My oldest son wants to get into shooting long range with me. He turns 8 this fall and has been shooting 22lr and 223 for some time now. I’d like to get him as low of a recoiling rifle I can that will grow with him and can be used to take deer and antelope when he is ready.

Any suggestions? My initial thought is an AR in 6mm arc or a chassis rifle in the same or 6mm creedmoor.

Sounds like you already have your answer.

Been thinking about an ARC barrel for my AR. Leaning 22".

A GOOD 22LR. Hint.............

Fast twist .223 with the highest BC bullets

Get him behind a Vudoo V22..

Hard to argue with a first class 22 to teach the basics of marksmanship, breathing control, trigger control, etc... that will easily transfer over to any centerfire you put him behind. After that I would consider adding a fast twist 223 to the stable for cheap practice at longer ranges with high BC bullets...

I heard BC is a placebo for marksmanship.

Go with a slingshot and glass marbles.

Another fast twist 223 vote. But in a bolt action vs AR. Tikka has youth stocks for their rifles.
Plus he can use it for deer

A fast twist .223/.223AI has so much going for it...youth or adult. Aside from rimfire it's hard to beat it for cost to feed, ammo availability, good component choices, barrel life, low noise/blast/recoil, platform options, etc. All those things make it possible to shoot more...and nothing beats shooting more. I like the AI option and no downside to be able to shoot plain jane .223 is a plus....but even standard .223 twisted fast is great.

Considering growing with him...it's not just fit of rifle. If he likes to shoot/hunt, he'll never grow out of the usefulness of a .223.

Considering fit of rifle, I'm not a big chassis person but after using one with my 3 kids..and myself...the MDT LSS with an adjustable AR stock has a lot of flexibility in LOP. One thing to keep in mind for a kid, that often gets skipped over, is cheek weld. Kids often get a stock with a shorten LOP but no thought given to drop on comb. It's an easy fix to raise it with bear tooth or stick on neoprene pads for ar stocks.

Reading comprehension 101. Already has been shooting a 22 and 223.

243, 260, 6.5, or 7mm-08 in a bolt action that fits him well. Better yet if it has a youth stock option or adjustable LOP

Perhaps a RAR Predator 6mmCM in a light chassis?

As JPro, says 6mm Creed is what will work well from length of a corn cob to a 1000 yrds. Rio7

A 223 set up for long range is a gun you will never grow out of. And will probly be the one thats shot the most.

mud bogger, I'm 83 yrs old and when do i have to worry about growing out of my 6mms?

Nothing wrong with a 6mm. I doubt I will ever be without a 243! That said a kid..or anybody..can burn up alot of ammo. Hard to get cheaper than a 223. And the more trigger time, the better.

Hell, i had my buddies kids maybe 13ish years old. Shooting a few rifles of mine across a canyon. I had a blast watching them learn how the drop chart, reticle and rangefinder all worked together. They shot the hell outta the 223 until they got to try my sendero 300rum in a krg chassis. Lil [bleep] burned through 50 rounds of 300 ammo pretty quick. They loved it, but I sure wouldn't wanna keep those kids stocked with that ammo

I read that as he's been shooting one...not necessarily one that fits him or that is "his".

That's what I got out of it too. Also a big difference between the normal 223 schit killer vrs a rifle set up for plinking way out there

The 223 he’s been shooting has a classic 3-9 variable. It is a fast twist barrel, so maybe not a bad idea to just swap the scope and get him dialing.

I shoot everything thus far mentioned and a lot that hasn't been. It's fascinating how many have never even seen,let alone shot a GOOD 22LR and with all the wares lined up side by each,the 22LR never isn't not gonna STREAL The Show. Hint.




Just saying.

Hint.................

IMO, that would be a great direction to go. However, it would help if you had one with a stock that fit him so he doesn't have to learn all over again as he gets older. A fast twist youth model or a collapsible stock AR would fit the bill. Don't discount the value of a good .22 in his size to teach the muscle memory you need and include the fun factor to keep him interested. A squirrel hunt or two might also be helpful to transfer the lessons to real world results...

If only to connect dots by default,let's Start At The Fhuqking Start,if only for fhuqking starters. "Fast twist 223" is a term mused often,but seldom is it executed worth a flying fhuqk. Give the particulars of said existing platform and maybe even dangle a picture of same,if only to quantify the sanctity of The Start. Hint.

Rest fuqking ASSURED,noone has more LOVE or respect for a 223/223AI done fhuqking RIGHT,than me. Hint.

Nextly,let's get REAL on what the budget is. After that,do you Reload? Hint.

Coming full circle,if only again...NOBODY "out grows" GOOD Riggin'. Read that again. Now one more time. Hint.

A GOOD 22LR is never not THE ticket,which will be quantified if only obliviously and by literal default. Hint.

Thank me later.

Just saying.

Hint.................

I bought a Savage MkII FV-SR for my son to learn when he turned 8. Cheap, and accurate. Nice bull barrel. Stock is crap, and so are the magazines. Former can be fixed with a Boyd's and the latter with these mags

You should take your own advice….lol. Just because he’s been shooting them doesn’t mean he’s been learning to shoot long range. Standard rifles with set and forget scopes don’t even count compared to what is being mentioned. Read the part one more time about the man saying the boy wants to learn.

My girls are shooting a tikka 22lr learning to find the target etc. I have a tikka 223 in a ctr stock my oldest shoots suppressed. I have a 1-7” barrel on order with lilja that will go to California with a 223 Montana when the barrel is finished.

Correct. Takes a while for an 8 y/o to master the 22LR.

I don’t have it mastered at all myself. I would like a voodoo but the tikkas are accurate enough for me right now. I really want to get a rim x 17wsm like Dons pretty bad. We shoot a lot of armadillos opossum black head buzzards etc around the farm and that 17 just seems like it would be perfect for the ranges we shoot that stuff at.

Leave the buzzards alone if you shoot the other critter - they keep the country clean.

When it comes to Accuracy and Precision(2) different things,few things matter less than "contour". Stocks matter for mechanics first and ergo's second,in that mechanical order. Feed/function is getting closer to moot,as one can single feed,as Accuracy and Precision goes. Mounting system,glass selection,the fire control system and ammo selection play HUGE Rimfire variables. Though in fairness,a Savage would be viable for conking fish in the head. Hint.

Delving a bit,the CTR in 223 is a sound mechanical platform,given RPM,throat geometry and COAL play together nicely. The mounting system can be exceptional and the fire control system is sound. Arguably the most Mechanically Skookum Rifle in said chambering,offered over the counter. Hint.




In the top pic I hung,is a 7" RPM Mike Rock 18" threaded Mag Sporter in a XHCG Chassis,chambered 223AI and sipping from a MDT poly 10. Top right of frame. Hint.

Bottom right of frame is a 77/17 Clark Custom(Lothar Walther) Hummer in .720" midweight contour with RB trigger,MacaMillion handle,yada,yada,yada. Next to it an Anschutz 1717D HB 17 HMR,with a barrel chop. my Vudoo Hummer is no slouch either(Lothar Walther spout). Though I've a coupla Garrow uppers too. Hint.





My 17 Whizzum's are 77 based and a piston driven Franklin. LOVE the chambering and would leap Vudoo in a second,if an option. Hint.




Pass the GOOD 22LR and hold The Fluff. They do better at LongRange,not having to break the barrier and then try to slip back through. Hint................

The little CTR was a good buy for me. Everybody that has shot it has been looking for one of their own. It’s just a lot of fun.

A great 22 LR is probably more fun but I get by with the little 223.

You don’t know what you’re talking about friend. The red headed ones are fine and not aggressive. The black headed ones come in large numbers and very aggressive. People have had them get on cow calving and the swarm the calf and peck on the cows vagina. They operate differently than a regular buzzard.

I'm down with the CTR,but compared to what a GOOD 22LR will bring to the table,it ain't even in the same Universe. That especially for someone building/improving skills. Hint.

Set a 1/4" KYL rack at 50,let them cypher DOPE from a 50yd zero and watch The MAGIC happen in real time. Once a "clean" is realized,simply stretch it farther. It's instant visual feedback and instant audible feedback,that will illustrate with unerring cause/effect,what do what and more importantly WHY. It can go no other way. Hint.

If only for starters. Hint.................

I don’t disagree a bit. I pretty sure my lil man won’t have to sweat learning proper once he’s got enough heft to trip a trigger.

You posted the Vudoos BA’s available the other day and Almost triggered an impulse buy. Luckily I remembered he’s only 7 months so I might could withstand waiting till next week

Grandbaby got his as a 2yr old on Xmas. They will never be less expensive,than today. Shot a hasty 50yd zero,bumped elevation,set zero on turrets and it'll set and wait on him to catch up. Hint.






His Winchester 63 is no slouch and his Heirloom "Chickmunk" has broken trail for more than a few Duffers. He likes stripped AR lowers too. Hint....................(grin)

No guns get shot more than my .22’s and no .22 gets shot near as much as my vudoo

Great pics of that lil man, and point taken. And cool score on the M63..


Point x2.

Gotta say I can’t wait till my lil man can whoop it on with Dad.

These are The GOOD Old Days and I sure as fhuqk wouldn't linger. NOBODY "outgrows" GOOD Riggin'. Hint...............

Yes sir. Good time to be a guy that likes to shoot.

Your grand baby looks to be growing up well.

Cheating AK…. Just cheating.

Hey Maser, Happy Camper put 15 rounds into the same hole at 100 long paces when he was 8 years old. maybe you could get him to give you some tips?
Tell Happy we miss him.....like the clap.

Care to explain what makes you reply to my posts with trolling nonsense?

Bored?

I think a 223 or 6arc in the AR platform is great for kids, they can grow with it. Only problem is the weight for packing them around.

just finished a 6arc AR upper for my 12yo daughter. She shot it for the first time Sunday, 100, then 300, then on Tuesday 600. Blows my mind how well she shoots it.

We have a pronghorn hunt coming up and she said she wants to shoot an AR instead of a bolt gun. But she’s mostly shot a 15/22 for the last five years so it’s the familiar platform.

“Pass the GOOD 22LR and hold The Fluff. They do better at LongRange,not having to break the barrier and then try to slip back through. Hint...........”

I’m assuming stick is talking about sonic and sub-sonic?


Where/what is the advantage here?

My little man was given a hammered Win 69 and 4 x weaver by an old neighbor that had a badly pitted barrel and someone chopped the pistol grip off. Luckily the barrel was clean for the first 16 1/4” so it was chopped and shoots bulk ammo better then it should. A quick coat of ox pho blue, new recoil pad and after I sprayed a base coat of od my 6 yo did the sponge job to make it his. He shoots that thing as much as inlet him though he’s taking a shine ti my shilen barreled 10/22 sporter.

Just the other night he informed me that the new 6.5 cm play toy was now “his” and I suppose I won’t argue that fact once he grows a bit more. It’s a tad heavy with the Arken EP5 currently sitting on it but not at all a bad scope for 5 clams.

Sub-sonic

6MM Dasher!

^^^ Not a troll! ^^^

LOL

There's a lot that can be said for a plain old 700 heavy barrel 243 with it's 9-1/4" twist. Launching 105's and 107's at 3000ish work well with little recoil. There are some VLS models out there with some recoil mitigating weight to them that would be good for a youngster.

And what did you and your son decide on??