First youth hunting rifle?

[BirdManMike]

My nephew has (finally) decided he wants to deer hunt next season. He will be 13. My father, his grandfather, want to buy him a deer rifle for Christmas. Dad tasked me with buying it since he is out of state for work til spring. OK, dad, sure thing. It might not (probably wont) be here before Christmas at this point but thats OK.

Im thinking 6.5 Creedmore. Have no idea. I was just going to have him shoot my .270 carbine w/ iron sights. He shoots a .22 I have pretty regularly and is a good shot. I was going to start him shooting at the range in the spring with the .270.

I looked at rifles a little the past couple days. Not much has iron sights these days. Not much thats reasonably priced for a kids' first gun, anyway. The kid is going to be hunting whitetail at my place where a 50 yard shot would be a long one, most of the shooting lanes being 30 yards at most. I know I personally can acquire a target much quicker at these ranges with iron sights than I can with a scoop - am I wrong in wanting something that has iron sights and can be 'upgraded' with a scope later?

Ive looked around. See nothing online thats making me think 'thats the gun for this kid'. Anything is probably better than a shoulder buster like I started with, hence thing 6.5 Creedmore for the kid. Any recommendations?

 

[Beignet]

.243?

 

[jvanhoy]

I started my son on a 7mm08 at 9. He’s 15 and still killing deer with it. Awesome caliber IMO.

 

[Buffs35]

.243?

Do this.

 

[Beignet]

I started my son on a 7mm08 at 9. He’s 15 and still killing deer with it. Awesome caliber IMO.

This was going to be my other suggestion. Though factory ammo seems a bit scarcer, but available nevertheless.

 

[Ought Six]

I started with a shoulder buster as well, Ruger 30-06 at the age of 10. Learning how to properly deal with recoil to make a good shot at a young age made me a good shooter. I think the Creed would be a good move though, or a .243, 22-250, 25-06, 7mm-08, etc, can’t go wrong with any of them. I’ll probably go with one of those for my kids as well, today’s kids are a lot softer

 

[JLS]

I think the value of using open sights for new shooters is grossly overestimated. The trigger press is what really matters.

Manageable recoil would be my first priority.

 

[Kiwi]

I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but my son used a 7mm Rem Mag since 13 year old. It’s suppressed and he hasn’t had any issues with recoil. In fact he has shot accurately to 650 yards. Probably due to spending so much time on Fortnite!

 

[SFC B]

To address the first part.....iron sights on new rifles other than lever guns are pretty much non existent. As far as first rifle past that, I would start by asking what your budget is for the rifle and if you have any brand preferences. There have been some great suggestions as far as caliber above and your initial thought of a 6.5 is right there. Light recoil and plenty of juice for deer. My favorite in the budget category would be the Ruger American with the next step price wise up being a Tikka T3X. They can both be had in compact size, but at 13 I would bet the boy will be closer in size to a regular for fit. As far as optics, you can get something in the 3x9 or 2x10 range and have him keep it on the lower power range.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Just get him a 30-30 and call it a day...

 

[D_Walt]

Kids are all different, some are more recoil sensitive than others. Big and tough doesn’t always translate to not flinching or being able to handle recoil. I have taken probably 10 of my kid’s friends out for their first time hunting, more than that for their first time shooting a rifle. Proper training on trigger control trumps all (obviously after gun safety lessons). Less recoil is better.

6.5, 7mm-08, .308; in my opinion if you’re buying one that he’ll likely use for years are all good choices that you can get milder reduced recoil loads to get him started. Sounds like a fun adventure awaits!

 

[OntarioHunter]

Sounds like he will be shooting from a stand? A heavy rifle in a stout caliber will be okay. I started with a 30-06 when I was 12 years old ... 1964. Still using that same gun today. It's probably killed a couple hundred animals. I didn't notice the recoil then or now. I started with 180 gr but could easily have bumped it down to 150 gr and less gas for lighter recoil if that had been an issue. The more important factor for manageable recoil was rifle weight. My WWII Springfield weighs about nine pounds. Mind you, I didn't carry it much until I was out of high school. By then I was wearing big boy pants (6'1" & 175 lbs).

Put a 3x scope on it. For most of my life I was a stalker, tracking deer, elk, and moose in snow. Shots are typically close and quick in heavy timber. 3x Weaver did the job just fine. A few years ago I bumped up to 3x9 but usually hunt with it on 3x. This discussion just ran its course on another thread and the concensus seems to be there's no good reason to start a kid with iron sights. He will undoubtedly shoot better with a scope and if he shoots better the animal dies quicker. Nothing will turn off a new hunter more than buggering up his first animal.

Here's my rifle today. It now has optional iron sights (recently added) but only switch to them in bad weather conditions. Note that it only has a hard rubber butt plate. The first stock Dad put on it had a hard plastic butt plate.

 

[Buck Fever NW]

.243 worked well for my son from age 9-12 or so for just deer then went to 7mm-08 to hunt elk also. Both have been great rounds, very accurate and effective.

 

[ploxwithblox]

Another vote for .243. An excellent round that will get the job done with minimal recoil.

 

[MTLabrador]

The correct answer is a .243 Tikka.

 

[F250]

Lots of good quality rifles on the market today with price tags that are reasonable. I would lean toward the .243. I one I bought my wife 30 years ago, has been the rifle used for 7-8 youth hunters taking their first deer.

 

[EastTNHunter]

To address the first part.....iron sights on new rifles other than lever guns are pretty much non existent. As far as first rifle past that, I would start by asking what your budget is for the rifle and if you have any brand preferences. There have been some great suggestions as far as caliber above and your initial thought of a 6.5 is right there. Light recoil and plenty of juice for deer. My favorite in the budget category would be the Ruger American with the next step price wise up being a Tikka T3X. They can both be had in compact size, but at 13 I would bet the boy will be closer in size to a regular for fit. As far as optics, you can get something in the 3x9 or 2x10 range and have him keep it on the lower power range.

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This ^^^

6.5CM, 7-08, and many others fit the bill with factory ammo. Even more available options if you hand load and can adjust for recoil. It’s easier to increase in recoil over time and avoid bad shooting habits than to try to correct them after the fact. Make sure that the rifle fits, but at 13 that is not likely to be a major issue

 

[jt13]

Browning Micro Midas in 7mm-08 is my go-to recommendation for a youth gun

 

[VikingsGuy]

The perfect rifle for that situation is a marlin 30-30 lever action. It is a classic and will be well remembered as the gun grandpa gave him.

But if you want more range for future hunting bigger game at longer distances I would go 7mm08.

But 6.5cm will get it done too

 

[CorkyM]

Remington model 700, .243 with the cheap scope package, but it works. It’s considered a youth model and he used 100 grain bullets. Between him and his brother they have taken three whitetail deer with it. I would recommend a scope even for a first deer rifle, but maybe that’s just me. I don’t know if they still offer this package but perhaps you can buy something similar. These photos were taken a few years ago, two different brothers.