First rifle
 

My son has just finished his hunters ed and that’s a great reason to get a new gun. I had bought him a 270 because that was my first gun but now I’m starting to think I might keep that one and buy him a brand new one.

What are peoples opinion on a caliber for a new young hunter for big game?

How big is the young man? Is he larger framed? 7mm-08 would be a great choice in a quality but well priced rifle like a tikka or weatherby vanguard.

He’s bigger for sure but a softey. Can you find shells for 7mm08 in smaller towns?

Don’t think you can go wrong with either 7-08, 243, or 6.5.

Some smaller towns have more than cities do nowadays.

Voted for .243.

What’s the difference between a 708 vs 270 I thought they were almost the same.

Shorter case, based off the .308, efficient little cartridge, pushes a 7mm bullet at good velocities that make it an excellent hunting round to 300-400yards. Less recoil than a .270, similar performance to moderate distances, .270 beats it at range for sure.

What calibers has your son shot comfortably is probably the biggest factor

My wife shoots a 7mm08 and it’s a great caliber but ammo is tougher to find right now. Availability of ammo is the only downside right now

308 is probably the easiest ammo to find right now and lots of variety. It will definitely get the job done

No personal experience with 243

270 is another well tested caliber and how I started ammo is somewhat available right now.

6.5 well no good father would let their son shoot a 6.5 and is a much better caliber for a daughter lol

It really depends on what your son is comfortable with in my opinion. If he is comfortable with a 308 I would go that route because it will get the job done and there is ammo available everywhere I have looked. And I look for ammo everywhere I go lol

He’s only shot 223. I don’t think he will be able to tell the difference as a new shooter they are all going to be a big bang.

My opinion if you or any friends/family own any of the calibers you’re interested in get him to try them out before buying one

At 10 I would shoot my dads 7mm mag no problem but I have seen other teens where a 270 was not comfortable for them. Everyone is different so it’s hard to say what is the right caliber choice unless they have tried them out. The only thing I have seen that is consistent is if the kid is comfortable with the rifle/caliber they become more accurate

This is my thoughts but I also don’t know your boy and you will have a better gauge on what he is comfortable with than anyone who has never met him

My 9 year old boy has a Ruger American compact 7mm 08. It fits him like a glove, and is very accurate. I have had no problems finding ammunition for it.

Also started my boys with a 7mm-08. I fell in love with the cartridge and gun. I'm a big bad magnum guy but that superlite, light recoiling little guy killed several moose,deer and an elk just as impressive than any magnum I've seen.

Your poll has too many cartridges missing.

7-08
6.5x55
260 REM
30/30
300 Savage
250 Savage
257 Robert’s
7x57


You don’t mention if you reload either.

The key to consider is this will be your sons rifle, not yours, so what ever you do make sure it fits him, none of this “he will grow into it” BS. That might mean re stocking the rifle or selling it off for the next graduation in size at some point as well.

I’m an advocate of the medium sized 6.5’s and 7’s personally, and try to steer clear of muzzle brakes and even plain 20” barrels if you can.

Out of your poll, 243.

Not listed on the poll would be a 7-08.

Your fine with the 270 if he already has one. It's very close to the 708.

Maybe it won’t b a factor in a couple years but one thing I have noticed currently is that some of the stores I’ve been into recently have had a good selection and quantity of 308 ammo, more so than many other cartridges. Maybe not a deciding factor but something to keep in mind

One other thing to add, depending on the size of your son the 243 May b the best choice. What’s low recoiling to an adult May feel a lot different to a small framed 12 yr old

A friend started his daughter on a 6.5CM, with reduced loads, the recoil is less than factory 243win, and he can just step up the loads as she can handle more recoil.

This is why we need 22 cal centre fire for deer in Alberta.

308 is a good all around choice especially if you reload, its availible almost every where in every little co-op and hardware store, would've been my first choice except it was a little overkill for woodchucks in the hay fields and pastures where I lived then.

In our local Canadian Tire Store we have a far bigger selection of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo than even 308!
Cat

Oh, he will be able to tell the difference.

Do you hand load?

I believe it, that’s another one that most stores have a good selection of

Stock design and technique has a lot to do with felt recoil. Took a lot of years for the guys on here to convince me after a bad experience with a husky 3006 as a teen.

That all being said, bullet weight matters. 80gr 243 vs 140gr 6.5 or 130gr 270 will be a big step up, even in a well fitting rifle, if he’s sensitive.

243 in a rifle that fits, will allow him to kill deer to 300 and coyotes/pests a lot farther. Have him do most of his shooting with a 22lr set up to the same dimensions as his 243. Buy a gun that has stock length and cheek adjustments. If there ever was a purpose for those chassis rifles, a fast growing teen is it.

You can always buy more guns as the boy and the game get bigger, but it’s real hard to unlearn a flinch

1000% agree and would help me sell a build to the wife if it was good for more than just coyotes.

My vote would be 7-08 or 6.5 creed. Leaning more towards 6.5 because of ammo availability. Don't let some peoples hate of the 6.5 sway you. granted the hate towards some people that shoot 6.5s may be warranted but the cartridge itself has done no wrong within reason.

X2 on this. I voted .270 Win....

I was already set up for reloading .270 Win as my wife shoots one.

When my daughter decided she wanted to deer hunt I found some .270 Hornady light recoil ammo which had similar recoil to a .243 for her to use in my wife's rifle. She shot them well and has been using them for deer the last couple seasons with no issues.

I purchased a 2nd .270 for my son to use when he was old enough to deer hunt as well using the Hornady light recoil ammo again. His had the spacers for adjusting the LOP which definitely improved his shooting. He had no issues shooting it and stepped up to full loads this past fall and is also shooting them well.

I went with the larger .270 with the reduced recoil loads so they can step up to moose/elk/bear later on with full loads and not have to switch rifles. I also would have considered the 7mm-08/308/30-06 if I wasn't already set up for the .270.

I would do it the same again, especially now with ammo/components harder to find if you have to step up to a larger gun later on......

My two cents. :)

7mm08
That could be the one caliber your son shoots forever. Very capable. And it won't beat the crap out of him. I'm sure someone would have some ammo. I found the remington core lokt to be very accurate so you're not going to waste a lot sighting it in.

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7-08 / 6.5x55 if you reload and are looking to minimize recoil without giving up too much killing power.

.308 / .270 for ammo availability and price

I just cant understand 6.5 creedmore - once I shot it and someone called it "need more" you could see where there was a lot of hype for something that really didnt give you much in return...

Bought my son a Blr 243 to use starting out. Now i'm finding myself using it:thinking-006: Full circle rifle

If you're reloading, how about 6mm creed? Capable with heavier bullets than .243 win and faster and flatter shooting than .243 or 6.5 creed.

As for 6.5CM it's a fine cartridge, might have been hyped up at one point, which seems to drive the hate on it, but who cares? There is no end all be all cartridge. And take it for what it is, 6.5CM is capable, mild to shoot, has good ammo availability, and it kills game...

Have fun shooting with your son!