Gun for my boy

[MonkeyMan1]

My boy is getting his hunter safety finished up and I'm trying to figure out a good rifle to get him. I have a 30.06, but he is only 9. I'm not an expert on rifles, so does anyone have any good ideas of a rifle to get him for deer hunting. And any good places to get a new or used rifle for an affordable price?

[huntlakewood]

Depending what you are hunting. I would buy him a 243. My daughter has shot a 243 for years and loves it. If you buy him one of those dad can have a coyote gun to  . You can get a nice savage package deal from walmart. I dont know if they would fit you son. I bought my daughter a new england single shot youth size from Bulls eye here in tacoma for under 300 had to add a scope. Now she shoots my dads gun witch is a winchster ( my dad past away 5 years ago ) she has killed two deer since then. Gasman here on the forum his wife shoots a 257 roberts and she loves it to. I shot that once and it shoots like a 243 really easy kick.

[Bob33]

http://www.remington.com/product-families/ammunition/centerfire-families/managed-recoil.aspx

This will make a 30-06 recoil about like a 243.  When he grows up, no need for a new gun.

[bobcat]

You can't go wrong with a 243 (unless elk is one of the primary species on the menu). If you think you need more horsepower, jump up to the 308. Or as Bob33 posted, the 30-06 will work good with the special light recoil loads. Only problem I see with that is a 30-06 could very well be too long and/or too heavy for a 9 year old.

[DoubleJ]

I post this in all these threads but, my suggestion is to find a gun (hint: Savage) that you can buy an after market barrel.  A .308 and 30-06 have basically the same ballistics.  Buy a .243 then buy a .308 after market .308 barrel.  Those 2 rifles use the same action so a barrel swap and re-sighting in is all that's needed when he gets big enough to shoot a .308.  Barrel swapping is easy (Thanks for teaching me Yorketransport )

[DoubleJ]

How big is your son?  When my boy was 9, he was 95lbs (pretty big boy he is) and he handled the .308 just fine.  He has lots of cussion for the recoil though

[marlin]

I love my Marlin XS-7 .308

[Bob33]

You can't go wrong with a 243 (unless elk is one of the primary species on the menu). If you think you need more horsepower, jump up to the 308. Or as Bob33 posted, the 30-06 will work good with the special light recoil loads. Only problem I see with that is a 30-06 could very well be too long and/or too heavy for a 9 year old.

I only suggested 30-06 because he already has some.  Starting fresh I would get something based on the .308: either the .308 itself or the  7mm-08.

Gun weight and fit are very important.  Also, make sure he uses hearing protection, both to protect his hearing as well as addressing a major cause of flinching.

[KFhunter]

I just picked up a Remmy model 700 SPS .243 compact
 
come with a scope and screw on butt pads for my length of pull.
 
I tried out a savage axis - no thanks, was very bad.  I like savage too, but buy the better ones not the axis

[Biggerhammer]

http://www.remington.com/product-families/ammunition/centerfire-families/managed-recoil.aspx

This will make a 30-06 recoil about like a 243.  When he grows up, no need for a new gun.

 

[coachcw]

m77 youth .260rem

[DoubleJ]

http://www.remington.com/product-families/ammunition/centerfire-families/managed-recoil.aspx

This will make a 30-06 recoil about like a 243.  When he grows up, no need for a new gun.

Is anyone in stock of that stuff yet?  Everywhere I look for .308 managed recoil online has been sold out or backordered over a year now

[Biggerhammer]

m77 youth .260rem

Can't stand Browning A-Bolts myself, that's just me. But Browning A-Bolts in .260 fit the younger crowd rather well.

[gadwall]

m77 youth .260rem

 

I really like the 260.  We bought one for the kids a few years ago.  I loaded it down with 100 grain bullets at 2800 FPS.  My daughter has shot 4 deer with it and loves the gun.  She will be taking it to Wyoming this fall for antelope.

[huntinguy]

hand load an 06 with 125gr, if you are only hunting deer. The kid can grow into it. Or, not a thing wrong with a 270 Win. 130s now 150s later.

[Bob33]

http://www.remington.com/product-families/ammunition/centerfire-families/managed-recoil.aspx

This will make a 30-06 recoil about like a 243.  When he grows up, no need for a new gun.

Is anyone in stock of that stuff yet?  Everywhere I look for .308 managed recoil online has been sold out or backordered over a year now

It appears to still be backordered everywhere in .308.  I've heard more should be available late March.  Once you shoot it, you can understand why it is so popular.  It is simply amazing how mild the recoil is.

[MonkeyMan1]

Thanks for all the info. I got some rifle searchin to do.

[BULLBLASTER]

I shot my first deer at 9 with mybdads 30-06 and whatever shells he shot. I own that gun now. When I was 11 I.saved all my Christmas and birthday money and made a deal with dad to pay half on a 7 mag. I was not recoil sensitive and handled the 7 well. We handloaded 120 grain bullets fairly light at first. I still love that gun to this day. I never had a 243 until I was in college. Lol. If you handload there should be no issues with recoil on light loads in a 30-06.

[jackelope]

My buddy bought his boy a Youth NEF Handi-rifle. It's in .243 and it's tiny. He handles it well. The kid killed his 1st buck with it, the one in this pic, when he was 11. This is a good shooting rifle. It is loud, I think because it is so short, but aside from that it's awesome for the youngsters.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Got the NEF 243 for the kids. Great starter rifle! I enjoy shootin as well.

[arees]

I bought my son a model 700 in 270.  He does his own handloading using Trailboss powder to keep the recoil down and uses cast lead bullets to keep the cost down.  With the Trailboss powder he can't get too much powder in the case so he is not at risk.  This is a rifle he can grow with.

[jackmaster]

my son is by know means a big kid he aint the smallest either but papa gave him a savage feather weight 30-06 when he was 9 and i was suprised how well he has handled it he has killed 3 deer and a big bear with it, it never bothered him a bit, what scares most young hunters just starting out is the noise, once they actually shoot they find out that it really wasnt a big deal....then its game on......

[Alchase]

I bought my son a Model 70 youth model, in 243WSSM when he first started out. This gun worked really well for him. I would probably get the .243 if I was to do it again because the .243 rounds are allot cheaper then the .243WSSM and those tiny fat bullets are really hard for my fingers to load and unload, LOL

[Cascade_fisher]

Teach your son with a shotgun first as it is easier to learn rifle sights later compared to trying to learn how to shoot a shotgun after learning rifle sights.  If you want a rifle then I agree with .243

[C-Money]

Hard to beat the NEF Handi Rifle for cost/quality. The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge and is fairly soft on the shoulder.

[carpsniperg2]

Myself, my wife, my little bro and one of my friends all shot our first deer with a 243 handi rifle.

I really like the 7mm-08 and it would be a great choice as well