Youth Rifle
 

I am looking for a rifle for my kids to grow into. I was looking at a Rossi in a .243 with the interchangable 410 shotgun. Any ideas/info would be appreciated.

Jake

RE: Youth Rifle
 

If you are looking for a rifle / shotgun combo, then there is nothing wrong with that set up.... They make a nice gun, just like the NEF single shots...

If you want to just go the route of a rifle ..... the remington Model 7 comes in a youth model, or you can just get a standard model 7 ..... My kids can shoot it well, and I love using it even though I am a grown adult. Another short rifle option is the Ruger M77 Compact. I own one of those as well , and they are also nice. They are shorter than the MOdel 7. Overall length is 35 1/2" with a barrel length of 16 1/2 ".

Here is a pic of the ruger in a laminate stock.



Hope this helps,

Good luck

RE: Youth Rifle
 

I got my son a .243 Remington Model 7 Youth for his 12th birthday. It works great on Hill Country deer...

When he gets a little bigger, I'll buy an adult-sized stock for it. Nice rifle.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

The Savage 11 also comes in a youth model with a detachable magazine and muzzlebrake. When purchased, Savage includes a coupon for an adult sized stock when you are ready to get one. I got the Savage 11FYCAK in 7-08 for my grandson. This rifle is an excellent shooter and with the muzzle brake is a joy to shoot. As for a shotgun, the Rem 870 youth in 20 ga. is also a fine choice.
Although your thoughts of a .243 / .410 combo will suffice and will be a reliable firearm for your child and the .410 is adequate for squirrels and rabbits and such, he will probably harvest more game with a 20 ga simply because of the increased shot payload. Especially for grouse and pheasants. And too, with the 20, he can also use it for turkey with the proper choke.
Anyway - its always great to see a person getting their child involved in hunting and shooting and getting them outside instead of in front of the boob tube playing videos, etc. Good luck.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

Howa in 243. Great gun. Much less expensive than a model 7.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

The Rossi guns are fine but if you get one with a scope mount then i would recomend using some type of glue in the scope base screw holes. Ive had a problem with mine coming loose from the recoil of a 223. Other then that its accurate. I glued mine with guerilla glue and havnt had a prob since. As for the 410/243 combo i woudl look into a 20 guage and 243 combo or better yet the 20 gauge/243/22lr combo. Then they can shoot all the time for very little cost and they will be used to the same rifle or shotgun theya re going to be hunting with.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

I think you have made an excellent choice. IMO a child should start out with a break open single shot. Safety is the most important lesson a child should learn. With a single shot the action can always be open. Tom.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

I used to think that way too HEAD until I got my daughter a break open single shot H&R HandiRifle in .243. I DO NOT like the fact that she has to lower the hammer with a cold thumb or with gloves on after she cocks it. It went back and a youth Savage bolt is on its way. Top tang safety. Easy to open the action. Now, the shotgun I got for her was a Mossberg 500 Bantam in 20 gauge. It also has a top tang safety. It has a dowel in it that makes it a single shot even though it is a pump. You can only put one shell in it at a time. Very safety oriented.

Break down and spend the money on two guns. For me, it was a Savage youth bolt action in .243 and a Mossberg 20 gauge in youth as well. JMHO.

RE: Youth Rifle
 

The Weatherby Vanguard Compact is yet another choice, they are availble in 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 7mm-08 and 308 Win. They come with 2 different stocks, a youth size and a adult size, the barrels are 20 inches in length. Overall they are a nice little package in the $400 range.