I am getting ready to buy my son his first deer rifle. He just turned twelve and I am not sure what caliber to look for. We do our hunting in Northern Kansas and most shots are probably around 100 to 200 yards. I am hoping that I can get a decent quality gun for somewhere around 200 to 300 dollars. I figure that in a few years when he gets bigger he may want to move up to a larger caliber so I didn't plan to spend a lot on the first one. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
the 30-30 was my first deer rifle and i haven't shot anything else, and with the new ammo from hornady the 30-30 can now reach out beyond 200 yrdm but the 243 is a great starter also.
pat
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I still can't figure out why they call the traps "Live Traps". All the Racoon and Possum that I catch in mine never come out that way.
25 years ago, my father, when faced with exactly your decision, gave me a Remington 788 in .243. I did take 3 or 4 bucks with it (all with lung shots) using 100g CoreLokts, but none of them really dropped with much oomph. In fact, the 1st was a beautiful 10 pointer, & heran for several hundred yards before we collected him.
The .260, 7mm-08, & 6.5 Swede will all give you the flat shooting trajectory of a .243, with more energy and bullet frontal area. The recoil isn't much greater, either. Deer would be in the middle of the game-taking capability for these rounds, versus the top of the range for the .243.
Whatever you decide, getyour sonsome quality ear protection, and then get him to the range! It may take him several boxes to get comfortable with whatever you get for him.
I got my son a .243 for his 12th Birthday. It's a Remington Model 7 Youth that came with a 3-9 scope for a little under $500. You can find youth packages that are a little less pricey if you look. Remington sells a Model 700 Youth for less than the 7, and there are nice youth packages sold by Howa and Savage as well. I'm not sure how big the deer are in Kansas. The .243 is plenty for our Texas Hill Country deer,but, the deer might get a bit fatter on all the corn and soybeans you guys grow up there.
I started shooting a 25-06 at 10yrs old. I still have one and still love it. It wont kick any harder than most 243's and has alot or range and great power for deer. I recommend a 25-06 for anyone getting started with hunting. Another great round for starters is a 7mm-08.
The 6.5x55 and 260 are cool and all that, but try to find a rifle chambered for either or a wide bullet selection in factory loads. If you reload and have an old rifle chambered for either caliber theyre great. But for now, stick with what you can find chambered in any rifle made today and find any type of ammo desired. the 25-06 or 7mm-08
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I started shooting a 25-06 at 10yrs old. I still have one and still love it. It wont kick any harder than most 243's and has alot or range and great power for deer. I recommend a 25-06 for anyone getting started with hunting. Another great round for starters is a 7mm-08.
The 6.5x55 and 260 are cool and all that, but try to find a rifle chambered for either or a wide bullet selection in factory loads. If you reload and have an old rifle chambered for either caliber theyre great. But for now, stick with what you can find chambered in any rifle made today and find any type of ammo desired. the 25-06 or 7mm-08
My 6.5mmSwede is a Ruger M77 MkII and I have ammo made here and Norma ammo.
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I'd suggest a .243. There's nothing wrong with the other calibers mentioned, but the .243 is widely available. So, it will be easier to find a nice used model for the money you're looking to spend.
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Caliber for son's first deer rifle?
