Gimme Your Thoughts on a Caliber

[marine1976]

Ok guys, I need your help. I have a daughter who is 7 and she has good size to her. She is one of the biggest in her 1st grade class and I'm looking at the 7mm-08 for her. Stevens and Legacy both make youth models in a 7mm-08. Now she's already killed deer with a 223 and a 243. Suprisingly the buck she shot with the 223 dropped dead in its tracks and both does ran with good hits with the 243. She knows where to put the bullet, I just really think I need a bigger bullet. I went through this with my son and a 308 cured the problem. I'm scared that the 260 is going to be obsolete because it never really took off like I thought it would. Walmart here doesnt even carry the ammo here anymore. Managed recoil loads are out of the question because I just dont like the ballistics. Do any of you know anything about those little Stevens or Legacy rifles? Maybe some of you guys have some ideas that have worked well for your kids. Let me know what you think. Thanks!!!!

 

[bpl]

What's not to like about the ballistics of the managed recoil loads? Take a look at the 7mm-08 MR load compared with 30-30:

http://www.remington.com/products/a...e_ballistics_results.aspx?data=R30301*RL7M081

It beats the 150gr 30-30 in energy at 50-60 yards or so, shoots flatter, has a max point blank range of 200-225 yards and enough retained energy to cleanly take deer at that distance. With, roughly half the recoil.

I went with the Remington Model 7 youth in 7mm-08 for my GF's son to use, but we have not shot a deer with it yet. I, too, like the 7mm-08 over the .243 for deer. I also have a .243.

 

[X-Rap]

You may just need a better bullet for the 243. 100gr. Speer boat tails have worked well on mule deer at moderate ranges.

 

[kanook]

maybe if you started to reload you could custom load for your little girl. Finding ammo wouldn't be a problem (unless you forget).

My wife loves her .260 rem. She rather take the 260 over her 270. Although try to take her 357mag leveraction and you might get hurt.

 

[dom1104]

frankly I would just get her some managed recoil loads in whatever caliber you already have guns for.

I hate a bunch of guns in odd calibers, standardization is best in my mind.

and ditto on the reloading

 

[Legionnaire]

both does ran with good hits with the 243

How far, and were they recovered? My kids all learned with a Remington Model Seven in .243, and it is still a preferred deer cartridge in our family. A heart-shot deer will often run 50-100 yards; it's dead ... just doesn't know it yet. I won't argue the merits of the 7mm-08 or .308 versus the .243 (my go-to hunting rifle is a .308); but any step up from the .243 will be accompanied by an increase in felt recoil.

 

[dakotasin]

i went thru this for my daughter and settled on an adult gun, wood-stocked, in 300 wsm. i cut the stock down in .5" increments and retained all the pieces. as she grows, i will use a dowel and glue them into place. when she's done growing, i'll get a new stock for her w/ an appropriate l.o.p.

i cut the stock to fit, and handloaded the ammo to the equivalent of a hot 30-30 or mild 300 savage w/ 150 hornadys. her hunt this year was a success.