Which Youth Deer/Elk Rifle?????

[soupcreek]

I am posting this question for my little brother. He is looking for a good rifle for his young kids that will:
1. Be small enough not to blow the shoulder off a 10-14 year old boy or girl.
2. Be big enough to effectively take down an elk.
3. Is a common enough caliber that the bullets and gun won't be crazy expensive.

He is looking at the 7mm-08. He thinks the .243 might be too small.

Obviously, as many on this site are aware, teaching them shot placement and giving them lots of practice are very important. But those things aside, what rifle would you guys suggest?

Thanks in advance,

Soup

 

[pushin_30]

7-08 is an excellent choice for a youth hunter. Enough gun for both elk and deer IMO

Thats what I started out with and both of my kids are shooting getting ready for when they can hunt.
my son is 11 and daughter is 9 both handle it well. Remington makes a low recoil round for it and its great to get them started with at the range

 

[jakechr811]

I started out with a 7mm but was always a bit bigger. But a friend had a 7mm with a muzzle break. I watched a couple young girls use that gun growing up and they never complained. Easy to find ammo!

 

[Cahunter805]

260rem or 7-08. More important make sure the stock fits them well and the scope isn't to high of a power.

 

[dillon]

Sounds like you want a 270. I have a 7mm Rem Mag and it kicks pretty good. I like 270 for kids. The 243 is a great gun, but not the best for elk. You will always be able to find bullets for a 270.

Dillon
www.dillonhoyt.com

 

[BillyBoB]

I harvested 3 cow elk with my 270 win
All three at ranges past 300 yards.

My 16 year old son killed a cow elk this last November with my 270 win.
1 shot kill @361 yards.
If he decides on the 270 win.....
Shoot a 140 or 150 grain bullet.

My rifle likes the 140 grain Hornady SST.
It's perfect for deer or elk.
Although I've used 130 grain on deer too.
My rifle is real picky with 150 grain ammo.

I wouldn't pass up the 7mm 08 either.






"Wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So
we must and we will."
Theadore Roosevelt

 

[theox]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-06-16 AT 08:31PM (MST)[p]My wife has killed cow and a spike elk with a 243. But we kept them inside 200 yards. Very capable for elk but I wouldn't shoot to far with it. its tough cause a 243 is so light on recoil the women and children won't fear which in turn gives them added accuracy. Id say if u can keep it inside 250 yards a 243 is a great gun.
If they can handle the extra recoil do a 7mm08 or a 25-06 or a 6.5 swede has killed many moose etc ballistically the swede looks pathetic but it is deadly on big game. I believe the 260rem is very similar to the swede.
But there are things u can do to reduce recoil like a butt pad and a muzzle break which is loud but when ur hunting it probably won't be realized and while practicing u where muffs

 

[DoubleDropMuley]

I would agree with the 270. My first big game gun was a Winchester 270. I used it on antelope, deer elk and moose has no problems!

 

[CPAjeff]

Another vote for the .270. I have a Tikka T3 Lite with a limb saver recoil pad added and the recoil is very mild - almost .243 mild. Bullets are super easy to find, and mine shoots most factory loads really well.

 

[buckhorn]

My opinion is that the 243 is marginal for deer and definitely not enough for elk.
I would also suggest the 270. Recoil can be controlled and it has plenty of knockdown power even at longer range. A shorter barrel and a muzzle break would be perfect. also you can find 270 ammo at any sporting goods store at a reasonable price.

 

[SlinginLead]

+1 on the .270....It was the most popular round in the 50's for Elk. Ammo is readily available as well, and cheap!

 

[Camper_A1]

My vote is the 7mm-08. My wife and youngest son shoots one. More power than a 25-06, just under a 270. They shoot 140 gr nozzlers partitions. I bought a Howa it came with Hogue stocks, one youth and an adult stock. Would not hesitate to shoot 3 to 400 yards with it.

 

[Vanilla]

I bought a youth model 7mm-08 a couple years ago hoping my wife would take to shooting. She hasn't, but my daughter is excited for it to become her gun in a couple years, so I've held onto it.

She shot it one time on her own last summer at 8 years old. It was too big for her, but it didn't kick as hard as she was expecting. I'll probably wait another year for her to get a little bigger before putting her behind it again. It's a nice cartridge, and the rifle is a tack driver to 200 yards. (Haven't shot it beyond that yet.)

Can't go wrong with a 270 if you find one that fits. Tried and tested for decades. Might be a little more gun than you're looking for, but could be perfect as well.

 

[Trevor]

Similar to the 270, a 30.06 is a very versatile gun. It has loads that range from very light to big enough to handle most any big game.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

7mm-08 is a great choice in youth package, especially if you reload.

 

[huntFX4]

Bought all my boys a .270
in the Remington model 700. They handle well and are very accurate. Boys love them

 

[marley]

I took the .280 that I grew up with, put a muzzle brake in it, cut two inches off the stock and my son is a killing machine with that thing. Great caliber for deer or elk.

 

[Deerdon]

My daughter shoots a 270wsm. Had it when she was younger and is still shooting it now. Deer/elk/pigs/varmits....I take it myself if I'm going it alone.

 

[ElkStirrinTheHoney]

I would think that you could buy whatever caliber you'd like, within reason. No Magnums, or super caliber's. If it seems like too much, you can buy a $30-50 Butt cushion, and a muzzlebreak for it. But it's good to see what everyone is putting, because my nephew turns 12 this year, and can't wait to go out.

 

[HNDLDR]

We went with the 7mm-08 with my wife, daughter, and step son. We haven't regretted that choice. I have a 7mm-08 of my own in a AR-10 style rifle that I take with me as a back up rifle to my 25-06 for deer and my 300 rum for elk. All four rifles are from different manufacturers and all four shoot sub MOA with the same load. The Savage Axis and TC Venture were relatively inexpensive package, starter type guns. My wife's Browning X-bolt and the TC Venture shoot 1/2 MOA.

 

[littlebighorn]

I started my son out hunting with a 257 Roberts which is kinda between a 243 and 7mm08. As long as you get the gun to fit, any of those calibers would be good as a starter rig in my opinion.
Elk are big boned heavy animals, so shooting one with a small pill would ethically require closer shots and accurate bullet placement...not easy for a beginner. One way to stack the deck might be to use premium bullets that will hold together on bigger game and perhaps be a little more forgiving when a shot is not exactly where it should be.

My son's first big game hunt was an antelope and I was glad we started out on smaller game. The most important part of his success was not the gun itself, but how well he could handle it. To help with that, I took him out "rock busting" in the west desert serval times during the summer. We practiced setting up quickly and finding the target in the scope. It was great fun for both of us and by the time Fall came around he was a champ, and he took a very nice Wyoming goat at 250 yards. Practice is really important for someone new.

If you know someone with a small rig, borrow it and take them out shooting before you spend the money to buy one. That's my two cents.
Best of luck.

 

[wapiti99]

i would also look into a .308 winchester with reduced recoil ammunition. can shoot a little heavier bullet weight for elk. i think the most important thing is to get a stock that fits the youth properly. that will make the rifle recoil much more tolerable IMO

 

[ElkManDan]

I picked up a .308 last year for my 13 year old daughter for her elk hunt. I did load some hand loads slightly lighter than an average charge and had her shoot quite a bit practicing. It didn't bother her at all. She took a raghorn bull at 160 yards with it.
I also loaded up some hot loads for it and shot it myself. There wasn't a lot of difference in kick, that I could tell. This is definitely going to be the goto gun for my Wife and Kids!
you'll never have an issue finding .308 ammo

 

[HNDLDR]

I agree with Littlebighorn on the practice. I've found hunting prairie dogs with their 7mm-08s is an excellent and fun way for the wife and son to get use to their guns and master field shooting positions.

 

[gettinold]

We went with a rem model 7 youth model (bit smaller fit) in 7mm-08 and it is FANTASTIC!

My wife an both daughters use it and I even find myself taking it for a walk if it's available. Shoots great and has taken deer, elk and sheep since we brought it home.

There are some off the shelf reduced recoil loads available also which are good for summer practice.

Not all who wander are lost!