Youth deer rifle

Looking for opinions on the best all around deer rifle for a youth. The little man turns 10 next year and he wants to go with next year. Couple things that may help narrow it down is he is a fairly small framed 9 year old. He does shoot his .22LR right now with no issues and can usually go through roughly 40 shots without much of a break before his arms start to get sore.

I havent kept up enough lately to know what may best suit him for his first couple years.

Any help?

I am in the same boat with my daughter, I have been doing some checking and I am between a .243 and a 7mm-08. I am also looking for a shotgun as well and I have had my daughter shoot a youth 20ga and a regular 20ga and the youth is lighter but kicked her worse then the regular.

243 is a great choice. If you can afford a 22-250 they have practically no recoil. Hard to find the big game loads though…
My sons used both until they were larger and heavier.
My 2 cents…

My daughter is 5’2″ with T-rex length arms. She tried using a youth 20ga with slugs but didn’t like how much it kicked. I shot it and agreed. I ended up picking up a used Browning A-bolt micro hunter in .308. It shoots like a dream and has very manageable recoil. My daughter is kind of a wimp, but has no problems with this gun. I let a buddy of mine borrow it one year for his 12 year old son and he had no problems shooting it well.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11TROPHYHUNTERXPYTH

I’m getting this one for my 3 girls to share.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11trophyhunterxpythmuddy

I would advise against a 20 ga with a slug if rifles are legal where you hunt. The shotgun recoil is very harsh for a small person. .243 are a very nice choice for the smaller sized shooter. Cartridges are easily available and reasonably priced as you will want to have many range sessions. The .223 and 22/250 can also work with an accurate shot and the right bullets. My brothers girls started with Browning micro A-bolt in 7mm-08 and they had success at 12 years old but started shooting them around 10 years old. They shot hundreds of rounds before hunting as they are a shooting family. The 7mm-08 is a great deer cartridge. My boys were on the large frame size and started with a 760 pump in .280 and the other a rugger 77 in .280

Mwal

My vote is for the 243.I got my Rem.700 at 11 yrs old and you know I’m not very big.

Thanks for the replies so far. I am going to stay away from the shotguns even though I have 4 set up with slug barrells for the recoil sake, and rifles are legal where we hunt.

.243 is what i had in mind but know there is other options out there.

Pro’s? Con’s? Things to stay away from?

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hornady-reg-Custom-Lite-Rifle-Ammunition/1229641.uts

Something else you can try to reduce the sensitivity to recoil. Of course shooting off a lead sled helps at first too.

I would strongly suggest either a 7mm.08 or a .308. Either one would be a better choice than a .243 in my opinion. Recoil is low on all three but bigger bullets, better penetration etc… etc… with either the 7mm.08 or the .308.

If you shoot ’em in the ribs it doesn’t matter, but new shooters don’t always necessarily qualify as marksmen. The .243’s in my experience, have a tendency to “bark” pretty loud and that can cause flinching issues for young shooters. Also, for new to hunting shooters, bigger (heavier) bullets can tend to be helpful in putting game down with poor shot angles etc…

I personally feel the 7mm.08 is one of the greatest, most versatile cartridges ever developed. Not overkill for deer, not under gunned for bear, mild recoil with excellent ballistics, lots of reloading choices. The .308 would be a sound choice also.

.308 mild recoil?!

I personally enjoy shooting my 7mm-08 but usually hunt with my 30/30 even less recoil and it kills deer just fine. Even my wife love to shoot it over the 7mm-08. If shoots over 100 yards are not the norm where you hunt perhaps a 30/30 would work.

Mwal

My biggest concern is the recoil at this point. Right now he is only roughly 60lbs.
Our shots at deer will be 100 yrds or less. Also be aware that with his 22, at 40 yards and open sites he can knock out the bullseye in usually about 10 shots. Of course things will be different when shooting at an animal but he does have a heck of an aim.

Interesting how times have changed. When I started deer hunting as youth everyone was started with a shotgun. Often times a single shot. My brother in-law’s party wont let youths even carry a rifle until they’ve shot a deer with a shot gun.

suzuki wrote:

.308 mild recoil?!

I would consider it mild. Not 22-250 mild, but certainly mild enough that most youngsters can handle it. You can also get reduced recoil loads for it to start and when he gets bigger, go to regular loads.

My boys shoot a Marlin youth rifle in .243. I have even shot a buck with it. It is very easy to handle.
DT

Another dad that bought their little guy a .243. No recoil and hes shot 3 nice bucks in youth hunts so far. None of them had to be tracked more then a few feet. He loves shooting it. I love shooting it to.

My favorite gun is my 25.06. It is another versatile cartridge that has wonderful ballistics and very mild recoil. However, it is a long action. For someone small in stature, a short action may likely “fit” better. I truly believe that many men, women and kids with slender builds, actually can, and do handle recoil surprisingly better than some big guys. Most youth models are offered in 7mm.08, .308, .243. It may be that their smaller frames tend to “give” a bit more than more sturdily built folks. I would take him shooting and see what he is comfortable with before laying down any cash. I stand by my comment regarding the noise causing more flinching than actual felt recoil. Make sure he practices with ear plugs and muffs boths worn together. All of the cartridges listed are indeed in the quite mild 14lb – 16lb recoil class. (Even the .308 / 15lb is typical).

I wouldn’t give a kid a 30.30 even though I started on one. I get uncomfortable around kids unloading them if you know what I mean. Bolt action with a dump plate is inherently safer.

Eric,

I had the same concerns you had. I ended up buying my son a Browning AB3 .270 with a Nikon Monarch 3 BDC. I use the .270 managed recoil rounds and he can shoot all day. He is consistently hitting bulls at 100 Yds without any issues. I would highly recommend this combo as it will last for years.

Ben

I put out a similar question a few years back when I was buying for my daughter. We ended up going with the Ruger American in .243. I’ve read more good reviews about this gun since and we are very happy with this purchase. A highly rated gun for a price that doesn’t break most banks.

Eric

7mm-08. Back before the 7mm-08 had gained any popularity, I bought my brother a .243 when he started. He killed deer with it, but lots of them ran off and left little blood to follow. My buddy picked up a youth model 7mm-08 for his kids a few years later. always short track jobs if at all and was always impressed with the damage it did.

Thanks all for the replies. I do have access to a 7mm-08 and a 30-30. May have hime try and shoot the 7mm-08 this summer and see what happens.

Thanks again all, I have some research to do now!!

The newer marlin 30/30 have a safety as well as a hammer so they can be unloaded as safely as any weapon. I also think they only have 11 ft lbs of recoil. A 7mm-08 is 12.6 so not much difference. Double plug in ear and muffs try a lead sled at first make no mention the word pain etc. Shoot both and see what works for him. I use both the 7mm-08 and 30/30 both work great on deer just choose one or the other according to my stand selection for the day.

Mwal

I think you should have him shoot those guns and if cant stand the recoil then wait another year before considering gun hunting for deer.

One option you might want to consider is the .270 and the “reduced recoil” rounds available for them. My youngest said he felt less kick from this combo than he did from shooting the .243. I have found this loads to be accurate and deadly out to about 175 yards from personal experience. It also gives the opportunity to grow into a rifle round that he can use for years to come.

I originally used a Remington Managed Recoil round and then I had trouble finding them. I later found these from Hornady and really liked them.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/managed-recoil/managed-recoil.aspx

http://www.hornady.com/store/CustomLite

Just one more to consider. The .243 is good but this was the route I took with my kids.

Good luck!
Dave

Eric,

Trying to keep focused on your stated need for your son, here’s what I can tell you about chamberings and rifles that I actually own and have experience with.

Tegg brings up a good point. Is now really the right time to bring in a rifle? Is a shotgun and slugs an option even if you CAN had your son a rifle, the question is should you? Not saying yes or no, but I think it’s worth considering if an auto-loading 20 gauge would be possible starting point if recoil is really a major issue?

For rifles, far and away the best choice I can see for your needs and your son’s build would be the .243. This is a very capable cartridge with relatively mild recoil.

Overall, I think there are a lot of people out there who are quick to disregard this cartridge without actually having any experience with it. 4 years ago, my father found himself using my .243 when his .30-06 went down with mechanical issues. He was absolutely stunned when he dropped a buck stone dead in its tracks at just over 100 yards with a 90 grain Nosler to the boiler room. The deer literally fell over sideways without taking a single step after impact. The .243 hits them fast and hitting fast with modern bullets means they get hit HARD as well. That combination is much more of winner than most people give the .243 credit for.

The .22-250 is not a fit. I’ll just say it flat out. On a practical level–and I own both a .22-250 and a .243–there is almost no difference in the recoil between these two cartridges in equal rifles. The .243 kicks only a miniscule amount harder. The .22-250 is the King of the Varmint Rifles for good reason, but things get wacky when you try to force feed it deer-capable loads. A young hunter doesn’t need the baggage that comes with creating a situation where you’re trying to force a varmint rifle to do double duty.

There are a lot of “tweener” choices that sit between the .243 and larger, harder-kicking chamberings. 7-07, various .25 bores, 6 and 6.5 MM options, .270, .308 etc. To me, it’s not worth talking a lot about these because all of them are a significant step up in recoil.

Grouse

I’ve stayed out of this but,my take on this is get a young kid shooting a lite kicking rifle, 243 they get used to it and learn to shoot good, My son had his 11 year old this year and he’s not very big[played light weight football in Hudson 5th grade] Josh had his 30-06 bolt and Ty shot his first buck with 1 shot w/it and never knew he shot the big gun, and made a perfect shot 70yrds head quarter on droped in it’s tracks. point is he had no flinch or hesitation as he wasn’t expecting anything bad and with the deer in front of him it really didn’t matter what he was shooting at that moment. Just don’t start them out bad!
Stan

Grouse beat me to the point that was resonating around in my head. I think people that feel the .243 does poorly are shooting soft point bullets or similar construction that blows up on impact, or get their horror story from someone using said bullets. The reason these work a little better in 7mm-08, 308, and 270 are because the heavier grain weight slows the velocity to a level that doesn’t “splatter” the energy of the round as much. Both dad and I stepped away from .06s because at close range, they were tearing up more meat and not putting the deer down any faster. As for the sound of a .243 causing flinching…… this raises an eyebrow with me. With proper ear protection, I’m at a loss to understand how any “boom” lends to developing a flinch. Second, when firing at an animal, I haven’t met anyone yet that claimed they didn’t make a good shot because they were worried about the noise. Recoil? All day long……. but not noise.

X2 on the 270 shoot managed recoil loads for now. The gun will last him a lifetime and very versatile caliber also if he ever hunt elk or bigger game.

It’s not the noise that gets em, it’s the kick that bothers them and starts all the bad habits. We always practice with eye and ear protection.
Stan