Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Calibers for kids

I have an 8 year old that I would like to take deer hunting next year. He has fired a 222 before and can handle that level of recoil easily. What would be the next step up from here with the least amount of recoil suitable for deer. I have a 6.5x55 but I don't think he could handle it. Been only 8 he can not lift that much weight so the rifle will be a lightweight. The deer that we will be targeting will be whitetail, fallow and red deer in N.Z.
Any ideas on which way I should go.
mtn-hunter

I'm no expert on this, and in fact have asked the same question myself.

I'd reccommend a 243, and since you are looking at bigger game, a premium bullet.

If you don't handload, the Federal 95 gr Fusion may be a good choice.

243 0r the 257 Roberts should fit the bill nicely.If it weren't for the bang you wouldn't of known they went off.

My nine year old got his first deer this year with a 6mm REM. I loaded very light loads with Sierra 75gr HP for range practice. When we went hunting he had fully charged 100gr Hornady bullets. He never felt the recoil difference when shooting at the deer. Either a 6mm REM or 243 WIN would work great. I have never used anyhting in 25 caliber but that would be a logical choice too. Since Red deer are on the table I'd say you should use a Noz partition or Barnes TSX.

RH

I prefer 250 Savage or 257 Roberts over the 6mm offerings, but availability is an issue, aspecially in a rifle he can handle. Especially for red deer, My preference would be for a 25 caliber. If you can find a lightweight 6.5, all the better. Laod 85-100gr bullets for practice and premium 120s for hunting. Load at 25-2600fps and he'll be good to go.

My wife has killed 6 deer with a 6mm Rem loaded with the 90 grain X-bullet at a little over 2800 fps. She doesn't shoot at anything much beyond 100 yards and it flat puts them in the dirt. Limit the range and use the right bullet and it doesn't take a lot to kill a deer.

I think you have a wonderful idea, himmelrr. Let them practice with a light load that doesn't kick much or make much noise. Then YOU sight in the weapon using a full power deer load and in the excitement of the hunt, the young'un will never notice the recoil.

My choice of caliber would be a .257 or .260 if you handload; I'd use some of the managed recoil factory stuff if you don't.

250 Sav
257 Bob
260 rem
6.5x55
7-08

any of these would be my choice but i dont care for the 6mm's.

a Remmy model 7 Youth in 260 or 7-08 with reduced loads for practice and full loads for hunting would be my choice and what i chose(in 7-08) for my 80 pound 11 year old step-daughter

himmelrr I like that idea too...I never feel the shot. I had actually herd some time ago that the 250 savage was the ducks guts for the littlies, but like someone else bought up, there seems to be an availability problem at the moment. Just got onto REM and could not find the youth series and don�t know what WIN are doing. Might have to make him a custom job???
Thanks for the input Fellas.

mtn-hunter

i ordered my 7 Youth through a local dealer for $550 at x-mas time. hard to find a center fire thats as nice and portioned for kids for the price

Lots of great ideas here:

Here is mine, look at factory youth packages. Weatherby has one that comes with 2 stocks. One has a shorter length of pull and the other is a fullsize one for when they get bigger.

As far as caliber I would look at 270 or 30/06 cause with the new reduced recoil loads and a Simms pad for range work I think a 06 would be managble for a young guy. Then when he is bigger you change stocks and go to full power loads and voila your done.

One thing that everyone forgot to consider from the start is WHERE he would be hunting. Is it thick, with shots that never exceed 100-125 yds? Or is it open country, where shots rarely are less than 100-125yds? That is important, because one of the best, the 30-30, is great at one, and terrible at the other.

Oh, and remember what is probably as if not more important than the caliber of the gun - GET A GUN THAT FITS - Make him try ALOT of different guns, and get one that fits. Can't say it enough, 'cause if it doesn't fit, then he won't hit squat, and that can lead to a wounded animal, and that is the bane of all hunters

I recently went thru this experience myself. My son is 9, and I had, thru a gunshop that I part-time for, access to everything you can imagine, and what did I settle in for? A NEF single-shot in 30-30.

WHY? Glad you assked. here it is a a bit thick, and so the shots are short. I can have additional barrels fitted in other calibers as he matures, and that includes shotgun for turkey and muzzleloader too. Another HUGE advantage to this design gun is that you can look over and see the condition of the gun in his hands at any time, without a word said, and that is more important than alot of hunters realize, becuase little fingers can do alot of things without you knowing it. Lastly, the stocks can be inexpensively interchanged as he gets bigger, which is like every week!

Oh, but back to the caliber choice. 30-30 does not kick hard, especially when combined with a good recoil pad, and the report is mild, too. At short ranges like inside 125, it will deliver a good bullet capable of taking most whitetails, and with pretty decent accuracy, too. Of course, if you decide to go heavier, then take a hard look a the the low-recoil rounds if you don't handload. Not too cheap, but they make a 308 kick about like a 30-30, which is pretty cool.

A 6.5x55mm is plenty of gun for deer at the ranges an 8-year-old should be shooting, like 25 to 50 yards. No small boy can handle the size of a man's rifle, except from some sort of seated position and a rest, so that pretty much says a constructed blind.

A 120-gr .264 bullet at 2,400 fps up close is the same as a 120-gr .257 bullet arriving at 2,400 fps from 150 or 200 yards away.

Spend the money on a cheap youth stock for the 6.5x55. Let your son watch you handloading up some of his special bullets in his special ammunition. Then go practice with it all summer.

I agree and the 260 Rem will copy the Swede for most intents. Better yet in my eyes is the 100 gr Nosler Partition at around 26-2800 fps. The bullet was made for deer sized game in the 260 and should be a very mild kicker for a young boy.
The M7 is very easy to find in my parts and comes in a "youth" model. Both cartridges will work with good loads on 95% of the game in North America if he is still useing it in later life.

7.62x39 with good bullets is hard to beat. also, the 220 swift or 22-250 (yes, they both kill deer very dead). my 220 has verry little recoil and I may let my 8 year old shoot it this fall. his older brothers use the 250 with much success (8 one shot kills so far and counting). I think the 243 has way too much recoil for many kids, especially little ones. the 22-250 with a 60 gr nosler partition is a deer killin' machine.

My first choice would be .250 SAV in a Savage 99. Second choice would be your .222 with a Barnes X bullet. It will kill 'em deader than true love if the vitals are hit. For an 8 year old, keep shooting distances close. 150 yards is a long way for a youngster. Practice with and hunt with shooting sticks.

That NEF Handi Rifle is a great way to go.Youth and standard stocks are readilly available , and really inexpensive.The number of options changes from time to time , but is always fairly extensive .
You do have to send it back to the factory to get new barrels fitted , so you might want to order it from the factory with your first set of options all at once.
My son was ten when I bought his first one.He is now 26 and has moved at least four times since he was 18.Transportation and storage space is much easier with this set up than it would have been with seperate firearms.He has 12 and 20 guage modified and 12 and 20 guage rifled slug barrels,as well as .223,.243,.308,and 45-70.There is not much in North America or anywhere else he can't tackle.
I also bought him a model 70 Featherweight in 7x57 when he was 13.He loves that rifle , but only uses it when he is with me.Other than that the model 70 has always resided in my gunsafe.

My little ones used the .222 for their first deer. Together they are 6 for 6. My 10 yr old son moved up to a 243 this year with 80's. I shortened the length of pull by cutting the stock off and replaced the pad with a Pachmayr. The light plastic stock was replaced with a heavier factory wood stock. Recoil with ear protection is not a problem.
If I had the same gun in a .257 Roberts, I think it would be an even better solution. Does Ruger still make the Ultralight in a .257?

pepaw

+1 for the .250 Savage. I have a .243, a pair of .250's, and a .257 Roberts. You sure wouldn't think there would be much difference between 100 gr. bullets in the .243 and the .250, but in my guns, it's very noticable. My .243 is a M70 Featherweight, one of the .250's is a Ruger M77. Both with 22" barrels, but the .243 has more muzzle lift off the bench and the blast is worse. For lack of a better term, more intense. My M99R weighs 9.5 lbs with scope and has a 24" barrel, so it's a real pussy cat to shoot. Too heavy for a youngster though. 87 gr. Speer Hot Core bullets work well on 150-200 lb. deer, the 100's would work better if you have a 1-10 twist. Unless you get lucky and find a .250 someone is foolish enough to part with, it will be a custom affair. That old M99r put many a deer and elk on the table for the old fella I got it from.

You really think the 6.5x55 is too much? I hope not since I just made a sweet deal for a Ruger 77 6.5x55 for my girls to learn to deer hunt on in a few years-gonna have to cut down the stock to fit, but I hope this is a good choice-I also have a .243 and a 257 roberts, but I don't really want the roberts in the field with a young hunter-limited Ruger #1 stainless and the .243 is kind of unique as well...so I picked up the swede.

Dave