, is the kid going big-game hunting now, or are you just jumping ahead in your purchases?

For immediate use, get him a Handi-Rifle with either a 30-30 or 357Mag barrel. He'll keep it around his whole life just for nostalgia.

For future use, get him a pre-64 Win70 Featherweight in 270 or 30-06. He'll keep it around his whole life for the pride of ownership and usefulness.

All else is simply you projecting your own fantasies onto your kid. Let him make his own choice when he's ready.

Mini action Youth CZ 527 Youth 7.62 x 39 come to mind for me. If they were offering this in a Grendel that would be even better in my case. In your situation 100 yards and less the 7.62 x39 may be near perfect.

Open sights if you like are set to go and ready for a scope if you and your son ever desire.

cheeep 7.62x39 ammo is available for plinking Hunting Ammo may be found at a reasonable cost. If you reload your options only grow.

Howa will be offering a 7.62x39 Mini Action in the near future at a very reasonable cost. If you go with the Howa Mini action I would think long and hard on a 6.5 grendel. Popularity of the Grendel Cartridge has been growing relativly Rapidly for good reason.

A lot of excellant suggestions here, all have merit. A youth sized bolt in a light caliber may be the most practical.But to me being a nostolgic kind of feller, I'm going with a mod 64 30-30. Building a deer rifle for two 10yr old grandsons. Had an old mod 64 in rough shape but definetly a shooter. Barrel shortened to 19in, added a pachmeyer de-cellerater recoil pad with stock ending up 1in shorter than origonal then cerakote finish. Just something american shooting your first deer with a 30-30.

I bought my young boys .260 Rem's for now. Great guns that will last as long as they'd like. I'm sure they'll want bigger soon, but that is what lawn jobs are for.

They can buy their next caliber if they'd like another, I don't think it's an end all situation...that's part of the fun!

What Dakota Deer said. Been there. Somewhere around fifteen (+/-) they get smarter than everyone else. And the six or Twenty six comparison is certainly valid.

Best,

Jack

I appreciate all the input fellas. I can understand how some say what I'm asking is an impractical task and respect that. However, my father handed down my grandfathers first year production Savage 110 .270 when I was 8. I shot it then, killed my first deer with it, and it awaits being passed down to my boys when they're older.

You all made many valid points to consider. Thank you all!