MarkfromNWMO

So, my son has been using a youth model .243 for the last 4 years.
He is now 15, will be 16 by next deer season and really wants a full size rifle for Christmas.... I'm a big fan of a .270 but was looking for some suggestions from you all on caliber for a 16 year old, Ideally, this will be his first full size rifle and one I would like him to be able to use for years to come... He has killed 3 deer with his .243 and its been a good round, just thinking he should have something a little bit hotter, but not too big, that's how I came up with .270, but would love to hear opinions on calibers for teenagers and you all are doing... thanks!

ezearl

Will the length of pull of a full size stock fit him? They can run from 13 1/2" and up. Youth stocks are 12 1/2".

Oldtimr

.270 is a good caliber, however, there is nothing wrong with the .243. Perhaps you could get an adult stock for the rifle he already has.

CalHunter

Maybe let him shoot your deer rifle and see what he thinks about the caliber, rifle, etc.?

super_hunt54

By hotter I am assuming you mean a step up in cartridge power. By bigger I am assuming you mean an average sized stock (length of pull). For cartridge my personal favorite for whitetail is the 7mm-08. Light on recoil and absolutely the best whitetail cartridge made in my personal opinion. Your son will stay at the shooting bench longer getting much needed rifle time for confident shots on game.

MarkfromNWMO

I love his youth gun, its a .243 single shot. I considered getting an adult stock for it but his younger brother would be able to use the youth one starting next year, so that's why I landed at getting him his own adult size rifle...

A full size will fit him well... I had him shoot his grandfathers 30-06 and it felt OK to him, and didn't kick him too bad with a 150 gr bullet... I was guessing that a .270 would be a little less felt recoil than the 30-06 but still be more than ideal for deer, and if we ever head out west for Elk, that would still be ok... He shot my 300 Wby Mag once and said thats way more than he wants and I agree there... So, at the end of the day, I think he wants something a little bigger than the .243 in a bolt action... but even I have never shot a .270 either, I hear they are extremely popular though

MarkfromNWMO

i haven't considered a 7mm 08 or even 25-06.... im open to whatever makes the most sense for a kid getting his first adult rifle, will be easy on him to shoot, and handle deer with no problem, that's about all he will likely ever be after

Oldtimr

Read some of Jack O'Conner's books, he hunted all over the world and thought the .270 was the Holy Grail of rifles.

MarkfromNWMO

Will do, thank you... Everyone I know that has one, loves it, and there are no shortage of good opinions on it, that's why I was instinctively leaning that way, but am open to other ideas... I tried talking him into just sticking with a .243 since it has done a great job on all the deer he has killed, but I understand wanting something a little bigger to to allow more opportunities to hunt other things down the road...

super_hunt54

Never been a subscriber to the .270 "holy grail" crowd myself since I'm a reloader. I can make a 30-06 do anything a .270 can do and do it better with a little work on the loading bench. Not saying theres anything wrong with the .270 at all as it's a fine cartridge. The 7mm-08 is a step up from the .243 but not so big a step that your boy would be uncomfortable after 4 or 5 shots from a benched position. And the 7mm-08 is perfectly capable of dropping Elk as several that have fallen to mine can attest to To me, it's the perfect transition cartridge into adulthood.