Light Recoiling Deer Rifle

[twofifty]

There is also an outfit that makes a .243 WSSM upper for an AR platform. http://www.dtechuppers.com/index.html

I don't think .223/5.56 are good choices for deer. Maybe small whitetail in certain situations and in the right hands. But in general - no.

.243 / .250-3000 / .257 Roberts would be about as light a round a I'd suggest as being responsible. Even these are going to require good shot placement.

I'd also avoid the 'man-up' approach. I bought a .300 win mag when I was in high school. I developed a hell of a flinch. About the only way I broke it was to not shoot it for about 10 years. Even now I limit bench time with it.

Consider getting a lead sled for the range. You can shoot without the recoil.

John3921, would you mind telling us the thought process that led you, while in high school, to purchase that 300 win mag?
Were you a big kid, or did you have a lot of experience shooting centerfire rifles? Were you and your buddies into a caliber race?

The social and practical aspects of your decision might help others when their turn comes up to buy their first rifle.

 

[silicosys4]

Skimmed through all the responses,
In my state, hunting modern rifle deer season means being able to handle a modern rifle deer cartridge legal to hunt with in this state, so nothing smaller than .243 caliber from a rifle where I'm at.

IMO, moving down into some of the smaller caliber being suggested that require MORE accuracy and precision out of its shooter to make humane kills, specifically so a NOVICE hunter can participate without more practice and preparation, is asking for wounded and lost animals, as has already been the stated experiences of some in this thread.

"Man up" isn't appropriate. "You aren't ready yet, being able to shoot a deer rifle is a big step...but with practice you will be." is more like it, imo. Its hard telling kids "no, you can't do that unless you prove you are ready"...but sometimes that is the appropriate response. Just because you WANT to do something doesn't mean you are physically or mentally capable of doing it.

Doing certain things requires being able to do certain things.

I would sit the kid down and have the talk with him that it sounds like he is not ready to be hunting deer yet, but he is a welcome addition to the hunt, and with practice he will make a HECK of a hunter... and being able to handle the recoil of a reasonable cartridge is a big first step.

Then take him shooting. Start small and work your way up.

If he cannot handle a .243, a 7.62x39, or a 30-30 yet, then in my opinion he cannot handle the task at hand yet. Those are what I would consider minimum deer cartridges...and he is straight up not old/big/mature enough to hunt deer yet.

I was riding shotgun on hunts for a decade before I killed my first deer at age 14 with a 30-06.

 

[jogar80]

I feel I have to post this again, because I think its the perfect combination. If I were a young kid wanting to hunt, I would be heartbroken if I was told to wait till I was a little older. I also think going with too light a caliber is not right because you risk wounding game. Also, forcing a kid to use a caliber he is not comfortable with "until he gets used to it" just wont work.

for these reasons, my suggestion- .243win heavy bolt action + Muzzle Brake

NO RECOIL....done.

 

[wyohome]

I just cut the stock down a bit and put a slip on Limb Saver on a pawn shop 700 (.243) for my wife. It is fun to shoot.

 

[hatwerinrednek]

I'm trying to help my nephew get that "right" deer rifle. Admittedly, he's a bit skittish with recoil. He's 13 right now and I'm trying to teach him that 22lr isn't the standard to compare recoil to. He needs to learn that some recoil is good and that it can be fun even. He's starting to see a little of that with shooting some revolvers with REALLY light 38 reloads. But the rifles are another story. He desperately wants to go deer hunting with us, but he's scared of the recoil.

So far we've tried a .243 bolt action, and that wasn't bad. But he still was a little skittish. I'm racking my brain to think of another caliber option that would still be suitable for whitetail while also being relatively short in overall length for his size. I'm wondering if a semi auto in .243 would absorb a little of the recoil. I know some say the 6.5 Swede is not too hard. Or possibly a 7.62x39 in a CZ bolt. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

i know your pain. when my son was that age i eventually settled for a 243 cal tikka hunter model because the gun had a beefy 22 in barrel and it was heavy. it was a trade off ,,a heavy gun with less recoil or a light gun that would teach him bad habbits.

 

[John3921]

John3921, would you mind telling us the thought process that led you, while in high school, to purchase that 300 win mag?
Were you a big kid, or did you have a lot of experience shooting centerfire rifles? Were you and your buddies into a caliber race?

The social and practical aspects of your decision might help others when their turn comes up to buy their first rifle.

Hard to say exactly - a lot of time studying ballistics charts. This was in the 70's, information availability was not like it is today. I had no idea what recoil energy was. My previous experience was the .257 Roberts and dads .270. Of course with a .270 in the house a .30-06 was out of the question.

 

[KingMedicine]

Pm sent. I actually have a. 250-3000 for sale with ammo and dies.

 

[dprice3844444]

hr topper 30-30,762x39 etc change barrels for diff calibers

 

[twofifty]

From a 257 & 270 to a 300.
That's a rude way to find out what recoil energy is about!

I too spent a lot of time on ballistics charts right about the same time. It sure would have been awesome to have access to the depth of experience that is found on this forum. Had there been, I'd have bought a bolt action instead of a gas semi.

 

[Captcurt]

Take a look at Mossberg.

A close friend needed a rifle for his 8 year old grandson. I talked him out of a 223 and ordered a Mossberg Super Bantum in 243. The Bantum comes with an extra spacer and recoil pad so the LOP can be changed from 12" to 13". The first 2 seasons I loaded 90 Speer HotCors at 1700 fps. He took 4 deer the first 2 seasons with those and then graduated to full loads. He is 13 now and is still shooting the Bantum. Took a buck at 135 yards last year. He is pretty deadly with it.

 

[lobo9er]

357 I think is more for the practiced hunter. I'm sticking to my 30-30 vote. 223 I think is in the same boat as 357. Not as forgiving to not quite perfect shots. Lots of good choices though. I do not know alot about .243 but I'm guessing it has more range than the 30-30. But figure in ammo prices and practical shots for deer for a young hunter, I think 30-30 is good option.

 

[R.W.Dale]

You took the words right out of my mouth. Hard to beat a lever action for quick handling in a caliber that can use managed recoil factory ammo or loaded with cast bullets and Unique for soft shooting loads. It is the classic woods rifle.


NCsmitty

And plus you get to start a beginner out on a platform where they have to pull the trigger on a loaded chamber to engage the "safety". That or use the "better luck next time" deer losing cross bolt. Because nothing builds confidence in a child like not getting a shot off on your first deer or blowing a hole in the ground a few feet in front of you.

That was sarcasm in case you didn't catch it. IMO and IME a lever action is the absolutely WORST platform to begin a new hunter on.


My boys have taken a liking to my encore with a 22-250 barrel. It and the other break action single shots are unsurpassed as beginner friendly arms. The only thing a kid must master to use one safely is to not touch the hammer till they're ready to shoot at a deer and when unloaded they provide an unmistakable visual for the guardian present.

 

[beatledog7]

If finding ammo were not such an issue, I'd recommend the .257 Roberts or 250 savage without hesitation.

But if you can find a good rifle in .257 Bob or 250 Savage, and if you reload, there's your rifle. Lacking either one, go for a .243.

 

[headoftheholler]

6.5 swede or 257 Roberts, both kick soft and are deadly accurate.

 

[redneck2]

I found a guy on another forum that has a pretty nice Savage 99 in .250-3000 for sale at a reasonable price. PM me.

 

[Gtscotty]

I don't understand all the folks who are recommending that the OP go buy a quarter bore for his son. Isn't the boy already set up with a .243? How is going to a similar, or even more powerful rifle round going to cure his aversion to recoil? Practice, more practice and perhaps waiting a season is the ticket, not buying another rifle in an almost identical chambering.

 

[jmr40]

A 30-30 will have about 10.5 ft lbs recoil compared to about 9.5 for a 243. About 5 ft lbs for a 223, all from reasonably 7 lb rifles There are lots of other good choices, but when you look at ammo and rifle availability along with price these have to be the top 3.

If someone just happened to have a 6.5X55, 260 or any of about a dozen others, and if they reload for them they could get recoil down to reasonable levels. I have some 30-06 handloads loaded down to 300 Savage levels that only generate 12-13 ft lbs of recoil. So by handloading almost any gun could work. A heavier rifle is an option, but not many kids want to tote around a 10+ lb rifle. I don't want to do that. Kids are just drawn to lighter guns anyway.

While the 30-30 round is an option, not in a typical lever or even from the single shots. Levers are the guns most likely to create an AD. Not what you want to give to an inexperienced shooter. Kids don't need to be cocking/uncocking a hammer over a live round. Unloading is the prime time for accidents with levers. The stock shape magnifies recoil. On paper a 30-30 is soft recoiling, but from typical levers it hurts worse than my 308 bolt rifles with much better designed stocks. You run into the same problem with the cheap 5 lb single shots. Those guns knock the snot out or you even in supposedly light recoiling calibers.

If extremely recoil sensitive a 223 works just fine on deer at close range if good bullets are used with almost zero recoil. I still think the 243 is the better all around option. Even as he gets older it will be enough gun for almost anything he will hunt, up to elk. They are far more effective on deer than a 30-30 or 223, and with the option for shots greater than 100 yards as he gains experience.

 

[303tom]

.243 Winchester, Great Nephew on my wifes side barely a 110 lbs. with one of my Handi-rifles....................

 

[jrdolall]

Light recoiling deer rifles.
Marlin 336 in 30-30.
Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55.
Bolt .243.
Bolt or pretty much any .223.
Bolt 25-06.
These are guns I own that I consider light recoil. I have a single shot 243 that has a good kick. My 13 year old boys both killed their first deer with these guns, one used a bolt Rem 700 in 243 and the other used a Marlin 30-30. Actually the oldest was 12 I think.

I would not spend a lot of money because in all likelihood the kid will move up to a larger caliber by the time he is 15-16. Both of mine did and now both, one is grown, shoot 30-06.

All of these are just my experience. I have not done any recoil tests or done any internet searches to find out foot pounds and such. If it feels like it kicks when I shoot it then it kicks.

 

[JShirley]

.30-30s can have an uncomfortable amount of recoil, especially if they don't have good recoil pads.

Another option is to get a Blackhawk Axiom stock. This has an M4-style adjustable LOP, with built-in recoil absorbers. It really works. My fiance's 12 y/o son had never fired anything larger than 7.62x39mm (also a good option), but he was happily firing .30-06 off the bench.

Here's a picture of RC about to touch off another 150-grain '06 (he's adjusting the elevation on the rest- kid's a surprisingly good shot, considering he's fired less than 200 rounds in his entire life).

John

 

[j1]

A 30 30 is more than enough for deer out to 200 yards and has very little recoil with 150 grain bullets. Adding a scope brings the weight of the rifle up too. Maybe a good recoil pad might be a good idea.

 

[JShirley]

30 30 is more than enough for deer out to 200 yards and has very little recoil with 150 grain bullets

I grew up shooting a very light NEF H&R Topper, Jr. that kicked like a mule. I remember being surprised at how much recoil Derek's 336Y had. Not in a positive way. Perhaps we have different ideas about what "very little recoil" means, and considering I started shooting 37 years ago, the fact that I found a so-called "Youth" model to have a lot of recoil probably does mean something.

John

 

[jrdolall]

I have a 243 single shot Rossi that kicks worse than most of my 30-06 rifles. The Rem 700 in 243 is an absolutely awesome rifle. I have had the gun for well over 20 years and it has dropped a lot of whitetails. It is normally one of my "loaner" guns that I let people use when they want to introduce someone to shooting.

 

[gondorian]

A 6.8 spc, 6.5 grendel, or 300 BLK upper for an AR would be a very good choice. You could even get a .22 kit for your AR and have him shoot that for a while, then transition to .223 and then to the larger cartridge.

 

[JShirley]

7.62x39mm, 6.5 or 6.8mm from AR platforms should be very good choices, especially with adjustable-length stocks.