Three of my friends' grandsons aged 10 to 12 have taken their first deer with my Ruger 77/357, using my .357 Magnum handloads with the 158 gr. Hornady XTP. They each shot the rifle a few times with .38's before going hunting, and all of them enjoyed it and shot well. When it came time to hunt, they each took a deer at between 70 and 100 yards with one shot behind the shoulder. The deer all died within 60 yards and all three were pass throughs that did leave a blood trail. My grandson is only 6 months old, but he will own that rifle someday. The only question is whether I will be around long enough to hand it to him.
Last edited by wildhobbybobby; 09/02/22.
