First hunting rifle for a kid

[pianoman9701]

Young children sometimes have a hard time dropping the hammer back down safely.

[jamesfromseattle]

Young children sometimes have a hard time dropping the hammer back down safely.

It looks like the newer guns have a safety mechanism that prevents a misfire if the trigger isn't pulled, but I don't think I'd bet my family members' lives on those.

[jamesfromseattle]

Lots of variables here like size of child and sensitivity to recoil. My daughter shot her first deer this year.  She is small for her age (7) but she showed the drive, desire, and mental maturity to handle firearms safely and absorb the information to pass hunters ed.

If size and recoil sensitivity are an issue .243 is the natural choice.  Otherwise 7mm-08 with 120gr pills would be my first choice.  River American compact is a very inexpensive and accurate gun for the money.  I set one up for whitpirates son and was holding 3/4 MOA at 500 yards.

With my daughter we shot heart sized balloons at 50 yards with her .22 using field positions.  At the end of each session we would shoot her .243 2 or 3 times the same way.  For practice we used a 58gr vmax over 22gr imr3031.  VERY light recoil and was plenty accurate.  Basically equivalent to a .223

We also did target acquisition and dry fire drills at home in the living room. I have taken more than a few youth Hunters out for turkey and deer over the years and one thing I see the most with new Shooters is there an ability to find game in their scope. The drills really helped my daughter in that department.

I'd wait until you know what your kid is like at the age you're getting them a firearm. You might end up with a massive kid who needs a big gun or a tiny kid that needs a much smaller rifle. I like your enthusiasm. Put the money away for something down the road. 

You are using logical reasoning and sound advice against my irrational instinct to spend way too much money on hunting gear that I don't actually need.  I appreciate it, but you are giving me way too much credit for financial discipline. 

[The scout]

Ruger American compact 243. My buddy bought one to get set up for his kid (who won’t be hunting for another 5 Year’s) and that gun flat shoots just with factory ammo it just stacks them up. He will probably have the barrel burned out by the time his kid is old enough to hunt though, haha

[pianoman9701]

Lots of variables here like size of child and sensitivity to recoil. My daughter shot her first deer this year.  She is small for her age (7) but she showed the drive, desire, and mental maturity to handle firearms safely and absorb the information to pass hunters ed.

If size and recoil sensitivity are an issue .243 is the natural choice.  Otherwise 7mm-08 with 120gr pills would be my first choice.  River American compact is a very inexpensive and accurate gun for the money.  I set one up for whitpirates son and was holding 3/4 MOA at 500 yards.

With my daughter we shot heart sized balloons at 50 yards with her .22 using field positions.  At the end of each session we would shoot her .243 2 or 3 times the same way.  For practice we used a 58gr vmax over 22gr imr3031.  VERY light recoil and was plenty accurate.  Basically equivalent to a .223

We also did target acquisition and dry fire drills at home in the living room. I have taken more than a few youth Hunters out for turkey and deer over the years and one thing I see the most with new Shooters is there an ability to find game in their scope. The drills really helped my daughter in that department.

I'd wait until you know what your kid is like at the age you're getting them a firearm. You might end up with a massive kid who needs a big gun or a tiny kid that needs a much smaller rifle. I like your enthusiasm. Put the money away for something down the road. 

You are using logical reasoning and sound advice against my irrational instinct to spend way too much money on hunting gear that I don't actually need.  I appreciate it, but you are giving me way too much credit for financial discipline. 

Dude, just go buy yourself a nice firearm. You know that's what's really going on here. 

[jamesfromseattle]

Lots of variables here like size of child and sensitivity to recoil. My daughter shot her first deer this year.  She is small for her age (7) but she showed the drive, desire, and mental maturity to handle firearms safely and absorb the information to pass hunters ed.

If size and recoil sensitivity are an issue .243 is the natural choice.  Otherwise 7mm-08 with 120gr pills would be my first choice.  River American compact is a very inexpensive and accurate gun for the money.  I set one up for whitpirates son and was holding 3/4 MOA at 500 yards.

With my daughter we shot heart sized balloons at 50 yards with her .22 using field positions.  At the end of each session we would shoot her .243 2 or 3 times the same way.  For practice we used a 58gr vmax over 22gr imr3031.  VERY light recoil and was plenty accurate.  Basically equivalent to a .223

We also did target acquisition and dry fire drills at home in the living room. I have taken more than a few youth Hunters out for turkey and deer over the years and one thing I see the most with new Shooters is there an ability to find game in their scope. The drills really helped my daughter in that department.

I'd wait until you know what your kid is like at the age you're getting them a firearm. You might end up with a massive kid who needs a big gun or a tiny kid that needs a much smaller rifle. I like your enthusiasm. Put the money away for something down the road. 

You are using logical reasoning and sound advice against my irrational instinct to spend way too much money on hunting gear that I don't actually need.  I appreciate it, but you are giving me way too much credit for financial discipline. 

Dude, just go buy yourself a nice firearm. You know that's what's really going on here. 

This is another logical conclusion in a conversation where logic has no place.

[Fl0und3rz]

Young children sometimes have a hard time dropping the hammer back down safely.

Ah, OK.  I presumed that I would be handling the rifle for all but the shot, but mine are still too young for even this thread.

[Stein]

I started my daughter on a Savage Axis youth .243 with a Vortex Diamondback scope on it.  Before that was a .22 but you mentioned centerfire.

It worked out great and she will probably continue using it the rest of her life.  At that pricepoint, if she ended up not interested in hunting I wouldn't be out much.  It is a nice enough rifle to never upgrade unless she wants to and if it gets dropped down a cliff or in a river I'm not going to cry.

If I had to do it over again, I would make the same choice unless the Ruger American happened to be on a better sale.

Those compact rifles are a dream to carry, if I didn't love my hunting rifle so much I would borrow hers for deer season.

[Special T]

I have a youth single shot with a shotgun and 22lr barrel that has a hammer. It is  difficult to cock the hammer for my girls. 

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[trapp01]

At 9 years old (60lbs) my pops started me off with a win 94 in 30-30. The first shot was dead nuts. Every shot after that I either closed my eyes or flinched to the point that I couldn't hit paper at 50 yards. When we got home and my mom saw my shoulder she chased my pops out of the house.
 He came back with a pawn shop ruger m77 mk 2 in 243 and cut the stock off with hacksaw and put a rubber pad on it. He kept the cut off stock and glue the pieces back on as I grew then at 14 we put a hogue overmold rubberized stock on it.
 I turn 29 in a few months and i still use that rifle for all big game in wa. My daughter turns 9 in a few years and I'll slap the cut off stock back on it and the process starts again. I'd rather have her shoot well with a low recoil rifle than develope bad habits and make up for it with caliber.

[WapitiTalk1]

Myself and two brothers started with BB guns, then a shared Benjamin pellet gun, then .22s, then my pop bought us a shared 20G/.22 over under Savage.  That was the coolest gun ever to us.  Yes, its a hammer gun but with the flick of the thumb on the hammer selector switch, you could select either .22 or 20G.  Some kind of grouse gun I tell ya  .  Keep the hammer switch on 20G when walking the grouse trails... one flushes, hammer back, get your bead on the bird... boom.  Dumb grouse wants to sit on the trail clucking?  Flick the hammer switch to .22 and shoot it in the neck... Loved that gun.  Sorry, diverted from your center fire question a bit.     

Edit:  Oh, and 50 brazillion+2  NW MT gophers met their fate at the hands of that formidable weapon 

[Buckhunter28]

My first hunting rifle was a lever action '64 Winchester Model 88, I loved that gun and still do, but it's a safe King now as I've purchased other guns and that one is more a family heirloom, passed from my great-grandmother to my father to me. But my number one pick in an entry level, I'd give a definite plus one to the 6.5 creed over .243, or any other smaller, low recoil calibers, but I will admit, I am biased towards that round  few reasons why: there are a lot more ethical load options with the 6.5 over .243, now I have never owned a .243, but the bullet weights don't get too high with them, you max out in the low 100s. With the 6.5, you can get much higher bullet weights, and push them at better velocities. Next thing I would give to the 6.5 is that it is lights out accurate, and, in my opinion, ethical out to a much farther range and more applicable to a variety of species, which will give your kid room to grow into it as a shooter. They won't outgrow the gun when they are ready to hunt elk or take some longer shots! Lastly is the BC you get with some of the higher weight bullets, they are just phenomenal for a smaller caliber. Then, factor all this in with its not-so-bad recoil, and I think you've got a great gun to start your kid out on that they can use throughout their entire hunting career. Just my  Congrats on being a soon to be father!

[Karl Blanchard]

6.5 creed is a great caliber but the recoil of a 130+gr bullet over a larger powder charge creates significantly more recoil than a .243.  If the child can handle it then absolutely go bigger than 6mm but there is absolutely zero unethical qualities in a 6mm.  My youth hunters along with friends and myself have taken many critters with the .243 and most have been spectacular bang flops.  BC is a way over rated thing for about 98% of shooters.  Vast majority of people will never shoot far enough to take advantage of a higher BC bullet.  Especially at ranges that a child will be shooting

[Alchase]

I started my Sons on a Marlin 22, made them load one at a time.
Then Winchester (youth) Model 70 in .243WSSM for dear and elk.
A cheap Stevens breach load single shot 12 gauge for grouse.

[JDHasty]

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