Good youth rifles. What do y'all recommend?

[Rzrbck918]

I started my girls on an AR platform. It worked well because of the relative lightness and easy adjustment of the stock length.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

We're just finishing hunter Ed here and my lefty son is wanting a rifle. Options are a little more limited so I'll be looking for a decent left handed rifle between .243 and 7mm-08. Grandpa's a lefty so he'll have some nice rifles whenever he decides to gift him a couple.

Sniper School picked up a Tikka 7mm-08 for his girls and really likes it for himself.

 

[3855WIN]

Just saw that Remington is making a Model 7 in a 300 Blackout and .308. That’s nice.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Just saw that Remington is making a Model 7 in a 300 Blackout and .308. That’s nice.

I'm curious to talk to someone with experience with the 6.5 Creed in that package.

 

[Highground]

I would look for a Tikka, and I'm bias towards the .260 rem or 6.5 cals. Hardly any recoil, flat shooting and will take down most anything with the right bullet and shot placement. 7-08 is also a great choice for youth calibers.

 

[pabearhunter]

Ruger American 7mm-08 Leupold 3 to 9 he will shoot it and save it to pass on to his little ones.

 

[RockinU]

I'm leaning towards a 6.5-.284 for my daughter, seems pretty versatile.

 

[88man]

My daughter killed her first buck with a Remington model 7 in 260 rem. I loaded some 100 grain partitions down to about 2300fps killed him DRT

 

[Fullquiver]

I have owned several Savage Axis rifles in 223,243 270 and 308.. All shot very well and not one had any kind of failure.. They are inexpensive, ugly but perform very well for their price point.. BTW I Bought 3 of the 4 new for under $250 and one used with a VX-2 on it for $325. They have consistently shot better than most of the Remington 700's I have owned over the years.. You can find them for under $300 easily if you look..

 

[Deleted member 16014]

The only youth rifle I've ever owned is a Tikka T3 in .243, for which I'll have a youth hunter in 2020. It's like the 6th or so Tikka I've had so it's not a surprise that I like it. Fixed scope, 95 BT handloads, not much to go wrong. I learned to flinch real well on a full size MKII 7mag as a child.

 

[BlakeA]

I learned to flinch real well on a full size MKII 7mag as a child.

Ha! That was my first rifle. Worst trigger and action I've ever experienced and it kicked the sh$t out of me. Dealt with it for 2 years before replacing it with a Tikka T3.

 

[GlockZ]

I have heard many great things about the Ruger American rifles, however I don't own one. I do own a nice Savage 110 youth model in 243 and for deer and a few hogs that I bought for my wife, and it is a dream to shoot. With the synthetic stock and a VX-1 scope mounted, it's lightweight and the recoil is negligible . Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Rapptor]

Dad started me on a Remington Model Seven youth in .243 when I was 8. Served me, my brother, and several kids of friends and neighbors as we outgrew it. Absolutely nothing wrong with another Weatherby though--those things are quality for what they cost.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

So my oldest finished hunters safety today (he's 10) and tells me on the way home that now that he's ready to hunt he wants a .204 a .223, a .270 and a .308 then says he's thinking about a 6.5 but is that like a .265?

I about died laughing. Now I'm realizing he's going to be leaving quite a list for Santa in a few months.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

My son will soon be joining me in harvesting game and I want to find a good rifle he can pack around for deer and pronghorn.

He's been hunting with me for years, but next year he'll finally be able to start filling tags. I bought a nice Weatherby .243 about 5 years ago and justified it to my wife with the "kids will use it soon too" line, but I just love it too much to let my kids carry it around.

I really like the looks/feel/weight of the Ruger American Compact. Anything else in a 243/308/7mm-08 for around $400 or less that I should consider?

My little bro-in-law just bought a Savage Axis 1 with a scope on the used rack at Scheels for $200. The thing seems pretty sweet thus far and handles like a dream. The trigger is a bit harsh... but that's nothing that an Axis II couldn't handle. This is, of course, assuming that you wouldn't let him use the Weatherby.

 

[Jbotto]

When I was out of high school and my younger brother wanted to start hunting, I bought a package rifle, Savage model 11 .243, for him to use. Told him he could do what he wanted with it as long as when he no longer wanted it or wanted something bigger, it came back to me. We assembled a .280AI this spring on a Savage for him, and when he came out for that, he brought be back that .243. As a scrawny kid it worked well for him but he was also tall and lanky so the full size rifle never was a big deal for him.

OP, in your shoes, I think I’d get a rifle for you son that fits him, and help him upgrade the stock to an longer one when the time is right. Never get rid of youth rifles though! They sure come in handy when some jerk makes their small kid a rifle that is waaay to much for them.