Youth Centerfire cartridge?

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ojibweindian

ojibweindian

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Hey all!

I really want to surprise my son this year with a rifle for Christmas. He'll be 8 in January. He's quite big for his age, being about 4'8" and weighs a few pounds under 120. Basically, he's an 8 year old in a 12 year old's body.

I was thinking that either a .243 or .260 would be a good choice. He's shot a few Yugo Mausers without too much trouble (stock too long). I was wondering if a Remington Model 700 Youth in .260 would most likely be a good fit for him?
 
AR-15 in .223, with a collapsible stock. Short enough for his arm, tiny recoil, and will grow with him. A bit on the pricey side though :rolleyes:
 
.260 or 257 Roberts or 30-30 would be my choice. If you handload, the cartridge can be almost anything you like. Depending on build, even some youth stocks might be a bit long and have to be cut down. Also check out NEF/H&R single shots.


David
 
I like lwsimon's idea as well. Wish I had thought of it! I you do the AR route you could get a matching one...

David
 
I am going to recommend a bolt action chambered for .223. Low recoil, practice ammo is CHEAP, and when you do go to get that AR for him you already have the ammo... :D
 
What would your son be using it for?? Target or plinking? Hunthing? Is cost an issue? If it's something you may want him to use for future hunting trips, then a lever-action in 30-30 may be the best deal overall. There are a lot of bolt rifles that will work great and not cost a whole lot of money and can be had in a wide variety of calibers.

At his size, a full size stock should work for him. Even if it's a bit long, you can always cut the length of pull and just replace the stock a couple of years later.

If this will be a hunting rifle, check the regulations for minimum caliber for game like deer. Some states don't allow anything below .24 for big game.

Does he have shooting experience? If he doesn't, then a bolt action rifle may be the best way to go to learn how to shoot. Sorry, but IMHO, the idea of an AR clone just does not make any sense for an 8-year old. If he doesn't have any shooting experience at all, then I would go with a .22LR as a beginner rifle. Cheap to shoot and with no recoil, the learning curve will go quick. Now, if Dad got an AR and if he wants to share.....
 
I'm a big fan of starting on .22 rf, but I suspect that your son has one or two of these available and something stouter is wanted. If so, you are on the right track with a 243 or 260. I would add 6.5 swede to your options. All are very enjoyable to shoot and very capable.

I am also a big fan of Tikka T3 rifles, which are light, accurate and relatively inexpensive. The Rem youth model is a fine gun, and I'm sure there are many others that would fill the bill.

This should be a very memorable Christmas. Just be sure to make a deal with your son that if he ever needs or wants to sell this first gun, he must sell it to you. I wish I had never sold my 700ADL in 6mm Rem, but it seemed to be the thing to do at the time.
 
Ojibwe;

I'm going to second the suggestion of the 6.5 X 55mm Swede. The rifles themselves are available in any price range you'd care to pay for. The cartridge itself has an outstanding history of accuracy and terminal performance.

It's what I gave my son for his first center-fire hunting rifle & he'll never get rid of it. The others I also considered when I was doing the same evaluation you are, are the .257 Roberts & the 6mm Remington. I consider the 6mm Rem, also a .243 diameter bullet, to be a superior alternative to the .243 Winchester when using the heavier hunting weight bullets.

900F
 
Thinking back to when I was that age, I would have preferred the AR hands down. (Of course, my tastes still run toward EBR aesthetics, so that's not surprising.)
 
What would your son be using it for?? Target or plinking? Hunthing? Is cost an issue?
Click to expand...

He'd be using it for hunting and target shooting. Cost really isn't an issue; I'm looking for a decent youth-sized bolt action around $500. I would consider a youth Handi Rifle. Whatever rifle I decide to get him, it'll wear a VX-II 2-7.

Also, the first AR-15 in this house will go to me :neener:
 
Oh, a .223 sounds like a good idea, but I seriously doubt the capability of the cartridge for hunting medium sized game. Not only that, but I'd prefer to get him a rifle in a cartridge that he won't "outgrow".

Hopefully, he and I will be able to do some hog hunting in the southern part of the state next fall. Deer too, of course. I figure that a .260 has enough penetrative capabilities for deer and hogs without being too punishing on him.
 
Fwiw

I disagree with the notion that the AR platform is innapropriate for youth, and should not be considered.

The NRA youth marksmanship clubs, even in Jersey, spend a lot of time with pellet rifles, but once the kids master that, they cycle them through .22lr pretty quickly to centerfire, which is CMP ARs shooting .223

There's lots to choose from in the intermediate cartridge range, and I'm not saying you HAVE to choose an AR, I'm simply saying that there's no reason to rule it out for a responsible kid that's got single fire/boltie .22lr down pat.

Every time I've hauled out an AR with a group of kids that age, I've made their day, and probably their week.
 
I think you're on the right path with .260 Rem/6.5x55/7mm Mauser/.257 Roberts; the recoil won't/shouldn't bother him with a proper fitting stock and it'll do everything he'll need for critters in your area. Accuracy is superb with these cartriges for target time as well. It'll be one he can train his kids on too.

Good work, Ojibwe.

Regards,
Rabbit.
 
The more I research, the more I am leaning towards the .260/6.5x55 cartridge.

In a Remington, this means a Model 7 youth.

Glass will be, as mentioned previously, a Leupold VX-II.

I'll need to get some dies, primers, a good bullet, etc.

Anyone have a good suggestion concerning powders?

This should set my boy up for some time.

I love spending bonus money! :D
 
Take a look at the Steyr Pro Hunter. It has an adjustable LOP so you can shorten it for now and add on as he grows older. I have one in .270 and it's been an excellent rifle. Design is similar to the Tikka T3 but with better fit and finish.

For reloading recomendtions I'd try heading on over to the reloading forum :) Plenty of advice to be had there. Some of it is even good ;)
 
The .260 Remington is a great little cartridge. Get some H4350 powder for full-power loads and some 125gr Nosler Partitions or 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and go have a good time.

My current deer rig is a Remmy 700 Mountain in .260 with a Leupold VX-I scope on top. Easy to carry, easy to shoot, should be death to game. The Model 7 is also an excellent choice.
 
Ojibwe;

The load that seems to work best in my son's 6.5 X 55 is: 44 gr of Vihta N160 powder, Winchester cases, CCI primers & either the Speer or Hornady 140 gr bullets. Seating depth varies according to which is used & will also probably vary with your gun. This is in a modern action, not a military conversion.

900F
 
Ruger rifle.

Ruger 77v or #1v chambered in 204.[20 caliber-with 32 grain bullet]

Low noise & recoil with excellent ballistic characteristics - 4200fps @

12-34hom.
 
Levergun?

One other type to consider...its been my experience that youth think leverguns are way cool. Maybe a levergun in .30-30 or .44mag?

Not to rain on the parade of the 6.5 suggestions. I think a boltgun in 6.5/.260 would be a great idea.
 
AR-15 is my choice

My son is 9 and I'm going through the same thing however I have experience in competitive match shooting.

I started him out with at age 4 with a youth .22-bolt rifle. He then went to a youth semi auto .22. This spring he'll be shooting a Rock River AR-15 with their youth butt stock. RR sells a reduced size butt stock for entry-level shooters; they call it their "Entry" butt stock.

My son is tall and lanky for his age and does not have the mass for a large cartridge rifle like a Model 700 nor does he have the hand strength yet for an M1 Garand.

We shot the AR yesterday with factory 55 grain loads and he did very well for his first time with that rifle. He used my match AR that is over 16 lbs and it was a challenge for him just to get it up on the bench. I'm going to pick him up one from RR at Camp Perry this coming summer.

I'm hoping that he'll follow in my footsteps and want to compete in Service Rifle competitions, as he gets older.
 
I'm surprised that the 6.5mm crowd has silenced the 6mm crowd. :)

Were this my child, I'd probably start with a Handi-Rifle in .243. It's got enough oomph for small deer, makes a decent varminter, and will be easier on him to shoot than even the 6.5x55. It may not have the stats of the 6mm Remington, but you can always find decent factory ammo for it if you don't have the time to whip up a bunch of range fodder.
 
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