.243 For Kids?
 

My brother told me that he was going to buy a 7mm Magnum for his son to use Hunting in 2 years. My reaction was- that the 7mm was too powerful for a small kid to use as a first
deer gun.

I've shot my buddy's .243 Win chambered Savage 110. I really liked the power and low recoil.

I'd rather the .243 in a CZ 550, and will buy one for my nephew when he is old enough.
Do you think the .243 is a great "learning" cartridge?

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

I'd strongly suggest talking him out of buying the 7mag for him. Lettting a young child shoot a rifle with that much recoil could permenantly scar him for life.(mentally and maybe physically too) I know of several kids that were allowed to shoot some big calibers and it turned them off to shooting/hunting all together. We as responsible sportsmen should introduce young children to shooting/hunting in a way that'll ensure our sport keeps going after we're gone and not scare them away. As for the caliber, most any big game in the lower 48 can be taken with some calibers with half the recoil of the 7mag. Along with the 243, the .260, 7mm-08 and the .308 are all great deer calibers and all are much easier on the shoulder. If he goes with the 7mag, he's taking a big chance on losing another future shooter/hunter and we certainly don't need that. Good luck.

Carter

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

I have to agree with T/C fan to much recoil will at best leave them recoil shy .

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

I would strongly recomend that he go with something like the 243 for a first gun.it is a good gun in the less recoil catagory.it is also large enough for whitetail size animals.
I would try to get him to try it first and see how the young guy like it befor buying the bigger gun.I know a friend let his son shoot his 7 mag and it took for ever to get him to shoot again.

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

Clarkston, welcome to the forum! Your instincts are right on the money, I think. I'm 47, almost 190 lbs and I still don't care for the recoil on a 7mm mag, although .30-06 doesn't bother me much. Most small statured people, and kids in particular, don't enjoy a sharp recoil in their first shooting experience.

My own son may be the rare exception; just before he turned 13, he shot 25 rounds from my '06 and didn't complain a bit. I might add that he is descended from stout German farm folk on his mom's side, built like a brick wall, 5'1" and 170 lbs, a weight I didn't reach until I was in my late thirties, so size does matter. Most kids, however, are more conventional in size and a .243 is a FAR better choice for a first gun. The .243 is a caliber that has multiple uses also, so chances are he will never tire of it as long as he owns it. It is usually very accurate in a good gun, and will take deer cleanly if his shooting skills are up to it.

If you like the CZ 550, you might also consider the 6.5x55 caliber. This is a very mild recoiling caliber, and in my own CZ it is unbelievably accurate. The 140 grain bullet will penetrate extremely well and can punch through the thick hide of a hog as well as do a number on a deer. I find that the long skinny bullet also bucks wind pretty well. The only downside with the 6.5 Swede is that ammo is not nearly so common as for the .243, although most gun stores will usually have a couple of boxes in stock.

The CZ 550 is a fairly heavy gun, however. The barrel is almost 24" long, great for ballistics, great for dampening recoil and muzzle blast, but perhaps not so great for a youngster to tote around the woods. I suggest that you also take a look at the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .243 or 6.5x55. I've got a Featherweight .243 and this is just the ticket for a long hike in steep terrain. I needed to adjust the trigger and float the barrel to get the accuracy where I wanted, bit that wasn't that hard. I took my last deer with this gun.

Good luck, and bless you for for shepherding another youngster into our sport!

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

First gun should be a .22 or even a BB gun alows for fun shooting without the punishment of recoil.

First deer rifle I'd say .243 maybe 7mm-08 or .30-30 ( depending on where you live and anticipated shot distance)

all kids are different ( just like us adults) I have 2 sons one age 13 and the other just turned 10
When my oldest turned 10 and wanted to go hunting I got him a NEF .410 fro rabbit and birds and a .243 youth model for deer. He was skinny as a rail but the recoil didn't bother him a bit

My youngest has some meat on him I figured recoil would be no problem .... wrong. He tried my other sons guns and wouldn't shoot them more than once each he went back to his .22 for now says he'll try the others again later. Before we try again I'm gettng him a recoil sheild.

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

I agree with everyone...

Start him off with a bb gun or .22 (Bolt or single shots here). I got some really bad habits using a semi-auto - those darn 10/22s!

As for a rifle the .243 is nice, I used a 7mm-08 and that was just fine for me, I wasn't too big at the time... Actually I am kind of small now (~150) and really enjoy the 7mm-08.

You can also get recoil reducing ammo for many of the magnum calibers to make the recoil more acceptable... It it is a case of him wanting a gun that the kid can grow into you might consider this.

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

243 for kids?? i use the 243 myself!! i love it, shoot it all day long if i had the time. i got plenty of big guns too but i personally don;t like to beat myself up unless i really really have to, when i got a nice light rifle that kicks like a 30 30 but with double the range, how can you go wrong.

gunwise i have a browning blr81, 20in barrel weaver 4x scope, remington model 7 is really nice too, or i saw H&R has a ultra light stalker in 243, can;t go wrong with that either. great price so when they turn 16 and want a 300winmag it;s a lil easier on you.

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

For a kid or even an adult that doesn't enjoy recoil the .243 is nice and the 7mm-08 seems to be a good choice to consider as well. 7mmRM is quite a handful for even adults, let alone children. Of course, just my opinion, take it as you wish. :)

RE: .243 For Kids?
 

an old topic but 243 would be better first gun for any kid