Youth rifle?

rmauch20 · Dec 2, 2017

I plan on picking up a rifle for my son, he will be 10 next year. He also shoots left handed so that limits the choices a bit. Trying to decide on caliber. The front runner as of now is the .243 with 25.06 and 6.5 Creedmoor as options as well. I don’t have any experience with the 25.06 or the 6.5, so I was wondering how the recoil compares to the .243.

Thoughts, concerns, or recommendations on the rifle options and caliber choices are welcome.

Doublecluck · Dec 2, 2017

A medium weight 7-08 can be handled by most kids and will kill anything in North America.

Elite7 · Dec 2, 2017

My old man bought me a model 7 243 (youth) gun when I started. My favorite gun though is a 25-06 browning x bolt. It isn't a youth gun and heavier. It kicks less than my 243 because of the weight and built in recoil pad. We fight over who gets to hunt with it.

That said my plan now is to buy the micro Midas x bolt in 7mm 08. It's a youth/ women's model and weighs less. This is going to be my "wife's gun" that I plan to use for my western adventures!

VikingsGuy · Dec 2, 2017

My 2 cents - while I love my 25-06 there is significantly more muzzle blast than the other cartridges you mentioned. A starting shooter is better served with a .243. After he masters that, you can get him a .270 or .308 and the pair will bag him everything from ground hogs to elk quite nicely

fishing4sanity · Dec 2, 2017

Elite7 said:
This is going to be my "wife's gun" that I plan to use for my western adventures!

Hey, I resemble that statement. I think my wife saw right through that the first time I tried it, but there have been many a fishing rod and gun that followed under the same guise. To the OP's question, I'd go with either the 243 or 6.5 Creedmoor. The 243 might be the best for now, then later follow the plan that Elite7 and I share, buying 'your son' another rifle later.

VAspeedgoat · Dec 3, 2017

I prefer a 7-08 or a even a .308 with Harnady managed recoil loads. I also like guns I can either buy a youth stock for or get an adult stock for later. I think Howa used to sell a kit with both stocks but im not sure about left handed. Also, you can always have a wooden stock shortened for $100. Just some options to consider. If you want to go a cheaper rout, a handi rifle is ambidextrous and can be had pretty cheap with a youth stock as well.

Truthfully at ten, a full sized gun and full power 7-08 loads are probably the way to go unless they really mind recoil. But id do managed recoil to practice and switch out with full power to hunt.

Addicting · Dec 3, 2017

I hunted with both a 243 and a 25/06. I loved the 25/06 but on deer the 243 always did better. My 25/06 with Remington core locks tended to pass straight thru and leave a small exit which made tracking hard. The 243 with the same bullet type left a half dollar exit hole and they were DRT most of the time. I have the 6.5 now and it has factory offering up to 143g. Hornady makes a good round with the 143 Grain ELD-X.

As far as recoil I would rate them least to most: 243, 6.5, 25/06.

Katfishcharlie · Dec 3, 2017

I debated between the 243 and 7mm-08 when choosing for my son when he was that age. He was small for his age and I worried that the 7mm-08 might be too much for him. I have a lot of experience with the 25-06 and its soft on the shoulder, but muzzle blast can be a bit harsh for a new shooter. I chose for him a Howa package with both a youth and an adult stock in 243. I'm glad I did. I won't say that the 243 is perfect. And I was careful with his shot selection. But he took to that mild rifle like a duck to water. And the Howa is a great rifle. Unfortunately they don't come in lefty. I wouldn't change a thing in the selection I made for him. And in hindsight I think that the 7mm-08 might have been too much for him. We didn't have the 6.5 Creedmoor back then, so that might be a good choice today.

NCSU_Lewis · Dec 3, 2017

I started out with a savage .243 and killed quite a few deer with it. It still has the same stock, but I imagine you could get a longer stock eventually. It was a fun shooter. No experience with the other light calibers so i can't compare my experience to them.

rmauch20 · Dec 3, 2017

I hadn’t thought of the 7mm-08, I’ll look into that one.
He’s is right-handed but left eye dominant, as of right now. He has a bolt action savage 22 that he really likes and when shooting up a bipod or bag I think I can run a left-handed bolt gun faster than I can run a right-handed bolt gun. To me I have no problem switching back-and-forth between or right-handed or left-handed bolt action but I plan on sticking with a left handed action just for consistency with him at this point.

Brian in Montana · Dec 3, 2017

I think it's pretty hard to bet a good .243 for a beginner, or a small-framed shooter. Or really anybody. I'd be reluctant to shoot it at an elk, but with the right ammo it'll handle any deer-sized or small game out there. And you can shoot them a long way, it's a pleasure to ring steel with as well.

As far as being a lefty, I know Tikka makes a full compliment of southpaws. My wife is right-handed and left-eye dominant; she shoots left-handed and she has a Remington 700 SPS in a .270 that is an absolute tack driver. If you're not really wanting to spend a pile of $, though, we've had a couple of left-handed Savage Axis rifles that were very accurate for the price. There are things I dislike about the Savage starter rifles (mostly just my own preference stuff), but they sure seem to let you hit what you're shooting at.

Also, considering he difficulties my wife has had with her cross-eye-dominance issue, I think you're doing the right thing by just keeping him on a lefty. A person's brain naturally just wants to aim with the dominant eye, it's the way we're wired.

VAspeedgoat · Dec 3, 2017

As an adendum, I agree with Brian its definitely the correct thing to do. I messed that up with my wife and its not worth it.

Also managed recoil loads are meant to be at .243 felt recoil with similar energies. I don't like remingtons because the corlokt bullets don't expand and slower velocities. Go with hornady and an sst.

SFC B · Dec 3, 2017

Here is the Hunting Princess' rig (as soon before on Hunttalk

) Howa 1500 SA in 7-08 on a Boyd's stock with Vortex optics. She is shooting the Hornady Custom Lites and has zero issues with the recoil. She is 13 and about 5'4"

Gunner46 · Dec 3, 2017

I'll jump in on the 7/08 band wagon as well (no great surprise to anyone). As Quack, Speed Goat and SFC stated it's easy to tame, even with factory ammo, but makes a mucho bigger hole going in and going out. A 120 gr reduced load is more than enough for a newbie hunter/any hunter at practical ranges.

(and Hunting Princess has a sweet rig. Wish mine were that nice)

Recurve62 · Dec 3, 2017

I may have mentioned my regard in previous posts for the .257 Roberts, but if you could find it in a lefty, your kid would be set with a pretty sweet and extremely capable firearm.

twodot · Dec 3, 2017

rmauch, if I were to be so blessed as to have a chance to pick a dedicated "kids rifle" again, I would consider things a bit different than I first did. That said, I would consider a few key things. Mainly, is this going to be mostly a deer rifle, or a deer and elk rig? If it was going to be pretty much a deer rig with the possibly occasional elk trip, it would be .243 all the way. If I lived in elk country, and that was a main part of the guns use I would consider a 6.5x55 or even a 6.5 Creedmore. They will both do great service in the field with about a 50% minimum reduction from 7mm-08 or 308 loads. Calculate your bullet weight, velocity, powder weight for loads in 7mm08 and 308 and you will find they are basically identical with same weight bullets.
My eldest son (now 21) has a 7mm08 Rem Mountain rifle that we all love, except it is a kicking little s.o.b. I will never figure how 7mm08 got the reputation of a good child/small ladies gun. It is a .308 case slightly necked down and longer necked, shoots almost the same amount of powder per bullet weight and has virtually the same recoil ? I would get him a rifle that was fun to shoot rather than something that took getting up his nerve every time he bulled the trigger.
All that said, if you are a gun crank who is into re-loading, it won't really matter, just brew him up some nice light loads and wait for him to grow.

rmauch20 · Dec 3, 2017

This will be used for Kansas Whitetail and the occasional mule deer. As he gets older if he wants to pursue elk with me we’ll just have to get him another rifle.
If I remember correctly I think .243 is the minimum for antelope in Wyoming, and antelope tags in Kansas are just about once-in-a-lifetime.
I currently don’t reload so I don’t want to get in to a round thats too exotic.

twodot · Dec 3, 2017

rmauch, if deer and speed goats are the main game on the menu, I would go .243 and never look back. There is a good reason it has been such a popular caliber for so long, it makes hitting things easy on the shooter. It will have power aplenty and he will not be fearing scope cuts like all of his other light bodyweight peers will be sporting during those first few years as a shooter. Ask me how I know. My youngest is as rough and strong as they come, and yet he still prefers his 20 gauges, and light kicking rifles as a very robust young adult. He hits better with them. I blame myself for that because I got them shooting big boomers too young.

Doublecluck · Dec 3, 2017

The biggest factor is weight. it's unlikely that a 7lb rem 700 youth in 7-08 kicks more than a 5 lb kimber hunter in .243. My kids have all started with a 7-08. With steel rings and bases and a vortex 4-12-50 and a full size bipod it weighs over 9 pounds. None of them have ever been scoped, vortex has a great eye relief. My uncles daughter scoped herself this year with a .243 package deal shooting over a tree branch. After not hunting for 3 days my daughter convinced her to try shooting her 11 lb heavy barreled 7 mm rem mag. She ended up taking her first elk the next day from a prone pisition with that gun.

twodot · Dec 3, 2017

I totally agree, weight means everything. I thought we were comparing youth rifles in different calibers. If you want to weigh them down, you can tame any hard kicker.

Youth rifle?

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