Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Which gun and cartridge for a young hunter that wants to start hunting deer and elk?

My 11 year old son is getting ready to start hunting deer and elk in the next few years and I want to get him his first centerfire rifle. He is pretty proficient with a 22 mag and I think we are ready to step up to a centerfire round. I realize that a .223 is a good way to go, but I want something he can use for elk in a few years. I am thinking either a 243, 260 or 7mm-08 in a rem model 7 youth rifle. I realize the 7mm-08 is probably the best elk medicine, but it will kick more if I go with 140's or more. How about either a 7mm-08 with 120 TSX's or a 260? Let me know what you all have done with your kids.

Ted

Ted,
My 10 year old son is about to start shooting a Rem SPS youth in 708 shooting a mild load (at first) with 120gr TTSX's. He has already shot my custom 7X57 with the 120TTSX, as has my 8 year old daughter, so I don't think it will be long until he is shooting it proficiently. I have no doubt the 708 and TTSX will be more than adequate for deer/elk.

I started mine with a Savage in 7-08 shooting 120 Ballistic Tips. I wouldn't hesitate to go that route. He shot a 6X6 with it this year. 1 shot,no problem. The 120 is great for antelope and deer. It wouldn't be my first choice for elk but the opportunity presented itself.

A 7mm-08 will take just about anything if aimed right.

+1 Can't go wrong with a 7-08, especially if you're a handloader.

It's my new favorite round/rifle, and I'm dyed in the wool 270W.

MM

Or...find a good older Savage 99 in 300 Savage.

Why not get him a .223 now and move up to an appropriate elk round when the time comes for him to hunt elk? He can use the .223 the rest of his life for varmints and plinking.

I bought my nephew a .243 when he was your son's age. He moved to a 7-08 fairly quickly for deer and got a .338 when he went elk hunting.

Poot-here's a thunk. A while back I had this idea to take a 700/Youth and stick it in a Ti take off. I wanted either a 7/08 or a 308 and when I started looking around it turned out that a friend was about to sell his 308.

So, I bought it used for 300 bones and then I bought a Ti take off for $150 and viola I had one heck of a good shooter. Plus with the 20" standard contour tube on it it holds very well. (6 lbs as it sits with no scope or rings)

Just a thought but I'd surely consider it for the fella. If you get this way this summer let me know and we'll hook up and let him run amuck in some of my favorite chuck honey holes.

Good to see ya back by the way!

Dober

I'd go with the 7-08 or the 7mm Mauser if you're a traditionalist. I haven't shot the 7-08 but love what I read about it. Wish I had one.

I am now not a owner of a 7mm Mauser, which is a favorite of mine. Foolishly traded off my last one. I totally approve of them, however.

And heck, the .308 is a good round, and for youngsters, REAL good if you reload. I do have a 6.5 x 55 and love it, it's not a shoulder killer at all.

My username tells you where my allegiance lays. I think the only option that come close to me would be a .270 Win, loaded down for the first year or two.

Ted, don't obsess about his ability to handle recoil until you know (see disclaimer below). Start in the .223 area and if that works well after a few sessions, then move up in recoil until it's a factor or you're satisfied with the cartridge.

Kids vary widely in ability to handle recoil. For instance we had a slightly built 11 year old girl at Shooting Sports trap last year that did very well shooting a 20. We had to discourage her from shooting three rounds. First round was solid but a subconscious flinch started showing up towards the end of the second round. Conversely had some big kids in the 14 year old range that had recoil problems from the git-go. No explanation on why it works that way.

Not trying to be a smartass, but we've seen some parents concerned about recoil before the first shot of the season. Can't tell from your post if your son has much experience with light center fires.

Amen.

BMT

My seven year old has shot my 30-06....but only with Remington's Managed Recoil ammunition. If you haven't tried it, you should. The recoil is remarkably mild. It turns a 30-06 into a 243. Buy a used 700 30-06 (or 308 or 270), cut off the stock, buy or load some very mild loads, and you've got something he can use for years and years to come. When he's older, buy a full-sized stock and use regular ammo. It's pretty hard to outgrow an ought six.

Indeed!

Ted,

When my two sons were that age, I started them off with 7x57's. I think that the 7-08 would be perfect for your son, loaded down initially, then adjusted upwards as he grows.

Shooting Times magazine has an article this month singing the accolades(sp) of the .260. The author belives it is the perfect caliber for what you need. It is a good read if you find the magazine.

260 would be my vote.

I killed my first deer in 1949 with a .257 Rbts at age seven...60 years ago...my son killed his first deer with a 22-250, at age seven...30 years ago.....when I was ten, my Dad upgraded me to a model 70, .270 winchester [the first year he took me to hunt in the rockies..]
jmr

No fleas on any of your choices.

You can't go wrong with a bolt gun in any legal caliber '06 and under. Managed Recoil or the Federal version are the way to go if you don't handload and worry about kick.

The real key is work up a serious training regimen with a .22 rifle with a similar reticle that emphasizes shooting from field positions.

Did that latter with my youngest son from every possible position, lots of offhand, walking, turning and shooting, against a timer on steel.

When it came down to it his first day afield a doe popped up in the brush at target angle 180 about 35 yards away. I saw it first, said "turn and shoot the deer" and he did exactly as practiced in less than 2 seconds.

He was 11. Shooting a Rem 7 CDL in .350 Rem with full power factory loads and it was a bang-flop. Recoil was not an issue as he was an SCTP trapshooter firing at least four rounds per week and he liked the .350.

He's killed five more deer since then with calibers ranging from .223 to .308 and ranges out to 200-odd yards. Only one required more than one shot and that was just me being paranoid; first shot killed it but it was still standing so I told him to fire again.

There is no substitute for trigger time, weapon familiarity...and shooting a lot of small game first.

I've got a Ruger 77 LSS Compact in 7mm-08, that is my favorite bolt gun. The length of pull is a little short, but would fit a kid well. Am planning on installing a thicker recoil pad to get the lenght of pull longer. These are great guns for packing, and they point really fast. The 7-08 should be an ideal round for a combo Deer/Elk gun.
Virgil B.

My 12-year-old son is successful shooting my 6.5x55 with 140 grain bullets. A good 260 would match that performance. The recoil is lighter than the 7x57 or 7-08 with bullets of similar SD, and the trajectory is planty flat for a 200-yard zero.

If you use a 260 or 6.5x55 for anything larger than whitetails, I suggest you resist the urge to use bullets lighter than 140 grains. Penetration would suffer.

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