Gun for my son??
 

I am looking for some feedback. My son is 13 years old and will be hunting gun season next year. I want to get him his 1st gun for christmas. What should I get him? I am thinking a rifle such as .243, .270, .308.Thank you for helping me out.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I would look at .243, .25-06, or 7mm-08,....and if he can handle a little more kick, a .270. I seriously think you want to start out on the lower end of that spectrum with him....making it something fun to shoot quite often with very little recoil....even if he's a bigger kid. None of my biz, but I would recommend a bolt gun or at least a lever or pump action for him. Have yet to meet a kid under 16 that should've been toting an auto....JMO.

Just bought my 9-1/2 yr. old a Rossi combo pair with single shot break action barrels in .410 & .22 LR. Let the fun begin.

I personally love the ballistics, energy, and ease of recoil from my 7-08, and I know my son's got his eyes on it for when he gets there in 2 more years.

Good luck this year. I'll be upnear the Chip Falls/Eau Claire area next month for gun season.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

thanks for the feed back, He will definately be a bolt. Does 7-08 less recoil than .243?

RE: Gun for my son??
 

From my experience, it's very similar...almost negligible. According to gun weight, load, etc...it'll be different from gun to gun and load to load.

Here's a good guide to go by: http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Notice the 7-08 pushes (on average) about 40% more grain bullet weight than a typical whitetail .243 load..

RE: Gun for my son??
 

thanks for the site. Good luck this year. Hopeyourson enjoys the hunts!!!!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I know the idea is to get him a gun that wont have a lot of recoil, but take this into consideration. Remington and Federal both make managed recoil loads in 30-06 and 270. I would suggest something chambered in either caliber. At 13, the managed recoil loads will fit the bill, and in a few years, he can go after some of the heavier stuff. He'll also never feel "under-gunned" with a lighter caliber. Plus you guys have some monsters up that way. It wont be long before he'll be able to handle the full power loads. Dang, a gun for Christmas...their is nothing better to find sitting under the tree. My only other piece of advice is to maybe look away from the entry level guns. Id stay away from the "packaged" remingtons and mossbergs. Get him a good one, and he'll be proud to hand it down to his son or daughter one day....

RE: Gun for my son??
 

How much experience shooting and how much he weighs wouldfactor in. I would look at the .270 if he has a good bit of experience. The Limbsaver recoil pads will tame a .270. My grandson started shooting my .270 when he was 13 at the riflerange.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

if you are looking to get him his first gun then I recommend the TC Pro Hunter if you have the cash. It will teach him good shot placement because knowing you only have one shot will make him take his time. Those guns are highly accurate and you can get them in just about any caliber.Plus you would only have to buy him different barrels instead of different guns. They make muzzleloader and turkey barrels for em too.I shot my buddy's 7mm-08 a few weeks ago and it kicked less than my 7mm-08. It has some type of recoil reduction in the buttstock. This gun is also light as a feather. I was watching wolrd of whitetails yesterday and larry Weishurn's grand kids were using pro-hunters. I would get him the 25-06 (.257) or the 7mm-08 if he can handle it. Then you could alway buy him the ole faithful 30-30. it was my first deer rifle and I still use it today. You could probably pick one up pretty cheap if you look aound.

Hope this helps,
Mack

RE: Gun for my son??
 

i got my first rifle when i was 12 and it is a .243 and i still shoot it and im 16. I love it cause in my area

RE: Gun for my son??
 

get him a .243...that was my first gun and i loved it. As he gets older and bigger get him a 30-06, great all-around gun. I would reccomend the ruger m77 version for him as they have a double-safety feature that i love.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

i just turned 14 and my favorite deer cartridge is the .270 WSM or the .280 remington

RE: Gun for my son??
 

.243 or .308...my dad bought be a .308 when I was 14 and I have used it since....so I lean towards the .308 great gun!!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

.243 or 7mm-08

My son has used a .243 since he was 9 and it is awesome....I would highly recommend it. That little thing puts em down, and has almost no kick at all. I have a Ruger 77 youth, nice little gun. Also, a 7mm-08 is about as good a round as you can get - for an all around round, so you can't go wrong with either. Good luck!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I second the 243 or 7 mm-08.
Both will do the job and have very little recoil .

RE: Gun for my son??
 

My wife and daughter both shoot a .243, I have had the gun for several years but this year I took it to a gunsmith and had nim cut the butt down for them....My oldest will be 8 in late Nov. and she shoots well with it!!!!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

.243
Just dont use it, cause you will buy yourself one, many dads have switched to the .243 after using the one they purchased their son, daughter, wife etc.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Just like Zrex said - I bought my son a .243 (single action) for his first rifle. I loved it so much I bought a .243 bolt action for myself. It's a great deer rifle!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I am 14 I started with a 30-30 when I was10 and i still do it is a good gun,combination of knock down power and good distance if i were you I would get him a good 30-30.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

7mm-08 It was my first deer rifle, I still use it, and probably will never change. Low recoil, more knockdown power than a .243, deadly accurate out to 350 yards. It is the total package for hunting at a young age. :D:D

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Get him a .30-30 for starters. It will do the job as far as he has business shooting. They can be had for cheap and ifhe stays interested he could keep it as a backup rifle and get something a little fancier at a later date.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

.243 will work

RE: Gun for my son??
 

out of what you mentioned, the .243 has the less recoil and is more than sufficient enough for any size whitetail. the .25-06, .270 and .308 all have pretty much the same recoil.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

It's hard to beat a .243 as a "first rifle".

- bullet weights are available (even more when handloading) to handle everything from prairie dogs and coyotes through deer and antelope.

- it's the minimum legal caliber in many states (i.e. - if he can't handle a .243, he's probably not ready to be afield with a tag)

- if he one day decides he's ready to start hunting moose or elk, he'll have an excuse to buy a bigger rifle (.30-06, .300 Mag, etc.) - and will still have a deer/varmint setup in the .243.

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Oh, and for the last reason above, I'd lean toward a bolt-action sporter. A number of "youth" model bolt guns can be updated with an adult-size stock laterif need be. Though I won't argue that a single-shot will makehim a bettermarksman, you can achieve the same effect with a bolt-action repeater by giving him a single round at a time to chamber and fire.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

This is false, the majority, like 30 something states minimum, is the .22 centerfire, and the majority minimum for elk, is the .243

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I bought a .243 for me and love it. I shot a doe with it last year and it did a back flip and then ran 30 yrds and droped. This will be my oldest boys gun when he gets old enough. Its a Ruger model M77 bolt action. Great gun not much kick and easy to use!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I have owned both the .243 and 7-08's I personally prefer the 7-08. I even bought one for my son (Rem Model 7). I have shot a few elk and countless deer with the 7-08 and it has never failed me. Light rifle and a little better choice in my opinion.
I guess it depends on the area you are hunting but to me the .243 is getting on the light side for bigger whitetails. I'm in Northern MN and the last two deer shot on my place weighed 230 and 250lbs. Shot placement is alittle more criticalwith the .243. I have a neghbor that has used his .243 for over 40 years and thinks there is nothing better....he has also lost more deer than anyone I think I know. Now don't jump my butt....I know it is all in shot placement.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

In virginia, where i live, the .243 is the lowest you can use. why would you want to shoot a deer with a .22?[&:]

RE: Gun for my son??
 

In Virginia it has to be .23 caliber or larger. Which means no .223, 22-250, and so on. In Pennsyltucky they hunt with .223's. My buddy says the only way they hunt deer up there is .223 to the neck. Yankee logic I guess, be he always got his share.....

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Because most of the time its all I need. I have no use for large calibers for deer.
I neck shoot 90% of the time anyways and 100% of the time with my .22 Hornet.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

aha so you do live in virginia. could you tell me what part of va? i just wanna know whats goin on in your area get back to either comment or pm please.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Southwest, as far as whats going on, I don't know...seeing deer in fields in the evenings. Havent done much else.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Having experience with both, I would not recommend the .30-30 over the .243. The .243 more energy and better trajectory than the .30-30. It delivers 1000 ft lbs (minimum for deer) at 300 yards. The .30-30 falls under 1000 ft lbs at 150-200 yards.

243 is the way to go!

RE: Gun for my son??
 

mossberg 500 20 gauge o

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Bought my son a Ruger M77 in .243 bolt. Not the youth gun as it is not neccesary. It is a nasty little caliber and with a 100 gr bullet will more than do it's job on whitetail. I'm hoping to steal it a few times this yera myself.

What many have failed to mention is ammunition availability. You can probably find .243 ammo most anywhere where as 7m-08 or 25-06may not be as easy to find when you need it.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Never seen any "REAL" sporting goods store not carry 7mm-08 ammo, just my experiences.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I'm one of those dads... Bought my son a Remington Model 7 .243 for his 12th birthday. Loved shooting it when sighting it in. A couple days later, Bass Pro had a great sale on .243 Model 700's. My .30-06 has been gathering dust since.

BigKoz: Not sure how big your son is. When I was 15, I bought a .30-06, and it was a bit too much. I've been dealing with a bit of a flinch while bench shooting ever since. The .243 is much easier on the shoulder, and, at least for Texas sized deer, it works just as well as the .30-06 did.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Come on now, you wouldnt give your boy a stock Glock versusa full house Dawson Custom STI now would you????

I still say either the 270 or 30-06 and shoot minor until he's ready to make major....

Ok, thats IPSC talk for the rest of you......

RE: Gun for my son??
 

I would go with a 7mm08.. its a great caliber. i have used it ever since i am 12 and cant see myself using anything else

RE: Gun for my son??
 

when i was that age i shot a .243 then a 7mm-08 both browning abolts and i put a lot of deer to rest with those guns they dont kick much at all and are very fun guns that i still use sometimes today.

RE: Gun for my son??
 

Try a 260 Remington....it has heaver bullet weights and a very mild recoil.