What rifle and caliber did some of you start your big kids on?

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Im shopping around for a rifle for my son. I was leaning towards either the tikka t3 lite or a savage. I want a rifle that can be used for many moons for hunting/plinking.
What rifle and caliber did some of you start your big kids on?
I had him learn using a .22lr then a winchester .357 trapper and now i think its time to upgrade to a higher caliber mainly to get him ready for deer and hopefully elk season.
Now this is what i was thinking.... .308 shooting manage recoil rounds until he grows up then switch to reg. Rounds(my sons pretty big for his age.. Hes 120lbs at around 4'6") can a .308 take down an elk?
Any of your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I started out on a 22 lever, went to a 30-30 for deer around 12 and when i was old enough to save up and buy my own rifle at 17 I got a 30-06 bolt rifle. I'm now 25 and have more rifles than 5 guys need but hey its a good hobby! To answer your question I'd say with proper bullet selection and within reasonable range there is no doubt a 308 will bag an elk. If anyone says otherwise its probably because they drank the bigger is better and only a magnum something or other will kill a deer kool-aid.

Cory
 
I went from .22 LR to a .243 and on to my .270 WSM (too much gun for when I got it).

The .308 would be a good choice, just make sure the gun fits him. He still is a little small for an adult sized rifle, but maybe he can handle it.

Another great choice is a 7mm-08. It is actually a better choice, IMHO


A .308 can down an elk, with the right bullet.
 
And my 18 year old brother has a savage edge, think they're called the axis now, and seems to like it. Hasn't missed a deer in the two years he's used it. I had started a thread awhile ago asking for help choosing a new rifle and they're were ALOT of people that suggested the tikka. Seems like they are very good rifles for the money. Many people compared them to higher end/higher priced guns.
 
I have owned just about every notch upward I can make, yes even 300 Win Mag, but I havent found anything in NA that cant be taken with 30-30 or 30-06.
 
Do you reload? I started with a 22 then went to 3006. Mean uncle.. I wanted to be like my dad long story. If you reload the 7mm 08 and the 6.5 swede or 7x57. All 3 can take elk or moose with good placement and have little enough recoil that a younger person could use it. Another choice would be the 45-70 makes you get up close.
 
All the elk killers are going to kick. Try a recoil pad (the kind you wear under your coat) as well as one on the rifle to tame it down for him. I started on a Marlin .30-30 and moved to a Savage 110B .30-06.

Somewhere in there I tried a Ruger M77 .270 with either 130 or 150 gr bullets, that seemed like a really soft shooter compared to a 180gr 30-06.

.308 will do the job just don't buy a lightweight rifle that's going to kick like a mule.
 
kool guys thanks for the info.
quick question do they make a 30-30 in bolt action?
i might consider a .243 or 7-08 more towards the .243 because of price of ammo.
oh and no i dont reload i wish i had the space to do it.
 
Beginner rifle...

'Way back when my #1 son was 11, he wanted to start deer hunting. We decided first on .243 Win as the round, then spent months looking for a used youth-size rifle. Turns out that youth-model .243's don't ever leave the family that bought 'em--After all the kids have used it to start on, then the nieces and nephews all use it, and then it goes through all the grandkids. Never gets sold on the used-gun market.

So we ended up buying him a new one. Back then they weren't as common; the only one we could find was a Winchester Ranger Youth Model, which is nothing but a Model 70 with a smaller stock and shorter bbl. After sighting in the 'scope, and adjusting the trigger pull to something reasonable, we practiced up with it and took it hunting.

Every deer he ever shot with it was DRT.

'Course, he grew, and we had to buy a bigger stock for it, but being a Model 70 that wasn't much of a problem. I kept the original stock for use with grandkids--See, I did the same thing I was complaining about! :D

Nowadays there is a much larger selection of "youth models" on the market, but be prepared to buy one new. If you don't reload you want a commonly available cartridge. If you will ever restock the rifle, you want a commonly available model of rifle, not something exotic. Searching for and getting the rifle, learning to shoot it, going deer hunting together, was a neat father-and-son project for me and mine, that stretched out, on-and-off, over several years.

Now he's off on his own. Best of luck with YOUR search.
 
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I have lots of firearms, only 1 of my 4 boys is interested in shooting guns & hunting, so when I though he was old enough I let him pick the one he wanted to shoot first, then we just went from there...........
 
At 4'6 the challenge will be stock fit. Not to get too far out there but if you got him a 6.8SPC in a CAR-15 (like a rock river) you could adjust the buttstock as he grows and it'll kill deer just fine. Elk maybe not. My 3 kids range from 5'10 120 lbs to 4'4 65 lbs and this works pretty well (shooting .223 at targets), still a bit much gun for the little guy, though. An elk gun might be better off a few years down the road when he can comfortably handle the gun and recoil. Don't introduce new shooters to recoil too early. Some have suggested 7-08 its an excellent caliber but the stock might be a bit long. Youth models are good but still on the heavy side for a kid (as is the AR-15 at 7 lbs). Kind of a tough size as they're almost there, outgrowing the cricket, but not quite into full size territory.
 
Check out the Axis youth models they are in stock at Buds in .223/.243 and 7mm-08.
I go today to pick up one in .223 that I ordered on last sunday it was delivered to my FFL on thursday. Including transfer fees of 25.00 it cost me only 333.00.
Every review I read on these rifles was positive, some did suggest that a model with an Accutrigger would be better. If I need to I'll rework the trigger but lots of folks said it was not so bad so we'll see.
BTW this was a package rifle with a cheap 3x9 scope mounted and bore sighted.
The price of all three rifles was about the same I'll try to give a report when I get it to the range.
T
 
I think it's Browning but one of the brand's have a deal where if you buy a youth model rifle they will let you upgrade to a normal sized stock down the road for what they say is a fair price. Sounds like a decent idea to me.
 
doc2rn said:
I have owned just about every notch upward I can make, yes even 300 Win Mag, but I havent found anything in NA that cant be taken with 30-30 or 30-06.
Click to expand...
Didn't you know the 30-30 stop cold at 150 yards? I mean literally stop-- the bullet just drops to the ground cold the moment it hits that range. he needs a round that will carve through buses. 45-70, man.
 
Savage Stevens use to make bolt 30-30's you can still find them used for $250 - 350. My son started with a 308 reduced recoil loads, one year later he went to full loads. Now we both have 308's and I wouldn't be afraid to take an elk with one. I believe Hornady makes a light magnum load for the 308 also. I have both a 30-06 and 308 and the short action of the 308 is nice
 
If I had to do it all over again I would start them off with a 7mm-08. Reason being is that it recoils much like a .243, which is what I started them with. Plus, later on in years it sure will do for elk. Now, the 308 is a fine caliber and would not hesitate using it for an elk.
 
Ok just unboxed the Axis in the box is a coupon to upgrade to an adult sized stock for 50% off of retail usable for no more than 5 years.
I put the bolt in and tried the trigger feels good to me not spongy or gritty actually pretty crisp I'd guess 4 or 5 lbs max pull. This gun is lite and there is a lot of plastic but it feels great in my hands. The scope is a Bushnell 3x9 but it is not mounted very square to the gun so I'll remount it and start over.
As a first centerfire for a kid it will be fine and at the price a few dings and scratches wont bother me in the least. Now lets hope it is a good shooter.
T
 
Started all 4 of my sons on a .22rf. My oldest boy I built him a .270 bolt action rifle and encased it in a Winchester feather-light stock, put a 3X9 Nikon scope on it, and he still has that rifle, he was 14 at the time of his first hi-power rifle, my second oldest boy never cared to hunt, but didn't care if the rest of us did, my other 2 boys were pretty chunky and they both shot a 30-06 Howa,(there was a 5 year age difference) which my yougest boy now owns. All of the above rifles can definitely take down an elk. Please note I hand load so I did reduce the loads, until they could handle the recoil. Also I installed recoil pads on the stocks.
 
The best light kicking deer rifle hands down is a 6.5x55/260 Rem. I did a very detailed comparison a couple years back of all the major contenders, the mid range 6.5mms beat out everything for a combination of trajectory, retained energy, and recoil. While the 6.5s took the crown the 243 held it's own, and the 257 Roberts, 25-06, and 7-08 all earned honorable mention.
Found it, here you go. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=560821&highlight
 
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For a 13 year old girl, started out with a savage markii bolt, then a ruger 10/22 with a pink stock, then a ar15. This summer she wants to try deer hunting. Going to get a bolt action rifle, whih depends on her tryin them out. Going to be a 308. Not too much kick with a 30 cal punch
 
hey guys thanks for all your advice... i went to cabelas today to do a little window shopping and get some pricing... but i didn't find what i was looking for.
Who out there has the Savage Model: 11 Trophy Hunter XP - Youth (.308) for your kids? if so how do you like it?
Who knows where to get one of these? Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, Sportsmans Warehouse and Wal-Mart dont carry them here in Phoenix.
 
308 can be a bit much for smaller shooters. About 18lbs of free recoil in an 8 lbs rifle, more then I liked to shoot as a child that is for sure. 243, 30-30 and 6.5x55 tone it down to 10-12lbs MUCH easier on the shoulder. Any healthy child can handle my featherweight 6.5 Sweed, the recoil is next to nothing in a 6lbs rifle!! :what: Avoid everything .22 cal for deer hunting, several tests have prvoen that their terminal performance is far behind the performance even of the 6mm.
 
yeah i know about the recoil but what i planed on doing was use the Hornady 308 Win 125 gr SST CustomLite or the Remington Manage recoil and drop that recoil to about 10-13 lbs and when grows up switch to regular .308
 
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