Boys first hunting rifle

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Muddydogs

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I have 3 grandson's, a 7 year old, 4 year old and one about ready to pop out. For one of them I'm probably going to be the outdoor guy and the other 2 I will be involved but I'm hopping Dad will be purchasing firearms. I have been thinking about picking up a few rifles and shotguns to stash away for future gifts as prices aren't getting any cheaper and I have a little cash to spread around.

Rifles are my main hang up. My Dad started me out with a 243 but within a couple years I was chasing elk and wished I had more gun which ended up being a 7mm Rem Mag. Kind of the same for shotguns, Dad gave me a single shot 20 ga and within months I wanted a cool 12ga pump. I'm sure happy to have these firearms and will start the boys out with these firearms.

For shotguns I'm planning on getting 12 ga pumps probably Remington 870 or something similar. I like the 870's because butt stocks are cheap and easy to get. I figure I can take off the original stock and put a cut to fit a young man stock on. As they grow the stock can be lengthened until it's time for the original stock. I also load 7/8 oz loads so recoil will be less than a lighter 20 ga.

For rifles I would like to go 3006 or ideally 7mm Rem mag, I load for both but stock the most in 7mm but I'm wondering if a 12 to 14 year old can handle the recoil even with reduced loads? Wondering if the 308 would be a good choice? I'm looking for an all around big game rifle. I am a big guy and was a big kid so I don't remember recoil ever being something I worried about so it's hard for me to guess how much is too much.

Any recommendations? The 7 year olds birthday is coming up in a few months and I think he's getting his first 22 bolt rifle from grandpa. Santa brought him his first BB gun when he was 5.
 
Muddydogs;

Quite a few years ago I was looking for a first centerfire hunting gun for my boy. I walked into the LGS where I'd done more than a little business & told Dean, the owner, what I was looking for. He immediately turned to the rifle rack, picked out a gun, held it to me & when I took it said "Buy this gun" in no uncertain terms. That was pretty unusual behavior for him. He made me a good price on it, it had been on the rack for over a year. It was the 1994 Remington model 700 Classic in 6.5 x 55mm Swedish Mauser. As we were in the Rocky Mountain West, and it was a metric caliber, nobody knew what it was & it had languished in his shop.

When my son started using it, and I started reloading for it, we both found out what a gem that caliber is. I then wanted one for myself, but being a lefty that was a decade's futile search. I finally had a custom built & don't regret a dime spent on it.

Look up the sectional density & B/C's available with the 140 grain bullets for the Swede. The answer to it's all-out-of-proportion-to-diameter killing power lies in those numbers. I hunt elk every year with mine & don't feel in the least under gunned.

Outstanding accuracy in any good platform (we now have several) and mild recoil. You will be hard put to find a better first gun. Oh, and look into the CZ452 Scout for first .22 bolt gun.

900F
 
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My first elk hunting rifle was a Spanish M1916 Mauser in 7x57mm. Plenty of womp on both ends. I did not like shooting '06 class rounds until I was an older teen.
 
A 7 mm-08 is a pretty good option..Plenty of used budget rifles,and cheap to load for plus they handle a pretty handy niche of bullet weights,from fairly heavy to fairly light..Recoil with lighter pills won't be much worse than a 243.
 
If you or any of the other adults reload you have a lot of options. Otherwise, the 6.5x55 or 7mm-08 would be effective on most any game and both ammo and guns are available though the 6.5 often has watered down ammo off the shelf. Both light in recoil. Especially the 6.5 with most factory ammo which would be great for practice.

3rd option, and what Im doing with my son, is a 25-06. I handload so I can duplicate 250 savage or 257 Roberts ballistics until he gets older. Factory ammo can be a bit stiff in recoil for a youngster ....and then there's the muzzle blast of warm loads with slower powders factory ammo will use.

4th option is the 308 loaded down to 300 savage levels. The 308 case isnt as finicky as the 06 case can be for this and only loses out to the 06 with heavier bullets. 130 ttsx, Speer 150 btsp, or hornady interlock sst would all work great for the lower velocity.

There is also factory reduced recoil ammo for 308 and 7mm-08 if you aren't going to handload.
 
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Muddydogs;

As Voodoo alluded to, American 6.5 Swede ammo is usually not loaded to maximum pressure in order to allow for it's use in older small-ring original Swede mil-surp actions. So what? If mild recoil is a parameter, that fits right in with what you're trying to accomplish. OTOH, when the boys get older, and if reloading is an option, then you can create extremely accurate ammo tailored to the gun that provides higher velocities. Win-win in my book.

900F
 
.308 isnt bad, 125 grain bullets and a lighter load and you can pretty much duplicate 7.62x39 or 30-30 with the ability to go full power later and kill anything on the continent and its the cheapest full powered cartridge out there if youre concerned about raising prices

if youre storing rifles for very long periods of time you may want to consider removing the wood and packing the metal in grease to ensure it doesnt rust and remains in new condition
 
Hand load the 30 06 with 150 gr bullets at 2500 fps. Recoil will be manageable. Then when they're older load to full power.
 
My absolute favorite "low recoil" rifle round that still has good power is .257 Roberts. Barely any more recoil than .243 but just a little extra performance that takes it from "acceptable" deer round to a "good" deer round.

Aside from that .25-06, 7mm-08, or 6.5 Creedmoor are all good options. The aforementioned 6.5 Swede isn't bad either.

Those are relatively light recoiling for a kid but still powerful enough for an adult to use and not feel under-gunned.

IMHO, .30-06, .270, 7mm Mag, etc are all WAY too powerful for a 7 year old. I wouldn't even think of letting a kid less than 13 or 14 shoot those.
 
I will look into the calibers mentioned, I do have a Enfield 308 and was thinking about going with this caliber but didn't think about the 7mm-08. Boys will not be shooting these for a few years as they have to be 12 or 14 to hunt big game in Utah I'm just thinking about picking up a few firearms for them in the next few years. Heck I will be retired before 2 of them are old enough to hunt big game.
Some of the reasoning is I see some good deals on firearms every once in a while which get me wanting to buy but I really don't need any more firearms. Ya I know it's blasphemy but I don't shoot what I got now.
 
Lots of good choices. I'd recommend the 30-06 due to the flexibility and ease of finding ammo and reloading. I'm trying to be a grandpa like you....wish I'd had one like you!! Have fun,
Kcace
 
I'm not up to speed on all the new cartridges, but I started out with a 30-30, open sights, now many years later, I have a .270 and a 30.06.

Some great answers here. I kinda like that .260 Remington! I just bought my fiancé a Savage 243.
 
The Thompson-Center Encore is a great starter.

There are youth and adult stocks, and changing calibers costs about $280.00 for a new barrel. They come with a 1 MOA guarantee, and they achieve that standard. You can get centerfire, rimfire, shotgun or muzzleloading barrels, all for a single receiver.

Best for last: single shot to me, signifies self-control, and taking one well-placed shot. I learned to shoot on a single-shot, and never forgot the lessons of making a well-placed shot count. :cool:

JMHO,

Geno
 
I'm not one to talk anyone out of buying a gun, but..... Why not wait until the boy is closer to being hunting age? He may be near full adult size by then and able to handle just about anything, or he may be a flyweight and you will be looking at a youth model .243 or 7mm-08. In the mean time get him shooting a .22 to learn the basics.
 
7mm 08 bolt, 12 ga. 870, would be my choices. My son picked the 870, but bought his own first deer rifle. (He was 20 when WI went to rifle statewide.) He chose a .223 Axis, but he was already a very good shot and ethical hunter. My younger son uses my AK, and needs more practice....
 
Geno said:
The Thompson-Center Encore is a great starter.

There are youth and adult stocks, and changing calibers costs about $280.00 for a new barrel. They come with a 1 MOA guarantee, and they achieve that standard. You can get centerfire, rimfire, shotgun or muzzleloading barrels, all for a single receiver.

Best for last: single shot to me, signifies self-control, and taking one well-placed shot. I learned to shoot on a single-shot, and never forgot the lessons of making a well-placed shot count. :cool:

JMHO,

Geno
Click to expand...

A good share of my hunting has been with Encores and I really like them but:

1. The stock design makes them prone to scope bites. The worst I've ever had was when I shot an Encore in 25/06 prone; I ended up with stitches. I've never had a scope bite from other rifles; even an unbraked 458 Lott and a 378 Weatherby and a braked 460 Weatherby. That fact may not make it the best choice for a new shooter unless the chosen cartridge is of pretty low recoil.

2. I've never paid close to $280 even for a new Encore barrel.

3. The only shotgun barrels currently made for the Encore are turkey barrels and rifled slug barrels. They no longer make the ventillated rib regular shotgun barrels with interchangeable chokes; I have one and I probably wouldn't let it go for even $550.

4. Encore barrels will usually do quite a bit better than 1 MOA. Most of mine; even the handgun barrels, will do about 0.75 MOA or better. The one that didn't perform, I got rid of.
 
My son started on a .243, my girls on a 30-30, a SKS, and a .243.
 
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