Good Youth Gun? Advice/Opinions Wanted

[Radar]

My 12 year old daughter loves to go hunting with me and is going to be taking her CORE very shortly, I was wondering what your thoughts are on the best gun to start her off with, she will likely only be hunting deer, may be black bear. Thanks

[hoochie]

.243... not much more recoil than a .22.
My wife has one.. I now want one too.

[30-06]

id guess a 30/30 probably the perfect deer gun,

[todbartell]

Id get a Remington Model Seven youth, in 243 Winchester, and shoot Federal Premium 85 gr TSX ammo.

if you handload, a Model Seven youth in 260 Remington with reduced loads using H4895 & 120 gr Barnes TSX-bt :)

Get her a good simple scope with good eye relief. Leupold FXII 4x33 comes to mind as being perfect.

[youngfellla]

First thing I'd suggest would be a .243 Win, .257 Roberts, maybe 7mm-08. Check out the youth compact rifles. Ruger makes a nice setup, Weatherby makes a compact Vanguard that also comes with a full-size stock for when the shooter grows out of the compact one. They have a 20'' barrel, 6 3/4 lbs.

http://www.weatherby.com/products/guns.asp?prd=Rifles&prd_sub_type=3&prod_code=VGC7M08RR0O

[Marc]

Anything in the lines of 243, 308, 260 rem, 6.5x55, 7mm-08. 4 of these cartridges are based on a 308 casing and would work fine on a deer/bear. If she was planning on doing a lot of bear hunting I'd go for the heavier grained bullet in the 308 or the 7mm-08 but you realy can't go wrong with any of these cartridges.

Marc.

Marc.

[todbartell]

lighter super premiums will kill better than a heavy bullet, so no reason to put up with un-needed recoil

[PGKris]

Here we go again....lol.....7mm-08 is my vote.

[Radar]

Thanks guys, appreciate your advice.

[dana]

Can't beat the ol' model 99 300 Savage. This year my 10 yr old son will be the 4th generation in our family to hunt with it. I actually picked up a second one for my daughter. She has 2 more years to wait yet.

[30-06]

im still with the classic 30/30 by marlin

[Marc]

The 30-30 isn't a bad calibre but it's what they call a 100 yard rifle . It's better suited for close range work in the brush. For BC where there are greater possibilities of seeing an animal in a slash out to 200-300 yards depending on that persons limitations the 30-30 wouldn't be suitable for that range.

[youngfellla]

Yeah, 30-30 has a bit of a rainbow trajectory, but i'm curious to see how they will do with the new Lever Evolution spitzer ammo. It definetly has a lot of hype.8)

[30-06]

yea the 30-30 is what i started with.then i gotta a 308 now in buying the 30-06 savage

[LOC]

Can't beat the ol' model 99 300 Savage. This year my 10 yr old son will be the 4th generation in our family to hunt with it. I actually picked up a second one for my daughter. She has 2 more years to wait yet.

x2 - fourth generation owner too :) sweet little gun!

[Will]

243 if you don't reload.....260 if you do8)

[mrdoog]

My wife shoots a Marlin 30/30. I shot a Winchester 94 30/30 for decades.
I prefer the Marlin, it's heavier, but so much easier to mount a scope on.
It's true that a 30/30 is a hundred yard rifle, but when you're walking around the edges of clear cuts, or cruising down game trails, most shots are around 60 yards.

[willyqbc]

if you reload....I would go with something like a .270 and just get her going on reduced loads using H4895. That way you can work her up as she grows and becomes more comfortable with the gun and recoil etc. I did this with my wife starting her with a reduced load of 4895 under a 130 grn bullet. this year she will be doing full loads and if need be I will work up some using heavier bullets for moose. Going with the gun you want her to eventually end up with and letting her grow into it makes a lot of sense to me.

just my opinion
Chris

[johnes50]

A .223 would be a nice starter gun for her. It doesn't kick much and ammo is cheap. It would certainly take Blacktail's, but a little light for bear.

The thing is it would be a fun gun for her to learn on and wouldn't scare her to shoot it. That being said, I think a .243 or a 30-30 would be good once she gets used to shooting the .223.

I have a .243, a 30-30, and a .308 and I wouldn't start her off with the 30-30or the .308.

I know none of us have unlimited budgets, but starting her off with a light caliber gun will let her have fun and become confident without scaring her away from hunting because of the recoil.

And don't forget the ear protection. What kind of music do artillerymen like? It doesn't make any difference as long as it's LOUD. John

[Rainwater]

Haven't seen anyone mention the best Youth calibre yet, 25.06, flat shooter, reasonable recoil and my kids shot all their first deer with them. It kills them good with 120 grain bullets.

[Radar]

Excellen advice people, I appreciate the time you took to give me your opinions.

[BrowningBar]

I would say Browning A-Bolt Hunter or Weatherby Vanguard in 243 Win,308,270,7mm-08 or 25-06

[30-06]

308.win im sayin

[bruno]

The 30-30 isn't a bad calibre but it's what they call a 100 yard rifle . It's better suited for close range work in the brush. For BC where there are greater possibilities of seeing an animal in a slash out to 200-300 yards depending on that persons limitations the 30-30 wouldn't be suitable for that range.

300 yards for a youth hunter ???

[Fisher-Dude]

If you can find one, a 250-3000 Savage is an excellent youth gun. Low recoil, flat shooting...the 100 grain bullets knock em dead. Worked for my first buck! :biggrin:

[bruno]

If you can find one, a 250-3000 Savage is an excellent youth gun. Low recoil, flat shooting...the 100 grain bullets knock em dead. Worked for my first buck! :biggrin:

I think it is a great choice.I have one for my son 11 years old. This one was built between 1917 and 1919. My son has run a couple boxes through it and loves it. This will be for his first deer, hopefully.