Deer Caliber for a young hunter

What about a 25-06? I think it is a re;latively tame recoil, it is definitely lighter than the 270. The reason I ask, is because I am selling one. A model 70 with 3 boxes of ammo, and come to think of it, I have an extra stock as well which has already been shortened a bit (came off a older model 70)

Anyway, it is worth looking into.

That reminds me, I need to dig her out and take a picture.
 
A young shooter or a small person should stick with a short action lightweight rifle in a low recoiling caliber. I think a .243 a .257 Roberts or .260Rem would be perfect... the rifle should fit him and he should be comfortable with it. Get him into the gunstore and start handing him rifles.... see what he handles easily.;)
 
Very interesting points. I like the idea of uploading ammo in the future. The 7mm-08 has potential as I handload and can download or specialize the ammo to the need. Tha being said, the 25-06 has potential as well and I was pleasantly surprised by the ammo available. I like the accubond and was pleased to see a factory winchester supreme load for it...

Jeff
 
I wouldn't get to hung up on getting a rifle cal. that can "grow" with him......Get something that fits him now....By the time he has out grown it he'll be old enough to choose his own deer rifle and cal.

Russ...
 
youth cal.

I agree with Tod, my son started with a 7mm-08 in a rem. 788 with Arch65 owns now and it was easy for him to shoot at 11-12 years old. The 260-7mm-08 in an average weight rifle, i have a 25-06 that has light recoil and would be good also.
 
My boys started out with Enfields and did just fine, one still uses his. My buddy started his son with a .308 Tikka and was worried about recoil. His son wasn't, loves the rifle- shot beaucoup bambi, now my bud's waiting for his son to get a case of magnumitis so that he can move down to that .308, hope he's not holding his breath. Bottom line .308 with light loads are quite manageable for the young shooter and hell on deer.
 
I am a big fan of the 260 remington and if I did it again i would probably have started my son when he was 12 with one. I started him with a lightweight moel 70 carbine in 270. The gun only wieghed 6 lbs and kicked me like hell working up loads. It was very finicky to shoot, I did al the load development and before we hunted he would go out and shoot a few groups. A rifle in 260 would have allowed him to shoot more often, but he killed everyting he shot at the first few years anyway, now he's 17 just over 6" and about 175 lbs.
 
I started my son four years ago with a 257 Roberts in a mauser action that was refitted with a small stock. He still has it, however he carried my 358 this year, he is damn near bigger than me now.
Nice caliber for kids, very versatile if you reload.
 
257 roberts

I agree with bigredd and slapshot on the 257 roberts. I had a beautiful Browning in .257 when I was a little kid. Shot it for years, even when I was in my 20's. It was something I could carry for a full day and not feel like I was a pack mule. That gun was great for the 100-150 yard shooting we did for deer season, around bluffs, down coulees, and behind blinds. I'm getting all nostalgic now......maybe I'll go shopping for one of those.:p
 
I would go with the 6.5x55 or a 260 rem.
There very shootable cartridges and clean up on game.
I would also go with a lite gun Modle -7 or T-3 lite.
A nice 2x7 elite 33mm would go nice on either of these, but just a suggestion.
 
257 Roberts in a bolt or lever and you can't go wrong. He can use it for all his shooting needs. Another good choice would be 308 Win and the new reduced recoil loads. As he gets older he can move up to the heavy loads. If you get your son the right combination he will have it always.
 
Morpheus32 said:
7mm-08 seems like a winner but I am still researching 260 as well. I noted a couple of other rifle options:

Rem Model 7 in 7mm-08
Rem Model 7 Youth in 260 Rem
Rem 700 SPS Youth in 7mm-08
Ruger M77 Compact in 7mm-08
Win Model 70 Compact in 7mm-08

I agree with the recommendation for a good recoil pad for the rifle. You want to make it an enjoyable experience not a nasty one....a 270 would definitely be too sharp for my lad until he gets a little bigger...

Jeff
Click to expand...

I have been checking out the Ruger M77 Compact in 7mm-08 for a while...These rifles are very nice and I am sure they would still be using them in 20 years :)
 
I bought a .243 thinking it would be a good fit for my 11 year old. After shooting three rounds with his .243 he picked-up my .270 and promptly knocked-off a four-round 2'' group at 100 yards (he'd never touched the gun before!). His nine-year-old brother now shoots the .243 and wants to get something bigger.

Just this past week we started looking for a 7mm-08, primarily because I already have 100 rounds of ammo in that calibre. Weatherby makes a compact Vanguard with a 20" barrel, a youth sized stock and a full sized replacement stock for when the shooter grows to adulthood. It is chambered in 22-250, 243, 308, and 7mm-08. It might be a good althernative to the others that have been mentioned in this thread.

Honestly, if this were a gun that I intended to keep for myself, after junior is finished with it, I'd be looking for a 25-06, 6.5x55, and/or 7x57, as I mean to add these to my collection in the future anyway.
 
Any of the .308 win family, just about any of the X57 mauser family, a 250-3000, 303 Savage, 6.5X55, there are lots of mild cartridges out there. My advice is to look for a nice rifle, then worry that it is in a light calibre. I have a little old BSA sporter in Roberts that is the most accurate light sporter that I have come across to date. I picked it up for a song because it was an "old, almost dead" cartridge.
 
You know, the 257 Roberts seems to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance. I like the referrence to the old 250-3000 as well. Plenty of folks around here have used them for Caribou for years.
 
Jeff,

If I were in your shoes, and wanting to give him a new rifle, I would get him a Stevens 200 in 7mm-08. $335 plus shipping and GST. Spend the same amount of money on a good scope and he will have a rifle that he can use for a long time.

It will weigh less than 7 1/2 pounds with scope and mounts, have light recoil, display exceptional accuracy and certainly plenty of killing power. :cool:

Otherwise, I would get him a good used 257, 6.5X55, 260 rem, 7X57, or 7mm-08. Just be sure you don't get him something he is not going to enjoy shooting. Recoil can be a scary thing for a youngster, and he doesn't need to be devloping bad habits right off the bat.

Ted
 
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I have been doing a ton of research on what to get. I have settled on 243 caliber for the rifles. The reason? Well I can download the bullet and load so it is comfortable for them to start shooting now. As they get older and more confident, I can increase the loads as they gain confidence and skill. That way they "graduate" to the hunting load and it should be no problems. The 243 will be fine for hunting deer. As they get older, I can re examine both there skill and interest and upgrade. I had a look at the Ruger M77 Compact and was very impressed with it. Seemed good value. For that matter, so did the Model Seven Youth by Remington. I am starting to look around and may end up ordering a pair so both my boys have the same things.

Jeff
 
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