best gun and caliber for me?

[barret_m107]

i want to buy my son a rifle that he can shoot at an 100 yard range. I would prefer it to be sub 300 dollars. He has shot many .22's with my brother. He really wants to improve his shooting at a young age so he can become a sniper in the army.

Any help is welcome.

PS. Please include the caliber, brand, and name of the gun

thanks

 

[erict]

I'd find a used rifle in .223. The .223 round is a cheap, fun, and far shooter for practice. I just bought a nice .223 Savage 10fp Tactical with a Bushnell 6x24 scope for $450 used.

 

[Jackal]

SKS, nuff said

 

[Froggy]

How old is your son? Is he big enough for a full size stock? or will a youth model serve better? Do you want to move to shooting with a scope mounted on the rifle? Or will it still be iron sights for a while? Is he interested in an auto-loading rifle? Or does he want to use a bolt action rifle?

If he wants a bolt action rifle, and he is ready for a scope, I second the recommendation for a Savage model 10 (see above) or a Savage model 11. If you have the time to do some shopping around, you can probably find a used one in your price range. Since they are made without iron sights, you will likely get it as a package with a scope already mounted. The model 11 is also made in youth sized stocks... might take longer to find used, but something to look for depending on your son's age/size.

As for caliber, I recommend either .223 Remington or .243 Winchester. If you think he will do some deer hunting with it at some point, the .243 is a better choice.

 

[steelhead]

Stevens 200 can be had for less than $275 and sometimes for $199. Either go with .308 or .223. Probably start with the 223.

 

[MachIVshooter]

SKS, nuff said

Presumably, he wants to shoot better than minute of tractor tire.

For under $300, you can get an NEF handi-rifle and an OK 3-9x scope. .223 would be a good choice for ammo cost, but if you handload it would be tough to beat the .22 Hornet for bringing a youngster into the world of bench rest shooting; low report and almost no recoil, but still a very good target/varmint cartridge to ~250 yards.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

What is he doing that the .22LR isn't suitable for?

.22 is good up to 100 meters, right? There is some bullet drop and wind drift, but those are things that he'll have to be totally accustomed to if he wants to become a sniper someday.

If he's regularly going to a 300yd range, a Savage in .223 might be a great affordable choice, but if your range is limited to 100 meters...

Does he already have a decent-quality bolt-action .22 with scope?

-MV

 

[MachIVshooter]

What is he doing that the .22LR isn't suitable for?

.22 is good up to 100 meters, right?

Find a .22 that is capable of maintaining <MOA to 100 yards and you've got something.

 

[Dr. Dickie]

22-250?

 

[Medusa]

Find a .22 that is capable of maintaining <MOA to 100 yards and you've got something.

CZ 452 is reported to be pretty accurate (getting sniper rifle - align rear sight with front sight, glass is for seeing the target better). Varmint model should be a little more accurate than regular "thin wall"

I do question it abit, but Walther's G22 is reported being able of shooting sub-moa with match ammo it likes.

 

[Art Eatman]

For superb accuracy at 100 yards, low recoil, and utility on varmints, the .17 rimfires work well. The .17 Mach II does good on prairie dogs to 100 yards, easily, and with doping the wind, to 200. The .17 HMR reportedly is adequate for coyotes to 100 yards or so, with perfect shot placement.

Art

 

[Nickodemus]

I would stick with the .22L for awhile. Scavenge around through your local shops and gun shows to find a real .22L target rifle. There are always some used inexpensive single shot bolts with match barrels and nice triggers to be had. Then mount some less-expensive <$150 glass on it and you are set. He will be able to shoot that comfortably, and cheaply. Practice, practice, practice. My .22L Anshutz will hit sub MOA at 100yrd with match ammo believe it or not. All I did was clean the bore when I got it, and mount an $80 BEC scope on it. The single shot bolt forces a little more discipline to not waste shots and concentrate on each one. He could iron out a lot his shooting habits with it. Then it is still a fun gun to have, and you can break in new shooters with it – he will enjoy doing that later.

One day when you think he is ready and can afford it, get him a quality .308 with a 26” barrel. He could then start learning more with the “real thing” and getting used to its bullet drop/recoil and concentrate on more specifics since most of the other aspects of shooting at a range are very familiar to him. Then he will shoot more expensive ammo also, so get your "training mileage" out of the .22Ls first. If in his early youth you want to jump right into getting him a real rifle cartridge, I suggest you get him a shooting jacket as well.

I think most importantly you should get him involved with skilled individuals. The years of knowledge and skills developed in him would have far more benefit then any rifle you buy him. You don't want to cultivate bad shooting habits, he needs some coaching. Small bore competitions at your local gun clubs is a good way to start. Get them to teach him best how to shoot standing/kneeling/prone and to zero scope/sights off the bench. You can set up his training exercises to mimic the service's high power qualification programs. That way it will be an old familiar test for him when he takes it.
Make him take decent math and physics in school, get him into scouting, make sure he likes to go camping and spend time in the brush.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Barret...

I'm ridin' with Matt and Nickodemas on this one. The .22 long rifle (or maybe a .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire) will teach him a LOT of good stuff - especially if mounted with a good, regular-sized scope (not the ".22 scopes you see for a few bucks).
Sniper work and longer range hunting has much more to do with the shooter's knowledge and ability than with caliber.
Good luck and have Fun !

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I think most importantly you should get him involved with skilled individuals.

Really solid call!

Does your area have any Youth shooting activities? CMP matches? Hi-Power matches?

With a decent .22 and the motive/discipline of shooting with other youths, supervised by trained adults, your kid could learn a lot.

If you're not sure where to start looking, just post in the THR "General Discussion", something like "Youth shooting sports in *yourareahere*"?

Around Austin, the local rifle club has a Juniors division, CMP does Juniors matches, 4H runs all kinds of youth shooting events, etc.

Just buying him a $300 .308 rifle (with even dirt cheap ammo being 20c a shot) and taking him plinking the range won't really advance him that much. Getting him out there competing with a solid .22 will.

-MV

 

[aka108]

17 HMR is great at 100 to 150 yards. Can keep all shots within a 1" dot with some practice. Ammo is a little pricey. 223 is also great if you wish to start him out on centerfire.