Use Grandpa's old guns or buy new?

[natman]

I would second the keep them.

And buy the kid a .22 RF to start with.

Either of the Savage calibers are going to be somewhat intimidating due to muzzle blast and recoil to a kid new to shooting.

Not to mention too expensive to shoot extensively for marksmanship training.

rc

A big +1 to this.

Get a 22 to learn on. Learning to shoot requires a lot of practice and there are a lot of skills to learn, getting a sight picture, holding still, shooting positions, trigger control, etc, etc, that are directly transferable from a 22. Using a 22 lets you learn how to shoot without the distracting recoil and blast and you'll save enough in ammunition costs to pay for the rifle.

Once you've mastered the necessary skills, try the 250, then the 300.

Have fun.

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

If it were my choice ,I think I would get the .22 for learning the basics I would hunt this season with the old guns until they had one kill each ! Then retire them and maybe take them out once in a while to hunt ! Kevin

 

[Hunterdad]

Shoot an enjoy them. I have a beautiful old Wingmaster that was given to me by my grandfather and was my dedicated trap gun for 3 years. He also gave me a never fired Remington 1100 LT-20 that was sighted in last week and will be my deer chaser. These guns are made to be used......so shoot the crap out of them!

 

[mdauben]

Another vote for adding a .22LR bolt action to your collection, not only for your son but for your own use, too! I own a number of nice centerfire rifles and handguns but I still put more rounds through my .22LR guns than all the rest combined. Its just a great way to continue to sharpen your own shooting skills in an easy, inexpensive and fun way. Plus a .22LR rifle makes an excellent small game gun. You might only get to shoot as few as one deer a year, but you can shoot dozens of squirels, rabbits, etc. every season.

As far as yoru Grandfather's guns, again another vote to use them! The Savage 99 is still a popular hunting gun, but by no means so rare or worth so much as to preclude using it for just that. The .300 Savage and .250-3000 (aka .250 Savage) are both first rate deer cartridges, although they are (especially the .250) a bit harder to find than the more common modern cartridges at typcial mass outlets, but either can be found on-line with a bit of searching.

 

[Clipper]

.250 & .300 Savage isn't hard to come by in Michigan, 'cause they're still popular deer cartridges here. My wife can always find .300 at Williams gunsite, and I'm sure they have .250, too. Probably any real gun shop will have them. Dick Williams is near you, and Jay's is not too far away and worth the trip.

 

[gtd]

I have a 100-year old 12-guage double, handed down by a family friend. It has zero value, it's been patched by a gunsmith so it's safe, and it doesn't shoot quite straight.

It's what I hunt with when a .22 won't do, and if I never hit my target (as long as my shot is otherwise safe, of course) I do not care. Hunting and shooting with that gun gives me a connection to that old friend of my childhood.

 

[mp510]

I looked at a beautiful Winchester 54 target rifle in excellent condition earlier this year. The price was right but it turned out that it was chambered in .250-3000, which is what ended up turning me off from buying it- ammo was $1.25 to $1.50 per round. As nice as the round may be, ammo cost is prohibitive for any sort of prolonged shooting. Brass (for reloading) really wouldn't be too economical either.

BY all mean, hunt with and shoot the old guns. But supplement them as well.

 

[hardluk1]

That 250-3000 also goes by the name 250 savage. Factory loads from winchester and remmy are still avalible too and HSM and BHVC load for it.

Start your boy with a .22lr but he 250-3000 would be an easier centerfire for a young man to shoot and hunt with. PCammo also loads some specialty ammo

Man your a lucky guy to have those to savage 99's. That 300 savage is a very good round too.

 

[JohnBT]

"he's 62 now"

Another young man like me. That's not old, especially for a gun.

John