Since I'm new here forgive me if this has been asked before. My son will be 12 and able to shoot his own deer next year where we live.
I have a 30-06 and a 12 gauge slug gun, which both hurt my shoulder after a couple of rounds, so I know either one will be to much for him.
Yes he will go through a hunters safety course first, and I will be with him in the stand.
I just would like to know a good caliber, please don't go off into autoloader vs bolt action, the greatest manufacturer ever, or any other tangent.
THANK YOU
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A golf course is a willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.
.243 Win, 7mm-08, 6mm Rem (if you can find one), .257 Roberts, and he might even do ok with a 25-06.
Another suggestion I'd make, since it's his first time out this year, you might want to consider letting him use your .30-06, but load it with the Remington Managed Recoil ammo. It uses a 125gr bullet at 2600fps, making it kick about like a .243 Win. The 125gr .308cal bullet is a Core-Lokd bullet specially designed to perform at the reduced velocity, and is said to be quite effective on deer. I don't know what your situation is, but if getting him his own gun right now is less than do-able, it'd be a good option. Also, you might also consider getting him a rifle in .308 Win and still starting him on the Managed Recoil ammo. A couple-three years down the road when he's a little older and bigger he could work up to full-power ammo. The .308Win is great for everything up to elk and will serve him well for all the hunting he's likely to do for the rest of his life, unless he gets the wild hair to go after the great bears or large African game someday.
.243 Win, 7mm-08, 6mm Rem (if you can find one), .257 Roberts, and he might even do ok with a 25-06.
Another suggestion I'd make, since it's his first time out this year, you might want to consider letting him use your .30-06, but load it with the Remington Managed Recoil ammo. It uses a 125gr bullet at 2600fps, making it kick about like a .243 Win. The 125gr .308cal bullet is a Core-Lokd bullet specially designed to perform at the reduced velocity, and is said to be quite effective on deer. I don't know what your situation is, but if getting him his own gun right now is less than do-able, it'd be a good option. Also, you might also consider getting him a rifle in .308 Win and still starting him on the Managed Recoil ammo. A couple-three years down the road when he's a little older and bigger he could work up to full-power ammo. The .308Win is great for everything up to elk and will serve him well for all the hunting he's likely to do for the rest of his life, unless he gets the wild hair to go after the great bears or large African game someday.
Good Luck to you and your son.
Mike
Thats a good idea too. I forgot about the managed-recoil ammo.
__________________
I love Christmas lights. They remind me of the people who voted for Obama. They all hang together; half of them don't work, and the ones that do, aren't that bright.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do
not understand, no explanation is possible.
A golf course is a willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.
All of the above Ideas and calibers are great suggestions. I like theNEF single shot in 45-70. As a newer shooter make sure your son wears hearing protection, almost all of the bad shooting habits I see come from noise, not recoil. Kids are tough.
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All of the above Ideas and calibers are great suggestions. I like theNEF single shot in 45-70. As a newer shooter make sure your son wears hearing protection, almost all of the bad shooting habits I see come from noise, not recoil. Kids are tough.
Amen to that!
Not to mention that it's vitally important to protect his hearing. All CF firearms are loud enough to cause some amount of PERMANENT hearing damage, even with one shot. If your ears ring after the shot, you've lost some of your hearing FOREVER. You might not be able to perceive the loss, but the damage is cumulative and will get a little worse every time it happens (trust me on this, I speak from experience). The good habits he learns now about wearing good hearing protection will save his hearing years from now.
Kid friendly caliber
