Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Opinions for Deer Rifle for a 16 year old

A lot of people prefer at least a 30 caliber bullet for black bear to have better odds of a blood trail (making the .308 Win an ideal cartridge for some people). I've never bagged a bear, so I don't have personal experience to share there.



That being said, I think any of the cartridges mentioned at 27 caliber or above would do the trick for the species you mentioned. I would agree with the suggestion about letting your son make the decision (after you help him with the process of weighing the relative benefits of each option so he can make an informed decision).



It's good that you're reloading because I jumped from a .22 LR and a .410 shotgun to a .30/06 when I was about your son's age, and the factory loads brought on a flinch really quick. Every deer I've shot at has gone down with one shot except my first deer, but I've still got some remedial work to do on the flinch that shows up every once in a while. You started him out the right way with a .243, and any of the cartridges you've mentioned should have some good reduced loads to bridge the gap between .243 recoil and the full load recoil of his new cartridge.

7-08................

My brother bought a 270wsm and I was very suprised @ the recoil with 130 gr factory loads,very light for the preformance(factory claims).I've shot deer with a 340 weatherby down to a 223,and got my first good buck (at 16 yrs old) with an old 444 marlin. It wasn't until I got a little older that I developed my own taste in deer rifles. Right now my go to is a springfield action 7x57 ackley but I'm working up a load for a 260 I just got in a low wall browning.I honestly don't know what I would have picked to hunt with if my dad would have given me a choice of a new rifle.Good luck

Short action; either the 7-08 or .308, splitting hairs between the difference.
Long action .280 or 30-06, or maybe the 7mm RM but, that might be a bit much for a youth.
I hunt the lower end of the Sierra Nevada range with a 7-08 Micro Medallion with a Leupold 2-7, easy to carry and lightning fast to shoulder. My backup rifle to that is a Win 100 in .284, wishin' it were an 88 instead. I've always wanted a .280 Rem in a Rem 700 Mtn Rifle and I think it might be a better choice for bear and elk over the 7-08. However, you don't want to get him something that will induce a flinch so if you get him the later, .280 or 30-06, make sure he starts with light loads.
The 7x57 is also a good choice, but finding a factory chambered rifle these days is a bit difficult. The 70XTR Featherweight in this round is great, if you can find one.
My daughter will be using a .257R in a 77RL.
Good luck, I know it's a tough decision.
Bill

Whitetale, so you are from Biggar, Saskatchewan then??

.308 winchester.

I think you could toss any of your final three in the air and grab one randomly. You could not make a poor choice. The thing that seems more important is what gun. I mean we all see that "one" we gotta have. Untill he finds that gun I would stick with the 243 and let him shop. When you find the right gun/caliber you will know by the way he picks it off the rack <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Aggiedog-how you been-hope life is good in your camp.

Lots of good thoughts here-I'd lean on going with a 06 based round (270/280/06). It doesn't mean much to me anymore-yeah I could micro manage a reason to go with this or that round but in reality it doeesn't really mean much. I feel that most of cartridge selection is a sentimental thing. That is to say that people use this or that round and they have confidence in this or that round so that is what they feel you should use.

You could do worse than going with a 308 based round as well-they make for a cute powerful package in a smaller action (for what it is worth the smaller action thing has never meant much to me either-just more micro management and another reason to build another rifle-not that there is anything wrong with that...grins). They will be close to the 06 based rounds in speed but they will not quite cut the bisquit at the drag races. There again that is a classic example of micro management IMO. Get used to your round and how it runs is the most important thing to me.

Personally I'd go 270 as my first choice but that just happens to be one of my fav's, not rocket science here.

For the most part I'd say find a rifle that you feel/he feels fits him like one of your fav's does and let her rip. To me the whole deal about which round I should use is overated-more importantly is the rifle and how it fits and feels to the user. IMO Get intimate with that rig and you'll do some amazing things I say.

Case in point one of my favorite rilfe I got in the late 80's-it is a magnum action 700-I've went thru (if my memory is good this early morn) 8 tubes. They have been in the range of 25 cals to 340's- for the most part I've noticed lil difference on killing power with the exception of elk (and that is a very small exception). I've found and this is no rocket science either but if I keep in tune with the rifle-which I tend to do so as I shoot it quite a bit. I feel if I can get a good rest and an accurate range I can kill it from prairie dogs to elk from close to very far.

Moral is I know the gun-and I feel that is way more important than the cal.....

Just my thoughts

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dogz

ps aggie--you could also go 6/06..grins

Bart185, I'm glad that you mentioned "factory claims". A couple of years ago we were getting ready for deer season and a couple of my neighbors came over to shoot. I had my crony out, so we all shot through it. Two different 270's with 130 gr factory ammo shot about 200 fps slower than a 308 with 150 gr factory ammo. The 308 was a Rem 700 and one 270 was
a Winchester model 70 and the other was a Rem auto. It sure struck me as strange. None of the guns were mine so I don't know anything much about the ammo but they were out of different box's. Another thing that we noticed that day was that an empty hull from an auto is really hot but the ones from bolts were not that bad. miles

ruger 77 in 257 roberts!

hey ag,

i guess that if i'd spent more time hunting with my dad i'd be solely a bolt action shooter... me and him didn't get along though. i did hunt big game occasionally when i was visiting or travelling with an uncle... he usually handed me a savage 99 in .300 and a handfull of mixed cartridges...

it was with this rifle that i took my first muley, and my only elk... i'd love to tell you what load i was using, which bullet, and how fast, but i never really knew.....

i do know that i have craved a rifle of this configuration for decades... and thanks to an aquaintance made here on the board it is finally within reach... i know which rifle my son will start with..... johnw

We all know that you really can't go wrong with any of your choices. The .270 WSM is probably last on my list as it is new and may have feeding issues, possibly difficulty is getting factory ammo in the future if the need were to arise. The 25-06 lacks the power power to be an all around cartridge, the 7mm-08 doesn't really tickle my fancy as a good all around, this leaves the .280 and the 30-06. These are the best choices, both are well established lots of loads and load data, diversity of bullets and weights, plenty of knock-down, factory loads available most places(in case of need), offered in most factory rifles...Just my 2 cents

When it came time to outfit my 14 year old (5', 135 lbs) it took me almost 5 seconds of soul searching to conclude that a 7x57 was what I wanted.

We needed to shoot a spitzer bullet out to 200 yards, low recoil and weight that allowed carrying between 3 to 5 miles.

We found a pristine Ruger M-77 used for $Cad400 (that's about $275 real dollars) because the former owner needed more punch.

I worked up a reduced load of H4350 and a 140 Nosler Partition to 2500 fps (chronographed at near freezing temperatures) and it has worked fine in the mixed forest environment where we hunt.

That load is sighted in at 2" high at 100 and is a couple low at 200. If we need it flatter when she is used to the recoil it'll be easy to crank it up to 2800. We have moose in the area and with a 160 Partiton or Failsafe, it'll handle moose too. Some of you might argue that that chambering is too small for moose but it's taken bigger animals in it's history. We hunt for trophies to put on the table. If the broadside presentation isn't there, we'll wait, thank you very much.

The only modifications I made were to have the trigger professionally adjusted to 4 lbs, the barrel shortened to 20-1/2 inches to balance the weight taken off the butt and the length of pull set to 12-1/2 inches with a Pachmayer Decelerator recoil pad. The trigger breaks crisply and at 2500 it recoils like an angel's kiss.

Having said all of that, when I hit the big 50, I had a 338-06 made up for my first elk hunt. We don't have many opportunities in our limited entry areas. Could I do as well with my 7x57 or my 30/06? I'm sure if it but then it wouldn't be any fun.

By the way, her first deer was a dry doe grazing in a field at 165 yards broadside. She took out both lungs from a seated position using cross sticks. The deer went less than 10 yards and weighed about 100 pounds on the hook when we got it home (field dressed but with hide and legs still on -- figure about 140 live weight)

[/quote]the 7mm-08 doesn't really tickle my fancy as a good all around[/quote]

could you tell me why? I don't have one, but am interested in your comment...

thanks!
dave

I"d say the 7-08 or the .270 bot are really fine rounds....but my all time fav is the .308 win can kick a good round like that out of the standing... or since your going to the 30-06 side also i'd say the 25-06 or 30-06 both are good longer range rounds

Miles,the reason that the auto's brass was hot is caused by the friction of the round being ejected(really fast)from the chamber.You would be hot too if someone kicked you out of your sleeping bag at 2000fps

Well guys, thanks for all of your inputs. Today I purchased a rifle for my 16 year old kid. I found a new Model 700 Remington, BDL deluxe Ingraved, 270 Winchester caliber for a good price. The bolt is the normal 700 bolt before the funny locking mechanism came out. So I suspect it is 4-5 years old. It was the floor model, no scratches, or marks, and between the older bolt with no locking mechanism, and the nice ingraving on top of the receiver and the floorplate (has a Ram in the middle of the floor plate), I decided this was his rifle from me. If he doesnt like the stock, he can always put something different on at a later date. I shot a 270 win for years, and in the end, it came down to proven caliber, doesnt beat up your shoulder, good flat shooter for the west, and plentiful ammo available at most stores. Just seemed like the thing to do.

Then, after I did that today, I went by my gunsmith, and low and behold he had just taken posession of a Model 77 Ruger, Tang safety model, 25-06 with a 24 inch bull barrel. The rifle was in cherry condition, so I decided I needed it as my next toy. At least it keeps the reloading busy, and I figure either of my boys are welcome to shoot the 25-06 if I am not hunting with it. Ya just gotta love it. Now if I can just survive the 10 day waiting period here in CA!!!

In comparing the 7mm-08 to the .280 I think the .280 has more to offer therefore why consider the 7mm-08 other than simply to have one, which is a good enough reason for me but not if your only going to have one rifle.