Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 8th grade graduation rifle...what one?

[quote=alwaysoutdoors]I’d buy him a Remington 700 BDL in any 3 of those calibers and then get him a GOOD scope ($500-700 scope budget


This- my dad got me a Remington 700 BDL SS in .30-06 when I was 13, and it’d be the last gun I give up. I wish it wasn’t SS because he has a regular BDL in .30-06 that he’s used for over 40 years, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it other than that. As many other loonies know, it’s great fun to play with different rifles but if someone shows up to camp with a well worn .30-06, you probably don’t have to worry about their shooting abilities, for some reason. 😱😱😱

TC Venture Weathershield or Tikka Superlight in 30-06. TC has a $75 rebate till the end of March (I think).

thats hard to say does he like wood or synthetic....stainless or blued

maybe pick up a new remington adl and along the way let him order a mcmillan in the colors he wants ....that would add a little more to making it a special rifle for him and you

Tikka would be the way I’d go if you like a combination of accuracy & carryable weight...

I have a Kimber and have found it more accurate than I can shoot from field positions. While I like from-the-bench accuracy something that carries nicely in the field and does well from field positions is better it’ll get more field time than boat anchors.

Sneak a couple hundred more in there and get him a Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5 creedmoor or 7mm-08. You can always borrow it. It's a much higher quality rifle than most mentioned. It's as close in production as you can get to a $3700 NULA which is a dream hunting rifle.

To my mind it's extremely hard to beat the Winchester M70 or the Ruger M77 Mk2.
Both are within your budget. Both are "Mauser reliable".
Both are usually sub-MOA accurate.
Both can be had in various option as far as stocks and barrel weights go.
And in the case of the M77 Mk2, you can get it in Left hand if you want.

a fieldcraft with the 14 inch lop may be an issue ....I know it is for me

How tall is the boy? I was 6' in the 9th grade.

Have it cut down. I can't imagine it would be that difficult.

5'10"

Times sure change, I though I was the shiz when I got a Marlin 336 in.35 Remington for my 14th birthday and I know it cost more like $ 140.00 back in 1974. I hope your son knows how fortunate he is!

I got a savage 99 in 308 winchester when I graduated from 8th grade. Not long after i took it ellk hunting and shot a bull elk. It was the largest elk processed at that store and i won a Remington 700ADL in 30-06. Might consider a Savage 99 for good luck.

I have and love the .270 and .30-06, but your kid already uses two short action cartridges and the .308 Win is a damned capable round. However, I do agree let him pick it out, give him a budget as suggested and let him figure it out.

All great replies and advise. Still leaning towards a M77 but as stated several times here, will let him decide.

Really appreciate all of this guys. My son is taking High School courses in 8th grade and still pulling straight A's. He must take after his mother because he sure didn't get his study habits from his old man! It's well deserved to say the least...

Good idea. I also concur with the 7-08, or cm. There are no flies on the .308, either. It is a proven performer.

I am not a fan of long-action rifles anymore, but that is a personal decision.

Might want him to look at the Sako A7's. Hard to beat the out of the box accuracy plus the reliability of the Sako. The Tikkas would allow him to pick between synthetic or wood stocks. Just bought a Tikka Forest for my wife in 25-06, she loves the gun and the looks of it.

I’d go with the Tikka in 30-06 or even 300WSM if elk was on the menu since he already has enough gun for deer hunting. My grandson is the same age, a big kid and the 30-06 is a piece of cake for him now and he doesn’t mind my 300 Weatherby but we started almost 2 years ago shooting light 110 grain sissy loads and worked up until he was confident. I love my old tang safety Ruger in 7 mm that I bought at 18 but the synthetic stocks make more sense to me these days.

You can’t beat a surprise but I’d take him into a big gun shop and let him try out several rifles for fit and feel so you know what he likes.

If you lean this way, I have a NH SS Classic 7mm Rem Mag with Boss and limbsaver I'm going to cut loose. PM me if interested.

Gave my son an 06 when he was like 14.. that is what he wanted...

since I hand load, I loaded it down to 30/30 speeds with a 125 grain bullet...

now he is 23... and somewhere around the time he graduated high school, we upgraded the
load to a 30/40 speed and upgraded to a 150 grain ballistic tip instead...

and that is pretty much where he wants it...

he still thinks factory 06 is way too much recoil...

tried to talk him into a 260 Rem as I hunt with that.. but he had to have an 06, due to the name and history
of the round...

The rifle I gave him was a Browning A Bolt I bought new in 92... for like $299 after deer season in MN..
but that is the rifle he wanted since he had used it before...

Get him this

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/12711213/Searchpage/1/Main/868242/Words/%2Bxcr/Search/true/re-rem-700-30-06-xcr-ii#Post12711213

30-06 would be my choice.It's just more versatile With the wide range of bullets available.How well the rifle fits him is important.Get him a rifle with a good recoil pad and a scope with about 4" of eye relief and he should be happy with it.