Kids First Centerfire

[dave99]

Looking for some advice from the experienced folks on this forum. My two boys (7 and 8 years old) are growing quickly and are building on their marksmanship with lots of practice on the .22 LR Savage Rascal, the scoped 10/22 and even Biathlon training thru the local club.

My 8 year old is keen as mustard to start out on centerfire, and wants to be completely comfortable with it by the time he turns 12 and has his first big game tag in pocket. I realize he’s still a few years away, but it’s always fun to plan

I have a couple rifles chambered in 6.5cm, and one (a T3x Lite synthetic) is surplus to my needs but I bought a couple years ago with the kids in mind. I reload for the 6.5cm already and so will probably stick to this chambering for them. I will start with reloading some pretty light loads.

Would you suggest shortening the stock (I’ve seen some on YouTube videos of this) and having a smith shorten the barrel to 20 inches? I don’t mind hacking up a plastic Tikka stock as they are easy to replace.

Or would it be better to pick up a women-specific shorter LOP rifle from the outset?

How have you approached this with your kids?

[sns2]

I bought the kids a 7-08 and loaded reduced loads. The recoil was minimal. If you can grab a shorter stock for the Tikka in 6.5 Creed and you are in business. The biggest thing I have seen is stupid parents. Forgive my forthrightness. Parents make a big deal about recoil. Tell em it’s gonna feel like a shove cuz that’s what it is. Even take the gun an give em a push on the shoulder with it. Big deal. Every kid knows what a shove or push is. But I have seen fathers work their kids up so much they cry when the gun goes off.

Good luck. You sound like a good father.

[justsomeguy]

If the LOP is off they will struggle so I'd try shortening the stock, not sure if you can with the plastic ones. If recoil is an issue throw on a limb saver and instead of shortening the bbl I'd spend the money having a smith thread it for a brake.

Other option is as suggested get a youth / female specific model.

If they're going to be spending a lot of time at the range I'd also consider a 223 as reloading is cheaper than 6.5.

[freeride]

Take a look for a shorter tikka stock online for sale, I have seen quite a few in the past. Resale sucks on them because of it, so you will get it for cheaper then you cutting yours then replacing it for a full sized.

[elkhunter11]

I made up some loads using 4895, and 100gr bullets, for a friends T-3 in 6.5CM, and it is very comfortable for his young daughter to shoot.

[teledogs]

Hey Dave
I have a Tikka Laminate stock that may be easier to shorten. You can have it if you like. If the fit is good they won’t have an issue. My son shot the 223 for a while to get used to a louder rifle

[ScottFitter]

A lot of good choices, especially if you handload and can make reduced loads for them. 243, 6.5cm, 7-08, 25-06, etc. Smaller charge, lighter bullet.

As was mentioned above, proper fit will do far more than choosing a cartridge. Ig doesn't matter how light of a load, if they can't get behind it properly, they're going to develop flinch and potentially even grow to not like shooting because they are always sore,
A youth/ladies stock, one that can be modified, or one that can be adjusted via LOP spacers will be your best bet. If they can handle the extra bit of weight, something like the MDT XRS, KRG bravo, or an Oryx chassis would be good, and not horribly expensive.

With my sone, he was shooting full 12g hunting loads at 10. But we had to cut 2" out of the stock for that to be accomplished.

[3blade]

I’m gonna go the custom switch barrel/chassis route with my kids. Specs TBD. They grow too fast to be constantly modding a traditional stock for proper fit. Plus keeping the optics, grip and trigger the same will increase confidence.

I think start with 223, then upgrade to a 6.5 Grendel or 300blk when they’re ready to hunt at 12. If they get big enough, short action in 243 or 6.5.

Don’t go too short on the barrel, 20 in minimum. Muzzle blast can cause a flinch every bit as much as recoil.

You can definitely go too fast up the cartridge ladder. Can’t really go too slow. Keep that in mind.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by teledogs

Hey Dave
I have a Tikka Laminate stock that may be easier to shorten. You can have it if you like. If the fit is good they won’t have an issue. My son shot the 223 for a while to get used to a louder rifle

Stellar offer. The OP should definitely take you up on this.

[huntinstuff]

Yup. Make sure the stock fits him and go from there. I cut wood stocks in the past, piece by piece, and kept pieces to add later. A little effort goes a long way in ensuring the rifle fits for years to come.

[dave99]

Wow, that’s an amazing offer Carl. Will gladly take you up on it but also willing to pay as I’m sure you are correct in that laminate or wood will do much better than hollow plastic if I’m giving the stock a haircut. Will probably then fit it to a grind-to-fit butt pad.

Do you guys think a shortened stock with a 22 inch barrel would be awkward enough to warrant cutting the barre back?

Originally Posted by teledogs

Hey Dave
I have a Tikka Laminate stock that may be easier to shorten. You can have it if you like. If the fit is good they won’t have an issue. My son shot the 223 for a while to get used to a louder rifle

[vance]

See how the fit and handling are once the stock is the proper LOP? You may not need to shorten the barrel.

My son started at 11 with a Mauser 98 sporter in 6.5 swede. Short LOP stock that fit him well and a full length barrel 23 or 24". He did really well with that rifle. He was very, very small for an 11 year old. Shot his first deer running at 125yds from the offhand position. He's a better shot than his father.

Vance

[3blade]

Originally Posted by dave99

Wow, that’s an amazing offer Carl. Will gladly take you up on it but also willing to pay as I’m sure you are correct in that laminate or wood will do much better than hollow plastic if I’m giving the stock a haircut. Will probably then fit it to a grind-to-fit butt pad.

Do you guys think a shortened stock with a 22 inch barrel would be awkward enough to warrant cutting the barre back?

Laminate - not likely

Plastic - probably

I would have it finished and loaded, and see how it balances in the kids hands. You’ll know pretty quick. Also depends on your ideas around shot selection. If you want them to shoot unsupported, they need a well balanced rifle. If they are only shooting off a rest or bipod, it doesn’t matter too much. No wrong answers there, just gotta think about it.

[1973 Moose]

My father chopped off a beautiful over and under weatherby shotgun for my 12 year old son.I wished he had told me first. I would have bought him a model, which I did anyway. The over and under was too heavy for him. The point being once you cut it, there is no going back. Your kids will out grow the cut off stock, and it is hard to sell a gun with a shortened stock. I sold my sons 20ga youth model for 95% of new, after 3 years of use. Buy a youth model.

[dave99]

Thanks everyone for the advice and replies. I’m gonna take Carl (Teledogs) up on his amazing offer and modify his laminate stock by giving it a 1.5 inch haircut.

What’s even better is that once the kids grow bigger, I can simply go back to the new stock and pass on the good karma that Carl has passed on to me.

Now to find some 100gr cup and core bullets…

Will update this thread as the stock work is done and the kids start shooting.

[IL Bar]

Originally Posted by dave99

Looking for some advice from the experienced folks on this forum. My two boys (7 and 8 years old) are growing quickly and are building on their marksmanship with lots of practice on the .22 LR Savage Rascal, the scoped 10/22 and even Biathlon training thru the local club.

My 8 year old is keen as mustard to start out on centerfire, and wants to be completely comfortable with it by the time he turns 12 and has his first big game tag in pocket. I realize he’s still a few years away, but it’s always fun to plan

I have a couple rifles chambered in 6.5cm, and one (a T3x Lite synthetic) is surplus to my needs but I bought a couple years ago with the kids in mind. I reload for the 6.5cm already and so will probably stick to this chambering for them. I will start with reloading some pretty light loads.

Would you suggest shortening the stock (I’ve seen some on YouTube videos of this) and having a smith shorten the barrel to 20 inches? I don’t mind hacking up a plastic Tikka stock as they are easy to replace.

Or would it be better to pick up a women-specific shorter LOP rifle from the outset?

How have you approached this with your kids?

I bought a T3X compact in 22-250 for my son to step up from his 22. It has a 20” barrel and shorter LOP. He shoots it well but unfortunately they are only available right handed and he is a left handed shooter. I would suggest picking up one of these instead of modifying a rifle that will be perfect for them later. Would be easy to sell the compact later.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by dave99

Thanks everyone for the advice and replies. I’m gonna take Carl (Teledogs) up on his amazing offer and modify his laminate stock by giving it a 1.5 inch haircut.

What’s even better is that once the kids grow bigger, I can simply go back to the new stock and pass on the good karma that Carl has passed on to me.

Now to find some 100gr cup and core bullets…

Will update this thread as the stock work is done and the kids start shooting.

I bought the 100gr bullets from Prophet River, I believe they were eldm, and they shot sub moa at reduced velocity.

[sns2]

His right here is why I stay on AO. Good stuff happens all over the place when you stay outta the politics threads. I can just see those kids using a gun that fits them properly and a load that doesn’t frighten them.Just the best!

[waldedw]

Is the Boyd's AtOne stock fully adjustable and will grow with him, you will never need another stock on the gun and the great thing is click click and it fits you, I have one on my 223 whether I shoot it in a T shirt for gophers in the summer or with 4 layers on during winter coyote calling it always fit perfect with just the click of a button
Boyds AtOne.jpg

[eric2381]

We used 100gr partitions in a 6.5x55 and 100gr Barnes Ttsx in a 6.5 CM to start my kids off. They worked great on deer. I’ve switched both of them to 25-06s with 80gr Barnes Ttsx and they also work fantastic. If you’re gonna go to a light bullet and load it to full velocity, be sure to use a bullet tough enough for the impact.

[eric2381]

I didn’t have them shoot their deer rifles that much. I sighted them in how I wanted them. They shot them a half dozen times in field shooting positions. But most of the practice was with 22s and a 223 to get used to the extra noise and muzzle blast.

[Pathfinder76]

Weight for young kids is the number one issue. They need to be able to manipulate the rifle. That’s also a very expensive luxury to have. I bought both my sons used Kimber Montana’s. I was very fortunate to get them for less than $1200 each. Money well spent. If they want a change, those rifles have now doubled in value. Otherwise, they now have rifles for life. And then some. Don’t worry too much about shortening stocks. That’s almost like buying a 12 year old shoes that are to small. You will regret it shortly. My youngest is the smallest 14 year old on the planet and here he is shooting my rifle. LOP is zero problem.

Don’t get them into centre fire rifles too quickly either. No need. Let them melt the barrels off of their rimfire rifles. They will not be further ahead shooting the big rifles at 8 or even 12. Swap them over the summer before they hunt big game.