Decision on youth gun What to do ?

I think too many people underestimate the impact (no pun intended) that recoil has our shooting habits as we develop and our ultimate shooting ability. I've seen a lot of 200 pound men with visible flinching even with a non magnum 30 cal. I've got a cousin that can't hit the broad side of a barn due to a terrible flinch he won't admit he has -- and he's never hunted with anything bigger than a 308. Personally, I don't care for guns that kick hard and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sure my daughter would just quit shooting if she found it unpleasant. My son is so keen that when he's old enough I expect he'd tough it out, but maybe develop a nasty flinch that's really hard to get rid of.

Keep it painless, keep it fun. It takes a long time to build really good shooting habits, but it takes a heck of a lot longer to unlearn bad habits.

A 243 is an obvious choice, but Remington Managed Recoil loads in 270 or 308 would achieve the same thing.

I think a lever action is a terrible choice for a new shooter - particularly one with a tubular magazine since you have to jack the shells through the action to unload the rifle. A new hunter has far too much going on in their head - don't make it any harder than it needs to be.

Good luck.
 
My children all got Daisy rifles on their 6th birthday. (of course, my sons caused trouble but the girls didn't). I then moved them onto an old single shot Cooey I had used as a 12 yr old. When I started all of my children shooting for hunting I used a .303 I bought that some guy had cut down (beautifully, mind you) for his slightly built wife, but she still didn't like the kick. All I did was load up some reduced loads and gradually built them up as they got older and bigger. They actually never knew the difference. Still have it for my wife. It is her moose gun if she needs it. When my current wife decided she wanted to hunt, and had actually shot a deer, we went shopping for a rifle for her. I had in mind a single shot in .243 since it was light but they only had it in adult stocks. She tried a Savage 111 package in youth stock and loved it. She shot 3 deer with it this year.
I know that the OP could buy whatever he wants, and has stated future moose hunting possibilities, so I would fore go the .243 and take a run at reduced loads for the 7-08 or .308. Myself, I'd go to the .308 since I like the .30's.
 
bikeinxs said:
I think too many people underestimate the impact (no pun intended) that recoil has our shooting habits as we develop and our ultimate shooting ability. I've seen a lot of 200 pound men with visible flinching even with a non magnum 30 cal. I've got a cousin that can't hit the broad side of a barn due to a terrible flinch he won't admit he has -- and he's never hunted with anything bigger than a 308. Personally, I don't care for guns that kick hard and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sure my daughter would just quit shooting if she found it unpleasant. My son is so keen that when he's old enough I expect he'd tough it out, but maybe develop a nasty flinch that's really hard to get rid of.

Keep it painless, keep it fun. It takes a long time to build really good shooting habits, but it takes a heck of a lot longer to unlearn bad habits.

A 243 is an obvious choice, but Remington Managed Recoil loads in 270 or 308 would achieve the same thing.

I think a lever action is a terrible choice for a new shooter - particularly one with a tubular magazine since you have to jack the shells through the action to unload the rifle. A new hunter has far too much going on in their head - don't make it any harder than it needs to be.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I think too many people over estimate recoil. My wife would be pissed if I tried to suggest she use a light calibre due to recoil.
 
I started my daughter shooting gophers with a bl-22, so when she wanted to hunt deer I bought her a browning lever action 243 that had the stock shortened. When we got drawn for moose I thought she needed something a little bigger so I bought her a 6.5x55 which she had no problem handling. Check out the results here.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290738
I am now a 6.5x55 fan
 
bikeinxs said:
I think too many people underestimate the impact (no pun intended) that recoil has our shooting habits as we develop and our ultimate shooting ability. I've seen a lot of 200 pound men with visible flinching even with a non magnum 30 cal.
Click to expand...

I'm the hair on a mozzis #### shy of 200 pound. I have days where I start flinching at the bench shooting my 243. I'm possibly the tuffest son of a gun I ever met too, :D thats why I'm not afraid to admit recoil bothers me. :)

I think all new shooters should start light and be kept away from solid rests with mid to heavy calibers until they are ready

Then again what the heck do I know. :p
 
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