What youth caliber/rifle to buy?

PaulT

PaulT

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Hi all,

My daughter will turn 12 next month and she wants to start hunting deer with me next season. I will be looking to buy another rifle for her and I am not sure which caliber to choose between .243 and 7mm-08. What do you guys have for your kids to shoot and what do they prefer? No .222's and .223's as they are not legal here in Qc for deer hunting .

The rifle will be a single shot one, no semi and/or bolt action. This year, I have hunted with my H&R single shot .270 and we got a bear and a doe, and she really like that rifle. Might order a youth version for her.

Thanks in advance for your imputs ;).

Edited to add: Primary reason for a Single Shot rifle is because she is left handed.
 
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In a single shot, that's likely your best option. T/C used to make a batam stock for the Encore but doubt you'd find one these days. As for calibre, it all comes down to what she is comfortable shooting but both calibres you outlined are good choices although the 7mm08 will offer a bit more versatility should she ever decide to hunt bigger game like moose. One word of caution with youth guns is that most people put an additional recoil pad on them which is often a good idea but just be certain that it doesn't make the pull too long for her to comfortably shoot. Most times, it requires cutting the stock down. Fit is everything for smaller framed shooters!
 
PaulT said:
Might order a youth version for her.
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The youth version would be a good choice, with a LOP of 11 3/4". The regular handi-rifles have a LOP of 14 1/4", way too long for a smaller shooter.

That said, another good choice might be the regular version in .30-30 and have it cut to fit her perfectly, with a good pad installed. You could load pointed 150gr bullets for it and would be very effective on deer...
 
If you are not big on a wood stock like I am.I would get her a Weatherby vanguard compact.It comes with the youth stock as well as a full size stock so she should never outgrow it.And definately go with the 7mm-08 as she could use it on all the canadian critters except maybe the larger bears like grizzly.
 
According to the handy-dandy Chuch Hawks recoil table, in equal-weight rifles, the .243 Winchester recoils just over half what the .270 does, and the 7mm-08 sits almost exactly halfway between the two. Actual numbers: 8.5 ft-lbs, 12.6 ft-lbs and 16.5 ft-lbs in 8-lb rifles.
I really think a youngster will be able to shoot a .243 better than the 7mm-08, and since you mentioned deer hunting, but not bear, I'd go with the .243. If she might ever want to hunt bear, take the 7mm-08.

Since you didn't mention it, I assume you're not a handloader, because a good alternate solution would be a 7mm-08 with reduced-recoil loads.
 
Kilo Charlie said:
According to the handy-dandy Chuch Hawks recoil table, in equal-weight rifles, the .243 Winchester recoils just over half what the .270 does, and the 7mm-08 sits almost exactly halfway between the two. Actual numbers: 8.5 ft-lbs, 12.6 ft-lbs and 16.5 ft-lbs in 8-lb rifles.
I really think a youngster will be able to shoot a .243 better than the 7mm-08, and since you mentioned deer hunting, but not bear, I'd go with the .243. If she might ever want to hunt bear, take the 7mm-08.

Since you didn't mention it, I assume you're not a handloader, because a good alternate solution would be a 7mm-08 with reduced-recoil loads.
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I do reoad for my other calibers so that's no problems, reduced loads would probably do the trick with the 7MM-08, still not sure which one to choose :confused:, I am leaning towards the .243 especially for the low recoil but the 7MM-08 is also not bad. I don't want her to be affraid of the recoil and develop bad shooting habits like me ;), I had a bad flinch after shooting a 12ga shotgun when younger, took me a while to "fix" it.

Thanks
 
7mm-08 Remington - 130 grain Hornady SP bullet, 26.5 grains SR 4759 powder, Rem. 9 1/2 primer, Remington case. COL 2.800". MV 2270 fps in 24" test barrel. MAP 51,800 CUP. (Based on the IMR Smokeless Powder Reloader's Guide, April 2004.)

According to an online recoil calculator, you're looking at 6.8 ft-lbs recoil from a 7.5 lb rifle, or about the same as a .243. It won't shoot as flat as the .243 either, but how far should your daughter be shooting at her experience level? This load is quite similar in effectiveness to a .30-30, I'd say. Should drop deer to around 200 yards if shot well.
Later your daughter can move up to heavier loads if she wants.

Remington also makes a 7mm-08 Managed Recoil load, I just discovered. 140 grains at 2300 fps. Recoil should be about 8 ft-lbs, deer effectiveness 200 yards. That 7-08 is starting to look awful good!
 
You could find a really sweet little Ruger #1 in 7x57 which would be perfect for her. Plus it's a truly ambidextrous rifle meaning you could use it just as well.

I have a real hate on for the HR single shots. Not sure why, but there are so many better choices to go with.
 
Woodsman said:
Baikal has a single shot that's insteresting:

http://www.baikalcanada.com/rifles_combo_18mh.htm

However, only in .308 or .30-06. You know 150's out of a .308 isn't that much different than a 7mm08 with 140's or 150's.
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Looks like the same as SPR18 single shot selling at Wholesalesports.

They have it in .243win, sold under Remington banner at $299.95, it look good, I was watching them also.

Thanks
 
One of the nicest "youth" rifles I have seen in a long while belongs to an a fellow I know. It is a Swede Mauser in 6.5 x 55 that he bought for his 12 year old daughter. Whoever "built" this rifle did a sweet job as the stock was cut down to about 11 1/2" pull and the comb thinned a bit. The barrel was cut back to 20" . A low-power, long eye relief scope was mounted well forward to avoid any "scope-eye". Loaded with a 120 grain Ballistic tip @ 2600 fps it is a very mild recoiling little rifle. Oh yes ................ she took a nice mule deer with it this fall. :D
 
well i have a tikka in 7-08 and a small ring 6.5x55.i would have to say that i would like the 7-08 alot better if i was a youngster.the rifle is about a pound or so less and i really cant see any noticeable differenc shoting 140sst-6.5mm over the 154sst-7mm.
have a look at item #225673 at WSS it might be something that woul beable to work for both you and her.
 
IMG_0620.jpg


7mm-08 NEF Handi Youth.

08-11-16Jennabuck1004.jpg


Works good for my 12yr. old.
 
7mm-08 Rem

I feel Bench shooting causes a flinch in lots of new shooters, but its not the recoil that scares you its the noise of the gun that causes the flinch...I would suggest taking her for a coyote hunt if possible and let her get a feel for shooting in the field. There is a substantial difference in felt recoil from a
.308 with a 150 and a 7mm-08 with a 140...

My 11yr old daughter has been shooting a .50 cal muzzle loader with 195 gr xtp and up too 2 50 grn triple 7 pellets since July and loves it. For her it was the LOUD noise and crack of the rifle to over come, now she is ready to step up to our 7mm-08 we have 2 in the house.

I sold the 7mm REm Mags and we all bought 7mm-08's, we shoot 140 gr Hornady Interbonds over 43 gr VArget at MV = 2980fps in my TC Encore Pro Hunter. My daughter now shoots that load in the field with us and is about 25rounds away from sitting behind a bench with that load...I see no need for a reduced load with lots of practice and exposure to numerous calibres...started with a Ruger 10/22, Savage Model 11 in 22-250, TC Omega50 cal Muzzle loader and now the 7mm-08 TC Pro Hunter...

Just my 2 cents...good luck and shoot straight

Cheers

Sask Hunter
 
Savage makes a youth model as well. I'm pretty sure it comes in both 7-08 and .243. Neat little package that comes with a scope. Maybe not the best scope, but certainly enough to start out with.

But the Savage package is a bolt action that only comes RH. I know because I was specifically looking. I have twin boys about to turn 12, one is RH and the other is LH. I was hoping to purchase only one rifle for them to share at first due to finances. Maybe I'll have to check out the Handi-Rifle youth model.
 
Sask Hunter said:
There is a substantial difference in felt recoil from a
.308 with a 150 and a 7mm-08 with a 140...
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1 ft lb recoil (17 vs 18) all things being equal in a 7 lb rifle. :) the bigger factor would be stock design, recoil pad, gun fit, etc. There isnt much difference between the two in recoil, and yes I have shot both in similar weight rifles.
 
PaulT said:
Edited to add: Primary reason for a Single Shot rifle is because she is left handed.
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OK, Look at a Browning BLR or a left-handed bolt in 308. As you hand-load the 308 can be loaded down to 30-30 levels if you wish and brought back up as her recoil tolerance increases.

BTW, I went down the same road as you with my left-handed daughter. The first rifle I bought her was an NEF Handi Rifle. The NEF was in my opinion a "kit gun" that took abut 10 hours of my time to bed the forearm and polish the chamber as well as clean up the extractor so that it would eject 95% of the time. Even then I never fully trusted it while out hunting and always had the kid carry a piece of cleaning rod in her pack in case she needed to bump out a fired case. . Eventually a left-handed Savage 110 in 308 came up for sale on the board here and once I cut the stock down a bit and put on a Decelerator pad it was perfect for her.
 
If you don't mind looking at the used market how about a left handed Remington 788 in .30-30? Load it with 125 grain spitzers or Barnes 130 grain X bullet and go shoot deer. With the Barnes it should be fine for bear and moose in a pinch. Also a Savage 340 might work but I believe they were only available in right handed.
 
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