What Kids caliber for Elk

[greatbasin]

I am thinking about a .270 Win or .308 Win for my daughters first full sized(stock)rifle for Elk. I'm looking at those because the rifle will be light weight and I don't want the recoil to be too bad.

Which caliber would you go with? I think the recoil would be similar...thoughts.

 

[Cahunter805]

If she can handle the recoil the 270win would be perfect. Also the 7-08 would be perfect.

 

[bhunter]

The 308 is a great all around choice and it has the capabality of using different bullets weights as she gets older. I have seen several elk fall to a 308 and 150 grain bullet. The 7-08 is not a bad choice both will be short action vs the 270 so they can be lighter. Although I like the 270 as well.


If there is any proof of a man in a hunt it is not whether he killed a deer or elk but how he hunted it.

 

[Hardway]

The elk are the same size regardles of the shooter. What is the smallest caliber you would shoot one with?

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

I struggled with this same issue here a few years back. I know guys have killed elk with a .243 before but I wouldn't reccomend it. I went with a .300 WSM and a muzzle break. My daughter shoots it great and she says the recoil is minimal. I know that caliber will get it done too.


It's always an adventure!!!

 

[hossblur]

AWLB,
See thats why I like this forum(most of the time), I have been playing with the idea of the elk gun for kids as well, I hadn't ever thought about where you went. That might be just the ticket for me as well. Thanks for something to think about! Just curious though, what gun did you go with?


When they came for the road hunters I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for the oppurtunists I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for the public land hunters I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for me there was no one left to say anything!

 

[trophyhunter]

Recoils are very similar. As stated earlier the 270 will get it done but you have only max .140gr. bullet weight where you have the option in .30cal bullet weights of 150-180gr with the .308 or even the 30-06. I don't see much differnce in recoil in any of those calibers. When shooting off the bench for a while larger calibers are more noticable. When one is shooting at a deer or elk you won't notice any recoil unless the shooter is really over gunned.

You can make a 300Mag recoil feel like a 30-06 with a quality muzzel brake.

))))------>

 

[greatbasin]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-14-11 AT 09:13PM (MST)[p]>The elk are the same size
>regardles of the shooter. What
>is the smallest caliber you
>would shoot one with?

Those are the smallest calibers I would like her to shoot for elk...and I question whether or not she can handle a 30-06? But then again, I've never shot the 3 of them side by side, maybe the recoil difference is just my perception.

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

I went with the .300 WSM in the Savage. I like their brake system because you can turn it on or off without removing it. One simple twist and it's on/off. The bad thing about it is you always have to carry some ear protection for the shooter. Especially the young ones. That's the only downside to it. Plus the Accu Trigger system that they are putting on them now helps with alleviating the "trigger jerk" habbit that some get when they are a little recoil shy. It really doesn't kick harder than an .06 or a .270. My daughter says it doesn't kick much harder than her .243 but I think she's just trying to down play a little. You know, the tough guy routine.


It's always an adventure!!!

 

[marley]

I put a muzzlebrake on a .280 for my son and it is awesome. It seriously kicks less than my .243 with plenty of punch for elk. I've killed several elk with it before I turned it into the kids gun.

 

[Pre64]

A buddy bought a 700 in .308 for his son. He put a nice scope on it and it shoots very well. I think his son gets to use it on occasion.

 

[greatbasin]

Thanks for the input.

Regardless of the caliber, I'm thinking a Tikka T3 might be the nicest for my kid to carry, at a resonable price...if she can get it out of my hands

 

[nfh]

it all goes to the weight of the gun to. my 30-06 really puts out a kick, not sure if it is the design, my shells or what but people laugh at me when i say it kicks. so they shoot and they get to experence the kick. then i will grab my dads 30-06 and has very little kick.
one thing that helps is a limbsaver pad. i put on my 300 mag and made a big difference

 

[hossblur]

that savage accu trigger is nice!! I used to have one on my .17hmr before it was "taken over" by some damn kid in my house. I had a .308 savage 99c when I started out and it was the worst kicking gun ever, so I kinda soured my on the .308. I don't really notice any difference between the .06 and .270. But I am going to do some homework on the 300wsm AWLB is using. Of course last time I did "homework" my 1 year old ended up with a BPS 12 guage. He is almost 6 now so I need to get it in gear with the big game gun!! Truth is I will probably "buy him" a few big game guns before he is 12!


When they came for the road hunters I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for the oppurtunists I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for the public land hunters I was not one so I said nothing. When they came for me there was no one left to say anything!

 

[BPKHunter]

I disagree that it is all about the size of the gun and the size of the kid is pretty relevant here. I have 3 boys, the youngest will be 13 friday. All my boys are/were extra light. My youngest killed a sweet 10pt whitetail last year with my Tikka 25-06, which he will carry for a cow tag he has this year. The 25-06 is one of my rifles and he likes it so I can wait for him to grow. He was 4'11 and 80lbs with his whitey, and is 5'4 and 100lbs now. My other boys were only less than 100lbs until their sophmore year. I started them with .270 adn .280 which was marginal for their size. Caliber was fine for elk of course, but heavier bullets significant impact recoil. I do not recommend brakes for any kids as that sound may be worse than recoil for generating kick. So is extra light guns. I think all .30 cal's are too much if they are 100lbs or less. No elk in this world is too much for a good 120-140 grain bullet launched above 2700fps, placed in the boiler room. I'm not saying for long range, but certainly 200 yards.

For a YOUTH gun, I would recommend 7mm-08 above all others for those under 120lbs. Over then look at .270/.280/.308. Not until they are over 150lbs and have shot a bit, look at 30-06/7mm/any wsm, etc.

Just the opinion of a dad that has been there and loads a shoots quite a bit with his kids.

 

[440sixpack]

Hardway said it all.

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

BPK - it all depends on the kid. My daughter shoots the Savage .300wsm with a break. Has done for over a year now. She shoots tight groups and is now almost 16 and weighs 105 lbs. She's also an athlete and a very conditioned one. The secret here is that she has been shooting since she was 6 or 7. She shot her first turkey with a 20ga. at the age of 8.

I guess a more accurate statement would be, if your kid is not used to shooting and has not shot anything other than a .22 then yes, I would start them out on something lighter. If they have the confidence to pull the trigger on a bigger caliber then don't hold them back. And I seldom hunt without ear protection anymore and I have raised my girls to carry it as well. I do see your point though BPK and you raise some very valid questions.


It's always an adventure!!!

 

[1FastGambler]

You have a lot of good choices and even more opinions to sort thru!

In my opinion, a caliber that has plenty of energy and shoots really flat is most important. Then finding that caliber in a rifle that will fit her & isn't too heavy is equally important.

I started both of my boys out with Tikka T3 light in .270WSM. I had a muzzle brake put on both rifles. The recoil is minimal and few calibers shoot as flat as the .270 WSM does... check out some ballistics charts. If you reload your own ammo one of the all copper bullets from Barnes or Hornady will work really well. If not, there are several good choices in factory ammo.

The ballistics of the .270WSM is much better than either the 270 win or the .308. Add a muzzle brake & the recoil will be much less also.

One more recomendation that has worked very good for my boys & I is the Stoney Point Rapid Pivot bipods.

Let us know what you decide & take her shooting as often as you can.

 

[wapiti111]

Hard to beat the 7mm-08.......I have seen many one shot kills with this cal. out to 300 yards. Great all around cal. The hornady light mag/super performance 139gr. sst at 3000 fps. are very impressive.