270 for young hunter ?!

I found the .270s I shot had a quite snappy recoil, imo not much different than a 30/06. I would not have liked it as a kid.

.243, 6.5x55 SE and 7-08 is what my 14 year old girl has no problem with. She will not touch the 30/06 again.
 
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riversrest said:
I found the .270s I shot had a quite snappy recoil, imo not much different than a 30/06. I would not have liked it as a kid.

.243, 6.5x55 SE and 7-08 is what my 14 year old girl has no problem with. She will not touch the 30/06 again.
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She found her spot then. My daughter's at 14 could easily handle brisk calibers...heck my younger of the 2 could handle a medium bore magnum....running a cast bullet and a medium reload...but still handled it well.
You have the right idea... let them find their own comfortable spot.
If it's a milder caliber... cool. If it's a brisk one...cool as well.
Let them decide... if you place limits on their abilities... they likely won't go past that limit.
Shouldn't limit kids...life will do that on it's own soon enough.
Some kids are fearless amd some are cautious. Heck my Granddaughter is 6 in February and she's aching to go mutton busting.
 
^ Totally agree. Rifle/gun fit is also a big consideration. As an example, the girl has also a 20ga youth shotgun. She is shooting 3" #2 on ducks and low flying geese without problems or complaints.

I have tried shooting that gun and it hammers me worse than a 8lbs 12ga BPS with 3" BBB steel shells. Handed it back to her (lightly "swearing"). The grin on her face was priceless.
 
I try not to pick / name a favorite caliber / cartridge in debates like this. It's not about me and my favorite, it's about the kids and what they can come up with on their own.
Sometimes they need help deciding...but at least show them the respect of letting them pick out what they like before announcing " You can't handle that..."
 
My son at age 14 started out with a Browning A-Bolt chambered in the 270 Winchester. He had no issue shooting it on the range and field, however he was bigger then the average teenager his age, which was one reason he enjoyed shooting it. Let the kid shoot it and then decide.
 
if you reload start with some soft loads with 130 grn bullets and work up over a few range sessions. after a while they don't even notice the slight differences.
 
bud69 said:
Hi everyone
The son of my patner have passed is hunting courts
Now its time for is dad to buy a firts rifle
I came across a use 783 in 270 whit a old vx2 2-7 for 400$
We can’t try it before so here is my question for you
Does 270 its to much recoil for a youngster?

Thx
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That looks like a very good deal on that rifle. I give it a try.

If it doesn't work out, sell the 270, keep the scope and buy a 6.5 as TB suggests.
 
There are simply too many unknowns for any of us to say with any kind of certainty if the kid will find the .270 acceptable or not. Too many people build up recoil expectations for inexperienced shooters(and themselves), if the scope has been mounted properly, the stock fits the kid and good hearing protection is worn and no one tells the kid the recoil will hurt him I'd expect the .270 to fall in the tolerable level. I know myself I have got it in my head even recently when told a rifle was a hard recoiling beast, until I got a couple of rounds through it and reminded myself that recoil is not injury inducing.
As recently as 20-15 years ago the .270 and .308 Winchester would likely have been quickly mentioned as suitable first big game rifles for young folks but many things have changed since firstly a lot of places are allowing younger people to hunt big game under "experienced" supervision. Secondly bullets have improved dramatically and smaller cartridges are more capable than ever.
I'd argue for the price you might as well grab the rifle and allow the kid to try it. If it proves excessive I am confident someone with a .243, 6.5 creedmoor or .25-06 in a similar value rifle will be looking to trade before fall big game seasons start like supercub suggested.
 
30% more recoil from a 270 compared to a 7-08? Uh oh. Somebody’s been looking at those BS chuck hawks recoil tables! Riddle me this. How does one rifle firing at 140grain bullet at 2950fps have 30% more recoil than the other firing a 140 grain bullet at 2850 FPS? More credible sources put the respective recoils at 270 win (130gr 3000fps) 19lbs recoil and 7mm-08 (140gr 2850fps) 17.5lbs recoil. So 9% more recoil. No big deal. 9% more recoil for 5% more velocity checks out since one cartridge burns more propellant and has more ejecta.

I started my oldest on rimfire and then moved him to 223 Remington. Once he was very comfortable with that and at distance so he really knew how to shoot I moved him up to a 7mm’08 using Hornady reduced recoil loads. Then I took the training wheels off and gave him some full power loads. No flinching, no problems. He’s shooting good groups out to 300m. He is intimidated by my 270s. I think this is a combination of the cartridge being half inch longer and therefore appearing much meaner, and him sitting beside me while I shoot since one of my 270s has a brake on it. He’s never tried the 270. If you’re convinced something is going to hurt you, it probably will. I did encourage him and convince him that the 7mm-08 is the perfect step up from 223 for a young hunter because it doesn’t talk back too much. Setting that expectation and using reduce recoil loads, combined with excellent demonstrated fundamentals was a recipe for success. He practiced pulling the gun close into the pocket between the clavicle and shoulder with the 223 so it was second nature when he moved up.

For gods sake, don’t start the kid on a 270 or even jump from 22LR to that.
 
Stock fit and ear protection!!! Pisses me off when I see people damage kids hearing. Plugs and muffs! I know way to many people that have damaged hearing in there 30s and 40s. You can also get reduced recoil loads for a .270? Don’t be afraid to cut the stock down in bits then add on as needed. It’s not a collectors item, don’t be afraid to modify it.
 
Buy the rifle and shoot it yourself first. Only then you will know the recoil with the load you are using. Your probably also best to judge if your kid can tolerate it. First impressions are huge, especially with kids. Set him up for success as others have pointed out. Cut the stock as needed and add a good recoil pad like a limbsaver and if funds allow a brake isn’t a terrible idea either.

Here’s to many memorable years hunting with your kids

SCG
 
To me, the 270 has more punch to the shoulder than a 308 and is about equal or slightly less than a 30-06. All with x-bolts which are generally lighter than most guns.

That being said, if you want your kid to be a proficient shooter teach him the fundamentals on something lighter like a 223. I assume the kid doesn't have much experience, so why would you put something in his hands that may cause problems that could take years to fix?
 
Having more info about the kid would greatly help. How old? How big? Any experience with guns or will this be his first experience with them?
 
imho, a good fitting stock, good recoil pad and a proper cheek weld makes more difference than the chambering. i had this experience only recently however. with a 30-06 that surprised me with its relatively light kick, btw this was shooting a vanguard with bell&carlson style synthetic stock.
a few mods/changes (soft recoil pad, shortened stock, cheek rest) can make a huge difference. that vanguard (as is) was perfect for me.
 
Get the 270, and reduced recoil cartridges, make sure the rifle has a good butt pad, like a limbsaver or something top end, he’ll be fine. Many of us started with .303, .308 or 30-06’s and they sometimes had a steel butt plate or rubber pad that had dried and hardened up to the firmness of a hockey puck, with modern butt pads and a proper fitting stock on top of reduced recoul rounds they will be fine.
 
thye 6.5 creedmore is one of the most popular Childrens cartridge out there Today! id go down that path for your son.

many other Kids on here can vouch for their um, popularity - :D :D
 
In an old article by Finn Aagaard, he mentions that he gave his 12-yr old son a .30/06 for his first rifle. The stock was shortened to fit, but could be replaced when the son grew out of it, and used reduced power handloads to mitigate the recoil.
 
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