Marlin 336Y or Savage Axis .243?

[smithjacksonsublette]

My son is turning 9 in October.  He hunted birds last year with a .410 and shoots a .22 well.  This will be his first year hunting deer (modern).  Any opinions on getting him a Marlin 336Y vs. a Savage .243?

[bobcat]

I would go with a bolt action, the 243 is perfect and Savage makes a great rifle, but try to stay away from the Axis. You might look at the Stevens 200, which is the same as a Savage 110 but without the Accutrigger, and therefore cheaper. Ive also heard very good things about the Marlin XS7, and it should be in about the same price range.

[CP]

The 336Y is cool little gun.  I wouldn’t mind having one myself.

[adamR]

I have a savage axis 243 and absolutely love it!!! It's light weight, shoots amazing groups, and is dirt cheap! For a starter gun for a kid i'd definately start with that! It does feel a little cheap but it's also a $300 gun, what do you expect?

[smithjacksonsublette]

CP - Have you fired the 336Y?  What kind of recoil are we talking?  I'll be honest, my son like the cowboy gun look of it, as well as the iron sights.  He prefers cowboys to snipers!  But I'd be curious to know how the recoil feels....

[CP]

Not the 336Y but I have fired the full size 336.  Recoil is ammo dependent; the 170g recoil would be a bit much for a 9 YO, 150g is probably manageable.  They do make reduce recoil .30-30 ammo which would be worth looking into.  I do shoot some 125g hand loads and they have very little recoil.

The 336y is a half pound lighter than the full size models.  Lighter usually means more recoil but it may be offset by the shorter barrel. 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/330519/remington-managed-recoil-ammunition-30-30-winchester-125-grain-core-lokt-soft-point-box-of-20

[smithjacksonsublette]

buds has a 336 for $349 i think i'm going for it. going to be a happy birthday for a certain kid turning 9.  wish i'd have gotten a 30-30 for a birthday gift, although in fairness i did get a 12 gauge!

[outdooraddict]

pm sent

[jrebel]

As much as I love lever actions, it wouldn't be my first choice for a 9 yo youth hunter.  I vote savage axis in .243.   

[kukusya]

My vote for Ruger American Compact in  7-08. In my opinion Ruger build quality better that savage and 7-08 generate 10% more recoil vs 243 but useful from dog to elk.

[KFhunter]

As much as I love lever actions, it wouldn't be my first choice for a 9 yo youth hunter.  I vote savage axis in .243.   

yup - I got a marlin 30-30 sitting right next to a youth .243, the .243 gets grabbed out every time I take out a youth and the 30-30 sits.

[moocher97]

look into the rossi 243/20 gauge/22. sweet first gun for 250 bucks. still have it!

[police women of America]

Savage all the way. just a great company my first gun was a Savage .308 and people were always telling me how good Savage arms is. I have only good things to say about it definitely would recommend it.