best childs rifle

[dougie_ boy]

what do you think is the best childs rifle? what wold be suffiecient for most big game but still not much recoil

[wbyfireman]

What are you calling "Big Game" ? If you mean Elk and Moose and Deer I would say a 270.

[Scott N]

How old is the young one? The 243 seems to be what a lot of new hunters start with, but it's probably too small if you plan on adding moose and elk to your menu.

7mm/08, 257 Roberts, 25-06, 260 Rem., 6.5X55 are a few that I would add to wbyfireman's suggestion

[Rackmastr]

I vote the 7-08 for an all-around gun that will handle any big game in Alberta....with minimal recoil...

[honda450]

I did alot of brainstorming on this one when I was buying a rifle for my then 13 year old son. First I was goin get a 243 youth model. Then looking at all the options I settled on a 7-08. As for the youth model I do not regret getting one he grew faster than a bean stock, from 13-16 they sprout on this Alberta air. But he will have that 7-08 for a long time unless I of coursre reposses it.

[lynx]

I started my son at 12 with a 270 and he had no problems at all.

[honda450]

I started with my grandfathers P17 iron sights. Still have her.

[Tundra Monkey]

I've seen a few of these threads and I've never seen the 257wby mentioned. Relatively inexpensive in the entry models and I'm amazed at how little mine kicks....In my opinion it would not be a bad choice for a young shooter. Might get him hooked on speed though

tm

[gunslinger]

granpa gave me his 300 savage when i was a 14 year old kid and hunted with it itll i was 26 years old, killed eveyrhign with that gun and that is waht my son will start off with.
hes gonna be 12

[pogo]

Good question. I can't speak from experience on this. My teenager went from .22 to .410 to .303 to .30-06 in terms of adjusting to recoil.

What about a .30-06 and use the Remington Managed Recoil ammunition. I think the foot-pounds are down around 1800 as I recall, but you can look up the reported numbers on the Remington website.

Make it fun!

[Dick284]

NEF youth in 7-08

[pogo]

Also (and this is what I did for my son), you can take your rifle to a gunsmith to have it custom fitted for him. The stock can be adjusted for his length of pull (with maybe a little room to grow). A good quality recoil pad can be added. Depending on the rifle, a suitable adjustment can be made to the trigger. The gunsmith can also recommend a suitable scope and mount for his/her eye relief and eye height. Lastly, the stock can have mercury filled tube called a recoil reducer inserted in it.

These things should soften the blow, so to speak, and allow for a smooth transition to regular .30-06 ammo. The greatest drawback to this, obviously, is your child will eventually outgrow the rifle. But if you have another shooter coming along behind...

Make it lots of fun!

[nekred]

Start him off right!.... Try a Mathews Mustang, Diamond Cutter, etc.....

Very little recoil, very quiet and burns no powder!...

[aulrich]

I have bet on the nef in 7-08 as well, we have not shot it yet.

Dick284 how is the recoil in that gun with standard loads, or are you starting with reduced loads.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by aulrich

I have bet on the nef in 7-08 as well, we have not shot it yet.

Dick284 how is the recoil in that gun with standard loads, or are you starting with reduced loads.

That rifle of my kids has a mighty beefy barrel, so it is'nt exactly a fly weight.
I've put a few stouter reloads througgh it just to see, and the recoil is'nt all that bad(my perspective)
I'm currently letting the kids shoot 120's reloaded to about 2600fps. My Daughter was 10 when she first shot it, thought if was kinda wierd all that noise and no recoil.
She turned 12 in December, and I've been slowly raising the powder charge on her, she's adapting just fine, and by next fall a 2800ish 120 or 130 loading will let her fill a deer tag or two.

[Outt and Aboutt]

Based on a lot of good advice on this board, I just got my son a Remington SPS 270 Youth model with Remington managed recoil ammo. It will be his when he turns 12 in a year. I was considering the 243, but he'll want to come out moose hunting soon enough, sooner than I want to start looking for another rifle. With the managed recoil ammo they can shoot comfortably with a gun that will be capable of taking everything except grizzly when they are ready for full loads and heavier bullets. I almost got a 7mm-08 based on the high praise it receives on this board, but found the 270 had a lot more choices of ammo for those of us that don't handload. Not that 7mm-08 is really hard to find, but you can get 270 at any corner store.

I'm no gun expert, this is just my decision based on advice from people that know better.
D

[Brady]

Originally Posted by Dick284

NEF youth in 7-08

That is what have been thinking about for my kids. Will work for both being that it is a single, and one of them is a lefty.

[nube]

7mm08 is what I am planning for y kid in a few years

[Nait Hadya]

Crossman 781, .177

[roger]

i'll change the thot process a little...
i say anything that can shoot a bullet in the 75 to 140 gr range and as fast as the round of choice will allow.
with the operative being fast and flat,
flat trajectory means more popped balloons and blowed up fruit
when your 12,... understanding gravity and its effects on a bullet flight isnt near as important as vapourizing rotten cantaloupes at 200 yards or finding watermelon 'bones' in a 30 yard circle around the area-of-impact.
this fruit-slaying builds confidence and the occasional grinny facehole

[nekred]

There are a few ways to look at it.

You can get them a rifle they can use now with factory ammunition that will do the job and have minimal recoil such as a 243.
pro's: esy simple no messing around
Con's: it is what it is, can't expand to a bigger pill

or you can get a rifle that is bigger 7mm-08 that they can grow into, mess around with handloading, etc and using lower loads and end up with the same ballistics as a 243.
Pro's can expand into more power later
Con's: Have to mess around, using lighter charges, handloading etc...

Here is what i would do. Get him/her a .243 and when he needs a bigger rifle he/she can work and buy their own.

[aulrich]

Thanks Dick284, I was thinking about the same sort of thing, down loaded 120's then work him up.

I had him shooting my 12 gauge in the fall just chicken loads would push him back a step (I have it on video it's sort of funny).

I would imagine that it was more that my 870 is way too big for him and he had to be leaning back to raise it up had most to do with it. Not that it scared him off he wants to go halfer's on a shotgun that he can handle.

[Okotokian]

Refer to any of the 27 other "What should I buy my kid?" threads. Answers range from 30-06 to a slingshot

[dougie_ boy]

i have been using the .303 british for my first year last year on open sights and i love it but again my longest shot is 75 yards

[220swifty]

All depends on your kid, if he is built like a sparrow, get him something light recoiling and balanced for a kid ( a buddy of mine just set his son up with a rem mod 7 youth in 260 rem, which is a perfect first round IMO) if you have a bigger kid who can take some whallop and is not a stranger to shooting, an adult sized rifle with a 270 or 280 chamber may fill the bill. The best bet is to take you kid out with some shooting buddies and let him try a few out and decide for himself. This works best if your buddies have the calibers your looking to try.

[NoBull60]

[QUOTE=aulrich;107577]I have bet on the nef in 7-08 as well, we have not shot it yet.

There are two great things about this gun. It's a single shot, obviously less worries about a loaded weapon but you can put a shell belt on the stock for quick reloads. And number two, you can buy an adult stock for about $40.oo when they gow up. A single shooter makes their shot count the first time. I wish my old man had gone this route.
That's
NoBull60

[aulrich]

If budget was not a concern another youth gun would be a ruger compact, that gun handled like a 22. I undersatnd that the weatherby youth model actually comes with a full size stock for them to grow into.

I can confirm that handis are generally real easy for a kid to handle. But cocking and uncocking takes some practice, grip strenght might be an issue too, for smaller kids.

[wild man]

hi iam 12 and shot witha 260 rem and could shot an elk at a 100yrd shot

I too would go with a 7mm-08.Less recoil than a 270win,and a wider range of bullets.