Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Give a Dad some advice

Need some advice on a first rifle for my youngest son. Jacob will soon be going on his first elk and deer hunt. He is convinced that the gun for him is a .444 Marlin. While this may be a great gun/caliber, I would prefer that he start with something such as .270, .280, 30-06, .308, etc. However he seems to be hell bent that a lever action .444 is the way to go. We do a fair amount of western hunting where shots often exceed 200 yards. <P>So is the .444 a good choice or should I push him a little more firmly towards something else. Thanks for any ideas.

I am no lever action Marlin expert but 200 yards plus, seems to be pushing the limits for this combo in my eyes. Then again it could be used as a tool to teach him restraint, knowing his limits (spending lots of time punching paper plates at that range), as well as how to stalk and get as close as possible.<P>Thats why they call it hunting not shooting right? (grin)<P>I wish you both only the best of luck but agree that a 243 or 270 would be a better FIRST gun with the Marlin as a special niche gun he may treasure his whole life but.....<P>Thats just my humble opinion and if you had not mentioned shots in excess of 200 yards the answer might be differant.<P>BTW how old and/or big is Jacob? You might have him shoot one first. As a first gun they have a little more "pop" then he might expect? Does he have any loose fillings you want to shake out? (grin)<P>Cheers and let us know how it works out and of course Good Luck and god bless that you have a son that wants to share the sport with you.<P>Tex

For his first rifle a .444 ? You often shoot beyond 200 yds.? Forget it. I suspect, and get the figures if you wish, that the .444 will kick like a mule in that light Marlin. How about a .308, in something with a well designed stock. 14% less recoil than the '06. With premium Federal Throphy Bonded ammo you'd be all set. E

I would have to agree with every one on this. I own a Win 94 in 444 and it lets you know whos boss when you shoot it. Not something that i would get my son as a first big game rifle. He would be better served with any of the other calibers that you mentioned. <P>Just my opinion.<P> Paul

UP hunter,<BR> When I was 10yrs old my father bought me my first biggame hunting rifle. a Remington 700 bdl in 270 Winchester. It has served me well for 21yrs now. I too was really into guns and such(not much has changed), and I wanted a whole slew of things. My father being the wise man he is knew what was best for me and what I needed. At that time the 7mm-08 was just introduced then, and my father has said that if he knew then what he knows now about the 7mm-08, he probably would have got me one of those instead. I would have been happy either way. The 7mm-08 is a real viable option as I think it is available in the Browning Blr(I think). I had an older model seven 7mm-08 and it was a grwat little rifle. mild recoil. very accurate, and just plain fun to shoot.,,BEARHUNTER

Just one question, if your teenager won't listen to you, what makes you think he will listen to anything we say? LOL [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]-<P>Get him the .444 and be prepared to return it and take a loss getting what he really needs. Just my .02 cents' worth- [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]- Sheister

I have to agree with Sheister (Boy that hurts) on this. I don't know your boy but when I was a teen age kid I knew every thing in the world. Took me to about twenty one to realize that I didn't. Go on and let him have the 444 if you can. He is going to have to find out for himself what it is all about. It will be costly for both you and him but if he is like most teen agers unless he gets to use what he has made his mind up to use he ain't going to be satisfied. It will kill his soul to finally have to admit that it was a bad choice but when he does you will have made steps on the road to him being a man and that is more important than any deer or elk.<BR>BCR

You left out a good bit of important information, but if it is your son's first big game rifle, I would suppose that he is fairly young and might still not know everything. Get him a 7-08 or a .30-06 in a decent rifle, and he will have a gun that can serve him for the rest of his life for 95% of everything he will ever hunt. If he is still at all small framed, I would strongly suggest the 7-08 due to recoil. Have the trigger worked on. <P>Nothing all that wrong with a .444 but it is really not capable of many of the shots that come up out West and it is not fair to the game or to your son to send him out semi-armed.<P>Boggy made some great points as usual in the above post, but I would add that you should explain your reasoning to him on calibers and rifles, and if he is still set on the .444 let him buy it with his money(or, make a deal about a no interest, time payment plan from future earnings, and stick to it), and then he will truly learn what being responsible for his choices means. With all this talk, he will probably buy the .444, walk 40 yards out of camp and shoot a 6x6 dead with one shot at 75 yards. You never know, but odds are with a different caliber.

I don't know anything about the .444 Marlin, but I don't believe it is exactly what one would call a long range cartridge.<BR> If you do wish to let him deal with his choice, go ahead. <BR> If you are a nice guy and trade it in once he gets it in his head that it wasn't such a great idea, I know what he could use I guess. I am fifteen years old, and my only deer gun at the moment is a Rem. 700 mt. rifle in 7x57 Mauser. This cartridge doesn't produce a lot of recoil, and with good handloads for a gun that can take them (not an old army gun), I imagine it would be a capable cartridge to 300 yards, though there are better choices. The 7-08 would do about the same without the need to reload from what I hear.

UP, the caliber might not be perfect, but perhaps this is the right gun. It certainly isn't too small! You may or may not have to work with the lad to prevent flinching, and perhaps he may be able to shoot a few different rifles in the meantime. The 7-08 comes to mind.<P>But there's a lot to be said for a person having a fondness for a rifle. It may be a good thing to give him just what he wants. <BR>The rifle may end up for sale. Then again, maybe he'll use it for walrus and prarie dogs. The first gun my dad gave me certainly wasn't a collector's item, nor was it perfect for the job. But I took a bit of game with that break-action .410 and would not part with it now. <P>I remember seeing it sitting on the living room chair when I walked in on Christmas morning. Carefully breaking it open before putting it in the truck. Peering down the gleaming bore. I had as much fun sitting in the living room cleaning it as I did in the field.<P>Based on what you've written, if you can't massage an awareness of other guns into your son, you won't do to badly with the .444.<P>I hope he likes it. Talus

I know nothing of the 444, either first hand or from a friend who has one. Only based on what I have read (mostly from here) it is a gun that packs quite a whallop on both ends, and is excellent for elk, and bigger game.<P>I would take him to a gun shop and let him handle a 444, work the lever, and see what he thinks. I would also inform him that it kicks quite a bit!! (or compare the recoil to something he has already shot, ie 12ga break open single shot with magnum loads and no recoil pad shot while wearing a t-shirt and tell him a 444 kick a bit harder! if it is true!) and see what he thinks.<BR>You may want to marvel at another rifle and explain to him what you really like about it and why. Maybe he will follow the ole mans footsteps!? or not.<BR>I have to agree with most everyone here and say you may want to persuade him to something else.<P>Here is an idea! You buy two rifles a 444 and a 30-06, or 7mm-08 or something else. Tell him these are both yours and his rifles. After shooting both and getting some general handling skills with them, tell him he can pick which one he wants for himself. You keep the other! That way you both win! You each get a rifle, and lessons are learned! But more importantly you get to bond more with your son. A mature man knows when he has made a poor decision due to inexperience and can come around to another way of thinking!<BR>If he picks the other rifle, you can tote the 444 along as a backup gun!<P>Heck I don't know what to do either! [img]images/icons/crazy.gif" border="0[/img]

Well I'm a .260 fan, but you have your favorites too. I'd tell him I consider the .444 inadequate for the hunting you will do. I'd say I won't buy one because of my feelings. I he wants one that bad he can buy it himself. I'd offer to lend him the money with a repayment contract between the two of you. I don't understand the point of the NO INTEREST loan. You can certainly keep it low, the COLA adjustment would probably cover your cost of the money, and he'd learn a valuable lesson about borrowing. And what Einstien called the most powerful force on the planet, compound interest. Most of the programs like money will calculate the payments for the course of the loan, and he can compare the cost of the rifle with the amount of money it takes to retire the loan. Letting him shoot a .444 so he can decide after that if he still wants one sounds like a good idea to me. If your dealer won't permit that, another lesson in the way things are. [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img]