What rifle for a 12-year-old hunting elk?

with the right ammo and a well placed accurate shot I have seen veteran hunters drop elk at 150-200 yards with .243.

If the kid's going to shoot an ought six, he might as well move up to the 7mm Remington Magnum, not that much more recoil.

I'd prefer my .257 Roberts to a .243, a little heavier bullet. Either will need a Barnes bullet and good shot placement. The .260 or the 7-08 really don't kick that bad. My .257 Roberts handloads perform about as well as .25-06 factory ballistics. I shoot a 117 grain Hornady Interlock (that one REALLY penetrates!) at about 3050 fps and one MOA.

.257 Roberts is also a great suggestion McGunner.

This '06 thing... I shoot one, but I didn't when I was 12. I was one that had to grow into it. I really didn't start shooting anything with that much power till about four years ago, first with a surplus 8mm Mauser and then with my M1 Garand. I've seen some who don't like lightweight .30-06 rifles and some who love 'em. It depends on the individual. I agree with the thing about too much power causing sure misses. And as I also said, I like my .243 too. Shot placement is the key with any of it. One shot, one kill.

There was an article in Handloader this month about using a 7x57 for moose. He got total penetration.

With a light rifle the boy could handle and a decent medium caliber with a good bullet (not cartridge), he should do great. Your idea of a Handi-rifle in 7-08 seems fine. IIRC, the world record for elk was held for something like 60 years by the .30-30.

I use some pretty stout loads in my .45-70. I added a Decelerator recoil pad, and there's very little felt recoil. A good pad does wonders. I'd try that a long time before I'd add the noise of a muzzle brake.

"...12-year-old wielding a semi-automatic high-power rifle..." Why not? If he's safe enough to hunt in the first place, he'll be fine. It's not like he's going to be alone.In any case, long ago, when I commanded a CF army Cadet Corps, I had 13 yer olds shooting C1A1's with no fuss.

I am a fan of the New England Handi Rifles for kids. Mine have 2 in .243. Both started shooting them when they were 8 or 9. (Under supervision of course, they are 11 and 13 now). Both have shot my 30-06, their Grandfathers .270 and uncles 7MM and can handle all. Get a HR in 30-06 hand load and get them used to the recoil they will be fine.

Me and my older brother started hunting elk at age 12 with my dads .243 ruger m77. We shot fedral premium with 100 grn Noslers. At 16 we went to 30.06 and now I hunt with magnums. My brother killed a cow at 200 yds and my cousin killed a bull at 300+ yards with 1 shot both with .243. I think the .243 is a good elk gun for someone under 16. We hunt a combined season of elk and muledeer and our group kill muledeer 5 to 1 for elk. .243 can kill both within 300 yds.

If you mean Elk, not big deer, but the real deal Elk. I shot my first one at 16 with a 30-06 and a 220 grain Silver Tip. I think with a young boy a good stock fit will be most important. If you know women hunters try to barrow one. I strongly disagree with anyone that say the 243 is a good choice for elk, sure it will kill one, but that does not mean it is well suited for giving good kill power on Elk. I good Nosler partition 140 grain 260 Rem is about the smallest I would go. I have one, but I would say it takes an experienced hunter to use it well for Elk. I would put a young boy on a 30-06 stocked to fit him.

This is the minimum from the Colorado Division of Wildlife

1. Rifles using center fire cartridges of .24 caliber or larger, having expanding bullets of at
least seventy (70) grains in weight, except for elk and moose where the minimum bullet
weight is eighty-five (85) grains, and with a rated impact energy one hundred (100) yards
from the muzzle of at least one thousand (1000) foot pounds as determined by the manufacturer's rating providing that any semiautomatic rifle used shall not hold more than six (6) rounds in the magazine and chamber combined. A fully automatic rifle is prohibited.

Im not saying the .243 is the best Elk gun. Im saying it will work fine for a 12 year old.

go find a single shot nef or rossi, rossi makes a youth model 308, maybe even a 7mm 08, then slip on a recoil pad, and you are good to go.

I started three of my children on a shortened Remington 7-08 at age 12. A girl and two boys, in that order. They killed several deer and a bear with it. The boys got into 06's and 338's before they started killing elk, but the 7-08 would have worked on elk too.

The LOP was 12.5 inches. The barrel was 20 inches long.

I still have the little rifle and my wife uses it now for casual deer hunting. If she is hunting elk, she has a very short 375 H&H, fitted with a muzzle brake.

Some day my grand kids will keer deer and elk with the same little 7-08 rifle.