Help on youth gun

[not_nuf_time]

Looking to get my son a deer rifle for X-mas(is it legal to say christmas anymore), all I've used is a 30-06 that would be way to much for a youngster (12-14) any ideas? And are there any rifle/shot gun combos that aren't single shot. Don't want to spend to much cause I'm sure he'ld need a new one in a couple years then I'ld want to get him an upgrade. he already is really enthusiastic about hunting like to keep it that way with a cool present. Thanks for any input.

[iceman16]

when i was 12 and started deer hunting i used a 20 gauge youth with a slug barrel and then went with a scope. worked great for me and when i went to the 30-06 a couple years down the road the recoil wasnt that big of a step. but i bet there are plenty of better guns out there for a youngster.

iceman

[PerchJerker]

Something like a 7mm-08, .243, .308, 6mm, .257 Roberts, or .25-06 would be okay for deer, maybe not have too much recoil, and possibly be a gun that he'd keep and use for years -- maybe forever. Some guys might vote for a .30-.30 also although personally I am not a fan of that caliber or lever-action guns. If the gun fits him and is not super light the recoil will be deadened somewhat - a top shelf recoil pad would help a lot too. Good luck and have fun.

[lawdog]

I agree a good recoil pad will help a lot. Plus they also have the low recoil rounds now that you can get for women, kids and smaller guys. Given that, why not put him into a 30-06 and let him go.

If you still don't want to do that, I'd look to the .243.

[big drift]

an excellant lowprice starter I got for my daughter is the Stevens model 200 for around $279. Light weight excellant action tapped for scope internal magazine double safety for the bolt release three position safety selector double bedded synthetic stock. 3 shot groups at 100 yds all within 1.00" with a downloaded round. Only draw back i could find on it is the trigger is a little stiff dropping at 4.5 lbs.

Or look at the Mossberg ATR brand new this year. Remington model 7 has a good youth frame but is slightly heavier. A little higher up the price tag is the Ruger mk II m 77, a great gun but have try to fit if you that route. I spent alot of time trying to match the gun with my daughter and the stevens forthe price and cinstruction came out on top. it really is a great piece of work for the cost.

Single shots are to light in my opinion causing reflex and scattered patterns. Good luck and have fun shopping around.

[Mr Special]

I second the 20ga also. Those single shots are very light and hard to hold steady. Even at the range on sandbags it was hard to zero in. I had to used my sitevise to site in a scope for an in-law.

Mosseberg and Remington are offering great deals on Youth 20ga shotguns with bird and rifled slug barrel. Check GanderMountain, FleetFarm, or the new Cabaela's for sales.

Tell your youngster good luck for me

[almostthere!]

Get the boy something he would be proud to carry in the woods. Get him a Tikka 243. It is cheap but high quality rifle. The rifle will last him the rest of his life. When it comes to deer hunting, bigger is not better.

[catman71]

M77® Mark II Compact

Centerfire Bolt Action Rifle · KM77CRMKIIBBZ

check out the Ruger HSOforum, those compact rifles are great. i'm 6'4" and like my little gun!

[Hines R]

Are you hunting a rifle zone or are you hunting a slug zone. This would be very important in your selection.

By your original post I believe that your hunting a rifle zone. Lots of different rounds to choose from but a .243 is a great round for a kid to start shooting rifle with. Does the job on a deer, and is a flat shooting accurate round. This would probably be the easiest rifle to find used in good condition especially in a youth gun. I would call around and I'd bet you could find one used in good condition for him somewhere. Remember somebody else did this for a couple of years with their kid and then traded in for a different full sized rifle.

Decide whether you actually need to get a Youth model though. If you've got a big kid he might fit decently into a full size model of the right type and then be able to hold onto the gun for years.

The nice thing about the .243 is you could use it on varmints if you wanted to or had the opportunity and the ammo is easy to find just about anywhere and probably less expensive since it's generally more abundant.

Ryan

[FOOT]

Looks like most everyone agrees with the .243. I've got one in a Remington 700 and it has taken several deer. It was the first rifle (other then a .22) I purchased and as my kids got older I switched to a .270 and they used the .243.

Loaded correctly it works great for deer. In fact my son's first deer actually was tipped over sideways and never even kicked on the first shot. I thought it had been hit with a sledge hammer it went down so fast, a nice 7 pointer about 185 lbs dressed.

[Torquer]

I'm in the same boat as you not nuf. The way kids can grow once they hit 12, I'm reluctant to have him get a gun he could grow past in a year or two. I have been looking at the low recoil loads that Rem and Fed have. A possible solution would be to have him get a 30-06 with the low recoil loads until he's big enough to handle regular loads. I've seen lots of opinonated posts about these loads, but have seen nothing from anyone who's actually hunted with them. Savage has a nice rifle package. For about $350 you get a bolt action with 3x9 scope, sling, etc. The scope looks a little cheesy, but could be replaced later. The gun seems to get good reviews.

[catman71]

my dad has the Savage gun that comes in the package ready to go. I did change out the scope. I use it on occasion because it is very, very, light. it is a 30-06 and the recoil beats you like you beat a rental car. while it is a great gun, esp for the money, get the .243 for your kid becase that '06 delivers quite the pounding.

[not_nuf_time]

Thanks all for the great input, I really appreciate it. Leaning now to the .243. Can keep it coming.

[big drift]

One other thing on the stevens the barrels can be interchanged so buy one caliber and then as they get older you can switch it out for something bigger. ie. .25-06 to a .30-06 etc.

[almostthere!]

Now that you have settled on a caliber, you will need a rifle. You should go to your local sportinggoods store and sample all the rifles available. The ones with the smoothest trigger are Savage and Tikka (at the low price end) or Sako and Weatherby (at the high price end).

[CSTPETER]

I've got to plug both the 260. rem and the 7mm-08. In my opinion these are both just fantastic deer medicine. The advantage with the 7mm-08 would be a wider range of bullet weights available to the handloader. The recoil is extremely mild (243ish), and I beleive these calibers are both available in the rem model 7 which is just a sweetheart to shoot and carry. My big guns collect dust during deer season ever since I tried these rounds.

[not_nuf_time]

Sorry to keep saying great input but you're all really helping me and probably many others.

[Guest]

I started with a .44 ruger semi-auto rifle. I believe they started making them again. It was a very light gun. The recoil wasnt terrible. It was very accurate to 200 yards (1 1/2" drop from 100 yards to 200). It was a short rifle so it was easy to use in the brush. It never jammed as long as I wasnt using generic loads. Deer dont run far when hit with a 240 grain hollowpoint bullet... and they are inexpensive compared to many large caliber rifles of any make out there.. I think they are around $250.