what rifle to start them off with?

powder burner

powder burner

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I didnt want to hijack another thread with a thought so I started this one.

I think that some people should start their kids off with centrefire .22's, then introduce them to low recoiling hunting rifles.(Examples: .22 Hornet, .204,.222, .223, .22-250, .220 swift)

Reason: the kid will be used to the rifles weight and noise. Recoil is pretty much non-existant as well. Once the kid gets used to this then the smaller hunting calibres should be used (Examples: 243,260, .270, 6.5x55, 7mm08, 308)

afterwards the next calibre step is the .30-06, 7mm Mag, 300 mag, WSM's etc.

What does everybody else think?:)
 
Can't fault your logic, but I have to say the rifle itself plays some part. My .250 Savage is a deer rifle, but I have fired .22 centrefires that I found less pleasant to shoot. My point being that some of the milder big-game cartridges can be easier to shoot than the hotter .22 centrefires, depending on the individual rifle.
I note you skipped the .22 rimfire. I think given the cost of ammo and the almost complete lack of recoil, they are still the ideal starting point.
 
Okay, my 2 cents worth. Military trainers were .22 cal. for the very reason that they were economical, and allowed the shooter to concentrate on learning the correct principles of shooting without the distraction of either noise or recoil. Every newbie I've introduced to shooting has been taught on a .22, and then encouraged to work up to their own comfort level, and on the whole I've never had negative feedback on the process.
 
I'll come at the problem from a different direction, but first lets play "It Depends." First, it depends how old the kid is and his level of maturity. It depends on his physical size. It also depends on whether or not Dad is a handloader.

I'll start a mature 12 or 13 year old kid out with a .308 or a .30/06 class rifle loaded with cast bullets. There are several advantages to this. The rifle has to fit him, so it's his rifle which produces pride of ownership. As he grows the stock can be adjusted or replaced as required. I believe that a fear of recoil is inadvertantly introduced when a youngster begins with a .22 rimfire. There's nothing wrong with him shooting a rimfire at the same time, but I would want him to use the centerfire as his primary rifle. The key is that the centerfire is not absent of recoil, but the recoil is gentle and he learns that it is nothing to fear and is an exilerating part of shooting.

I would also start him with irons. There's lots of time to introduce him to a scope later on. Theres lots of stuff I do different than most folks, but that's just me.
 
powder burner said:
Once the kid gets used to this then the smaller hunting calibres should be used (Examples: 243,260, .270, 6.5x55, 7mm08, 308)

afterwards the next calibre step is the .30-06, 7mm Mag, 300 mag, WSM's etc.

What does everybody else think?:)
Click to expand...

I think the kick of the .270 and 30-06 is about the same. Sure feels like it to me anyway in felt recoil. And my .338 kicks about the same too.
 
The first rifle I ever shot was a 22lr while in cadets. It was like shooting the pellet gun I had at home. Looking back a .223 would have been fine.
 
I started my son out last year with a .22, he was 4. A larger rifle isn't in his near future. The rifle has to fit the kid our your efforts could quickly become counter productive. My son shoots daily but would never consider it if the rifle was too big or created unpleasnt recoil.
My thought is to take the same approach as you would for yourself, choose a range of caliburs that are suitable for your application, find a rifle that fits and that you are comfortable with and the rest just falls in to place.

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Agreed. Great Pics. Looks like one happy kid. At that age a rimfire is perfect. I wouldn't let him shoot anything larger for sometime either. Most center fires are not that friendly to guy this size. Action open, hearing protection & safety glasses = responsible parent, cheers.
 
They have to fit the gun first. The 22 is perfect, even I have gone back to shooting the 22 predominantly. My brother has a Rem 788 in 6mm Remington. It is one of the most vicious punishing little SOB's I have ever shot, and definitely no place to work a beginner in. Take'm slow and gradual.
 
Someone mentioned a pellet gun. I woulod agrre with using a BB gun or an air rifle or pellet gun first as long as the dimensions fit the kid. proper gun handling when the gun is too heavy or too long is hard to develope. Use a big bullseye and keep ranges short for a BB gun to allow for success.

I also disagree with simply cutting the stock on an adult sized gun as this changes the balance.
The picture of the youngster with the rimfire shows what should be a great gun for a small child. It is not stock short and full length barrelled but in proportion.
 
I think a kid is best introduced with a bolt action 22 rimfire, and shooting alot

next step would to get a centerfire rifle that fits them and is fairly light and easy to control and pack. a cartridge like 243, 257 Roberts, 260, 6.5x55, 270, 7-08, 7x57, or 308. Ammo should be handloaded to a reduced velocity to bring recoil to a very low number for practice. Velocity can be increased over time slowly, eventually they'll be shooting well and with a bullet going fast enough to make a 250 yard shot easy
 
It really depends on the kid. Some can take more recoil than others.

I took a kid from church to the range with me a few years ago. He was 14yrs old and had never fired a gun in his life as his family was of the non-hunting variety. Anyways, after some verbal instruction I got him shooting a few "easy" calibers and he was doing fine. By the end of it I had him shooting my M98 375H&H with 235gr loads and he was doing it with ease and hitting with accuracy every time. :eek:



.
 
.22 to get lots of inexpensive shooting. .204 then 243 until 14 then larger calibers dependent on his size, strength etc. The 30-06 was a tad big at 14 for me. By 15 it was perfect. 12 guage wingmasters were heavy to swing around as well at 14. Kids are bigger now though.
 
I'm thinking that the original poster is asking about hunting rounds not a 22LR.

In my case I started my son with a single shot Cooey 22LR then he moved into my Browning BL 22LR this taught him the basics of shooting.

His first "hunting" rifle was a 21" barreled T/C Contender Carbine in 30-30 with 150gr RN that I loaded to 2250fps.

When he was able to handle more recoil I sent the barrel to Mike Bellm in Oregan and he rechambered it to 308 Bellm which is a wildcat based on 444 Marlin brass necked down with 308 Win dies and loaded to 300 Savage Velocities of 150gr bullet @ 2600fps.

He then moved into my Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 280 Rem with 139gr Hornady SST's @ 3050fps.

He's now 23 years old and shoots all of the different rifle/cartridge combo's that we now own except I haven't given him a chance to shoot my 375RUM with 300gr bullets @ 2800fps.

I now have a 14 month old son and he when old enough will follow in his brothers foot steps except I will just reduce the loads to 30-30 velocities then step him up when "he" feels he is ready.
 
.22 rimfire with iron sites. in my mind there is nothing better to start someone off with. even make it a single shot so that they make every shot count

for a hunting rifle, i started on a 30-06, i jumped in hunting deer to no point in a .22 centerfire since it wouldnt do the job (yes i know, lots of deer taken with .223 ect, just doesnt work in my mind)
 
My boy started with a .22 Rouge Rifle chipmunk, moved to .223, through .243 to .257 Weatherby. Now at 12 he can take the occasional shot with a heavy barrel .300 Win Mag. It's still a bit much for him, and not necesssary for anything he will be doing.
In his case the .243 was an unnecessary step.
 
In a few years, I plan to start my son with a .22 LR for lots of shooting. Eventually, I'll bring him up to a .223. If I don't have a .223 by then, I'll buy one specifically for him.

That should get him shooting out to 300 yards on paper. Once he's mastered all the basic skills of shooting accurately (the tough stuff like trigger control, breathing, follow-through, etc.) he'll be ready for a heavier rifle. I'll either start him with a 6.5x55 or something similar. Recently, I've got it in my mind to start playing with a Parker Hale Lee Enfield that I got from my father. If the brand-new Barnes 123-grain TSX, designed for the 7.62x39, works in that rifle, it would be the perfect starter deer bullet. I'll bet I could whip up a load with that bullet that recoils like a .243 but still makes a .303 caliber hole and goes through and through any deer.

I guess, the upshot of all this rumination is:

1. Start with a .22 LR and shoot a great deal.

2. Move up to a .223 and learn all the basics of centerfire rifle shooting out to, say, 300 yards. Practice in all positions so that shooting well comes naturally. (If done properly, this can take a few YEARS -- seriously.)

3. Graduate to a centerfire hunting rifle. At the end of the day, the cartridge is not important as long as you start out with reduced loads using a lighter premium bullet like a Barnes TSX at a moderate velocity. Rest assured that a 123-grain solid copper .303 caliber bullet at 2,700 fps (a super-reduced .303 British load) should still be able to cleanly kill a deer at 300 yards, if the rifle is accurate and the shooter is up to the task.

4. Practice, practice, practice.
 
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