Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Kids at the Campfire .270 for kids

So my boy (6 yrs old) is doing well with his .22 single shot. I'm looking toward preparing for deer one of these seasons. What is the opinion of the peanut gallery regarding .270s for little guys? Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance.

My now 15 year old son shot his first deer with my Ruger 77 .270 when he was nine years old. He used that rifle because that was all we had for him to use at the time. It worked, but certainly not ideal, especially when practicing at the range. I had him use both soft ear plugs and ear muffs over them when practicing at the range and limited sessions at the bench to less than 10 shots. Using reduced loads would have helped, but I didn't have any of those or reload then, either. The following year I found a Rem. Model 7 in 7mm-08 and it has been a MUCH better youth rifle/caliber. We now have a Ruger 77 in .280 Rem. that will be his rifle and he helps with the reloading. Sure fun to watch them grow up. Best wishes as you get started hunting with your son...they grow up fast!

6,5x57 or 7x75 are mild for young "starters"...same time they are enough even for bigger game if bullet placement is OK...

Thanks for the help, guys. I've never used any of the smaller 7mm rifles, but it sounds like I'll have to check them out. I'm none too fond of getting into yet another caliber, but I don't want to produce any flinches or other "training scars" in my little guy.

I just bought a model 7 7mm-08 for myself and its a sweet little rifle. My girlfriend just took this video of me shooting it the other day. My second shot you can see how little it really recoils. The 1st and 3rd shots, I just let it move by itself. I was shooting 140gr Fusions.

My brothers and I were all started on relatively large caliber rifles. I started hunting with a 270 Win when I was 12, my younger brother at 12 started with a 270 Gibbs, and my youngest brother started with a 7mm-300 Weatherby at 12. All of us were pretty good size kids though. We all have been shooting since we were 3 or 4 years old too though. I think it all just depends on size and what he is comfortable with. Start him off small and work up. Dont make him shoot something he isnt comfortable with until he is ready. Otherwise you risk him developing a flinch that is hard to get rid of.

Starting my 11 year old out with a 260 Rem. with reduced loads(because it's what I have), If I were buying a new rifle for him I would probably get a Marlin Youth XS7, because of the cost, caliber selection (.243, 7-08 & 308) and weight 6 1/2 pounds bare.

regarding the 270, I would say it would depend a lot on him...kid's are differnt in their tolerance for weight, recoil and muzzle blast. Also reloading or the 'managed recoil' loads could help (don't know if they have these in 270). My boy is on the small/light side...so rifle weight is a concern, he does better with the shorter bolt throw of the short actions also.

Jerry

Remington makes Managed Recoil ammo for the .270 and Cabelas sells it. It usually shoots pretty close to point of impact for the standard load at 200 yards. Verify that, of course...

I was in the same dilemma about 2 years ago when my then 10yr old daughter needed a deer rifle. I did alot of looking and cartridge comparing. I finally decided to go with the 7x57 Mauser. Very mild recoil and plenty of range for deer hunting. The most important thing to remember is to have the stock fit him well. I chose MPI as I can "grow" the stock as my daughter gets taller. She hasn't killed a deer yet, but has alot of fun shooting the 7x57!

About a dozen years ago I started my kids off with a 243 for deer and antelope. Kid #4 is using it now and I've got one more kid to go with it. So far every one of them but #5 (he's too young) has brought home the bacon with no deer / antelope lost. I've shot a dozen or so deer myself with a 270 but I think recoil might be a bit much for a first time hunter. A good 100 grain bullet in a 243 is powerful enough to get the job done and recoil isn't bad at all for a kid.

Based on my limited experience in helping kids learn with rifles....

1. make sure the rifle fits them well

2. help them understand that recoil can be "cool" when it involves power

3. stay off the upper edge of harsh blast and sharp recoil

4. shooting skills are obviously more easily honed without much recoil. However, they need to enjoy shooting in whatever form it is, and, with boys anyway, sometimes that means mixing in something stronger from time to time simply to keep their interest.

We've started our boys off with airguns and 22s. They hunted with us before they were big enough to shoot, so they know the drills. I base the hunting on the kid's desire more than their readiness. (Mine have been adequate shooters before they actually expressed the desire to kill bigger things. "It might come after me has been a thought". I don't play or try to overcome mind games. They're ready when they show it.)

Confidence has come from hunting small game. In the local culture, a young hunter shares their first catch in a species. That heaps praise on them which is a confidence builder. I was going to start the boys out with a Barnes 223 or 243 combo. Both rifles I own are less than ideal in size. I have a Ruger #1-A which is easy to handle and light. I also had a #1 with a reduced length stock. The shock went over on the #1-A. It's a 270, but we started off with 100 PSPs. They we moved up-over to 140s downloaded. I only started with 2-3 at a time. We often brought the rifle to camp. Eventually the 10-year-old was asking to shoot it regularly and would go off a pop 5-10 at once. His shooting was ready, his mind was ready. Finally, I started giving him things to think about: scenarios, pictures to evaluate, stuff to think about. I lost track of my harvest ticket. We got him his own (he can hunt accompanied, but on his own tag at the age of 10 here).



On a frigid day in January, his efforts paid off. He was ready without the fiddling around one sometimes sees with newbies (and even some oldbies), he waited until the shot(s) was right before taking it, but didn't have to adjust and readjust things as the animal wandered off, he got ready for a second and third shot right after the follow through from the first and the second. And he stayed cool the whole time. He was ready, but it wasn't because we expected him to do it. It came by his own schedule which made it seem really pretty simple.

The only problem I see with full power loads in the 270 is the muzzle blast. A 7mm or 257 Bob (my personal favorite)might do better.My 12 yr old grandson will start with a 250 Savage this year

There are problems with regular size guns for youngsters, length of pull, weight, muzzle heavy, triggers way too heavy.

We started out my nephews with Thompson Contender Rifles with the Carbine barrel, very light weight and balanced for a youngster. My 5 year old nephew killed two does his first year plus a bobcat, and several dogs running deer...sitting in my lap.

The cartridge we chose for him was the 30/30 and shot 150g Rem Core loks from wal mart.

We used a 2x7 leupold for a scope and we practiced a lot before season started with a 22 Rim fire barrel for the same Thompson contender...nephews were both dead eyes when it came to deer season.

Good info all around, and thanks for it. I may have to look at the .243 a wee bit closer, maybe the Savage Axis Youth (what a horrible name, they must have no sense of history).

Unless you are wedded to the 270, The marlin XS 7mm08 youth model is a great choice. Hunt with a fellow who is 5' and just loves it. Very accurate, light recoil, tons of loads, short both throw and when he get taller you can buy him a standard stock very reasonably. With the right bullets and getting within 200 yards, it will take anything in the lower 48. As with Keith, the 2-7 Luepie is a perfect scope matchup.

I would highly recommend a .243 with 85gr TTSXs as a first rifle....I chose a Model 70 FWT Stainless and had it mounted in a Youth Compact stock for my 7 year old....Works well.

Bruz

My son is 14 now and wanted a 270 Win. We got him a Tikka t3 light. It is a very light gun. He insists it doesn't kick too bad but with full loads I had a head ache after 3 shots. Went to 90 gr. mild loads and is a little better but no deer load. I asked today while shooting if he would have rather had a .243? He said no. I think he like his .243 H&R super light better but won't hit the 8" plate @ 100 yds. Now he is about 2" off the bench so a better round all together. I might get a .243 Win that can shoot. He will shoot it more than the .270 Win. if given a chance. Today, after 4 shots he said his shoulder is getting sore.

I can strongly recommend the Managed Recoil rounds that Remington markets.

They claim to have the energy of a 30-30, shoot to the same POI as a full-bore 130 out to 200 or so, at a very reduced level of recoil.

I do not doubt any of those claims. I bought a couple of boxes for my then 11 y/0 son to try. POI was "close enough" to the 130's, recoil was less than some minimal loaded 85 gr. 243's that I brewed up, and performance on game was excellent.

I would also get a PAST shoulder pad for the practice sessions.

I've helped 7 kids get started deer hunting and believe that the combination of the Managed Recoil rounds and a PAST pad for practice are the best things going to get a kid started right. A possible exception might be the TSX's in a 22 CF, but they weren't around when I was getting most of those kids started.
If you already have the 270 I wouldn't think twice about it.

The deer in the photo below was at about 85 yards, quartering away, and slightly uphill from our location. My son hit him well. About heart level raking the chest cavity, broke the off-side shoulder, and exited. The exit wound is obvious in the photo below.
A blood trail a blind man could follow.

Nice shot!

I didn't think Remington still sold the Managed Recoil rounds, I haven't seen them for quite a while around here. I'm not a reloader (yet). Maybe there's just less of a market for specialty rifle ammo hereabouts (mostly shotgun country, due to population density).

Remington still references the product on their web page. Midway shows it as out of stock but they are accepting back orders that they expect to be able to fill in late July. $28 per box. Not too bad considering that I paid $24 in 2007 and considering how much ammo has gone up in general.

I have never seen the stuff in a gun shop. I first checked at Bass Pro (glorified clothing store) with no luck and then had to have a local gun shop special order it. Took a week or slightly less to get it.

Google it up, I'm sure you'll find a source.

If you hand load, Managed Recoil loads from Remington is using IMR 4198 Powder....I disassembled a batch in different calibers to verify that...

they are cheap to handload and you can select any bullet you want with them..plus they are accurate... more than minute of Deer out to beyond 250 yds..

I believe Ballistic Tips are the best bullet choices for them..
a Good choice is a 260 or 7/08 in a variety of rifles...weight being what the young man can handle..

I myself, do most of my deer hunting with a Ruger in 260 or a 7 x 57 in a Featherweight...