re: Looking for my son's first rifle

My kids shot 223 77 gr at 5.

At 6 they shot ruger American ranch 300 blk out

At 10 they shot 6.5 Grendel

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Son killed his first two with .223, but it didn’t leave enough blood on the ground for my liking. It was a limited sample size.

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A TTSX is gonna exit and bleed better than most, it definitely makes bullet selection more important shooting a 223.

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What have your results been shooting deer with subsonic .300blk? What ammo are you using?

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I’m cooking up some rounds but they are similar specs to these:

LINK

Friend of a friend’s kid has killed 6 with the hornadys.

Never lost one and all died sub 100 yards

And for the expert who blanket thinks subsonic is unethical. I suppose I can’t use my bow or a muzzleloader either. A well placed subsonic bullet in the vitals will kill just as good. I’m teaching my kid to make great shots in close range, and not solely rely on hydrostatic shock because she puts a half arse shot due to flinching. I also don’t have to worry about the bullet breaking into 5 pieces on impact. A well engineered subsonic round can be absolutely devastating by providing a clean mushroomed round at impact. I will move her up to supersonic and stronger rounds when I know it will not compromise accuracy. Also I do not recommend shooting 308 subsonic. Too much case to powder sloshing around causes accuracy issues with running 308 subsonic. Powder burns unevenly and will sling bullets all over. If you want a larger subsonic look into an 8.6 ARC or 8.6 blackout. I’m building an 8.6ARC now to run my thermion 2 on.

Since he’s only 5 y.o., why not get him a used 10/22 with (or without) an inexpensive scope?

Just take him out with you on walks or 4 wheeler rides plinking and let him develop an ultra-strong love of the outdoors.

You can pick one up for next to nothing, top it with an inexpensive scope and have a plinking machine. Ammo is cheap and he can have fun while you gently entrench proper gun habits and teach him the rules.

I still have one in my safe that I topped with an inexpensive Simmons scope. I pull it out all the time to target shoot and let my nephew practice his shooting form when my brother brings him to my farm to visit. My nephew loves to go for SxS or 4 wheeler rides with me and shoot trees, ant beds, pine cones, etc.
Zero recoil and he can go through a few banana mags before he gets bored and wants to do something else (he loves riding on tractors)

You can get him a “real” deer rifle in a couple or three years. There will probably be new models and scopes out then anyway or it will give you some time to find a deal at your LGS.

When the time comes, I’d suggest a .243 with a good scope. Then he’ll have two guns.

JMO….and congrats on getting your son out in the great outdoors.

AR15 with a supressor is what mine will be doing. Adjustable stock, negligible recoil, accurate enough. Working on figuring out what kind of ammo I trust enough to work.

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It’s easier to take a five year old deer hunting than it is squirrel hunting.

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He’s already been deer hunting 8 times. He’s getting pretty darn good at being still and quiet. Walks quietly etc.

Since I have an AR-15 maybe I should just buy a real scope and go with some .223 Ammo suggested in this thread.

But I’m not sure if I want him learning on an AR platform

Fusion if you can find them

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Working on figuring out what kind of ammo I trust enough to work.

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But I’m not sure if I want him learning on an AR platform

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I made one hunt with an AR with a kid, then switched and started the rest on bolt actions.

At first its so much more about teaching proper handling and gun safety.

I want them carrying the gun to the stand, I want to hand them the bullet have them load it, put safety on and off, always keep in safe direction etc.

You carrying it all out there, putting the gun in a bog, lining it up and tell them to shoot that deer is not teaching them the critical skills to not hurt themselves or others.

My kids cant quietly load an AR. Maybe some of ya'lls Rambo Jrs can.

This all reminds me of what I view as a major flaw in the Ruger american Gen 2 which use AR clips. It comes with a 5 round AR clip in a 10 round body. It sticks out way too low past receiver for my liking

Kids cant grip the gun, doesn't fit in vise, harder to prop up on stand, pain in the arse to carry on shoulder strap.

I took some 30 round clips and cut them down to make custom 4 round flush clips. Took me a day to make these, but they came out great. Theres a thread online you can search that shows how to make them. The only thing I did different was I plastic epoxy welded mine to make them stronger. There is a guy who was going to start making an aftermarket flush clip for these. whoever gets to market first could sell a ton of them.

I second the Vanguard recommendation. Look at a Badlands and see what you think. The Firstlite looks awesome too, but the integrated muzzlebreak was a deal killer for me. They do other configurations as well including wood, wood laminate, and plain black synthetic. As for load, the best I have come up with is a nosler 110 accubond and 69.5 grains of RL22.