Best rifle options youth hunters

[Brad W]

Put a suppressor on anything you get. The reduction in felt/experienced recoil is fantastic for kids and adults alike and makes shooting much more enjoyable for them.

 

[Four22]

Following. I’m looking at options for my boys

 

[sneakypete]

You should look at Howa’s Superlite 4.5 lbs. I have one in 6.5 creedmor. I believe now they have more calibe’s available. I also put a brake on it.

 

[JB123]

Perfect rifle. I have the Davidsons special version in 6.5 creed. Only one complaint…the magazine removal lever faces the wrong direction for smooth magazine removal. Not sure why Howa did this? Instead of a smooth pull and mag removal reward, the Howa lever requires one to push forward and use your other hand to pull the mag out. The gun shoots sub moa out of the box.

 

[wtbarefield]

Ruger Hawkeye compact 308. Pricey, but a wise investment.

 

[Stifler]

I'd also second the 7mm-08 the wife has one. I'd really consider adding one in. It's a good caliper in my opinion for what your asking.

 

[Bowhunt_406]

I live in NW Montana and hunt with a Savage Model 16 in .243 and its never let me down. I've hunted with that gun since I was legally able to pack a rifle and my sons will carry it one day. If you're wondering how a smaller cartridge like a 243 does on bears, I shot this guy with a 243 and he dropped where he stood.

 

[utah400elk]

I got my son a 7mm-08 Weatherby vanguard. It’s a youth version with a 20 inch barrel and shorter LOP. Perfect rifle for him at the time. I am going to sell it. Looking back, I wish I had gotten the 22 inch barrel. It would have made it easier to transition into a more “adult” rifle for him.

 

[howl]

I got my son a 7mm-08 Weatherby vanguard. It’s a youth version with a 20 inch barrel and shorter LOP. Perfect rifle for him at the time. I am going to sell it. Looking back, I wish I had gotten the 22 inch barrel. It would have made it easier to transition into a more “adult” rifle for him.

Slip-on recoil pad on one end, suppressor on the other. Voila. Being able to instantly shorten the stock in cold weather is kinda handy, too.

 

[utah400elk]

Not my cup of tea. I prefer a better stock and longer barrel. The 20 inch barrel limits the rifle to about 2700 fps.

 

[Don Fischer]

Well can't be more than a hundred or so right answer's to this! As far as cartridge goes that is. Rifle's, I think a different subject. For a rifle go with something inexpensive so you can either do it yourself of have it fitted to the kid or the wife. I'm pretty sure a poorly fitting rifle in any suitable cartridge is gonna whack them. On top of that you live in grizzly country. A 243 could work in really experienced hand but doesn't sound like you got them, kid and first time round little woman. Rifle should fit properly if for nothing sled to help control recoil. As for cartridge, I suspect it depends on if you reload or not. Reloading opens some doors being able to tailor loads. Considering where you love smallest I'd go with is a 6.5 and 140gr bullet. I do have a love of the 6.5. Have a 6.5x55, 260 rem and 6.5x06. A properly placed 140gr bullet from one of them wouldn't do a bear any good and I think that would be a concern. Then neither would a 180gr bullet from a 308 or 30-06. Draw back on those two is increased recoil. have never shot a 7mm-08 but if I could find one to try out, checking recoil, I'd give them a look over. What ever the cartridge if you don't reload they should be easy to find in a gun shop. That probably removes my 6.5x55 and 260 Rem but leaves the 6.5 Creedmoor! If you were shot with one of them you wouldn't be able to tell which one it was!

I still shoot my 30-06 but I'm 5'10" and weight 190 pounds and have over 50 yrs shooting experience! Counts for more than we might know. Bad thing about these type questions I think is guy's throw out cartridges that might hurt smaller people because they think the recoil ain't much. But to the new shooter that has never felt it and may they be small, they will feel it! Kind of hard to recommend light recoiling cartridge if your a 200 pound guy looking for something for your 95 pound wife! In your case I hesitate to recommend anything over a 6.5 or a cartridge built on much over a 308 case size.

Young guy here in town all he'd ever shot was his grand fathers 30-30. he wanted to shoot some of my rifles so I let hin try the 6.5x55. He told me it didn't hurt at all so let him shoot it some more. Then one day let him shoot a 243 and that day on it was all he wanted to shoot. He about 15 yr old and maybe 110 pounds and I'm quite sure his grandfather's 30-30 didn't hurt because that was all he had to shoot. My 6.5 dropped recoil way down but he grabbed onto the 243 with a death grip. he didn't have to tell me why. So smallest and largest I'd recommend would be a 6.5 on the 308 case. Lower in recoil and easier to find ammo, at least in the 6.5 Creedmoor version.

I recall reading an article on Africa a few years ago and wrote by the outfitter. Guy brought his young son with him and brought a 308 for him to shoot. Seems it had 180 gr bullet's with it. Kid wasn't hitting anything so the outfitter got some 130gr loads for the kid to try. few shots and the kid was hitting what he was aiming at. Used it hunting and the world turned, he started killing things. Don't under think recoil!

 

[popeyoung12]

Compact .243.

 

[Dubz337]

My gf has a A-bolt Micro in 7mm-08 I bought her she loves, and I'll snag it to use once in a while when she's not looking. Great little guns and perfect for in the deep brush even if you're bigger framed.

 

[MNElkNut]

From a safety perspective and young kids, a rifle with a bolt release button or 3 position safety may make sense. For that reason, I am not a fan of Tikkas for kids. JMO.

 

[Hertervillian]

Ruger Hawkeye compact 308. Pricey, but a wise investment.

I did this in 7mm08. I had the same feelings $$ that felt well spent.

 

[MTLabrador]

When I have kids I will be getting a Tikka .243 without a doubt.

 

[mtmuley]

What did kids do before bicycle helmets? mtmuley

 

[Hertervillian]

What did kids do before bicycle helmets? mtmuley

They thought before they tried BMX, skateboarding down staircases, or a bunch of other YouTube worthy flights of fancy.

Speaking for myself of course. I would have had to wind up grandpas Super8 and hope for the best. The helmet would have been PPE had he found that camera near my bleeding carcass.

 

[Don Fischer]

Put a suppressor on anything you get. The reduction in felt/experienced recoil is fantastic for kids and adults alike and makes shooting much more enjoyable for them.

Just wondering, how much weight does that hang out on the end of the barrel?

 

[MtsPSU]

What hunting rifle would you all recommend for a youth hunter or a very small-framed person? I have 5 boys, and they are counting the days until they can begin hunting with me as well. My wife also would like to hunt with me, but she’s very tiny. My Howa .308 is too heavy and large for them. They struggle to see through the scope, place the rifle appropriately against their shoulders, and still reach the trigger. (Last I checked, all 3 of those things should be happening at the same time… ) I’m looking to get something for them that will be used mostly for deer hunting, but possibly for elk and bears. Any experience you have with good manufacturers, models, and calibers would be appreciated. We are mostly hunting in Northwest Montana with shorter shooting distances of 200 or less yards.

My sons grew up with a Remington model 7 in a 6mm and .243 respectively. Awesome little rifles with next to no recoil with 80 or 85 grain bullets. You can hop up to 100grains when they get older if you feel it’s necessary.

You can find still them floating around at reasonable prices if you look for them.

Another suggestion is the Browning A bolt micro medallion in a .257 Roberts. They are awesome little rifles and the round is amazing.

Mark