Gun for son

[pawhitetail]

My son is 8 and we've been talking alot about elk hunting. He wants to go as bad as I do. He has a 223 and a 22 and he can use my 7mm08 but he's dead set on getting a 30-06 for elk. He's working doing chores and saving up. He doesn't know it but I will help him along just as long as he's working and saving. We're looking at a TC compass in 30-06 because it's cheap for him saving so it's an easier goal to obtain and I told him we need to look at stuff that has a threaded barrel so I can put a brake on it. That way it's tolerable for him to shoot. I'm thinking if I load up some barnes 150ttsx or something of the sort it should be a deadly elk gun with very tolerable recoil being braked. Anyone here have any experience or input on this idea? Any recommendations for other low cost rifles that come threaded? I'm going to help him out but I'm not gonna hand it to him. Thanks

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Where is he going to hunt elk at 8 years old?

You could probably put a break on just about any rifle for fairly cheap.

 

[pawhitetail]

He won't be hunting elk til he's 12. But I'm not going to keep him from doing this if that's what he wants. I'm trying to push him towards a 7mm08 but he's pretty set on an 06. I think a 7mm08 with a brake would be comparable to a 223 in recoil

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I bought my son a mossberg patriot 7mm-08. Pretty cheap. He killed an elk with it this year, at age 12. It doesn't have a break on it, but it doesn't recoil bad at all. Shooting an 06 at 8 years old seems a bit much, to me, but I bet some kids do, especially if is has a break.

 

[VikingsGuy]

If you have the funds I would rather give the kid a suppressor than a break. Hard not to see the extra muzzle blast etc adding to the recoil of the '06 and raising the chance of flinch. But you know your son better than I. Might you interest him in a 6.5cm (and a flat brimmed hat)? I wouldn't go copper for reduced recoil as they need to be pushed fast to expand properly. I am a big fan of copper, but if I wanted to go low recoil for elk I would go light for caliber partition with H4895. Have fun, I miss having my son that age.

 

[mthillrunner]

My oldest son is 15, he was scrawny & small. In MT kids can hunt deer at 10 & 11, everything at 12. I had him use my 7x57 at 10 & 11. He had no problem using it. At 12 he proclaimed my 270 as his. He’d grown enough he was able to handle it fine & has grown lots. I did have him shoot my 257 weatherby that had a brake on it when I bought it when he was 11. Kicks like a 243. I found he was flinching, my guess is from how loud it is compared to the other 2 guns. He couldn’t not flinch with that gun. He never shot it without ear muffs on. Shot the 270 great at 12 & that’s only gun he wants to shoot. My younger son can hunt deer this fall & is much larger framed. He’s already shot my other 270 & no problem at all. YMMV

 

[JPeters218]

I started elk hunting with an .-06 at 13. Hard for me to remember but I think I only shot it on a lead sled before hunting, so flinch was not an issue. And I’d been shooting basically since I could walk. When hunting he’ll never notice the recoil. Personally i shy away from brakes due to the extra noise. If it were me I’d go no brake and let him practice on a lead sled if the recoil is too much. It will at least get him some time on the trigger.

 

[rwc101]

I'd surprise him with a real nice rifle when he turns 12. One that he'll be happy with for the rest of his life. Model 70, Tikka, X-Bolt, 700, etc (let the arguments begin).

 

[Muleyewyo90]

I’d look for a rifle that fits the best. Most gunsmiths can thread the barrel and install a break for ~$200 in my area at least.

 

[Southern Elk]

I was shooting a 7mm mag at 13, but recoil never bothered me. I was dove hunting with a 12 gauge by then too.

My 10 year old son is recoil sensitive, so I’ve had to pay more attention to that now. He shoots a .243.

 

[Jc2020]

I shot an 3006 With a break when I was around his age and had no issues and enjoyed it. I was to young to notice the noise difference shooting a break. now I hate the noise that comes with breaks. Me personally I have my kids shoot calibers they can handle with out breaks but I have been thinking of getting a suppressor for them to use like Viking guy mentioned. As far as the Tc compass goes I’ve never shot one but I know There have been a lot of threads on here about budget rifles and a lot of people seem to like them and say they are very accurate.

 

[Two7D]

If he want's a .30-06 work with him on getting one, it'll be his gun. It sounds like he has access to a couple of lighter recoiling rifles that he can practice with until he can handle the recoil of the .30-06. I would agree with putting off the purchase and getting more of a long-term gun in a few years. The time will fly by and hopefully ammo will be available. My oldest just started hunting and I am learning from my experience that all kids are different as far as the amount of recoil they are willing/able to put up with. Trigger time (even with a .22) along with good coaching will make him a good shot in time.

 

[Two7D]

If you have the funds I would rather give the kid a suppressor than a break. Hard not to see the extra muzzle blast etc adding to the recoil of the '06 and raising the chance of flinch. But you know your son better than I. Might you interest him in a 6.5cm (and a flat brimmed hat)? I wouldn't go copper for reduced recoil as they need to be pushed fast to expand properly. I am a big fan of copper, but if I wanted to go low recoil for elk I would go light for caliber partition with H4895. Have fun, I miss having my son that age.

VG,
6.5 CM= man bun
300RUM= flat brim hat
come on!

 

[Dougfirtree]

You might look at the TC Venture II's. I believe you can get them threaded now and they're a bit more than the compasses, but they are solid rifles. My kids have one in .308 and it is scary accurate and just a tad on the heavy side, which might help with recoil. Like Vikings Guy, I'd suggest handloading for him with H 4895. You can tune the recoil to whatever level he tolerates. I made some deer loads for a friend who had a .30-06 but didn't love the recoil. H 4895 and 165 grain ballistic tips at about 2400fps, as I recall. Recoil was down around 7mm-08 levels (maybe even less) and it carried good killing power out to a surprising distance.

If you're a handloader, I think there's no real worry about the chambering. Load em down for now, and he'll have a thumper as he gets older and is able to shoot full-power loads.

 

[VikingsGuy]

VG,
6.5 CM= man bun
300RUM= flat brim hat
come on!

Sorry for the confusion

 

[Nick87]

I was shooting a 7mm mag at 13, but recoil never bothered me. I was dove hunting with a 12 gauge by then too.

My 10 year old son is recoil sensitive, so I’ve had to pay more attention to that now. He shoots a .243.

This, every kid is different. Kinda like hunting dogs. Dogs with mediocre drive you have to be careful with e collar training, dogs with tons of drive you could electrify and they just dont care. My step son is very recoil sensitive so I had to start him out with a .223 and work up. Some kids dont mind, I started deer hunting at 10 with a full size 870 12 ga. With 3" slugs and I wasnt very big for my age. Point is I wanted it so bad you could of hit me over the head with a shovel everytime we saw a deer and I'd of came back for more. You know him better than any of us. 7-08 is a good choice, if you go with an 06 maybe load him light loads to practice with then turn it up for an actual hunting load. Good luck, I'm sure hell love whatever you end up going with. Nothing more exciting for a young hunter than a new gun!

 

[elkantlers]

I'd take a 30-06 over a 7-08 any day. He's a smart kid.

 

[Ben Lamb]

The 150 TTSX would be a good all-around load. I think you're on the right track there. And a rifle that fits him well along with good shooting form will do more to tame recoil than a break.

So will a $30 PAST recoil shield.

There's some magic in choosing your first rifle. If he's set on the 06, that's the chambering. He's going to start a relationship with that rifle that hopefully lasts his whole life. Let it be the thing he dreamed of.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Big fan of the 06, started with one when I was 12. I was loading my own ammunition then and used 150 NP for deer and 180 np for elk. I would pay a little more attention to the stock than what you’re going to feed the rifle. I’m not familiar with the TC but would suggest making sure the stock fits. My brothers and I all started with an O6 that had a couple of inches of stock cut off, the slabs were saved and glued back on as we grew. I was still in high school when I received a nice replacement stock for the rifle. Still have it 50 years later.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

I have witt machine clamp on brakes on a couple rifles, i wouldnt put a threaded barrel high on the list. Since the kid is still growing id be more inclined to look toward something with an adjustable stock.