Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The big debate!

Okay, my nephew just turned 12 today and my brother is going to buy him his first rifle. Him and I are debating over the Kimber 84M vs. FN M70 FW vs. Rem M7. The cartridge has been settled and it will be chambered in 7-08. My brother wants to go low budget with the M7, but my nephew and I are talkin' quality. My brother is here online and give us your vote on which rifle.
1. Kimber 84M Super America (nephews pick)
2. FN Winchester M70 FW (my pick)
3. Rem M7 CDL (Brother's pick)

Personally I'd go with #1 and then #3 as a back up.

4 me, they stopped making Winchesters in 1964....grin

Dober

Get the Featherweight! It is much prettier than the others...and you'll be in on the ground floor with a new legend: The FN Model 70!

I'm with the nephew on this.

Lemme ask the following-
If you or your brother could have had a choice of that "special, I'm only 12, this is my first real rifle" when you were that age, would you have liked to get what you indeed wanted?

There are no flies on any of them, but NOT getting him what he wants will only lead him down the path of "I was never happy" from day one, and that leads to a BIG gun safe later in life.

I vote for the new M70!

Buy the new Kimber 84M Classic in 7-08 at The Armoury and save me the money. I don't need it and you do! I have been lusting over that rifle for a while now and I looked at it again today. They are asking only $825 for it and it has very nice wood.

I worked the safety on it again and its a real slick one even better than most other Kimbers which are better than the M70's. The Rems don't have a decent safety.

The Armoury Litchfield, CT
233 Litchfield Tpke
New Preston, CT 06777-2006
(860) 868-0001‎

Its the one in the middle.

Easy one - hold fast when you can, compromise if you must.

Tell you nephew to downgrade to the "Montana". Tell him to be practical. The Super America is for Geezers only.

#2

New M70s are hard to find. Dont know about the Kimbers. Might come down to what you can get your hands on before the season. I been tring to find a M70 in .300 win mag for quite some time with no luck.

You should solicit the young man's opinion since he is the one who's going to have to carry it and shoot it.

Let him hold examples of each one and decide for himself, then honor his choice.

#2

Most, but maybe not all 12 year olds will just pick the most expensive option if it fits them or not.

How many of us were presented with a $1000+ rifle as our first deer rifle? Willing to bet, not many.

We just got back from the toy store. He shouldered the M70 and M7. He said the M70 felt better. Tomorrow we will have a long drive to a shop that has a kimber 84 superamerica in stock and try it out. Oh, and while at the store I swiped my credit card on a FN M70 in .308, it's got a good peice of wood on it too.

I agree. Any way you look at it, he is a very lucky young man. I'd have been tickled pink with any of the choices at 12. Heck, I'd be tickled pink if someone was going to give any of the three at 42.

get the kid the gun he wants.

Definitely get him what he wants! Most rifles weren't 1K when i was a kid but dad bought me the coolest stuff, to me, to hunt with. i still have the M77 30-06 that was my first big game rifle and my 700 BDL varmint special 6mm that was used for varmints. those two will never leave my family.

Guess what i'm saying is don't make the kid compromise if you don't have too.

Just my .02

My vote is let the kid choose. He's the one who will be shooting it. All the choices are fine rifles. He even might end up choosing none of the above.

I'd let him choose; it's his rifle. Even if he makes a mistake...so what. How many of us haven't?It's a process!

I also say let the kid choose.

I have never made a mistake purchasing a gun that can not be quickly remedied with another trip to the 'fun' store