[andyjason]

this is the first year that my nephew will be able to hunt with me. i carry a remington 700 bdl 3006. i was looking to buy him a bolt action to carry, but what would be a good caliber? he is 11 and 4'8" and about 75 lbs. thanks for any help.

[Karbon]

How about a Savage bolt in 7mm08.

Easy on the wallet, shoulder and very effective.

Should do great for deer, and it's a cal that hed want to keep around.

"The Sweede" could also be a good choice for him as well

[Ol` Joe]

A 260 Rem with 120 gr bullets is a good start. The recoil will be like the 243/257s, but the chanch to heavier bullets is a plus later on. The 6.5x55 is another. Both drive the same bullets the same speed and act alike.

[longrifleman]

My great-nephews are starting out with Handi-rifles in .243. They are about the same size, so he should get along about the same. I don't particularly like the fit of those rifles, but a good youth model from any company should be better. This is for white tails at fairly short distance. If you are hunting anything bigger, .270 might be your choice.

If a less common caliber is acceptable, check out 6.5x 55 Swedes.

[iamkris]

+1 on the .243 or 7mm-08. They hit like a larger caliber within reasonable range but recoil less. Savage is a good choice also since they have good triggers (Accu) and a reputation for excellent accuracy.

[Third_Rail]

Not to sound stupid, but what are you hunting?

[andyjason]

no thats not stupid. ishould have said. whitetail deer in maine

[Newt]

I've got a Rem. Model 7 in .260 that's just perfect for smaller folks. I think mine is a youth model. Real short bbl, real light overall and easy to handle. The .260 isn't bad for recoil, but you could probably get a .243 in the same gun. It shoulders real well too. I'm not a small person, I'm 5'11" and about 175, but I love that gun because it's real easy to tote around for long hours in the woods. It could be something he could use as he grows too as I still love mine.

[dfaugh]

a Winchester or Marlin in 30-30 for shot range brush hunting.

[JesseL]

I'm a little slow. When I first read the topic of this thread I thought of one of these:
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:ttMPjS7bzHpY_M:http://netlinkenterprises.com/prodimages/380-OLYMPIC6.jpg

I wondered how you could hunt with one.

[Selfdfenz]

The M7 is 7-08 will do him thru adulthood and given the cost that's a good thing esp if his arms are long and he can get by with adult sized stock.

I have some expereince with Handi-Rifles and they are an excellent value. If I dissed anything about the HR it would be the trigger but that is easily fixable. They come in 243 & 7-08 plus you can send the receiver back to the factory and get other barrels fitted in popular calibers at a resonable cost {$90 or so}.

The HR comes in a youth model. I'm considering a 243 HR for my son at this time. 4' 7'' 80#s

[longrifleman]

More info: The Handi-rifles my nephews use are youth models, but the stocks are still a little long. If they were my kids, I would cut the stocks down more and either keep the pieces or put a thick recoil pad on as they grew to keep the LOP right.

We wanted to start with single shots to get the kids used to the idea of "you only have one shot, put it in the right place". So far it's working well.

We hope these rifles will be handed down to their kids someday.

[mp510]

I would recommend getting an H&R Youth model Handi Rifle.

[30-06 lover]

Have him shoot what you shoot. If it is your intension to surprise the boy with a gun, get him exactly what you shoot, except I would get him a lighter recoiling gun. 7mm-08 I think would be an awesome choice. If you are not going to surprise him, tell him you will buy him any gun he wants within the price range you are willing to spend, and tell him he can have the caliber he wants too. Of course guide him, but let the boy pick whats best for him, and don't be surprised if he picks a Rem 700 BDL 30-06.;)
-Mike

[Vern Humphrey]

My great-nephews are starting out with Handi-rifles in .243. They are about the same size, so he should get along about the same.

They now have a 3-barrel package in the Handi-rifle. One very good combo is .22 LR, .243 Win, and 20 or 12 gauge. In the Ozarks, where money is tight, they sell so fast WalMart can't keep them in stock.

[Dr.Rob]

I started off with a Marlin 30-30. That would still be my first choice for a new hunter.

The single shot option might not be a bad call... I've fired many an H&R rifle (in varminter config.) and found them to be very accurate. .243 is a pretty soft shooting round, but I'm pretty sure you can get an NEF or H&R in .30-30.

Recoil from both can be pretty stout on a youngster, make sure you get plenty of practice off the bench.