which gun?

[adamr]

Im going to buy a rifle to sit behind my seat and for a neighbor kid to use this season. He has really poor eyesight so he wont be firing unless im standing next to him. IM also kinda worried about safety with this kid. So I found a win 30/30 open sights for 319 plus tax a brand new marlin 30/30 for 350 or a used rem 7600 pump 243 with a cheap scope and sling for 400 bucks. gun has alot of scratches thou but I dont really care since it probably will be behind a seat in the off season what do you guys think? I wonder if a good scope would help him? Last year he couldnt find the deer in my scope. Im building a huge deer stand also so he should get shots under 200 probably more like 75 yards. My daughter might also shoot this gun some day for deer if she dont turn out like her mother.

[bobbymalone]

I am not sure about all lever action 30-30s but my dad has one and I absolutely despise the safety on it. It involves pulling the trigger with your thumb on the hammer to put it in the half cock position. I would not recommend it for a kid, especially one that wasn't experienced with firearms. That said, I only know about that one 30-30 and I can't remember the model.

It is the only gun I will inherit someday that will go to the pawn shop.

[swamptiger]

Check out the new Marlin XL7 bolt action. This can be had for about $300, not counting the scope, and it is a good shooter. I bought one in a 30.06 last fall. Another good rifle for the money is a Stevens model 200. Also a good shooter.

[Swap Buck]

I would stay away from the 30-30, it is not a good fit for your situation. The 7600? not to bad. But I think you should go look at some of the cheaper bolt action guns at some of the bigger box stores. I think you will find a nice set up scope and all for around that 400 mark.

[charliepete]

Savage makes nice accurate cheap rifles. The wood to metal finish is usually nasty, but they have nice triggers and are accurate. I don't like being around kids with pumps, lever actions, or semi-auto's. It's too tough for them to see if they have a round in the chamber.

[candiru]

I would shy away from the 30-30's. I have never shot one nut I assume that they might have some pretty good kick. Howa is cheaper rifle that I have read some good things about. I would take the kid to the store with you and let him look through various scopes or other optics like red-dot or holo sight and see if something might work better for him. There are also reduced recoil loads out there for calibers like the 270, 308, or '06. So, maybe you could get a bigger caliber and move up to regular loads later. The "squishy" type of recoil pads help.