Rifle for kids

[BEEBX2]

Hi- I' ve a grandson who' s turning twelve this year before deer hunting. He' s bigger than most of his classmates and we' re wondering about what would be a good rifle and caliber for him. We both feel as though he would be more comfortable with a pump vs. and lever action of a bolt. Thanks for any help you can come up with. Looking forward to any and all replies. BEEB

[gogiggen]

If you are looking for a shotgun I would look at the remington 870 express magnum 20 ga. That' s what I used when I was 12 and it is a high quality gun for beginners. Or you could look into a 410 ga. If you are looking into a rifle I would suggest getting a marling model 336. I also had one of these when I was 12 and it doesnt produce too much kick but some.

[frizzellr]

Pump rifles will limit your choice of chamberings, and there aren' t that many made anymore. Another thing is sometimes smaller folks have difficulty with cycling the action all the way. They tend to short stroke it and the rounds don' t chamber. Lever guns ar one of the worst things to start a kid on in my opinion since one, they mostly come in the anemic 30-30 Win cartridge, two the stock isn' t designed to disperse recoil very well and three, the hammer sometimes slips out from under small thumbs. A good bolt gun chambered in a potent cartridge such as the 260 Rem, 7mm-08 Rem, 308 Win, etc. will serve him many years after any lever gun would be retired to the closet.

[gogiggen]

another cal. I would recomend is the 25-06

[Todd1700]

I second what frizzelr said. Despite the fact that most lever actions you will encounter will be chambered for the low powered 30-30 caliber, due to their small size and stock design they can still kick like a mule. I also don' t like the idea of giving a child a gun with an external hammer that may at some point have to be manually let down by hand. Very dangerous for a child to do. I would also never consider a semi-auto for a child because it automatically chambers another round and recocks the gun. Children ,especially when excited about something they just killed, can forget about this and leave the safety off creating a truely dangerous situation. Pump rifles can be found but will be much more difficult to find in a suitable caliber. I would go with a good bolt action in a 260 rem or 7mm-08. Both have light recoil and are lethal on deer out to any range a child (AND MOST ADULTS) can accurately shoot. A model 7 by remington is the perfect size for a 12 year old and many adults shoot them as well. It also comes in both calibers mentioned.

[handloader1]

I think a Thompson Center Encore may be your best bet. I believe single shot firearms are the best learning tool for a young hunter both for saftey and making that one shot count. He can also grow with the gun by just purchasing different barrels. Good luck.

[BTRACK]

Yup. Lever' s and pumps for that matter are not a good bet for a 12 year old. Along with the other things mentioned - they are usually guns where looking directly into the magazine when unloading is hampered by design and even adults have forgotten on both types to count the shells in and out and to thouroughly look into the magazine and chamber. Too many maybee' s for a kid to me.

I would also recommend the bolt in a smaller cartridge. A small 30 in WI would be great, maybe a 308 maximum or one of the other cartridges mentioned like the 7mm08 as FRZZLR said. I grew up with a 16 guage single shot. Can' t beat the lessons learned. Great self imposed accuracy when you know you have but one shot.

[Tumbo]

I agree with frizzellr on this one,a 12 year old will have more trouble with a lever or pump action rifle,a bolt action rifle will be easier for him to use & maintain,be more accurate & he will enjoy it more.

I' de get him something chambered for 260rem,7mm-08 or 308 if he doesn' t reload,put a 2-7 or 3-9 power scope on it & he will have a good deer rifle out to 300 or so yards.

Tumbo

[Deleted User]

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[BEEBX2]

DG ----He has some experience with weapons and is a rather good shot. He and I have shot targets with a scoped 10/22 so far only once. I plan on working with him all this summer in training him to learn safety, rules, etiquette, and all those things taught to me by my father. He' ll also be taking gun safety this spring. He has a good head on his shoulders and has a good outlook about learning good habits. I believe that he' s going to be a good and responsible hunter/sportsman. Thanks for your comment. BEEB