Son's elk rifle

[midwesthunter]

My 12 year son drew a WY cow tag this year, so that is a good enough reason to buy him another gun. He currently has a Rem 700 243, but want something bigger for this hunt and future hunts. I was thinking 7mm-08, or maybe a 6.5 creedmoor. Well on the way home Kansas hunting turkeys, we stopped by the local basspro, and we were lucky enough to find a Remington 700 adl in 270 win with a scope on clearance for $240. I asked if that price was right? The guy told me yes, I asked my son if he liked it and he said yes. When checking out Manager told me it was miss marked but they would honor the price. I hope its a shooter.

 

[mtmuley]

Deal right there. Keep us posted. mtmuley

 

[Pucky Freak]

Nice find! That kind of firepower was too much for me at age 12/13, but every kid is different. It's not the end of the world if you have to fall back on the .243 if the bigger gun doesn't work out for whatever reason.

 

[Scott85]

Nice find! That kind of firepower was too much for me at age 12/13, but every kid is different. It's not the end of the world if you have to fall back on the .243 if the bigger gun doesn't work out for whatever reason.

At 12 my uncle thought it would be funny to watch me shoot his 338 win mag. I fired it once and hit the target but I was quick to had it back to him.

 

[375H&H]

I bet he will like that gun for decades to come. Good job dad.

 

[Nick87]

Can't beat that!!

 

[elkduds]

For that price you can brake it, it should shoot like his 243. Sounds like he was supposed to get THAT gun. Lucky day.

 

[midwesthunter]

Nice find! That kind of firepower was too much for me at age 12/13, but every kid is different. It's not the end of the world if you have to fall back on the .243 if the bigger gun doesn't work out for whatever reason.

That is my concern as well, I am going to load him some light 130 grain rounds to start with.

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

When my son was 12 I found a great deal on a 30-06. In the beginning I only let him shoot reduced recoil loads to get used to the gun. By the time hunting season rolled around he was doing really well and I let him shoot some hunting loads at targets just to double check accuracy. I never let him shoot more than a couple full velocity loads at a time the first year from the bench. He only shot reduced recoil loads at targets the first year. He is now 40 and that 30-06 is still his favorite hunting rifle.
He didn't get a deer when he was 12 but did make a great shot on a 200+ pound hog.

Let your son shoot the rifle just enough to get comfortable with the gun but not enough to get hurt. Reduced recoil loads and a Past shoulder pad when shooting from the bench helped my son a lot.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I stared at age 12yrs wih a 30-08cal.My father downsized the loads and it worked out great.

 

[noharleyyet]

Manager did you a solid. Think about an unweighted sled to mitigate practice recoil. Your son won't notice it on game. Good luck.

 

[1_pointer]

Very good score! I have a feeling my sons will both end up with a 243 and likely a 270 or something similar when it's all said and done.

 

[CB1]

Great find! Sounds like, for the most part, everyone’s folks eased them in to this. I started out at 12 with the 30.06 with full velocity loads. Lighter loads easing into a larger caliber sounds like great advice. Everyone is different when it comes to recoil.

 

[ImBillT]

A 130gr through a .270 Win won’t recoil a lot more than a 140gr through 6.5 Creed or 7-08. That was a great deal! I’d upgrade the scope and stock ASAP. If the stock is rigid enough that it doesn’t touch the barrel when you rest it on the end then it’s more than good enough for the time being. Some of those plastic stocks are kinda flimsy, so definitely check that. The great thing about those 700’s is that they’re easy to upgrade as you go.

 

[WyoDoug]

I don't think you got a bad starter deal. I began with a Winchester 30-30 as my first deer rifle and shot many deer with it. I would have HIM shoot a couple boxes of bullets through it and decide from there what to upgrade. I would also get some of that ballistics gel blocks and shoot through it to see what the bullet does. It's a starter but I would have him shoot a box of gradually heavier bullets to see what he is comfortable shooting.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I would suggest 110gr Sierra Pro Hunters over 36gr RL7 to start him out on. My daughter used that light recoiling load to start shooting a bolt gun, and even took her first two deer with it.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Got to love mismarked prices. Let us know how it shoots. I've had good luck making reduced loads for my son's 08' for practice, and slipping him the real deal come go time. Never knows the difference...

 

[brockel]

If you reload I’d look at the 117 grain hammer bullets. Would help keep the recoil down

 

[EOregonian]

I think you got a great buy-I use 270 for everything lately and haven't had a follow up shot. I haven't used it on elk but I wouldn't hesitate with 140gr accubonds or another controlled expansion bullet. I started as a 12yold with a 19.5 inch barrel lightweight 30-06 and 150 and 180 gr bullets depending on deer or elk. I developed a terrible flinch which I didn't realize until I was older. There are a ton of good things you can do in target sessions-load the rifle yourself so he doesn't know whether it is live or not put a quarter on the barrel to see if there is movement. And also have him wear what he would be when hunting such as a heavy coat.

 

[HSi-ESi]

I shot my first 2 elk when I was 12 and 13 with a .270 Win. Great choice for your son - and even better with a deal like that.

Now he has the summer to run rounds through it.