"Best" all around cartridge for kids?

dgwoody

dgwoody

Active Member
Messages
353
I've got a couple of kids who will be hunting for the first time this year and I need to pick up a rifle that will be comfortable (recoil wise) for them to shoot. One is a 10 year old with a light build. I'd like to get something that they could use for elk if the need arises, but it will mostly be for deer and black bear. I was thinking about a 6.5 Creedmoor or a .308, (mostly because dad could still play with some longer range target shooting) but I'm open to any input and suggestions.
 
270 Winchester. Start them with the reduced recoil loads, and as they get bigger and want to hunt elk switch to full loads with premium bullets. Properly gunned for the rest of their lives!!!
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-01-18 AT 12:25PM (MST)[p]Can't go wrong with a 6.5 creedmoor. No recoil so they won't develop a flinch and you can use full power loads that are good to 600 yards if you want to use them. Reloading you have plenty of options or just use the Barnes 127 grain LRX loads for the bigger stuff. My daughter took an 1100lb bison with that load at 135 yards last year. She will be using the Creed this year on black bear.
 
I just bought my second Tikka T3 lite, in a .270 Win. I have 3 daughters and they all shoot that rifle, the youngest being a 12 year old. Very little recoil and shoots great.
 
>I just bought my second Tikka
>T3 lite, in a .270
>Win. I have 3 daughters
>and they all shoot that
>rifle, the youngest being a
>12 year old. Very little
>recoil and shoots great.


How are your groups on the Tikka? I've never shot one or even put my hands on one that I can remember. Lots of folks on here seem to speak highly of them though.
 
>>I just bought my second Tikka
>>T3 lite, in a .270
>>Win. I have 3 daughters
>>and they all shoot that
>>rifle, the youngest being a
>>12 year old. Very little
>>recoil and shoots great.
>
>
>How are your groups on the
>Tikka? I've never shot one
>or even put my hands
>on one that I can
>remember. Lots of folks on
>here seem to speak highly
>of them though.


The Tikka's I have shot are tight shooting rifles
 
It groups very well. They promise a 1 MOA @ 100yds, and it does it with factory ammo.
I'm pitting a scope on the new rifle in a couple weeks or so, and I can let you know how it does.
For my kids, it has some great features to reduce recoil and is a very light rifle.
 
7mm-08

All 3 of my kids have started hunting big game at 10. 10 mule deer and 1 bull elk have been harvested so far with the 08. Tight shooting, light recoil and deadly on critters.

I can upload pics if you would like?
 
270. light recoil, flat shooting and they just work.


The other advantage is you can use a 270 until you're too old to hunt. why get stuck with some flavor of the month joke you outgrow .















Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
243 win.........but ocho is right.


497fc2397b939f19.jpg
 
+2 on the 7mm-08. I was skeptical, but that little sucker is a killer.

Its a ruger American. Nothing pretty, nothing fancy, doesn't break my heart seeing a small hunter dragging it through sage and oak.




From the party of HUNTIN, FISHIN, PUBLIC LAND.
 
> 270. light recoil,
>flat shooting and they
>just work.
>
>
> The other advantage is you
>can use a 270 until
>you're too old to hunt.
>why get stuck with some
>flavor of the month
>joke you outgrow .
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Stay Thirsty My Friends

Regular 270 or would you go 270 wsm?
 
Either would work but the 270 Win is easy to find and will have less recoil . the world is your oyster.

Everyone should own at least one 270 Winchester. My old model 70 Super Grade sits in the cabinet anymore because I have a lighter weight custom 270 WBY . but I can honestly say my old 270 would have killed any deer I've taken with my 270 WBY just as easy.


















Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
>>I just bought my second Tikka
>>T3 lite, in a .270
>>Win. I have 3 daughters
>>and they all shoot that
>>rifle, the youngest being a
>>12 year old. Very little
>>recoil and shoots great.
>
>
>How are your groups on the
>Tikka? I've never shot one
>or even put my hands
>on one that I can
>remember. Lots of folks on
>here seem to speak highly
>of them though.

They are pretty sweet!!! ;)
 
If your kids are light weight and likely to not like recoil, the best option is a good rifle that is in 7mm-08, .260 Remington, 6.5 creedmore, or the good old 243 Winchester.
Most small kids won't handle the .270 Winchester unless it's loaded with light loads.
The other calibers above won't need light loads to be comfortable for all.
 
Having shot most of the calibers that are being mentioned, my vote goes to the 6.5 Creedmoor. I suggest a Ruger American Predator. The gun is light, doesn't kick, great price, threaded for a silencer, and is enough gun to handle deer, elk, or black bear. I shoot a 270 and love it, but like many have said above, you'd probably want reduced recoil rounds for a lightweight 10 year old. You can shoot normal loads out of the 6.5 right off the bat without having to worry about recoil.
 
Lots of great advice and points so far, thank you all!! I think I've been able to track down a few buddies who own a 6.5 and the 7mm-08. I'm going to try and get them out this week and shoot. I'll take the little guy with me and let him squeeze on off after I've shot them.
 
My first big game rifle was a .270 Win. I have kill three cow elk, a bull elk, javelina, pronghorn, oryx, mule deer. I like the higher velocity, light recoil, and ammo availability. The rifle is 22 years old and is still my go to gun to this day. My second choice would be a 7mm-08.

Good luck
 
Coming from a guy who is a 270 lover, I got a 6.5 creedmoor in a Browning xbolt Hell's Canyon Speed about a year ago and this fall that is what my wife, a first time hunter packed. It is what I packed on all my hunts, and that is what my son will use when he is old enough. I love my 270, but my Creedmoor is super accurate and an absolute joy to shoot. Give it a try, you won't regret it.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-09-18 AT 07:00PM (MST)[p]Great article in the most recent Journal of Mountain Hunting from Ron Spomer outlining the myths of "bigger is better". IMO how you shoot is way more important than what you shoot...especially for a first time hunter.
I'm pushing 70 and have owned a dozen different caliber rifles (including some bigger bores), but I chose a 6.5 Creedmore for my final (Stone) sheep hunt. (not exactly the flavor of the month to me) With the right bullet it will out perform a 270 or even bigger caliber with much less recoil and muzzle blast. And if your younins learn to successfully hit what they shoot, they can use that hunting rig for decades of great hunting.
 
I probably spent way to long looking and waiting for the best deal, but I ended up buying a Bergara Ridge in 6.5 creedmoor over memorial weekend. Still need to get a scope on it, but I think that's what I'll get myself for Father?s Day. Thanks for all the posts and input.
 
It's easy to get an opinion here on MM!

A cartridge is only the "flavor of the month" if you don't own one and haven't tracked ballistical reasoning for the huge popularity.

There are trade-offs with every and all cartridge choices so pick what's most important and go from there.

For kids on deer: 243
For kids and adults.. and throw in elk: 6.5 Creedmoor is below my minimum but I can't deny it would work. The 7-08 is better with elk in the mix and quality high BC bullets abound.

There's my opinion FWIW.

Zeke

#livelikezac
 
I bought my kids a browning x-bolt micro midas in 6.5 creedmoor last Christmas. My oldest is 11 and weighs 65 lbs soaking wet. He can shoot this gun until I stop giving him bullets and has not complained about the recoil. Haven't had him try beyond 300 yards but out to that I couldn't ask for anything else.
 
>270 Winchester. Start them with the
>reduced recoil loads, and as
>they get bigger and want
>to hunt elk switch to
>full loads with premium bullets.
>Properly gunned for the rest
>of their lives!!!


Yep I agree! Better than the 7mm08 ,and the 6.5 creedmore fad.
 
Walk in to Walmart and see how much 7-08 ammo they have....1 load if that. Try it in 10 years, there might not be any.

Try any WSM in 10...dieing fad.

BTW 7-08 started in '80 (easy to remember).

.270 is hard to beat, you can buy reduced loads off the shelf and elk, in one stop.

That said, I'd buy a .243 today, and in 5 years see what gives...the 6.5 is taking off real strong, but Americans traditionally don't like the 6.5. But it has something going for it....the cost of ammo has been subsidized (cheap)
John 14:6
 
My daughter (who is tiny) turned 12 last year. I did quite a bit of research on calibers and ended up going with the 7mm-08. She didnt get to hunt last year because he mother drew a LE tag, but we drew GS tags again this year, so I'm pretty excited to see her kill a deer this year! My boy is a runt as well and he will be able to hunt next year. I'll probably do a 7mm-08 for him as well.
 
I started my young son with a 257 Roberts and he was lethal for several years with that rig.
I think the trick is, finding a weapon that the youngster can shoot well without being afraid. Then have them practice in real live hunting situations.
 
For those (of us) that use "specialty" rounds such as the WSM line normally reload anyway, so not finding ammo one day will likely never happen unless you don't have extra unfired brass always laying around.

If you want a low recoil caliber for a kid, it would either be a .243 or .25-06. The other route is a heavier bullet in a .270 or 7mm.

As far as being able to find store bought rounds easily, they would be .270, .243, .30-06, and 7mm Mag. These can be found in just about every hardware store across the country. When a youngster is involved, long range shooting is usually not the objective, so high BC's and optimal ballistics aren't a governing issue.
 
You said kids.
.22 and 20 gauge
When they are good enough killing rabbits and ducks, then move up.
A ten year old with light build has no business shooting a big rifle.
 
>You said kids.
>.22 and 20 gauge
>When they are good enough killing
>rabbits and ducks, then move
>up.
>A ten year old with light
>build has no business shooting
>a big rifle.

That's about the most naive statement I've seen in a while. I've seen many kids handle the recoil of rifles capable of taking big game just fine. Maybe you're hinting at your inability to handle recoil?
 
Hope my story doesn't get too long here...
I went through this exact issue about 15 years ago with a few other challenges thrown in. First off it was two rifles, one for my wife who is left handed and another for our pre-teen son. They both completed their hunter's ed and planned on big game hunting, in particular deer. Without trying to sound cheap I wasn't certain that either would feel the passion and was reluctant to sink a substantial sum into gun safe queens. I have my favorite rifles so that wasn't going to be buy one for him but really for me deal either. My parameters were low recoil, light weight, easy handling, maybe enough for short range elk and what I will call a margin of error for deer. While I have killed almost all of my deer with a .243 plus a bull elk I realize it has it's limitations and I feel requires very precise shots. Thus I ruled out that caliber. Short action seemed to check most of the boxes for me and then found out about the 7mm-08.
Started reading real life reviews and it was very highly spoken of. Ended up with a pair of cheap, ugly as worn fence post, Savages. First rifle that I ever broke in was the youth right hander and it shot really well. Wife's left hander didn't get the treatment but at this point of the story it is the most accurate gun in my safe. 3 shot handloaded group at 100 yards is .39" outside to outside. Kid has left the nest, probably will never hunt again. Good luck getting that Savage from my wife, she just loves the rifle. Caliber has worked well and in fact I had an early above tree line hunt in Colorado and packed it up the hill. 354 yard TBR adjusted one shot kill at just short of 12,000'. Whether it sounds ridiculous or not I was never worried about a follow up with the left handed action because it just hits where it's supposed to go. Pleased with the Barnes TSX in it as well. .270 might be a better cartridge but I was worried about the long action. I feel the decisions I made were all correct.
 
In reality it takes the same bullet energy to kill an animal for a kid as it does an adult. actually more because kids usually get excited and shoot like crap. so the " kid gun " thing is kind of dumb.

That doesn't mean a kid needs a 338 RUM to hunt but it means he can't use a 22 rimfire with shorts in it because he's wimpy either. 243 for deer, 270 for elk seem like logical minimums.


If that scares them maybe they need to stick to needle point until they get a little older. if that sounds a little harsh so be it, every kid I know including myself started hunting with an adequate rifle for the job, we cowboyed up and so can kids today.








Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
>
>In reality it takes the
>same bullet energy to kill
>an animal for a kid
>as it does an adult.
> actually more
>because kids usually get excited
>and shoot like crap.
> so the " kid
>gun " thing is
>kind of dumb.
>
>That doesn't mean a kid needs
>a 338 RUM to hunt
>but it means he can't
>use a 22 rimfire with
>shorts in it because he's
>wimpy either. 243 for
>deer, 270 for elk seem
>like logical minimums.
>
>
>If that scares them maybe they
>need to stick to
>needle point until they get
>a little older. if
>that sounds a little harsh
>so be it, every
>kid I know including myself
>started hunting with an
>adequate rifle for the job,
> we cowboyed up and
>so can kids today.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Stay Thirsty My Friends



AMEN!!!!!!



497fc2397b939f19.jpg
 
The 3 most important things when killing elk are: shot placement, shot placement, and shot placement.

"Energy" isnt even worth talking about.

IMO/E, young shooters consistently shoot smaller, lower recoiling rifles much better...and that pretty well applies to everyone else.

I shoot my 338 well, but its flat not a rifle I go to the range and practice with much. Its no fun to shoot.

On the other hand, I take a 22-250, .243/6mm. 7-08, etc. to the range, those rifles get shot a lot more. The more you shoot, the more comfortable you get, the better shot you become...again, thats across the board.

Sooo....with that said, I've been shooting a 7-08 as my primary rifle for the past several years. Its easy to shoot, fun to shoot, and it flat shoots very well.

I shoot the 140 Accubonds at 2850 FPS and have taken elk, deer, bear, and pronghorn with it.

Last week, I shot my 14th elk with my 7-08, my brother shot 2 with it and a friend shot one with my rifle as well. Shots have ranged from 70 yards to 621 yard on elk.

I loaded up some 120 grain Ballistic Tips for nephews 7-08 and he's killed an elk, 4 whitetails, and a pronghorn with them...all one shot kills. I have a mild load that shoots the 120 at 2825 FPS...recoil is minimal.

IMO/E I would recommend the .243, 260 rem, 7-08 etc. line for starting kids out. If you handload, you can start with the lighter bullets and mild starting loads. When they get more comfortable and older...make the adjustments as needed.

My 2 cents...
 
Buzz's advice is solid. And the kid won't have to "cowboy up" and develop a flinch or fear of shooting. mtmuley
 
I find it amusing that the firearm crowd knows you can kill with lighter loads and calibers, but the archery crowd thinks you need the heaviest arrow possible and that KE is king!
 
Nothing gets people fired up like saying their gun isn't big enough. it must go back to the cave man times when the guy with the little club and the short spear needed to prove something.


If energy wasn't a factor a 22 short would be a griz buster.

Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement ? okay, and we all know 12 year old kids are the best shots, have the most experience and the coolest heads of all hunters right ? I rest my case. it's called margin of error.


Yes kids can cowboy up. unless they want to grow up wearing Berkinstocks and driving a Subaru like their parents who think shooting a 270 will scar the little angel for life.


Good grief.


Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
Here's my experience,
Growing up, my dad put me into a 22lr before a bb or pellet gun. For some reason that was real important to him. I got a Chipmunk at around 5 or 6 years old and we would go shooting about 3 times a week since we lived in a small town and it was easy to do. He would bring his high power guns on occasion and let me shoot some rounds. The two he usually brought were a 25-06 and a 257 Roberts. Of course we took a 30-30 and 12 gauge once in a while and he kept getting more and more rifles as the years went on. At about 13 years old he bought me an A Bolt .270. I had done enough shooting of his guns by then that it was no problem to handle. I still have it and use it from time to time. I'm glad I got it as my first Centerfire rifle and didn't start with a short action. I felt with it I was never under gunned. It's only now that I'm almost 40 that I'm interested in the short action small calibers because I have all of the magnum and long actions I want and I'm more interested in experimenting with others and not using them as a practical sporting rifles.
 
Personally, my brother and I, nephews, and sons, all started with 30-06, but we were all 12. For a 10yo I would consider 243 or 270; or 30-06 with muzzlebreak and good recoil pad- ie hells canyon speed 30-06- and use reduced recoil loads- super light, shoots like a 243, and when you are ready to step it up for something more, you already have the gun. Sure, with a muzzlebreak you need hearing protection, but you should use hearing protection anyways- start out with good habits.

In the end, it comes down to preference and preparation. All the comments before make sense and work; this is what my family has done and has had success.

Cheers- Dave
 
Just thought it would be fun if you could shoot my elk rifle. Proven sub MOA .300 RUM. No brake. Over max load with a 200 grain Accubond at 3250. You gotta "cowboy up" at the bench. Doubt you could. Thinking bout smacking an elk with my .243 this year though. Got two elk tags and a killer copper bullet load for the "kid gun". mtmuley
 
Been killing elk with it since 2000. Afraid of it? Not hardly. Have a good Montana elk tag this year. The ol RUM is gonna kill it's 16th bull. mtmuley
 

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