mustanger98
Member
Okay, I gots me a 13-year-old kid who wants to hunt. He's got a friend with a nice plot of land where there are "too many" elk.
I haven't been hunting myself since I was about that age, and barely remember most details. Plus we hunted deer rather than elk. So I'm a little lost.
I think I can get through the bureaucracy all right -- not for this season, I don't think, but for next year. We'll get him (and me) through a hunter's safety class and all that.
The problem is, well ...
What gun do I suggest he save up for?
Up 'til now, he's shot .22 rifles and a variety of handguns. He hasn't handled a shotgun and he's only fired a .223 a couple of times. I have reason to believe he'd do just fine with anything I hand him, but am just not sure where to start here.
Suggestions?
pax
Okay, here's my $.02 or so.
On the correct rifle, there is no one right rifle to use. At one time, they said a Winchester '94 in .375Win. was the best elk rifle around. FWIW, that's been on my "to aquire" list, but that's me. A .375Win. shoots a 225gr JSP and it probably has some percieved recoil. We don't really know how recoil sensitive this kid is.
My Daddy and I got to discussing this stuff and his opinion is if an elk gets his lungs punched through with a 170gr SP from a Winchester .30-30 or .32Win.Spl., it beats a bad shot with a .30-06 or anything else. .30-30 and .32Spl recoil ain't bad. During practice, be sure the kid has hearing protection as muzzle blast can bust a kid's nerves before he gets used to it- I can vouch for that one. The old '94 with aperture sights- tang or receiver mounted- will do it out to 200yds, but a real hunter wants to get closer than that if/when/where possible. This rifle will be lighter to pack all day in rough country than a lot of other rifles, thanks to John Moses Browning. I'm not saying .30-06 is bad by any means. Just that some rifles/calibers are better for some people than others.
The problem with .223Remington is that it's really not big enough for anything bigger than a groundhog. Deer hunters have to be extremely particular about bullet placement to do any good with it. You just about have to put it in the animal's ear and that's really really iffy. I don't recommend it.
My opinion on sights vs. optics is that in rough country, every hunter should have irons and know how to use them. Scopes can get trashed and if you don't have irons, you're out of the hunt.
I recommend you read "Hell, I Was There" by Elmer Keith. Although I'm in favor of Winchester '94's and .30-30, Mr. Keith was no fan because of range and killing power at the time. Sights and optics are another matter as Elmer Keith had a hand in designing several scopes. I'm sure you'll find some insights there. I sure did.
Last edited: