youth deer rifle?

[bunnyhunter]

What would people advise for a first time deer hunter that will be 12 next Sept? a youth model .243? Im thinking of getting him one for Christmas plus a family range membership for Camrose....
Jen

[north american hunter]

Savage axis is a great starter gun for a youth. And it comes in .243

[jungleboy]

30 30 or 7mm08 good 243.. meh

[north american hunter]

.243 is a great round, I would go with a 7mm-08 awesome round , I personally own a 7mm-08

[bunnyhunter]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

30 30 or 7mm08 good 243.. meh

My own experience with rifles are only the 30-06, and I know thats too heavy and has a kick too hard for my son, ditto my shotgun with deer barrel and slug.

Is there any difference in the recoil with these calibers you mention? other pros and cons?
thanks!

[Unregistered user]

My 10 year and 8 year olds want to take their first deer with my "Cowboy gun", a pre 64 Winchester 94. I have a variety of guns new and old capable of the job but they think the lever is the coolest.

[Flight01]

I'd say go with the 7-08. Savage axis or browning micro. You can start him on light loads. 7-08 in fusion lite I believe. Then step up to the factory ammo choices out there and he is able to use that gun for years to come on even moose and elk.

[bunnyhunter]

Originally Posted by Flight01

I'd say go with the 7-08. Savage axis or browning micro. You can start him on light loads. 7-08 in fusion lite I believe. Then step up to the factory ammo choices out there and he is able to use that gun for years to come on even moose and elk.

Sounds good-My dad bought me a shotgun for Christmas when I was 16-Still use it today and I never forgot that Christmas!

[Boogerfart]

I have thirteen and fourteen year old boys, I initially bought two Savage Axis' in 7mm-08 but the recoil was a hard on the younger boy who is a little small for his age so I traded it in and got one in .243- he LOVES that rifle! I think too many people give the .243 a bad rap, the ammo is way cheaper and easier to find than the 7mm-08, it has less recoil, very flat trajectory, and it is perfectly suited to deer hunting. The 7mm-08 may be good for a wider range of game but at this point he just needs a cheap, reliable, user freindly rifle to shoot a deer so you can find out if he even likes hunting. The .243 has remained popular ever since it's introduction simply because it's easy on the shooter and many of us only shoot deer anyway. I'd never had one before I bought one for the boy but I quickly decided that it's a great little rifle, I may even buy another for myself...
If money allows the Rifle Basix trigger is the single best improvement for small fingers, then in a year or two buy a better scope. If your ever in the area send me a pm and you can come take a few shots at the range.
Good luck!

[bunnyhunter]

Thats important to know about the recoil, plus I already have a 30-06.
and if he turns out to not like hunting big game, I wouldn't mind having a lighter riffle for deer, and keep my heavy 30-06 for moose etc.

Originally Posted by Boogerfart

I have thirteen and fourteen year old boys, I initially bought two Savage Axis' in 7mm-08 but the recoil was a hard on the younger boy who is a little small for his age so I traded it in and got one in .243- he LOVES that rifle! I think too many people give the .243 a bad rap, the ammo is way cheaper and easier to find than the 7mm-08, it has less recoil, very flat trajectory, and it is perfectly suited to deer hunting. The 7mm-08 may be good for a wider range of game but at this point he just needs a cheap, reliable, user freindly rifle to shoot a deer so you can find out if he even likes hunting. The .243 has remained popular ever since it's introduction simply because it's easy on the shooter and many of us only shoot deer anyway. I'd never had one before I bought one for the boy but I quickly decided that it's a great little rifle, I may even buy another for myself...
If money allows the Rifle Basix trigger is the single best improvement for small fingers, then in a year or two buy a better scope. If your ever in the area send me a pm and you can come take a few shots at the range.
Good luck!

[Lemonz]

Originally Posted by bunnyhunter

My own experience with rifles are only the 30-06, and I know thats too heavy and has a kick too hard for my son, ditto my shotgun with deer barrel and slug.

Is there any difference in the recoil with these calibers you mention? other pros and cons?
thanks!

The 7mm 08 has low-medium recoil (less than .270 & .308) and has plenty of power to kill any North American big game.

30-30 is a short range caliber - good out to 150-200 yards.

.243 is a good deer gun with low recoil, HOWEVER I would not recommend a novice shooter to use this gun for deer as shot placement is very important and is suited to more proficient shooters.

Overall the 7mm 08 would be the best of the 3. 7mm 08 can be loaded with lighter bullets for range shooting (which I recommend he does lots of supervised by a experienced shooter) and then when he's competent, upsize to deer loads for the season.

Best of luck

Lemonz

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Lemonz

The 7mm 08 has low-medium recoil (less than .270 & .308) and has plenty of power to kill any North American big game.

30-30 is a short range caliber - good out to 150-200 yards.

.243 is a good deer gun with low recoil, HOWEVER I would not recommend a novice shooter to use this gun for deer as shot placement is very important and is suited to more proficient shooters.

Overall the 7mm 08 would be the best of the 3. 7mm 08 can be loaded with lighter bullets for range shooting (which I recommend he does lots of supervised by a experienced shooter) and then when he's competent, upsize to deer loads for the season.

Best of luck

Lemonz

What he said

[west250]

I'm shooting both .243 and 7mm-08. The .243 has the lightest kick using 100 grain partitions out of a TC Icon. The 7mm-08 is loaded for accuracy with the Accubonds using 38 gr. of Varget and also a very mild punch out of a Sako 85. Both rifles have some weight to them which reduces the felt recoil.
All that being said - if you feel he could handle reduced loads in the 7mm, that would be your best bet. If he's sensitive right now go for the .243, but knowing that he'll most likely be into the 7mm in a couple of years...

Whatever you do don't buy some super light model, that will just increase the felt recoil!

P.S., there's the 7x57 too...

[Boogerfart]

And don't forget the 6.5X55...
As recently mentioned range time is a must!! No matter what you buy it will ruin the first hunt if he hits a deer in the butt.
I have a membership at the CHAS range and take all my kids and sometimes their friends there as often as possible, practice makes perfect. Spending time hunting cans with a .22 is great practice, fun, and a lot cheaper than centerfire. My kids have gotten a little too good at blowing off $60 worth of ammo in no time but it's fun to see them improving, trying shorter ranges with the .22 then hitting the longer ranges with a centerfire saves money and builds skill. I personally would be happy to have a excuse to take the kids out shooting. If you don't have a place to shoot, even buying a BB gun to teach fundamentals helps a lot. Don't use deer as a first target with any rifle, it will ruin the experience for everyone. I'm pretty sure I could part with a cheap .22 if you don't already have one, they are a excellent learning tool for beginners. I don't mean to state the obvious but no one wants to learn the hard way, a bad shot is a bad shot no matter what the round of choice is...

[foxhunter540]

25-06 is a great starter gun as well and the the old 6.5x55 you can't go wrong with either...stay away from light guns like the axis's try wood stocks they tame the recoil way better...my son is 12 as well i set up a marlin xl7 in 25-06 put a sims recoil on it and that kid can shoot it all day long with no issuse good luck and enjoy the memory's

[Jamie]

Willy has a Remington 7-08. What I liked about that model was the adjustable stock. As well,it shoots like a dream. Willy hammered his Antelope at 283 yards.
Nice gun and will work for the future as he grows.

As for Ammo, I just bought 6 boxes.

Jamie

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

My 2 nephews both have the Savage Youth in 243....works great for them.

The oldest can move on now (17) as he is quite tall...he has been shooting one of my Tikka T3 LS 270WSM a few times and can handle it no problem.

His younger brother has the "Brush camo Edition" that came with a Primos predator electronic caller for like $600 if I remember correctly last year for XMAS.

I seen a Youth Remington SPS 243 for sale on the Buy Sell here on AO.

[coyotekiller]

Originally Posted by foxhunter540

25-06 is a great starter gun as well and the the old 6.5x55 you can't go wrong with either...stay away from light guns like the axis's try wood stocks they tame the recoil way better...my son is 12 as well i set up a marlin xl7 in 25-06 put a sims recoil on it and that kid can shoot it all day long with no issuse good luck and enjoy the memory's

x2

[Hunter1602]

.243 is a great caliber same as the 25-06.

[FallAirFever]

If I was in your place I would be looking at getting a 7MM-08 in what ever rifle fits your son the best. The Remingtons with the diffrent stock inserts look like a great option. Start out with some reduced ammo to let him get comfortable before going with a hunting load, or better yet reload for him!!
I think in a new shooter hands a 243 is not ideal, a little to small. I would be reluctant to go with a 25-06, with that much case capacity it could kick pretty strong. The 6.5 swede (6.5x55) deserves a look as well but personally I have no idea how hard it would be to find a youth rifle chambered in one or how available ammo is.

My 12 year old shoots my 270 Win with reduced loads that I reload for him. It has a cut down stock with recoil pad on it, a good recoil pad is a huge help. Dont forget good ear protection as well, part of people flinching is due to reacting to the loud boom!

A couple guys have already mentioned it but getting him a 22 set up similar to his hunting rifle would be a great idea. Cheap to shoot, he can work on good trigger control and shooting habits without a big boom. Plus you might be able to find a farmer close by that would let you take your boy to target practice and maybe shoot gophers (so much fun!!)

Good luck with your search, lucky boy!

[Lemonz]

As was stated well above, don't start your shooting career by plinking at deer. A bad experience can be very damaging for the child and the sport.

The first deer I saw shot was by a lazy hunter who just took an off hand shot at a running deer heading directly away from him with awful results, obviously. The deer was crippled and in a lot of pain. When we got to the deer he shot a second time from a few feet away and he missed! I ended up putting the animal down for him. Lots of the meat was wasted and it was just awful to deal with. That experience almost ended my deer hunting then and there.

My point being if the child can't handle the size and kick of an adequate rifle and doesn't have the basic gun skills just yet then maybe buy a .22 to practice and wait a few years before hunting big game. He can always join the hunt without being a shooter. Sorry if that's not a popular view.

Lemonz

[jr.fish]

7-08 gives you more choices on game and would be suitable for almost anything in North American. I picked up a youth Package mod 11 savage with an accutrigger last year for my mother in 7-08 and she seems to like it. Fits her quite well (she's 5' 2) and has reasonable recoil for a smaller person plus it was very affordable at just $550 at cabelas. In my eyes it's a big improvement over her .243 and makes me a lot more comfortable when we're chasing elk in the fall or deer at longer distances.

I agree with lemonz tho. Practice practice practice, you don't want him wounding an animal or destroying it with poorly placed shots. That and teaching him good ethics would be most important.

[TUFFBUFF]

700 sps youth in 7-08 with some kind of mid grade 4-12 scope with holdover dots and have fun.
A model 7 or 700 mtn in .260 would be my top pick though.

[OldBadger]

Take a look; their prices beat the heck out of buying new.
I am a strong advocate of the 6.5X55 for all round use if you are at all recoil sensitive.

I love 308's, and own lots of Magnums, but since my stroke three years ago, I have found the Swede more than adequate!

[James 1]

Originally Posted by Flight01

I'd say go with the 7-08. Savage axis or browning micro. You can start him on light loads. 7-08 in fusion lite I believe. Then step up to the factory ammo choices out there and he is able to use that gun for years to come on even moose and elk.

x2 on the 7-08 lite loads. Started my son with a .270 using the Remington lite load ammunition, great way to start so he didn't develop a flinch and very little recoil. Now he can still use that gun for bigger game.

[Mayhem42]

I started with a shortened 788 in 243 carbine length, 7 mm-08 in this would be sweet too. Light, low recoil....my son has a 243 wssm hs, LH with a 12 1/4 lop from factory....also good but depends on budget.

[bunnyhunter]

Absolutely-I was going to at least get us a family membership for Christmas-Maybe the .22 is a good start-but I dont know anyone with land for shooting gophers etc on. also need one with a scope.
Im certainly not going to take him deer hunting unless hes a good shot and understands placement. He'll also be taking the Hunter Certification course this spring. Good refresher for me too.

Sounds also like it would be better to take him to a good gun shop and see how they fit him-rather than buying one on a whim.

Originally Posted by Boogerfart

And don't forget the 6.5X55...
As recently mentioned range time is a must!! No matter what you buy it will ruin the first hunt if he hits a deer in the butt.
I have a membership at the CHAS range and take all my kids and sometimes their friends there as often as possible, practice makes perfect. Spending time hunting cans with a .22 is great practice, fun, and a lot cheaper than centerfire. My kids have gotten a little too good at blowing off $60 worth of ammo in no time but it's fun to see them improving, trying shorter ranges with the .22 then hitting the longer ranges with a centerfire saves money and builds skill. I personally would be happy to have a excuse to take the kids out shooting. If you don't have a place to shoot, even buying a BB gun to teach fundamentals helps a lot. Don't use deer as a first target with any rifle, it will ruin the experience for everyone. I'm pretty sure I could part with a cheap .22 if you don't already have one, they are a excellent learning tool for beginners. I don't mean to state the obvious but no one wants to learn the hard way, a bad shot is a bad shot no matter what the round of choice is...