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

This photo shows my eldest daughter with her first buck. In this case, a Dakota muley taken at approx 125 yards with 30-30 carbine. The buck weighed nearly 300 lbs live weight yet was no match for a well placed 150 grain corelokt bullet.

30-30 has always been a very good deer cartridge.

Sherwood

With today's over the counter availability of reduced recoil rounds, the fit of the gun (ie., lop, weight, handling, etc.) is more important in my opinion than caliber. The days of only having a .243 or a .243 are long gone. I have kids and have started them out, all with bolt actions in 7.62x39, 7-08, 308, .260 and 7x57. Remington's reduced recoil in the .260, 7-08 or .308 performs wonderfully. In fact, one of the girl took a nice 8 point at 240 yards last year. We shoot a lot and good glass and a good rest made me comfortable with allowing her to squeeze off on the broad side, grazing buck. We shoot tons of rounds of .22 in bolt action in advance of the season too. Always have them wear ear protection. Many kids are more afraid of the noise than the PUSH...i never use kick.

In short, my opinion is dont sweat the caliber. Find a gun you can afford and still have money for good glass. Get the reduced recoil ammo if you need it and practice, practice practice with rimfire. Good luck.

When my son was 10-12yrs old, I had picked up a sweet little Ithaca 20ga double to start him with on quail. We worked with some blue rocks and the 20ga rocked him a little too much. I took the shotgun to the gunshop and had it shortened and a pad installed. In a couple of years, he outgrew that shotgun and moved up to a pump gun.

He is pushing 50yrs old now. I kept the 20ga, but it has lived away from our home more than it has lived here over the past 40 years. Over ten kids have started with that shotgun over the years, including two sets of brothers. Sometimes it was gone for five years at a time. Life is good.

I would like to throw another idea into the cauldron; a M77/44. I used mine to introduce my son to hunting (can load up too 300gr), minimal recoil but quite a heavy sound, nice compact package; biggest problem is who gets to use it now!

Exactly. Kills me how some guys are blessed to have a child that likes guns and buys them junk cause there just a kid. I understand it when the parents use crappy tools they just don't know better or have the money.

Didn't finish... Anyway what is sad is when dad uses name brand rifle/scope and buys his child a turd. I don't have any children but you can bet as a uncle I'll sell off my extras if that's what it takes to make sure my nieces and nephew starts out with the same quality stuff I do.

Sorry to get so off track...grin. Like has been said 700 in 243 youth and handle can be swapped when need be.

Has anyone considered bumping up in caliber size, then using "managed recoil"loads, like in a 308. In 308, this will reduce the power factor down to about the power level of the 30-30.

Why

I have 3 sons and I started them all on a 30-06 (Rem BDL) when they were 10yrs old.

They still shoot a 30-06 today


T

Your sons are smarter than most....good job dad!

Started both of mine on a Rem Model Seven 243.

The lefty is now 14 and shoots a stainless LH700 .270 in a McSwirly stock I traded into for him.

The 12 year old is shooting a 700 Youth 308 with hand loaded reduced recoil rounds using 125gr NBT's that group sub .75moa out to 300yds. He was intimidated by the muzzle jump of the very light Model Seven 243 with standard loads and shoots the 700 .308 much more accurately.

Would have started them both on 700 .308's with reduced recoil loads if doing it over again. Even the factory Rem reduced fodder stayed 1moa or less out to 2oo yards.

I got my son an H&R super light in .243. Nicest little gun I ever saw. One problem is the thing shoots like crap. Yah a crap gun. OP has a small kid. Mine is real small. Just turned 14 and is 4'8 and 80 lbs. He needs a real small gun. He wants to keep it cause he got his first deer with it. Don't blame him neither, first deer with your gun is special. He was getting 4" groups at 50 yds last week. I let him use my Savage 12 in .223 and got 1" @ 50 yds. He lost all interest in his H&R. He is going to try the Rem. 700 youth in 243 tomorrow. He can handle it now. See what happens.

The 80 TTSX is a great equalizer in 243...

Faux Ti...243.



Found a Ti stock cut down to youth size on the 'Fire, and it is serving the yhoung ones well, also....

Cut a sporter contour down to 21" on this one, and it balances, handles and shoots really nice.



Usually start mine pretty little - (can't hold them back! Grin!!)



Have gone 223 in a little youth stocked M7 for the first one.

Little rifle has done great, and is a sentimental favorite, but like the 700 platform better - and have recently wrangled a reduced LOP Montana stock which will find its way to the Kimber 223, and then to the 243, and we'll see how they get along with those.

I'm thinking they may be the best of all, if they're not too light for them to shoot well...

DJ

250 Savage!

you're not going to have any guns left pretty soon! kids are going to make you use the M7 and high grade you... Smart kids! grins

I can see it coming.

Still, not letting them have the 7-08 Montana...I can't...I won't!! Grin...

I better work up a 62TSX load for that Model 7, just in case....

DJ

time for a secret stash rifle that they don't know about! i've a ton of rifles and the boys have laid claim to them all! I'm pretty proud of them! grins

oh, i don't think you'll get the 62 to stabilize in the M7.?

Well, I got a chance and looked at a few more rifles and I am just going to go with the rem 700 sps youth in 243. I am going to top it with a leupold vx ii 3-9 x 40 with the long range duplex.

I thought about it for a while and the 243 will do all that is needed for the next few years until he is older and at that time we can decide on something bigger. The 243 can also be passed down to his little brother when he is ready. Plus, it's a reason to get another rifle.

On another note, I never payed much attention to the youth permits out west and didn't know most states don't allow hunting until age 12. Here in IL it's as soon as you can pass the hunter safety course and next door in MO you can start at age 6 with adult supervision.