Youth hunting rifle suggestions

I don't have any problem if folks want to buy their kid(s) a youth model. I'm personally looking for a compact regular size (20-22" barrel instead of 24-26" and slightly shorter LOP). But my hunch is that no one in this thread would just leave a 7 year old alone with a loaded rifle...
 
Went through the same thing 2 years ago. We ended up with a ruger american ranch in 223. He took his first deer with it and loves to shoot it. Now at age 10 he likes to shoot his moms 260 but only for a couple shots. That 223 though he will sit behind untill i get tired of handing him more ammo.
 
Update: got a really good deal on a compact 7-08. We'll give it a shot and see if it's too much gun. If so, it'll go in the safe for a couple years and we'll be prepared for later.
 
"...AR15 in..." Yeah. Keeping in mind that an AR doesn't require a 20 round mag to function. Those aren't legal for hunting in most places anyway. Mind you, any semi-auto will deal with any recoil issue. So will a 20 gauge semi-auto slug gun.

Huh?
Who told you that?

I have 5 round and 10 round mags for mine and they work just fine. Perfectly in fact.
In Wyoming I can use any size legally, but I like the short ones best for hunting.
 
Good deal Clockwork. In addition to Hornady Lite, there are a couple other manufacturers making 7mm-08 with 120gr ammo. That lighter bullet in itself should help a little with recoil.
 
Average size 8 YO would have a hard time getting around a stock, with the exception of an AR. I started mine at 9 with a pellet gun, then graduated to 22LR at 11.
 
kids

The OP states 7-8 yrs old. That is a kid to me. My 7-8 yr old kid could manage a .22 Cricket (with .22 CB longs!) at that age, but not any other type of full size firearm. He missed a lot of squirrels!!!!! A Win-37 in .410 was a load for him, and .410 recoil was more than he cared for too. I didn't write it down, but at 8-9 we were likely experimenting with the Marlin as described, and I bought the Mini-Mauser .223 at about the same time. He shot the .223 off the bench, very well at about age 10. He killed his first deer age 11, off shooting sticks, at about 75 yds.

All of this was very highly supervised. Now the kid outshoots me.
 
For a 7-8 year old kid, I'd suggest a .22. Nope, can't hunt deer with it, so take him hunting for stuff he can shoot with a .22. He should have a couple hundred small game under his belt before going after something bigger. And a .22 will always be useful later in life, so it's not a waste. Maybe you've already done this; just pointing out the obvious.
 
I bought my son a 7-08 compact Ruger American. He is 8yoa. He is 5ft 1in, so he is a big 8. I loaded him some starting load 120gr. He didn't like the recoil. I threw it in the lathe and put a brake on it. He still didn't like recoil. Put an aggressive brake on it. He said "Daddy, Can I just use my .223 another year?".
 
Not a thing wrong with it, Reynolds. I'd rather see a kid shoot a gun they're comfortable with than develop bad habits from worrying about recoil. But at 5'1 and only 8, you might need to buy him a basketball!
 
Kid's first

Look at a 7x30 Waters. Good deer/hog round and a very light recoil.

I have been shooting this round for 15+ years and have yet to need a second shot.

Deadly accurate and will put three rounds into a quarter size group at 100 yards.
 
This probably goes without saying, but I think perceived recoil is very much based on, and reacted to, by the kind of sensation. A serious push that moves the shooter but doesn't pop too hard against the shoulder may be less offensive to a youngster than hard, fast recoil that he holds solid against.

I know that a good, thick, soft recoil pad makes it a lot more bearable for me, even if I'm shooting 220 grain round-nosed loads from a light weight -06. I don't mind the "shove" nearly as much as the "jolt" that bruises.

So putting something soft and squishy on it may help as well. Just another $.02
 
1. Check out Hornady & Federal for reduced recoil loadings, now that Remington no longer makes them.

2. 7-08 is a real-deal medium game round, just as 7mm Mauser was a real-deal service round. Don't expect too much reduced recoil from full-power ammo.

3. I have reconciled myself to the AR15 as a hunting rifle/carbine. Given a collapsible stock and a decent optic, it is miles ahead of any of the centerfire "youth" rifles in terms of flexibility and use-ability by kiddos.

4. My own solution(s) for small-stature shooters sensitive to recoil were:
a. Ruger Compact Rifle in .243Win with a big honking PAST recoil shield.
b. AR15 with collapsible stock in 6.5Grendel
 
Not a thing wrong with it, Reynolds. I'd rather see a kid shoot a gun they're comfortable with than develop bad habits from worrying about recoil. But at 5'1 and only 8, you might need to buy him a basketball!
Click to expand...
He is big. I am 6' 6" and he is a lot bigger than I was at that age.
I agree about the recoil. I don't want him becoming recoil shy and developing bad habits. He shot my .224 Valkyrie yesterday and said he wants to hunt with it, we will see. He shoots good. He has killed deer at 220 yards with his 223. The last two he shot were hit good, but still ran forever. The dog trailed one of them about 300 yards, and we found him in a creek bed. I don't know how far the other would have gone, but after it ran over 200, I anchored it with the 257 Roy before it hit the wood line. (Both were lung shots) The 223 does great at shorter yardage, it just doesn't seem to have the energy to get it done on the long shots unless you hit the heart or CNS.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top