1st rifle

[mxracer317]

Son turns 8 in a couple months and want to buy him his first rifle. Something he will keep forever.

My dad bought me a .270 back in the day, but I’m wondering if i should get him a 6.5 creedmoor? Something that won’t make him not want to shoot because of the recoil.

I want to get him practicing so he can take a deer or antelope at 10 years old.

I know there are other threads with similar questions, but I’m more focused on his age at 8 vs 10, 11 or 12 years old. Giving him a great experience is what I’m after, not a gun he has to “grow” into.

What are your suggestions, please?

 

[Wildabeest]

65 would be a good option. Or better yet, start him with a .22 and then upgrade to 65 when he’s ready to hunt.

 

[rideold]

My son is 11 and started with a 22. I'm looking to get him a 6.5 in a savage 110 Hunter with the acustock or acufit or whatever their system is called that allows LOP and comb height adjustment.

 

[CUElk]

Both my son's shot a 22 then a 410 or 20 gauge to feel some recoil then started shooting a rifle. They shot their first deer with a 243 which is an awesome round, very accurate.

 

[elkhnter]

My sons got .22s first. Then moved on to 20 ga single shot shotguns.
First big rifles were 7mm Ultra mags, one BDL SS, one LSS.
Then bought each an AR, they could both field strip and clean one before they hit basic.
Get him started with a .22 so he can learn the basics with “his” rifle before dealing with any recoil.

 

[Pucky Freak]

A .22 that you get him fitted for. Then, when he’s ready, a high power rifle that you get him fitted for. Save the “will last forever” gun until he’s adult-size. I believe @Big Fin got his son fitted for a rifle as a youth and made shooting an entirely different experience than kids trying to shoot adult-sized guns.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I would agree that a 6.5 cm is just about the perfect rifle to get a kid these days. But, as others have said, I'd start with a .22

 

[Salmonchaser]

When I was your sons age I’d already been on moose, Caribou, sheep and bear hunts. If you’re not already doing so, start setting aside days to take your son hunting. Learning to shoot is easy, learning to deal with recoil is tougher, learning to hunt takes time.
I’d just get him a Bolt action .22; his rifle. Chop the stock to fit, save the sliced off sections to add back as he grows. Teach him how to move through the woods with his rifle. Have him practice getting a sight picture on appropriate targets while you’re hunting with him.
Get him his deer rifle as he gets closer to his first hunting season. Much like creating a gun shy dog you’ve a much better chance of teaching your son to deal with recoil if you don’t do too much too soon.
Go buy yourself a 6.5 while you’re waiting. My first Caribou, 1961 I was six. I backed dad up with my 22.

 

[Boarmaster]

A .22 that you get him fitted for. Then, when he’s ready, a high power rifle that you get him fitted for. Save the “will last forever” gun until he’s adult-size. I believe @Big Fin got his son fitted for a rifle as a youth and made shooting an entirely different experience than kids trying to shoot adult-sized guns.

This right here.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Like practically everyone else has said, learn him on a .22. he's only 8 and unless he's kinda a hoss for his age, I'd imagine the recoil of even a 6.5 will be a bit rough. Not saying you shouldn't go ahead and get him one, but starting small and working the fundamentals is always a good idea. I never thought of a .243 as being a kicker, until I watched my daughter shoot it when she was 9.

My son is 10 and he still shoots .22 mostly. Shoots the heck out of my granddaddy's old Remington. Im going to slowly get him used to the .243 and 7mm-08 this summer.

 

[RaiderRich]

I will echo what has been said, a .22 is a great plinker that will get the young man into target shooting and small game hunting. The 6.5 Creed is a good option but then if you are open to him have multiple rifles as he ages a .243 is not a bad starter that can kill deer and antelope within reasonable distances.

There was mention of the Savage with the Accustock that has an adjustable LoP. That may be a great option as he grows. I believe other rifles have that option, the Mossberg Patriot comes to mind.

If you are looking for him to own a lifer rifle you can always spend more for a higher quality rifle and have him grow into it or do stock swaps on it to give him the needed LoP for his size.

Be sure to take him shopping with you, let him hold options and see what feels good to him and be sure to drive home all the usual safety stuff including the need to wear hearing protection.

Enjoy!

 

[Europe]

When I was your sons age I’d already been on moose, Caribou, sheep and bear hunts. If you’re not already doing so, start setting aside days to take your son hunting. Learning to shoot is easy, learning to deal with recoil is tougher, learning to hunt takes time.

I agree, learning to hunt is more time consuming and more difficult than learning to shoot. Take him with you and not just on big game hunts, as all time in the field is educational.

When I was your sons age, my father and grandfather were not just taking me on deer, elk, bear and cougar hunts, but also turkey, duck, and quail hunts. I was hunting rabbit, squirrel and quail alone when your sons age. Time hunting, anything, will be a learning experience for him. Recoil can be a negative in his shooting and hunting progress, as it can create bad habits .

All this to say, I agree with the aforementioned gentlemen who have suggested starting him out with a 22, and I agree with making sure the rifle fits him ( salmon chaser suggested cutting it down and then adding back to it as he grows and that is one way to do it )

I started with a Stevens and it worked well for me. You might want to start him with a Savage, as then he will have the experience of both the 22 and 410--or--get him a 22 and 410, so he can hunt rabbits, squirrels, quail, doves. I have no problem with them being single shots, both for safety reasons and he will learn early to make that first shot count.

I envy your time with him ! You will both remember this time in his life fondly

 

[Caseknife]

I started carrying a Winchester 69A 22LR with a peep sight when I was that age. I would go deer hunting with Mom and Dad and I was the grouse shooter. At that age you learn lots following in your parents footsteps, like how to place your feet and not let them fall and how much noise eating an apple makes it difficult to hear the deer. That being said, get him a Ruger American youth rimfire. It comes with the stock extension for later in life. Install a good peep site or a 2-3 power non-variable scope. He will learn invaluable skills with that combination, kind of like learning to drive in a '46 CJ-2A.

 

[tzone]

I'd consider a good quality .223 Remington. He'll be able to shoot deer, antelope, prairie dogs, coyotes, bear.... with the proper bullets. It's cheap to shoot, virtually no recoil, and if/when he wants to reload, it's a simple one.

 

[tzone]

Both my son's shot a 22 then a 410 or 20 gauge to feel some recoil then started shooting a rifle. They shot their first deer with a 243 which is an awesome round, very accurate.

That would be my second choice.

 

[tzone]

My son is 10 and he still shoots .22 mostly. Shoots the heck out of my granddaddy's old Remington. Im going to slowly get him used to the .243 and 7mm-08 this summer.

I'm in my 40's and shoot a .22 lr far more than anything I own. Trigger time, is trigger time, is trigger time. One can learn a lot about their shooting technique when you can see everything even after you pull the trigger.

 

[pre6422hornet]

So I have some recent experience in this. My two oldest daughters are 11 and 13. They have been shooting a model 70 in 243win for three years. Youth stock. I reload so I have loaded reduced recoil loads with 95 grain Ballistic Tips and H4895. On top of that, I have them wear a PAST pad on their shoulder. I cannot say enough good things about the PAST pad. It absorbs a lot of recoil and when they wear it under their coat, they don't even know it is on. My oldest is extremely recoil sensitive and she has no issues while wearing it.

I personally use the PAST pad all the time in the summer, it helps with fatigue on long range sessions and I can shoot my .348 win with a steel butt plate in a tshirt with zero bruising.

I really like the 243 for its ability to shoot flat, easy on the shoulder, and the story goes that the 95 Ballistic Tip was designed by Nosler because one of its employees had a shoulder injury and was extremely recoil sensitive. The purposely designed it with a heavier jacket than normal BT's to hold up on elk as he was a diehard elk hunter. After seeing what this bullet does to whitetails, I have no doubt it will hold up on elk. Even at reduced velocities myself and 3 or 4 friends ( who all have kids hunting) have not had a bullet stay in an animal. All pass throughs.

 

[devon deer]

Sorry I'm getting boring now, but .22 is the way to go, great way to start out teaching safety first, then field craft, it's the way I started out, not saying I am an expert, but it worked well for me, then I got a .243, which is what I use to shoot the bulk of my deer with these days, fast, flat shooting, accurate round with little recoil.

One of the easiest ways to create a 'flinch' is start someone out on a large calibre rifle, once they have a 'flinch' it's difficult to remove, I liken it to a fly fisherman who comes to me after a while saying all he is doing is catching grass behind him instead of fish in front, he has a bad wrist break, trying to unteach that is a nightmare!

In any case enjoy the time with your son and teaching him all you know, we want to see a photo of you and him with his first deer!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Lilhowie83]

I have bought my two oldest boys and my daughter a .22 when they turned 8 and let them shoot that for two years so they can get used to shooting and finding things in the scope as well as learning gun safety and gun handling on a lighter, smaller gun. Then when they turn 10, since you can start hunting big game at 10 in Idaho, I have bought them a 7mm-08 and each of them have loved it. They shoot very well and have very little recoil and we have taken several deer and elk with them. We like them so much that I find myself "borrowing my kids guns" more often now rather than using my 30-06.

 

[morgaj1]

I agree with the .22LR to start with, but I'll throw out an alternate caliber for deer and antelope hunting - .257 Roberts.