Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What rifle for youth?

I want to get a rifle for my oldest (10) son. I was thinking about getting a 7mm-08, but can't decide on which rifle. I have looked at savage, remington and weatherby, too many choices.

He's a small guy so I wanted something that is easy for him to carry and later as he gets older I would just replace the youth stock.

Any personal experience?

What will he be shooting with it and what is legal where he will be shooting it?

I was going to give my opinion, until I realized that at age 10 I was just a little smaller than the average high school linebacker. My first rifles were a P-17 Enfield in .30-06 and a Lee-Enfield in .303 British.

How about a Remington Model 700� SPS� Buckmasters Edition "Young Bucks" Compact rifle ( www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-sps-young-bucks.aspx ). It's dimensioned for youth, even has an adjustable length of pull kit to allow fitting as he grows. They are chambered for the .243 Winchester and will do about anything a 10 year old would be doing. Even comes with a scope. My best friend started off with a .243 Winchester and he still talks about that rifle - wishes he never sold it.

Remington 700 in .243 makes the most sense and will be the most accurate.

700 Yute in 243, when he gets older replace yute handle with a Ti take off.

Dober

In IL all he could use it for other than paper would be yote. I was thinking about taking him for deer across the river in Missouri.

I wanted something he could grow with and still be able to use for deer, antelope and maybe elk.

Cant go wrong with the Savage pkg combo in their youth mode. Great shooter and value for your money. Picked up 2 now for my nephews. A camo 243 2 years ago (he was 12 at the time) and a 7mm-08 in a Savage Edge XP camo. The youth models have a shorter LOP.

Here is a link to the Savage Axis.
Savage Youth Axis

Well that wont work as a direct link but still gets you there. Click on Centrefire, Axis Series, thenh AXIS XP YOUTH.

I prefer Sako m75 and Tikka T3 rifles myself but the Savage's shoot. My boys will get a choice from my Sako m75 or Tikka T3 LS rifles

Dittos, I started both of my boys with rem 700 sps ute's, one has a .243, the other a .223.



When they're full grown, the stock handles will be swapped out for ti's.

+1

I would go with the 243 and worry about elk later.

Whatever round you choose, just do what Dober said.

The best bang for your buck in a youth rifle is the Weatherby Vanguard or the Marlin XS7Y in 243 or 7-08. The Wby comes with 2 stocks, one short and one full size.

I started my daughter on a M70 featherweight compact. Several years on it is her only big game rifle. I load 120 TTsx at mid range velocity; minimal recoil and muzzle blast with dead deer. As she was tracking her last deer of the year (very short track) she came upon a good size chunk of lung in the blood trail. The rifle has proved to very accurate. GRF

My take is the first rifle you need to get is a .22 rimfire if you don't already have one. Have your son shoot the heck out of it with both iron sights and a scope....so he will know how to use both.

A 7mm-08 is a fine round, especially if you handload. I am pretty sure Remington makes reduced loads for it but know for a fact that both Federal fusion and Remington make them in .308 which is what I would get if I could find one in an appropriately sized rifle. A mild load in either one is plenty for deer and will kick about like a .243. When it is time to go for elk later, you are ready. If all you are ever going to hunt is deer, a .243 is just fine.

You are probably going to get a pretty good rifle with any of the big brands....I don't really have any opinions.

Keep in mind it's very easy to find an adult Model 700 stock when the time comes to change.

My 11 year old girl has an inexpensive Savage .243 that I borrow all the time. Very effective for deer and large hogs. My son started using a .243 about age 10 - Rem 700 ADL that we used yesterday on two large pigs and it has taken a truckload of does. At 15 he is deadly with my .270.
With regular loads a 7mm-08 was a little much for my small built kids in my opinion.

Jimmy C

I built a T/C Contender for my 8yr old grandson.
223 with a 2x7 Leupold scope. 60grn partition over H335.
Also have a Rem Mdl 7 youth in 243 with a Leupold 6x42 heavy duplex. 85grn Sierra HPBT over H4350.
Both rifles have a 12" length of pull and 3# triggers.

Coach

Or same in a 7/08........

I'd have to agree with dober too. 243 all the way so you don't scare him away at an early age. Your going to have a very small light rifle and the 7mm-08 will have a signifigant increase in recoil over the 243. You said he's kind of a small guy so that's what I'd go with.

I was all set to get my son a 7mm-08 for Christmas, and the folks here talked me into a .243 instead. In hindsight, I am glad I took their advice.

There is plenty of time remaining in his young life to move up to a more powerful rifle, if needed; but why take any of the fun out of it now by subjecting him to needless recoil?

We don't shoot tons of varmints like prairie dogs here in the east, and so the .243 will serve him well for an occassional groundhog or coyote while working well for deer. He can use it as his "light" rifle for the rest of his life and move onto something more powerful when he is older and more physically mature. Besides, it gives me a good excuse to buy him another rifle in a few years. Then his bases will be covered, at least until he is paying for them himself. He has a .22lr, a .243 and a ??? (to be determined).

If I lived out west, I might have been more inclined to go .22lr, .223 and 7mm-08 because prairie dogs and elk could change the equation.