Boys first gun?

[Dahitman44]

Question -- I would guess that a 30.06 would not be a smart choice for a boy's first gun? I have twins that are 10.

Is the kick a ton more than like a .243?

A guy I know has a 1974 browning with one box of shells through it for $500 and comes with 3 x 9 scope. I don;t know the brand yet. Can a recoil pad help a lot? Can you get one for a 30.06 of that vintage?

Is that a good deal? Dumb for the kids?

thanks

Hit

[DooWap]

When I worked at a local outdoors shop I had a lot of people ask me this question. Personally, I think you have an advantage to your situation. I'd ask your buddy if he'd be willing to let your boys shoot the gun before you buy it. Let your kids decide if they can handle it or not. They do make reduced recoil rounds for the 30.06 so you always have that option.

If you decide to buy a smaller caliber, you might look into a 7mm-08. Doesn't kick as much and I think it's a better deer round than the .243.

I shot my first deer with a 12 gauge slug at the age of 12 and even though it kicked like a mule, I don't remember that kick much when I had that deer in my sights.

[Dahitman44]

Great info - -thanks

How about a recoil pad? can you get one? will it work?

[lawdog]

Are you talking about their first deer gun or their first gun at all? If its truely their first gun, you should be thinking about a .22 so they can learn to shoot and have fun without getting beaten up by recoil.

Introducing youngsters to guns with a kick from a high power rifle will not go a long way towards encouraging a life long love of shooting, or a smooth trigger pull without flinching, or any number of other things...

[tritonman]

I bought my son a 7mm-08 last year for deer hunting. It is very accurate from far beyond what he can shoot (although he was shooting 2" groups at 200 yards). Everything bigger kinda kicked his butt and took his confidence away. That 7mm-08 was perfect for him starting out.

[whos_on_first]

I'd have to agree...start small if possible and make sure they're comfortable. My cousins first time deer hunting was with a single shot 20 guage slug. The first time he shot it his front foot came off the ground and just about landed on his rear. He was so nervous after that he couldn't hit anything because he was thinking more about the recoil than aiming. Worst part is he hasn't been out deer hunting since.

[BobT]

Have your boys shot a high powered rifle yet? I say that because I would hate to introduce them to high-powered shooting by testing them out on a 30-06. It could impress them enough to develop a habit of flinching in anticipation of the recoil that would affect their ability to shoot other rifles as well. I'd try to work up to it.

[sdpikehntr]

I bougt a Winchester Modle 70 .243 wssm for my son, what I liked about it was that it was light enough for him to carry; this seemed to be the biggest thing for him. He only weighes 70 pounds and the smaller cal. seems to be easier for him to take the recoil and he can shoulder the rifle with out a problem because it is lighter.

He seems to be very comfortable with it and of course likes to run the rounds through it... At dads expense! But I would rather spend the $$$$ on rounds than a Wii game! Good Luck and make it a purchase with your son, you will have things to talk about for days together then.

[CRAZYEYES]

If he's never shot before I would let him learn to shoot with something smaller but I would still get the 30-06. He'll grow and you'll just be buying him another gun. When I was about 10 my dad bought me a 12 guage 870 pump even though I wanted the youth model in 20 guage cause I was a little scared of the kick but a couple years later I was glad he bought me what he did.

[gurkster]

I got my 8 year old daughter a Rossi 20ga and put a recoill pad on it. She shot squirrels with it last year. This year (age 9) she is going to try duck and upland birds. Maybe next year slugs for deer. Just a thought on a cheap all around gun for the boys, but I have no idea what your needs are.

I did buy my kids a cricket .22 and a Red Ryder BB gun before the 20ga so they could practice and get used to shooting without the recoil. A decent recoil pad did help out HUGE on the 20ga. The gun is nice and light, but nothing there to absurb that pop but the kids shoulder. She shoots it well with the pad.

My $.02.

[Getanet]

When I first started deer hunting my dad bought me a Marlin 30-30. 20 some years later I still hunt with that rifle, even though I've had many opportunities to upgrade.

It of course depends on what type of area you hunt. But for me, I prefer that it's short, light and very accurate. Knock down power or recoil has never been an issue either.

[remington 300]

i agree with crazyeyes, i bought my son a 30-06 for the same reason, i wanted to get him a .243 but HE wanted the -06 so i just got some of the managed recoil rounds for him to shoot until hes older, with the managed recoil bullets the recoil is equal to a .243 without a big lose of energy, he was able to finish a whole box of bullets on our first site in session without a problem,and the performance of these bullets is plenty powerful, last fall he shot a black bear with them,see avatar, one shot kill.

goodluck on your choice and include the boys in the search, theyll like it As much as you.

mike.

[Heartman]

Just remember light guns kick harder than heavy guns, all other things being equal(caliber, bullet weights, etc). They are all loud - range time with ear plugs AND ear muffs can go a long ways helping a young shooter become accustomed to a big rifle.

And the Remington Reduced Recoil ammo is good stuff that really works, but will probably not have enough pop to completely cycle a semi-auto rifle.

Tough to beat a Marlin XS7 in 243 for the younguns'.

[96trigger]

I'm just going to assume your kids have shot guns before hopefully a shotgun or two.

Buy the 30-06. It won't kick that much harder. Get them used to it. Shoot it at a range with earmuffs and sand bags. They will get used to it pretty fast.

Growing up, I never really had a caliber option, it's all shotgun down here. I used a 12 gauge to shoot deer when I was 12, never thought twice about it, but I was a good sized kid.

If its truly the kids first gun, I would still buy it, but probably wouldn't let them shoot it until they were ready.

[Archerysniper]

Tough to beat a 243 for a youth I still use my 6mm wich is almost the same gun. For a recoil pad look at the limb saver pads they can make them fit any gun I put one on my .300 win mag and had a gun smith put a muzzle break on it and now it kicks like a 243.

[nonteepical]

marlin 30-30

[Double D]

I am in the same boat as my oldest son can carry a gun this year.

I have a 308 I can have on permanent loan from my dad, but it's automatic and I don't want to start him out on that. And this is just my opinion, I have used a 30-30 lever and that open hammer can be a little tricky for a safety for a beginner. You can tear me up on that if you want.

We will probably bring dads 30-40 krag out of retirement for a couple years until he can grow and figure out what he wants to handle. We have plenty of 30-40 ammo anyhow.

Just my 2 cents for the day.

DD

[Ufatz]

Great idea!! The old 30-40 is totally adequate, modest recoil and handy to carry. I would not start a young shooter off with a semi-auto of ANY kind. Slide action rifles are much neglected but area a natural for the millions of shooters young and old who shoot pumpguns all fall at waterfowl and birds.

A .243, 308, 6mm or similar is all a person needs for most hunting in MN. Slapping a kid around with an '06 just does not make sense. Proceed carefully. Couple summers back I witnessed a couple guys with their kids and a .12 double gun. Couple rounds with that and you could see the kids backing away. I learned later that one of them hasn't gone out with dad or expressed any interest in shooting and hunting.

[swamptiger]

If it's the boys' first gun, buy them a BB gun or a pellet gun, along with strict instructions not to shoot at each other with it - not joking. Then later, pick up a .22, and accompany them to the range until you are comfortable with them handling and using the gun. Ten is way too young to be starting out with a 30-06, unless they have been handling guns for at least a couple of years already.

[GSP4EVER]

I second the limbsaver pads. I put one on my 270. Best $25 Ive spent.

[jkcmj]

Man, I have made mistakes buying guns so many times I can hardly fit anymore under the bed!

I bought my kids pellet guns, which they hardly ever used, even though I put bounties on the sparrows, starlings, pigeons, etc to encourage practice.

I went up to the 22 cricket, because it was cute and caught my eye. Shot that 1st day and nobody used it since. couldn't hit anything outside 20 feet. That one didn't take up much space under the bed atleast.

Bought my oldest a youth 20 gauge for hunting deer, and he has harvested a few with it. In 2008 he also killed a turkey and bear with it. He said it didn't kick at all, so I gave it a try on my turkey hunt and thought WOW! Smooth!

I have been kicking my own [PoorWordUsage] with my 12 gauge all my life, because everyone used them, and yeah, heat of the moment you don't even feel the kick. But man, if I could go back, I think I would have gone with a 20 gauge all this time. But after over 50 deer and 6 bear I will likely keep the old girl for the 2nd half of my hunting life as well.

I bought myself a browning 30-06 for hunting out in the Black Hills and sold it when I got back, call me a wus, but that thing would make me take up sewing or something if I had to hunt with it. I shot my brothers 7mm and it reminded me of the 20 gauge, so I would recommend that as well.

Of course you'd need a 22.250 for coyotes(.243 should do as well), and a 300 mag for water buffalo, 22 mag for one shot drops on them coons, and clear the old ladies shoes out from under the bed, cause you might need to try a few more calibers as life sneaks up on the kids!

[jkcmj]

After reading back a little the pellet gun one brought back memories. My dad bought us each a single pump pellet gun and gave us .25 a sparrow and $1 a pigeon we took out of the hay loft. He made us wear safety glasses so we wouldn't lose an eye. We had the single pumps so we wouldn't puncture the barn roof, but my older brother was "trusted" with the 10 pump in case he needed it for wood chucks or long shots on top the silo and such. I recall shooting straight up at the ceiling at a sparrows behind when the steel BB came straight back down and left a nickel size bruise above my eyebrow.

I also recall my brother chasing us around shooting at us with the 10 pump, toned down to 2 or 3 pumps. He once shot me in the leg and imbedded the BB right in the skin. He held me down and "extracted" it before allowing me to go howling to the house. That one left atleast a half dollar size bruise.

I would say a little reminder not to shoot one another would be good advice!

[Double D]

The one bad thing about the original post is he said he had twins, he is scewed twice buying guns.

For you guys recommending recoil pads, would they make the gun too long if you get a real thick one for a kid? Just asking.

DD

[Dahitman44]

Thanks guys! GREAT info.

Yes they are Twins - -2 of EVERYTHING!!!

I think everyone made good points ... not sure what to do ...

What do u think of the price? $500 for a browning 30.06 1974 -- 3 x 9 scope (no idea on brand)

Still not sure what gun 2 buy.

They are 65 pounds and 10 yo and can hunt with that free DNR deal.

[jkcmj]

Sounds like a decent buy. I sold by browning A-bolt for what I paid. $450. In fact I think I bought it off here? That was about 5 years or so ago. I even got a couple boxes of ammo with it!