Youth Rifle / Caliber

soo im doing this i think.............

my kid shoots the .222 but doesnt like the noise mostly.. so ear plugs always when shooting/hunting , thats cool. an good practise.

however the .222 isnt legal for the small deer species here, so i have to be over .243 ...

he is also a lefty so finding any kewl calibre is out, but the 243 is there an fills the gap for his future hunting for up to 10 years without really actually needing anything more.... but need/want/what dad wants all come into it :)

id like a 6.5 grendal howa mini action--- rh of course.

257rob was a option. but mostly for me..

but back to my idea with the .243 isss to try modify the load with a bit slower powder an mid range projectile SP- drop the speed a fair bit due to the fact 200m is a looong way to poke at the odd unlucky deer which is often a doe-

then as he grows, build the loads up into 100gr sp game getters.

as for rifles... hmm, im goin with youth model first, then will sell off for full size .243-260 size
 
243 and 7-08 are great for small shooters.
If you reload you can tame down anything really.

I have a 243 youth axis. Nothing special. I dropped a full size stock on it for me to use till the kid is big enough.
Shoots sub moa anyway
 
I've got a Henry Single shot in 243 win for my kiddos when they get big enough to handle a real gun. After that it'll be onto the 270win or 7mm08 (the 7mm is a lefty, me and my daughter shoot left) depending on the kid, I reload for both so I can make reduced loads for all 3 calibers if the standard power stuff is too much for 'em.
 
Soo, ive come across a few CZ rifles, in... wait for it. 7.62x39.............. somebody tell me that isnt what im looking for, to then advance onto the .243 hunting loads.

Dad likes them....

ruger ranch in the budget too

i see ammo price isnt crazy here at the moment for them? duno availability but should be some around for what he is guna do..

Now an Hour Later.....

im thinking, 300blk could be him too... ideally i want 16-18 inch barrel for him. now to google
 
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I quit worrying about “youth” rifles. They grow so quickly that in my mind short stocks are obsolete so soon as to make them a waste of money. Both my sons use Kimber Montanas. One in 7-08 and one in 308. Unfortunately the one with the 308 (my 13 year old) is having the barrel swapped at a gunsmith and it’s about 5 months overdue. So he used my 7mm Remington Magnum on a bear a week or so ago. It worked just fine. Even for the smallest human in the world as a friend of mine calls him.

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WhelanLad said:
Soo, ive come across a few CZ rifles, in... wait for it. 7.62x39.............. somebody tell me that isnt what im looking for, to then advance onto the .243 hunting loads.

Dad likes them....

ruger ranch in the budget too

i see ammo price isnt crazy here at the moment for them? duno availability but should be some around for what he is guna do..

Now an Hour Later.....

im thinking, 300blk could be him too... ideally i want 16-18 inch barrel for him. now to google
Click to expand...

IMO the 243 has a range advantage over either of the small cased 30cals. The 243 has higher muzzle energy, loses less energy at range, and shoots flatter: With a 200yd zero a 243win drops half as much at 300 (7" vs 14" for 7.62x39, both using factory federal fusion ammo) and has about half as much wind drift too; 693 ft-lbs energy for the x39 at 300, vs 1085 for the 243; The 243 has basically the same energy at 400 that the x39 does at 200.

Inside like 200yds I would say it's a coin flip, but once the ranges start extending the 243 starts to shine. Plenty of affordable 243 rifles out there too. The CZs in x39 are nice, I want one, but they aren't cheap...
 
Check your son for LOP first as this can ruin a shooters/youths hunt in short order, make sure the gun fits him when shooting freehand, is not to heavy and he understands eye relief of the scope,

Lots of great youth rifles around now a days, Tikka T3x Compact Lite is a great choice, Weatherby Vanguard synthetic compact, Howa also has a new lightweight model, Kimber Hunter, Browning just to name a few.


If you go 6mm........243 win is good but 6mm Creedmoor would be my choice,

if you go 6.5 the 6.5 Creedmoor is the most sensible answer, most popular cartridge on the planet, every rifle manufacturer chambers for the 6.5CM, amazing amounts of reasonably priced factory loaded ammo for hunting big game, varmints or target loads, no problem getting brass if you handload.

7mm-08 is a great cartridge as well

Hope this helps
 
I'd think long and hard about a 7-08. I started my daughters with that caliber and they sort of just stayed there. It's hard to imagine someone that can shoot a 243 that can't shoot a 7-08; there's next to nothing for recoil either way. It's utility doesn't end with deer sized game either.
 
thanks for the input here an there guys,
im in touch with a guy about a ranch, 300blk, i love the idea put forward in regards to component shortages an how the blk takes 223, small primer and 30-30 projis..

im more teachin my young fella to hunt the polar opposite to what is the trend these days, no tech and close shooting to be sure stuff, ambush, boring but hey, thats hunting and we will stroll /stalk often, so again 50m maybe 100 on the fringe an using that "200 is a long way" which stops them flinging lead at 400m "just cos the .243 can i seen it on youtube guy shot an elk at 1000" :D

but i want short barrel so this goes hand in hand 300blk, and it leaves room in the safe for that 257 roberts dad always wanted (rather .243/etc) as he matures
 
I'm planning a slightly different route for my daughter. A lightweight chassis style rifle chambered in 250 savage. The rifle will be adjustable to fit her no matter how she grows and the 250 savage is light on recoil and covers varmints to mid size game
 
How big is the young feller? 12 years old covers a lot of range. When I was 12 I was six feet tall; while others were five foot nothing. My kids went through youth sized 22s and shotguns, but never anything but full sized rifles. There's quite a variation in LOP on full sized rifles as well.
 
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