Matt/TN

another vote for 25-06 and i also shoot winchester ballistic silvertips out of my 270 and they shoot good

Folically Challenged

I'm with Retaks on this one. I started with a .243 when I was 11, and while I harvested several bucks with it, none were put down with too much authority. I'd like to remember myself as being a good shot, but the odds are that it wasn't all the caliber's fault...

In any case, I think if I would've started with a .25-06 or a 7mm-08, I'd have been better off.

The biggest problem for me was the massive recoil of the .243! It took me quite a while to realize thatI was really flinching from the muzzle blast of shooting without hearing protection. I'm glad Dad introduced me to shooting & hunting, but I guess hearing protection wasn't stressed too hard to him when he learned back in the 1940's.

Pick anything from .25-06 up to 7mm-08, then get him to the range so he can shoot enough to get comfortable with it. AND MAKE SURE HE'S GOT EYE & EAR PROTECTION!

FC

M77man

Ok, 7mm - 08 sounds like a good option also. Now we just have to go handle them all and see how they fit with him. Thanks for all of the replies!

wyotimberghost

You can't go wrong with the 7mm-08. I'd pick it over both the 243 and the 25-06. Loaded with 140gr bullets, it's effective on all big game animals in North America (excluding grizzlies and polar bears of course). And recoil is very manageable. The 7mm-08 is what my cousins, my brother, and I all learned on, and none of us have ever had an issue with recoil. I honestly don't think there is a better caliber made for young hunters.

Having said that, the 6.5x55 Swede is close in performance and recoil from what I have heard, but I personally have no experience with it.

trailer

I'll second that ...

Cryptic Gypsy

Both calibers great for deer and stuff. But I recommend to think about getting him a 30-06 and a small start in reloading. The reloader can easilyreduce the 30-06to next to nothing and charged up beyond the 7mag. I shot my first whitetail with Dads 70030-06 when I was five. Still usea 30-06 now almost 23 years later.
A little Lee Classic loader can be had for $10-20 and a rubber mallet for $2 more. A few componets and you have a start. My Opinion.

dway87

I would go with the .243

M77man

Thanks for the reply Cryptic, I've given it some thought to because my backup rifle is a 710 in 30-06 but I don't want to start the boy off wrong. My cousin for instance started off like you did with the heavy calibers and 12 guage shot guns but he's a big, BIG, guy and can handle the recoil a lot better then I can. He shoots a .300 Win Mag and I a 7mm Rem Mag. My boy has a small frame, I don't under estimate him, but I want to ease him into it. Of course, I did think about trying out the managed recoil rounds also. Maybe another option....

But then again, I'm also looking for another excuse to get another rifle in another caliber

Cryptic Gypsy

I started off on a on a .410 when I was 4, didnt get my 12gauntilI was 10 and could not rabbit hunt with it for awhile later,I just couldnt pack it for long.AsI think about this in my head, he would probally be better off with a good recoil pad added to asynthetic youth modelchambered for243 or 308. 260 and 7-08 great but harder to find ammo in a pinch. If you decide to get into reloading go 260 Remington. Little youth 308 great mountain rifle for future use in his lifetime.

Baleful Scout

I was going to recommend 243 over 25'06 because of the Short Action.
But 308 Youth would be a good backup for him in the years to come.
Youth models generally always come with open sights also.
A great backup on a backup rifle.

Recoil pads tame recoil down but properformabsorbs recoil better than anything.

Ilike Savage myself.
http://www.savagearms.com/10GY.htm