New youth hunter caliber/cartridge recommendation

[Guest GunTroll]

I've got a 4 year old and I'm beginning to think about his first deer/large game rifle. Of course he will go through the steps to get to this rifle....BB, 22RF, etc. Since I'll be building it, I would hope it will be special to him one day. I'll be building it on a bolt action receiver.

What I'm asking is what cartridges did your dad start you out on, or even what cartridges did you start your little guy out on when the time came to step up beyond target & fundamental training? My father wasn't/isn't a hunter so I'm looking for advise from people who had that experience or made the choice for their child.

And without wanting to get into a debate....I'm not a fan of 223 rem or anything smaller for deer sized game. In fact 22 caliber cartridges in general I just don't support for deer sized game. Shotgun gauges are a no go as well for this project. Bolt gun cartridges only.

This is the list I'm compiling..

257 Roberts

7x57 Mauser

243 win

6mm rem

6.5x55 swede

So you can see What sort of cartridges and calibers I like. I somewhat like cartridges that aren't the norm.

Thanks guys!

[timcalhoun]

Started my son out on a 25-06 and I down loaded the ammo a little. This year was his first year.

If I were to buy my son a new one it would be a 7mm08. I also like 243 and 257 Roberts.

[gregintenn]

My boy's both swear by their custom 257 Roberts rifles. They are pretty much a handloading only option however.

The oldest has killed two deer with his, and the yougest is still just punching paper. Their grandfather built them for the boys. He also cut down a military stock to youth proportions. It will take the dings and fit the kids' small frames until they get big enough for the real stocks.

Edited December 15, 2010 by gregintenn

[Guest GunTroll]

When I was typing this I thought of you and the 257 Roberts when you posted about them before. The mild recoil is what I like about the 257. And I enjoy quarter calibers for some reason.

Good looking crew you got there. Rifles too!

[gregintenn]

They both shoot around an inch group. Very little recoil. The 243 brass and ammo is a whole lot easier and cheaper to get, but somehow it just isn't as cool as the 257 Rob. Everyone doesn't have one. If you're goig with a mauser action, I think cutting the military stock to fit the child is a great idea.

[DaveS]

I started all my kids (except one) and Grandkids on .308. My daughter (14) that you met at the range, started out 3 years ago with 7mm/08. Even my youngest grandson (7) shoots a single shot .308 with ease.

[Howler]

I'm a fan of the .243. I've killed a lot of deer with that round. My son got one for his 10th birthday and he still shoots it at the age of 16. I know you said bolt gun, but think of a Thompson Center in .44mag. The .44mag would fit a young (6 or 7 year old) kid real well. For an older kid a .243 would be my choice.

[Alleycat72]

My little girl started with a suppressed 300 Whisper and subsonic 240s. Once she got use to that we switched to supersonic for hunting. It’s on an AR platform which may not be the ideal platform for a young child, but she likes the gun and keeps her interested. She got her first deer with it this year. The suppressor keeps the flinch factor down. My hunting partner started his kids on a 308 with reduced loads. I think he was running 150s at about 2300 fps.

[R1100R]

For availability I would go with the .243. I will be starting my Son out on this. Currently I only own one that is a heavy barrel, which is too much weight for him.

I am also on the lookout for a rifle for him,

[whiskey]

Well I started my daughter on a .22LR at 5 years old. We skipped the whole BB gun thing, but I think they are essential for boys. She moved up to a .243 at 9 years old. She has taken deer with it the last 3 years. I think if I had it to do over, I would have gotten the 7mm-08. That is what I went to the gun shop to order, but they had a .243 on the rack and I bought it. Nothing wrong with a .243 for deer in my opinion, but I think the 7mm gives a little more wiggle room.

I started on a 30-30 at 13, as far as centerfires go.

[memphismason]

I started on a 30-30 at age 10 for deer hunting and bought my .30-06 at age 12.

[DaveS]

I started on a 30-30 at 13, as far as centerfires go.

Oooops, I missread the post. I thought we were talking about deer rifles.

Edited December 17, 2010 by wd-40

[Guest TnRebel]

Started my son out on a 25-06 and I down loaded the ammo a little. This year was his first year.

If I were to buy my son a new one it would be a 7mm08. I also like 243 and 257 Roberts.

Started her shooting @ 10 yo with a 25-06 and to this day ( she's in collage ) its still the 25-06 .

[timcalhoun]

Started her shooting @ 10 yo with a 25-06 and to this day ( she's in collage ) its still the 25-06 .

Nice deer!!! I'm sure you are proud of her.............great job.

[Guest mds3d]

Honestly, the first rifle I learned to shoot after my 22LR was a 300 win mag. There weren't any other options in our house at the time. I probably will move to something like 243 before hand on my own kids.

[gregintenn]

I started on a 30-30 at 13, as far as centerfires go.Oooops, I missread the post. I thought we were talking about deer rifles.

Yeah. We ALL know deer are waaaaaaaaaay too tough to succomb to a 30 caliber 170 grain bullet, unless it came out of a belted magnum.

[Guest sneakboxer]

I started with a 308 and had no problems. If you handload you could make some 130gr rounds that should be soft on the shoulder. But i think you will be fine with anything between 243 and 308. The 7mm08 and 260rem are pretty popular too.

here is a link for a recoil table Rifle Recoil Table

Good luck with your project,

[Guest GunTroll]

Thanks all. I'm leaning 257 Roberts but because I'm a dork I'll probably ackley improve it to give it that something different than the norm. I plan on teaching him the joy of reloading when the time is right. And besides the best part of AI cartridges are , you don't have to shoot just AI cartridges in your rifle. You can run the standard version through and it works the same.

I've got all the other calibers mentioned above for him to pick through if he wants but this project will be his first daddy made rifle that will belong to him and not be a "dads" loaner rifle sort of deal. Thanks again for the input.

[Jax970]

My daughter shot her first deer when shew was 11 with a Ruger M77 in 7.62x39. I bought this gun from a buddy whose son's shot their first deer with it. It is on loan to a friend whose pre-teen daughters are using it to shoot their first deer with. At ranges that first time hunter will shoot, it is a great caliber, mild recoil. My daughter had shot .22's quite a bit prior to hunting, so she knew trigger pull, how to use a scope etc. But to make sure she did not get scared of recoil, i did not take her to practice with the deer rifle at the range. So, the first time she pulled the trigger on a deer rifle was whe she shot her first deer. In fact, she has never shot a deer rifle off of a bench (but has shot 3 deer now) and has no idea what deer rifle recoil is. I'm sure you all know how you don't pay attention to recoil and sound when you shoot a deer. I'm glad I did it that way.

[I_Like_Pie]

Get something that after you are long gone and they are giving it to their grand (or great) grandchildren they will have the ability to shoot it.

Sure the bob rifles are great, but .243 and 30-30 will still be here readily available 100 years from now....even if all they want to do is buy some to show what grand daddy used to do.

For some reason people are determined to think that .243 is a kids caliber that one graduates from once they get to age. It is about the perfect caliber for the E. Mississippi sportsman. It absolutely dusts many other calibers in accuracy and versatility.

[gregintenn]

I don't suscribe to the theory of women's and children's calibers. A certain caliber either works or it doesn't. I hunt with the same calibers my children hunt with. Surprise, surprise! We all kill deer with them.

[Mr. Brooks]

Is case anyone was wondering a good hunting .223 round works just fine for deer. Ask my niece if you don't believe me. Haha

[Guest GunTroll]

Get something that after you are long gone and they are giving it to their grand (or great) grandchildren they will have the ability to shoot it.

Sure the bob rifles are great, but .243 and 30-30 will still be here readily available 100 years from now....even if all they want to do is buy some to show what grand daddy used to do.

For some reason people are determined to think that .243 is a kids caliber that one graduates from once they get to age. It is about the perfect caliber for the E. Mississippi sportsman. It absolutely dusts many other calibers in accuracy and versatility.

I here you. Hard to say what will be popular and available for people 100 years from now though. I hope there will be people here, a 100 years from now and I hope hunting will still be here too. Perhaps its just me but my children and then their children will have multiple firearms to choose from that will have came from me and two generations before me. We pass stuff down in my family. If the 257 Roberts AI that I build becomes a "wall hanger" because ammo or componets are in short supply....oh well. Great grandads ole' 30-30 or 30-06 or any of the other popular calibers that I have in my inventory will have to do. This rifle is gonna be my first sons', first rifle that is intended for hunting and crowd pleasing. Functional art is what I call em'.

JustAGuy....awesome pictures! I hope you didn't take offense by my .223rem comment in my original post. Its just my opinion and nothing more. 223 will kill deer just fine, but its not for me (for deer). I can't wait to get that sort of experience with my boy(s). Great pictures again!

[Mr. Brooks]

JustAGuy....awesome pictures! I hope you didn't take offense by my .223rem comment in my original post. Its just my opinion and nothing more. 223 will kill deer just fine, but its not for me (for deer). I can't wait to get that sort of experience with my boy(s). Great pictures again!

No worries brother, your comment didn't offend me at all. I just wanted people to see the .223 could be used on deer. (I wouldn't take my AR deer hunting either though)

Glad you like the pictures, my niece loves to go shooting and probably has more firearms then me at this point. I hope my kids will be as awesome as she is. When I have some of course.

[Randy L]

I bet more deer are killed in Tennessee with the 30-30 than any other caliber. My youngest son went with my marlin 1894 357 mag lever gun and took his first deer with it. Shot placement is far more important than caliber. Just my 2 cents for what its worth.