Rifle/Scope help

[Triumph]

Need some help figuring out a Rifle/Scope question. I currently have a Ruger M77 with a 3x9x50 Nikon Buckmaster.

I am looking at a Weatherby Vanguard Youth 7mm-08 for my 9 year old son. He has shot a youth 243 and my 30-30 and does not seem to mind the recoil.

I am trying to answer 2 questions:
1. Should I transfer the Nikon Buckmaster to the Weatherby Vanguard (I have no pressing need for the 300WSM - a bit big for white tail) or is there a better scope choice.

2. Is it o.k. to skip the 243 and buy the 7mm-08 for my son? I know my son & it will be only a year or two before he wants a bigger caliber. If the 7mm-08 is a bit much for him this year I have access to a Remington Mohawk 243 at the lease.

Thanks for the help.

 

[r3dn3ck]

Scope transfer is your business. I was taught with a fixed 4x scope and find that I don't use the higher powers very often outside a bench now. For new hunters, I like fixed power scopes of modest magnification so they don't have to futz with anything and blow the shot. Just point, aim, squeeze, celebrate.

Get the 7mm. I was pretty comfy with a .243 when my pop brought me home the .308win. The recoil was very strong for me but I dealt with it and honestly while shooting at living things, I've never ever once noticed the recoil of the rifle I used. Even now with tore up shoulders. I can shoot a .243 or a 7mm Rem-Mag and as long as there's a critter on the other end of the sights, I don't feel the recoil. I don't imagine the boy will either but he'll appreciate the snot out of the harder hitting deeper penetrating bullet.

EDIT: and to be frank, when dad brought me my .308 and said it kicked hard, all I wanted to do was impress him by taking the punch and not wincing. I bet your boy will be similarly excited.

 

[Pigspitter]

IMHO, I'd get your son the .243, but that's because i'm a fan of the lighter rounds. I think younger shooters are better off using a lighter gun and learning proper shot placement before moving up a caliber or two. I've seen too many people grow up with the "big boom>being able to shoot the gun" mentality. It's not so much that the recoil may or may not bother him but that the recoil may hinder accurate shots.

That being said, I admire the interest you're taking in teaching your son how to hunt. Neither of my parents were very outdoorsy so I've had to make up for lost time in my later years. It's nice to see people like you getting the newest generation outdoors and on the path to a time consuming, expensive, but completely worth it hobby.

 

[BrocLuno]

The BuckMaster is a nice scope and has good clarity. If you don't need it, it's good for a son to use

I'd teach him to dial it to 5 or so and leave it there unless at the range of under special conditions. Using it as a fixed power will almost always help when things get busy.

I think both 30-30 and the 243 recoil less than the 7-08. I'd be starting him there and be spending range time learning to hold steady and quiet from all the field positions while getting good groups and developing sight pictures, etc. Then move him up to the "graduation" gun

 

[Skylerbone]

Buy the .243 and get him a nice new scope for it. Something with a smaller objective to keep it mounted closer to the barrel (for his smaller size). A nice 2-7X that can be transferred to HIS next rifle.

If he's been good enough to earn a new rifle, there's cause to think he's earned a nice bit of glass too. Throw in a book on shooting fundamentals (with a book report to follow) and you'll be doing everything you can to ensure a happy son and successful hunt.