Sounds like yall are talkin bout the savage model with switchable (on/off) muzzlebreak.

Wow, lots of responses. Thanks everyone. I'm Taking my son this spring to Idaho in the Selway Wilderness where I used to guide. He thinks he is ready for the 10 hr. horse ride in there to hunt spring bear. It is all spot and stalk. This caliber seemed like a good choice for him, but I was unfamiliar with any rifle calibers except the mags.

Would you say it would be a 200 yrd. gun or possibly little farther? Remember these are spring bears and not a big fat one ready to hibernate.

Thanks everyone!

Do you reload? If so, I would load up some light rounds and get him started on those. You will probably need a good sized bullet for even the spring bears and I think it would be very beneficial to work him up to those harder kick heavy rounds.

No, I do not reload. I'm still torn between the brake/ no brake deal & the savage I was looking at is a 11FYCAK, but the remington with the 20" barrel sure fit him good and was light. I'm not to worried about high power rounds while hunting as he never fells it anyway, but I want him to be able to shoot it a lot to be very comfortable with it.I don't want it to be likemy .338, I hate to shoot it, But when I'm shooting at an animal I don't fell it a bit.

I've got the 111fycak in 270win and i love it. Feels like shooting a 223 to me. If you get the savage i wouldnt worry about light loads. Go full power loads. You'll never even feel it.

FWIW, I just saw on Remington's ballistics page that they offer a 140 grain Managed Recoil load in 7mm-08. The normal load is so mild that I don't really see the point, but at least it'd give you one more option.

FC

The 7mm08 with a good 140 gr bullet is a solid 300-350 yard cartridge.

If you think he can take more recoil than the 7mm-08, then I would recommend the .308 Win, obviously, judging by my name, I use one, and I love it, I am, however, 14 years, and a somewhat thin guy, so I can move with the recoil a bit, but in case you do decide to go with the 7mm-08 rather than the .308, I would make just one recommendation for anyone who's starting their kid out on rifles, get some shooting bags that are specially made for the purpose of being a rest for shooting off the bench at the rifle range, so that they can shoot their gun, and know that it isn't going to hit them, it isn't going to hurt, and there's no rush, and no trying to aim the crosshairs so much as to put the crosshairs on the bullseye, which they'll stay on, and it all becomes about just pulling the trigger.

The purpose of this isn't really to improve their aim so much as it is to let them trust their gun, and not worry about the gun, so that that fear factor is significantly reduced of the gun causing harm to the shooter, which it doesn't.
In this way, it'll help the kid in having that rifle be an "extention of his arm", because he's going to respect it, but not fear it more than he should, which ultimately, results in greater confidence, and better marksmanship.
There's no such thing as taming a gun, it's the shooter that must be tamed.

The 11FYCAK is the same rifle I have. IMO, get it and never look back. The 140 or 154 gr bullets should perform well on you and your son's spring bear hunt.

I have little use for the .308 anymore since I quit shooting the m40 that was issued to me. The way I look at it,if a 7mm diameter bullet won't handle it,I step up to a .33-.35 diameter bullet. Sure it's a great civilan cartridge,but I have a bit of "stigma" asso. with it.