243 or 7mm-08 for youngster?

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DRL

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I am looking at buying a deer hunting rifle for my son, he will turn 12 this year. I've got the caliber narrowed down to the 243 or the 7mm-08. I'm really leaning towards the 7-08 but I have never shot one. What would the recoil differences be between the two. Should I be looking at another caliber??
 
Right away someone is going tell you to get him a .260 Rem. You say deer hunting? Nothing wrong with a .243 Win. Tons of loads and rifles to choose from and the .243 will do all thats needed for deer. The 7mm-08 will do just fine also.
 
I would go with the 7-08. I have been considering getting one myself. There have been a few recent threads discussing its merit. Try a quick search.
 
I bought 7mm08's for both my sons. The big advantage of their 7mm's over the .243 is that my boys both used their rifles to successfully hunt elk just a couple of years later. It is possible to hunt bigger game like elk with a .243, but no doubt he 7mm is more versatile. I hand loaded some 120 gr. bullets at 2800fps for practise and for the first year deer hunting, after that they switched to full power loads with no problem.
 
7mm08 or .243

i went through the same issue this spring,i wanted a bolt action rifle for my 12 yr. old son as well.but i didn't want to buy twice.i tossed around a youth model in .243 then i started studying recoil charts and the effectiveness of the .243 on game larger than deer.i finally settled on a left hand tikka T3 in 7-08.this rifle comes with a very poor recoil pad so i replaced it with a limbsaver pad.this rifle is the most accurate out of the box rifle i have ever owned or shot.my son used it last week to harvest a very nice 3x4 whitetail.the shot was 185 yrds broadside through the vitals and it dropped like a stone using 139 gr. hornady litemag ammunition.the recoil is very manageable my boy will never out grow this rifle and it is plenty to hunt bear or moose with.7-08 all the way you won't regret it.the other caliber to give serious consideration to is the 6.5x55,this caliber is the calber of choice in europe on everything up to moose.it is also one of the best long range calibers going.i hope this helps.P.S. tikka does offer the T3 in 6.5x55.good luck
 
Go For The 7-08

I shoot 7 X 57's and 7mm08's and I love them. I just talked to a guy this morning and he shot his deer with his 7-08 and it dropped like a rock.
You can't go wrong with a 7-08.

I would try to get something like a Remington Model 7 in 7-08 for the boy or pick up a Remington 600 or 660 in 308 and have a 7-08 barrel installed. I have to look at a 660 today and if I like it I will have one of my spare 7-08 light weight barrels installed. The only thing I dislike about the 600's and 660's is the trigger guard and floorplate are one piece and I think made out of an alloy or a plastic material.
 
I would go with the 7mm08 over the 243 for the same reasons as longwalker and 300ultrmag, it will allow your son to use it on larger game as he grows up. As far as recoil goes, Remington has a managed recoil load that you could start him off with if you don't handload. If you do reload it's very easy to make up some low recoiling loads, especially with 120gr bullets like the Nosler BT. These will give you decent trajectory and energy when launched at 2500fps.

As far as rifles go, Remington makes an SPS youth model with a 20" barrel, but looking at the specs it has the stock has the same length of pull as the full size models. The Weatherby Vanguard youth model has a 12.5" LOP, and comes with a full size stock you can put on once he grows to fit him better. The Vanguard weighs a little less. Fit of the gun is very important when it comes to new shooters, so I would definitely take that into consideration.
 
Do you want him to start on a rifle, then get another one later? or do you want him to keep the rifle and use it for a variety of purposes? Either way theres never a bad reason to own another rifle:)

I think of the 243 as a varmint/deer rifle. I consider te 7mm08 to be a deer/moose/elk rifle.(however, I have used my 7mm08 as a varmint rifle too)

Now, Are you looking for a bolt action or a lever action? reason being is that browning makes their lever action in 243 as well as 7mm08. Just another thing to think about.

Let us know what you have chosen. Is it for a Christmas gift? That kid is gonna be excited no matter what he gets!
 
It'd be hard to go wrong with a Model 7 youth rifle, in 7-08.Low enough recoil for a youngster to shoot well with, and you could always pick up a full size stock off the exchange when they outgrow the youth stock.
Scott
 
if he's only going to hunt deer, I'd choose the .243.

if he's going to want to keep the same rifle and move into Moose & bear, I'd go 7-08

personally I'd split the diff and go .260 or 6.5x55 ;)
 
thanks guys, looks like the 7mm-08 is the winner. I've posted this on other sites as well and most recommend the 7-08. I like the idea of doing this once and not having to buy another when he gets older, if he wants something different later, then he can buy it himself. I also checked the ballistics, way better advantage with the 08, thanks again
 
Amphibious said:
if he's only going to hunt deer, I'd choose the .243.

if he's going to want to keep the same rifle and move into Moose & bear, I'd go 7-08

personally I'd split the diff and go .260 or 6.5x55 ;)
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Where have you been? BC Bigbore said someone would suggest the .260 "right away" - it took you three hours. :)
 
I like the 243 as it is pretty versatile, and forgiving. No 12 yr old will develop any flinch learning on the 243, making it more enjoyable to shoot. That's the name of the game, keeping kids interested in shooting, and not fearing the recoil.

I started shooting with a .257 bob. I loved that rifle, and wasn't scared of it at all.
Let us know what you decide.

Cheers!
 
I would make a decision based on whether or not you can handload. If you are a handloader the chamber and bore size don't make much difference. If 7-08 is what turns your crank thats whats good. Just load the ammo so as not to intimidate a new or young shooter. I recently got a Husky .30/06 carbine for my 13 year old nephew. 130 gr bullets loaded to 2600 have about the same recoil as factory .30/30, and he was shooting a borrowed .30/30 until he got his own rifle courtesy of Uncle Boomer.

If you are shooting factory ammo, the .243 has much going for it. The rifles tend to be accurate and the round is flat shooting and mostly mild in recoil. Despite the success of many, I am not enthusiastic about the use of small bores on big game. It appears that this is an attitude that is loosing ground over time, and it has not prevented anyone form having good kills on big animals. It should come with the caveat that you choose a bullet suitable for the job at hand. If you shoot at a critter and it doesn't drop, work the bolt while the rifle is at your shoulder, reacquire your sight picture, and shoot again just as you would with any rifle. Too many guys bring the rifle down to admire their handiwork. Regular marksmanship training should include fast repeat shots on the target to prevent bad habits from being formed.
 
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If you shoot at a critter and it doesn't drop, work the bolt while the rifle is at your shoulder, reacquire your sight picture, and shoot again just as you would with any rifle. Too many guys bring the rifle down to admire their handiwork. Regular marksmanship training should include fast repeat shots on the target to prevent bad habits from being formed.
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Very good point, Boomer. I agree that one should practice reloading the rifle quickly after the first shot to be on the safe side.
 
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