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Started By
Message
re: Looking for my son's first rifle
Posted on 1/4/25 at 6:54 am to thejudge
Posted on 1/4/25 at 6:54 am to thejudge
Caliber is personal preference and the bullet matters way more than the chambering. There’s so many dang good options on the market there aren’t many bad choices for a kid.
I’ll recommend some things you didn’t ask about.
I’d get a gun with a 3 position safety, for ar-15 length cartridges I’d get a howa mini and for a full short action I’d probably get a Ruger American gen 2.
Prioritize some quality scope mounts like seekins, nightforce, or other American made pic rings with a rail. Id pair that with a hammer of a scope. Now that im a little older I have drawer of crappy scopes that will all eventually be thrown away. Kids will knock the frame of the stand, drop it off a four wheeler, knock trees with it. A trijicon Huron is a good cheaper lighter option.
I have a 6 arc howa mini in a little chassis for kids. Every cartridge you listed has killed a pile of deer and all the guns listed have killed a pile of deer. Your kid will love whatever you get them.
Edit: My dad got me a really light .270 wsm right when they first came out and I had no idea how to manage the recoil. I scoped myself multiple times and shot terribly with it. Despite that I’d tell anyone who’d listen that it was the perfect gun and I’d probably have slept with it in my bed if my dad would’ve let me.
I’ll recommend some things you didn’t ask about.
I’d get a gun with a 3 position safety, for ar-15 length cartridges I’d get a howa mini and for a full short action I’d probably get a Ruger American gen 2.
Prioritize some quality scope mounts like seekins, nightforce, or other American made pic rings with a rail. Id pair that with a hammer of a scope. Now that im a little older I have drawer of crappy scopes that will all eventually be thrown away. Kids will knock the frame of the stand, drop it off a four wheeler, knock trees with it. A trijicon Huron is a good cheaper lighter option.
I have a 6 arc howa mini in a little chassis for kids. Every cartridge you listed has killed a pile of deer and all the guns listed have killed a pile of deer. Your kid will love whatever you get them.
Edit: My dad got me a really light .270 wsm right when they first came out and I had no idea how to manage the recoil. I scoped myself multiple times and shot terribly with it. Despite that I’d tell anyone who’d listen that it was the perfect gun and I’d probably have slept with it in my bed if my dad would’ve let me.
This post was edited on 1/4/25 at 6:59 am
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Posted on 1/4/25 at 7:21 am to bbvdd
100% agree.
It really tames down the recoil too, which I consider an equally beneficial part of using a can.
I have a 30 cal suppressor that is right at half a pound all in. You can not feel it at the end of a 24” barrel.
It really tames down the recoil too, which I consider an equally beneficial part of using a can.
I have a 30 cal suppressor that is right at half a pound all in. You can not feel it at the end of a 24” barrel.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 7:35 am to The Levee
I agree, which is why I was asking. Subsonic are fun but I wouldn’t shoot a deer with them.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 7:40 am to The Levee
It's not in the price range, but I'm really looking hard at the Marlin 1894 in .357 for my son (and me.) Lever action is just good old fashioned fun, and throwing a can and sub .38 special on it makes it basically a pellet gun for practice. Not ideal outside of 100 yards for deer, but otherwise seems awesome.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 8:22 am to OeauxMy
quote:
I have a 30 cal suppressor that is right at half a pound all in. You can not feel it at the end of a 24” barrel.
Which one?
Posted on 1/4/25 at 8:29 am to LoneStarTiger
I think people are glossing over the 7mm08 a little too much. I think it’s the perfect deer caliber especially for our southern deer.
And it’s absolutely a manageable youth caliber.
Cut and thread that barrel at 18” if it doesn’t already come that way Slap a polonium 30 on the end for around $700 after tax stamp and you have an awesome rig.
And it’s absolutely a manageable youth caliber.
Cut and thread that barrel at 18” if it doesn’t already come that way Slap a polonium 30 on the end for around $700 after tax stamp and you have an awesome rig.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 4:44 pm to Bayou Ken
My old Daddy used to say "Son, Savage don't make no trash".
Posted on 1/4/25 at 4:47 pm to Hogbit
quote:
Why so many boutique rounds, just get him a .243
This or 7mm-08.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 4:52 pm to The Levee
Rolled a big doe yesterday with my Grendel.
Continue to be impressed with it. Pretty much no recoil and puts deer down with the Barnes tac tx bullet
Continue to be impressed with it. Pretty much no recoil and puts deer down with the Barnes tac tx bullet
This post was edited on 1/4/25 at 4:52 pm
Posted on 1/4/25 at 5:05 pm to The Levee
quote:
I'm looking at the Ruger American Gen 2 Ranch but I'm curious to what round would be sufficient enough to kill hogs and deer. 308 might be too much kick...but they offer it in several options like
6.5 Grendel
It’ll be a 225 yard gun with next to no recoil.
Much better in a semi auto platform like an AR-15 too. Great for deer and hogs, but especially great for hogs as you can keep popping them as fast as you can pull the trigger and the site picture in your scope doesn’t move.
6mm ARC is good too but you might as well just get a 243 Win at that point.
6.5 Creedmoor should be the only other thing you are considering but it will kick more than the Grendel.
All the other rounds you mentioned are no good, especially the 350 legend which is a junk cartridge made to skirt the stupid hunting laws in the Midwest states requiring straight walled cartridges.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 5:23 pm to Squirrelmeister
That doe made the 5th deer I’ve shot wit my Grendel in the AR platform.
Shots ranging from 30 to 200 yds. No deer has made it farther than 50 yards.
Shots ranging from 30 to 200 yds. No deer has made it farther than 50 yards.
Posted on 1/4/25 at 5:37 pm to Bayou_Tiger_225
quote:
That doe made the 5th deer I’ve shot wit my Grendel in the AR platform. Shots ranging from 30 to 200 yds. No deer has made it farther than 50 yards.
Yeah you don’t need a bazooka to kill deer. I’ve killed a pile of deer and hogs with mine and apart from one hog I missed due to a firmware issue in my electronic scope I never shot one I didn’t recover.
ETA: If you want to bazooka a deer with a 30-06 or 35 Whelen or 7mm rem mag or 300 win mag more power to you. Hit them right behind the shoulder and it will be just as clean and ethical.
This post was edited on 1/4/25 at 5:42 pm
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