Question about a rifle for a youth
 

What is the right size of rifle for a 11 year old boy? I plan on taking him to Wyoming next fall for an antelope. I don't want anything that will knock him over, but need something capable of a 200-300 yard shot if needed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

You can't go wrong with a good .243, flat shooting and light recoil. I've got a Ruger M77 Bolt action in 6mm and I dearly love it, loaded with 85-95 gr bullet it's a pretty deadly combination. Happy hunting...

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

i would go for a .270. it has relatively light recoil, only like 17 foot pounds. it will shoot 200-300 yards effetively, as long as:

a. your sope is powerful enough to see that far (4x or 5x)

b. the kid knows how to shoot that far.

it doesnt take much to teach someone to shoot 200-300 yards. i learned in 2 or 3 monthes.

if you dont like the .270, and dont mind a little more kick, go with a 30-.06 it kicks a little more, and it will do the same job. it just goes a little farther.


the .308 is also a great caliber. it shoots flat, at relatively high speeds, and you can get the bullets CHEAP, like 7 bucks a box.

for the action, i would get a bolt or a single shot. they hold the tightest groups, and they usually are heavier, reducing the recoil. the pumps, levers, and semi-autos, they may shoot fast, but they dont shoot as accurately.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I am afraid the 270 Win may be a bit much in the recoil dept for an 11 year old unless you plan on either using managed recoil loads, or reloading your own reduced loads. You might want to look into the 7mm-08, which give 270 like performance with less powder and recoil and it is a short action cartridge. The 260 Rem and 243 Win would also fit the bill.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I would get a .243 or a 7mm-08. The .243 might be easier to find ammo for. I killed a antelope with my NEF .243 at 350yds last year. Dropped in its tracks!

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I good 6.5x55 swedish would fit the bil nicely as would the 25-06 and the 7mm-08

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

For antelope, a 25-06 would be hard to beat. It has a nice, flat trajectory, yet will handle 120 gr. bullets very well. That gives it a litte more whammy than a .243 or 6mm, which might make a differrence for an inexperienced shooter.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

With all the managed recoil ammo out there I would get a 270 or 308win. Not a expensive one. And change out the stock to actually fit him. It annoys me when I see some parent stick a gun in a kids hand and expect him to use the scope when it can't even reach the trigger.

200-300yards is a stretch for a grown kid never mind a 11 year old.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

For an 11yr old, I'd look into the "youth" model rifles available from Remington, the
Winchester "compact", or possibly a Ruger Ultra-Light. Of course, you could go a standard rifle with longer LOP, and have a 'smith shorten it if needed.
As to chambering, probably should stick to the milder cartridges such as 243Win.,
260Rem., 270Win., or maybe the 6.5x55. A good quality 3-9x scope is all you should need for optics.
Then, practice, practice, practice - at 100yds. + If you have access to a 200-300yd. range, all the better. And try to practice on a few breezy days.
Good luck on your hunt.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I just bought a new NEF youth model 7mm-08. I got the youth model because it felt better on my bad shoulder. It lets me hold the shoulder lower and closer to my body. I took it out yesterday and shot a five shot group of just over an inch. The little gunwas 199.00 At Gander Mountain.

The made to order gun to fit the bill is the 250 Savage. I can't imagine why that gun is not more popular. Its recoil is almost non existant and its terminal performance is better than the 243. I bought one for my wife when Reminton brought it out in their 700 classic. She loves to shoot and does it well but she hates recoil. Really Hates recoil. She shot the Handi rifle 7mm-08 yesterday and thought it was pretty mild. BUUUT not as mild as her 250.:D

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I forgot about the 250 Savage. Great round that doesn't get enough credit. I suppose in the days of short mags and ultra mags there is no room left for the 250 Savage, 257 Roberts or even the 300 Savage.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

11 year olds come in all sizes. He could weigh anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds. Makes a big difference.

I always think you can't skimp on the gun. You need to have a caliber that will do the job well. Hired pros can use some light calibers because they are precision marksmen. Most 11 year olds are at the beginner level.

243 is the smallest I'd go. If he's a bigger kid, then perhaps a 260, 270, 7-08, 7 x 57, or even a .308 if you handload. One of the newfangled recoil pads can do wonders.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

The 250Savage may not be readily available, but how about the 257Roberts. It is very
mild also, and last I looked is still available in the Ruger77 or its' Ultra-Light version.
Then too, the 260Rem. should be mild to shoot as well. Especially when using the lighter
bullet weights like 120gr. And too, the 6.5x55 is mild.
As noted, any of these would be better than a 243Win. for big game hunting, even if just for deer.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions. I think I'm going to keep him with a 7mm-08 until he gets a little older. Thanks again!

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

James how can you say the 250 savage is better than a .243. It doesnt compare in velocity doesnt compare in energy and it certainly doesnt compare in trajectory. At 300 yds the 250 and 257 are dropping like a ton of lead with no energy left in them.
the .243 is by far the better choice, the .260 is also something to look at. A 25-06 really needs a 26" barrel so thats out of the question for a youth model. Go for a .243.

-------------------------------@300yds-------drop zeroed @ 100
Federal 100gr BT .243--------2380fps/1260ftlbs-----------11.4
Rem-100 gr-250sav.---------1936fps/832ftlbs------------15.3
Rem-117gr.-257.-------------1663fps/718ftlbs.-----------19.5

Now how does this equate to "terminally better"

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I have shot about an equal amount of deer with the 250 Savage and the 243 and the 6MM Remington. The 100 grain 25 caliber bullet has a lower sectional density than the 243 caliber 100 grain bullet. I load the 250 Savage to about 2800 fps with the Nosler ballistic tip. It expands better than the 243 and just flat drops deer quicker and with very little meat damage. Ballistics are interesting and a good way to compare calibers on paper but in the field the 250 Savage has proven to me based on useing them both to be a better performer on deer size game. I think the reason it works better is that its not as fast. I could handload both to about equal velocity and ME but the 25 caliber bullet just does a better job for me. I even put the 250 on an equal footing with my 25-06 even though the 25-06 is faster and handles heavier bullets better than the 250. The 250 is one of those calibers like the 6.5x55 and 7x57 Mauser that perform in the field much better than their written stats say they should. Try one before you disagree.

RE: Question about a rifle for a youth
 

I went the .243 route with my son and it worked out well. Now that he's grown though I think he'd be more happier with a larger caiber. What a friend of mine did seems to make the most sense and if I had it to do over again I'd do it the same way as my friend. What my friend did was buy his son a 7 mm Rem Mag with a muzzle break. In doing it this way the kid could have a rifle with the kick along the lines of a .243 but in a larger caliber, something he wouldn't grow out of.