Hey,
I was looking on Marlin' s website and they have a gun chambered in a caliber called 45/70 Gov' t. How hard does it kick? Do you think that a 12 year old boy could handle it? How does it compare to the .444? Is it a good caliber for deer? Is there a lot of ammunition for it? Thanks in advance

Also, what about the .450 marlin caliber?

For a 12 year old boy, the 45/70, 444, and 450 are all gonna kick like a mule. Something a little lighter would be best, like a 243 or 223 or 25/06. You don' t want him to be scared of pulling the trigger. Thats what causes alot of misses. If your bent on a lever action, go with a 44 mag or maybe a 35 or 30-30.

I have shot a .444 loaded with about 220 grains.

Those are all monsters and will give a 12 yr old a major case of the flinch.

Follow the advice of the 30-30, 35, or 44 mag. Also you might try a shotgun. I shoot a rifled bbl, scoped 12 that is mighty accurate at 100 yds. A 20ga will do the trick too.

The 45/70, 444, and 450 are all too big for a 12 yr old boy.

I would suggest a .243, 25.06, .260, 6mm, 7mm.08 for the young man. All of them are excellent deer calibers and won' t lead to bad habits, such as flinching.

Matt

If you have shot a 444 Mar with 220 grain loads then you might be able to handle a 45-70 Govt using light loads. I have some cowboy loads that are really pleasant to shoot. The only way you will ever know is to try it. Don' t buy into that you are too small stuff. Alot of recoil is in your head. If you think a gun will hurt you then it will.

Chuck Hawks has a web site that tells recoil. Check it out. I think the 45-70 is too much for a 12 year old. You do not want to establish bad habbits(flinches). Check out the site.

Guys, consider that there are some big 12 year olds out there and some have been shooting for a few years all ready. With proper technique and lighter loads the 45-70 Govt is not much more than a 12 guage shotgun.

Here' s the link to Chuck Hawk' s Guns & Shooting Online site. I have spent so many hours poring over his articles and charts. Good stuff!

Btw, look on the ' Tables, Charts and Lists' page for the recoil charts.