youth hunting rifle

[salmonslayer1]

well guys I'm getting my nephew a rifle for Xmas.he is 10 yrs old and i want to get him hunting next year.i was leaning towards the Remington 710 youth model in the 308 caliber or the model 700 youth.i know alot of you dads out there should have some good tips.i would appreciate any info you guys/gals might have.thanks.

[cohoho]

A friend just bought his son (won't say who in case his kid reads this).  A combo gun has 410, a .22 and 243 with different barrels, pretty cool little gun for sure.  Great for a kid to learn the basics on and without the cost of three guns..  I think it was under 350...

My kid utilized a 243 for everything in AK from the age on 10 till he moved here at 15...  243 is great caliber to introduce kids to shooting and will take any game down here with proper placement. 

[washingtonmuley]

Check out the remington youth 770.You can find them new with a bushnell scope for under $300.00.I purchased one for my son & daughter and that thing is a tack driver.The only draw back other than the cheaper but functional scope is that it is a little heavy but that does dampen the recoil.
Good Luck

[Bob33]

.308 is a good caliber. Don't go too small, which is conventional wisdom for youth.  There are several "reduced recoil" ammunition lines out today that make the recoil of a 30-06 equal to a .243.

[salmonslayer1]

thanks guys good info like the idea of 3 guns in one.

[rasbo]

The remington 125 grain core-lokt factory ammo is a good one for the 06,kicks like the 100 grain 243...Plus would be the 30-06 is just plain the best all around gun made,,IMO  Ive killed a lot of mulies,yotes and blacktail with that round and it works great

[Alchase]

Keep your eye on Walmart. They have youth model 70s and Remington's mounted with scopes for hundreds less then Sportco or Cabelas sells the same model for. I snagged a .243 Model 70 youth model for about $295.00 out the door.

[Alchase]

I also bought a youth Model 70 Black Shadow in .243 WSSM with scope about 6 years ago at Walmart for $230.00 plus tax.

[Magnum_Willys]

If he might hunt elk go with the 7mm-08 or .308

[Pathfinder101]

I got PathfinderJR a .308 for his birthday last year (11 years old).  I really liked the new Marlin Bolt action XS7Y.  Just the right size for him, came from the factory with a really nice recoil pad (very important for a kid's gun), comes with a great trigger setup (similar to the Savage accu-trigger) and it's a tack driver.  When he was zero-ing the boresite, his second 3 shot group at 25 yards could have been covered with a quarter (and that's an 11 year old shooting).  He loves it.
I am a huge Remington fan myself (Rem 700 that is), but I can't remember the difference between the 710 and the 770, but I have heard a lot a bad things about whichever one of those is the "cheapie" with the removable magazine.  If money is not a concern, then I would go with the kids model Rem 700.  If money is a concern (and it certainly was with me), then take a good look at that Marlin XS7Y.    

[thinkingman]

I would not consider a 710 for a minute.
770 for 2 minutes.
Savage or Marlin, yes.
In re cartridges, you can always move up in power but a flinch from shooting too much power lasts a long time and will always be in the back of their minds.
.243 is a good starting point, 7-08 is the best all-round cartridge there is (that will start a little conversation!)
.308Win is a great all-round setup.
Do not buy too much cartridge for the kid.

[Machias]

The absolute perfect youth gun is a single shot H&R Handi rifle, in .243.  Caliber is not nearly as important as being able to shoot accurately and consistently.  Most weapons for youth are toooo heavy in the front.  Most youngsters can handle .30-.30, .308 etc.  What they have alot of trouble with is they are not strong enough to hold the front of the weapon steady.  The H&R with a synthetic stock is so easy for them to handle and shoot accurately out to comfortable ranges.  Then when they outgrow it you got a great little coyote thumper.

[Bob33]

I would not consider a 710 for a minute.
770 for 2 minutes.
Savage or Marlin, yes.
In re cartridges, you can always move up in power but a flinch from shooting too much power lasts a long time and will always be in the back of their minds.
.243 is a good starting point, 7-08 is the best all-round cartridge there is (that will start a little conversation!)
.308Win is a great all-round setup.
Do not buy too much cartridge for the kid.

What is too much cartridge?  If a 30-06 kicks like a 243, is that too much cartridge?

[birdwacker]

I purchased a howa youth 7-08 for my grandson at sportco in Fife .It comes with a scope and 2 hogue stocks one a youth size and one an adult size. The howas are great guns they make the weatherby vanguards. The whole package was under 400.00 and the gun shoots MOA.

[sdwwaverider]

I bought my 9 year old son a Rossi Trifecta. Comes with 3 barrels. 243, 22LR, 20g. It's a single shot break action w/ a great safety system. He handles well. Hiked miles and never complained. Shoots well out to 200 yds (dinner plate). Haven't shot it further yet. We may reach out coyote hunting this winter. Never complained about recoil, comes with a cheek pad (removable). I'm happy with it till he grows some more. Heck I like shooting it.

[Crisptrigr]

My vote on caliber would be the 308Win, better versatility just doesn't exist. You can load it up or down (also buy 'em that way) to match the shooter and the game. More bullets and bullet weights are available than any other caliber I can think of. A hunter can pursue a great variety of game with the 308 so there's no chance of out-growing it. When it comes to accuracy let me remind myself there's a reason our military chooses that caliber for most of its sniper rifles.

[cohoho]

I bought my 9 year old son a Rossi Trifecta. Comes with 3 barrels. 243, 22LR, 20g. It's a single shot break action w/ a great safety system. He handles well. Hiked miles and never complained. Shoots well out to 200 yds (dinner plate). Haven't shot it further yet. We may reach out coyote hunting this winter. Never complained about recoil, comes with a cheek pad (removable). I'm happy with it till he grows some more. Heck I like shooting it.

Yea thats the same gun.. Rossi....  Sweet little set up for teaching a kid how to shoot to enjoy it... Sometimes going bigger like Machias stated, alot of guns are just too heavy for them to support properly...  When he outgrows it, get him a gun then that Dad can share...lol

[salmonslayer1]

thanks guys the tips are awesome.im gonna do my research on what brand rifle but am set on the 308 win. my first and favorite gun was a 308 win in a lever action savage.me and my little bro wore that gun out.it still shoots but the barrells a bit pitted or id hand it down.was a gift from gramps.

[Hyde]

I purchased a howa youth 7-08 for my grandson at sportco in Fife .It comes with a scope and 2 hogue stocks one a youth size and one an adult size. The howas are great guns they make the weatherby vanguards. The whole package was under 400.00 and the gun shoots MOA.

I don't know how you beat the Howa youth package.  I know nothing about Howa, but I have heard they are great.  I agree with others to stay away from the 710/770, and I am a HUGE Remington fan.  Those are disposable rifles in my opinion. 

If the kid is larger than average, and or will be larger, I would go larger on caliber and just load them down at first.  No magnums though. 

[shortnround]

My vote goes towards the Weatherby Vanguard Youth rifle. The Vanguard® Synthetic Youth features a removable   spacer system that allows you to "fit" the rifle to a growing shooter. The spacer creates a longer length of pull (12 1/2" to 13 5/8") to accommodate young shooters as they grow. It comes in .243, 7-08mm, & .308 calibers. It's well built and accurate. Down side is it retails at ~$405-445.

[jdb]

here is my  I started both my boys out w/ a nef .243 and they killed a slew of deer w/ it. that said if I were to do it all over I would have bought either a 7mm08 0r a 308 the reason being as they grew and wanted to hunt elk and bear I felt the .243 was a little on the lite side. If your nephew will only be hunting deer .243 works great and as mentioned its a great coyote caliber, but it anything larger is on the menu I would look at a larger caliber. as for the rifle its self I would castion aginst looking at it as someting they use for life look at it more as a started rifle then when they've grown some either trade up or pass it on to a younger hunter and then buy them a rifle that they can use for a lifetime if they choose. If you buy a full size rifle that they will use for life now they will struggle for a few years and that can lead to bad experiecnes.

[salmonslayer1]

hey thanks jdb I'm thinking elk bear for sure.so 308 it ll be sounds like ill be stay in away from the 710/770 I'm liking the marlin for sure but I'm still lookin around .the vanguard sounds good but the $$$ are an issue.good stuff thanks.

[sirsnap]

I bought my 10 year old daughter a 7mm-08 in a youth weatherby vanguard.  It comes with a youth and full size stock.  She has two one shot kills on mule deer and both dropped in their tracks.  That is a great little gun I love it she does too.

Rich

[Jekemi]

Anyone have any experience with the Rossi Wizard? You can get one with a 20 GA shotgun barrel and a .270 for right around $300, not including a scope. I know they make some cheap guns but the seem a good value for a young kid just starting out with little experience. I appreciate your advice.

[Pathfinder101]

Never heard of the Rossi Wizard.  Sounds like the grown-up version of the Rossi Trifecta
I bought PathfinderJR a Rossi Trifecta 3 years ago, but he outgrew it pretty quick.  Shot his first buck with it at about 40 yards.  It is a decent rifle out to about 200 yards, but both deer he has shot since then were past 200 yards, so he used my Remington 700 .270.  We upgraded him to a .308 this year.

[Bob33]

Here's a curve to consider: buy a Remington 870 20 gauge with an extra rifled barrel.  Use the smoothbore for birds, then put the rifled barrel on, mount a scope, put in some good sabot slugs, and you can effectively kill deer up to 150 yards.

[high country]

a howa youth with a full size stock is a sweet gun for a grown up. the action is lightend the barrel has a lght contour, the quality is high. if you are a backpack hunter, you may find the  LOP on the youth to work out for you wearing yor pack too.

[gadwall]

I have taught a few youngsters to shoot and hunt big game.  I recommend the 7mm-08 and for the money without getting too wild, look at the Marlin XS 7.  You can get it for around $325 and it is the only one I am aware of in the current "economy" line that has an adjustable trigger and more rifle than the 710.

Gadwall.

[Schwag173]

I'm buying my 3 sons (I feel like Ed McMurray) Marlin XS7Ys in 7mm-08.  At $300 each they are a hell of a rifle, and I think they'll age better than the Remington 710.  As for cartridge; anything but a .243 for inexperienced hunters.  .260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem and .308 Win are all good choices.  7mm-08 is my choice because I reload and can easily replicate the 'light-recoil' qualities of the .243 while providing better terminal performance (bullets).  The better bullet is more forgiving to the inexperienced hunter.  I like the .260 also, but the industry hasn't provided enough availability yet.  .308 beats them both when it comes to factory ammo availability.

[gadwall]

I'm buying my 3 sons (I feel like Ed McMurray) Marlin XS7Ys in 7mm-08.  At $300 each they are a hell of a rifle, and I think they'll age better than the Remington 710.  As for cartridge; anything but a .243 for inexperienced hunters.  .260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem and .308 Win are all good choices.  7mm-08 is my choice because I reload and can easily replicate the 'light-recoil' qualities of the .243 while providing better terminal performance (bullets).  The better bullet is more forgiving to the inexperienced hunter.  I like the .260 also, but the industry hasn't provided enough availability yet.  .308 beats them both when it comes to factory ammo availability.

Exactly!!!

Gadwall.

[YoungBuck]

I know im a little late but speaking from the kids perspective (I'm 15) I like the Tikka T3 25-06 that I got 3 years ago for X-mas.

[huntergreg]

I bought my 9 year old son a Rossi Trifecta. Comes with 3 barrels. 243, 22LR, 20g. It's a single shot break action w/ a great safety system. He handles well. Hiked miles and never complained. Shoots well out to 200 yds (dinner plate). Haven't shot it further yet. We may reach out coyote hunting this winter. Never complained about recoil, comes with a cheek pad (removable). I'm happy with it till he grows some more. Heck I like shooting it.

Yea thats the same gun.. Rossi....  Sweet little set up for teaching a kid how to shoot to enjoy it... Sometimes going bigger like Machias stated, alot of guns are just too heavy for them to support properly...  When he outgrows it, get him a gun then that Dad can share...lol

http://www.bimart.com/skudetail.aspx?loc=k.482007_s.681A_c.61A_d.57&nm=Firearms

[2506]

Get em the new new tc venture in either 7mm 08 or 2506