Factory rifle for youth hunter

[khmplus]

I would consider spending half or a little more on a Browning x-bolt and the rest on a nice Leupold or similar scope.

 

[Pro2A]

Hey guys my 16 year old son wants to buy his own rifle and scope. He has a $2,000 budget for rifle and scope. It will be primarily used for blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk. We are also going on a mule deer buck hunt this November.

Anyhow I was hoping to get some suggestions on a factory rifle that he may be able to afford. Right now we are currently looking at a Christensen Arms Mesa chambered in either 7mm or 300 PRC. I think the 300 PRC may be a little much for him and that cartridge out of a light barrel may not be consistent. I was hoping for 300win but cant seem to find that in stock anywhere. And for the scope we are looking at a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44.

He has always used my rifles and is a decent shooter, but its time he gets his own.

Just an old geezer's food for thought. For younger hunter first rig, I would suggest spending the biggest part of budget on scope.....for the robustness, repeatability, consistency in adjustment and glass performance....low light, resolution, clarity,..... Spend next big chunk of budget on ammo/practice and classes for shooting techniques....position building, trigger technique, recoil management, wind reading, impact calling,.... If a young shooter learns the skills he will shoot very very well with an entry level rifle. But, he will shoot poorly with a high end rifle if he doesn't master the skills. Nothing as satisfying s a young whipper snapper with an entry level rifle out shooting snobs with their expensive rifles. Years down the road, that higher value scope will transfer to an upgraded rifle, but not vice versa as much. Even Savage, Begara, Ruger rifles shoot very well out of the box and look/perform really well with upend optics. And, those entry rifles will all be readily available in the 7mmRM, or 300WM, if that's your preference.....either one not a bad first call, every American should have one of each, get 'em into the stable early. I'd lean toward the 7mmRM for first rifle, lower recoil, flat trajectory, great terminal performance. Buy once; cry once; happy ever after on optics.

 

[rbTanzan]

I agree that the opening choice is great. Christiansen Arms 300 PRC is a great choice. It's not too much gun for a shooter, even without a break, and covers most everything N.A. My son was comfortable with a 338 when 14. It just takes training.
As for scope, the Leupold is pricey, 20 ounces is starting to get heavy, and the 3.7" eye-relief can be bettered. Some of the Vortex Diamondback provide a good start, just be careful to check the eye-relief, some are good, around 4.0, some quite short. Leupold's old 2.5-8 is OK, it is lightweight but the high mag eye-relief is down around 3.6". 4-12 will work if the eye-relief is good.

 

[jbenevides89]

Tikka T3X in 7RM or 300WM should be around 799
Vortex 5-25x50 PST gen 2 can be had for 7-800
good rings and ammo can take the rest of the budget.

That is a lot of gun and a lot of scope. I hunt with my PST all the time and hangs with the big boys.
Tikka is one of the few factory guns a shop will spin up a shouldered prefit barrel for, that says something in itself. Its also a one action fits all so you can swap the bolt stop and make it short or long action. A good platform to build from down the road if he ever gets that bug.

 

[OldElkHunter1961]

I and many friends have enjoyed success with Kimber Montana rifles.

In a short action 7-08 and in a long action .280 AI. Both punch well above their weight and in a light rifle like the Montana won't punish him on the back end.

If the Montana is too pricey, get the Hunter. Have a friend with a Hunter in .270 Win. Very accurate.

As for scopes a Leupold VX HD 3.5 to 10 X 40 will do everything he will ask of it for ~13 oz of weight on a ~6 lbs rifle.

 

[Stonyman88]

Hey guys my 16 year old son wants to buy his own rifle and scope. He has a $2,000 budget for rifle and scope. It will be primarily used for blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk. We are also going on a mule deer buck hunt this November.

Anyhow I was hoping to get some suggestions on a factory rifle that he may be able to afford. Right now we are currently looking at a Christensen Arms Mesa chambered in either 7mm or 300 PRC. I think the 300 PRC may be a little much for him and that cartridge out of a light barrel may not be consistent. I was hoping for 300win but cant seem to find that in stock anywhere. And for the scope we are looking at a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44.

He has always used my rifles and is a decent shooter, but its time he gets his own.

Look at the Bergara's the B 14, we've gotten 4 and one in a PRC, the 6.5 Creedmoor's shoot incredibly well, .25 groups at 100 yds. right out of the box with Hornady 6.5 ELD-X, price is good and fitted them with the vortex 5-25 mil scopes , very good combo we've found and that would be far under the $2000.00 price range your looking for, and they do a number on whitetails and larger game.

 

[michaelfelix13]

My son is now 22. Bought him a Tika when he was 14. Stainless steel barrel I also bought myself a Tika. Great rifle we shot out too 700 yard accurately. Scope and caliber is open. He shoots a 270 Jack O'Connor recommended. I shoot a 308.
We both have 6.5 Creedmoor and I have a 6.8. we typically hunt northeast with an annual trip out west. We both feel comfortable shoot 500 yards.
Scopes we have Zeiss and vortex.
Zeiss glass is better. But if they were not side by side hard to tell.

 

[michaelfelix13]

Oh and because they are light on shoulder we practice more. Had a 300 winmag not fun

 

[michaelfelix13]

One more thought. As was said rb. The one time a great scope made a difference was an evening shot with low light . It only happened once but a good scope with good light transmission can make the difference.

 

[jbenevides89]

I used to be on the mentality of a scope should cost half of what the rifle cost. $300 savage axis deserved a $150 nikon or similar.

Now not so much…. Distance shots in most any condition are made by the glass not the gun. If you are fighting eye box, haze, low light, refraction, etc might as well pack it in.

 

[morgaj1]

Just an old geezer's food for thought. For younger hunter first rig, I would suggest spending the biggest part of budget on scope.....for the robustness, repeatability, consistency in adjustment and glass performance....low light, resolution, clarity,..... Spend next big chunk of budget on ammo/practice and classes for shooting techniques....position building, trigger technique, recoil management, wind reading, impact calling,.... If a young shooter learns the skills he will shoot very very well with an entry level rifle. But, he will shoot poorly with a high end rifle if he doesn't master the skills. Nothing as satisfying s a young whipper snapper with an entry level rifle out shooting snobs with their expensive rifles. Years down the road, that higher value scope will transfer to an upgraded rifle, but not vice versa as much. Even Savage, Begara, Ruger rifles shoot very well out of the box and look/perform really well with upend optics. And, those entry rifles will all be readily available in the 7mmRM, or 300WM, if that's your preference.....either one not a bad first call, every American should have one of each, get 'em into the stable early. I'd lean toward the 7mmRM for first rifle, lower recoil, flat trajectory, great terminal performance. Buy once; cry once; happy ever after on optics.

This is solid advice. I think a Zeiss Conquest V4 demo from Red Hawk Rifles, paired with a Tikka would be perfect. I have several of those scopes and all are stellar. I don't believe there is a better value out there in decent factory rifles than Tikka. I have owned 4 and all are very accurate, reliable and have a very smooth bolt.

 

[TV308]

I agree with Oldelkhunter above….the kimber 84 line of rifles are excellent. The Adirondack line has threaded muzzles, in case he ever wanted to add a suppressor, they can be had for a little over 1k.
for under 1k the hunter series has less bells and whistles but is still a solid and accurate rifle. plenty of great scope options out there to make up the rest. For his budget I'd look for a lightly used vortex LHT.
best of luck to him!

 

[mnoland30]

I agree with the low recoil crowd. The lighter the recoil, the more fun it is to shoot. My son wanted a 7mm RM as his first rifle. He shot it 3 times and was ready to go home. He had thousands of rounds through his pellet gun, so he could shoot one shot to confirm his scope was on, and go hunting. I shoot a 6.5 lb. rifle (including scope and sling), and it is a joy to carry on a steep mountain. A 7mm will kill any elk with less recoil than a .30 cal.

 

[Bill28]

Hey guys my 16 year old son wants to buy his own rifle and scope. He has a $2,000 budget for rifle and scope. It will be primarily used for blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk. We are also going on a mule deer buck hunt this November.

Anyhow I was hoping to get some suggestions on a factory rifle that he may be able to afford. Right now we are currently looking at a Christensen Arms Mesa chambered in either 7mm or 300 PRC. I think the 300 PRC may be a little much for him and that cartridge out of a light barrel may not be consistent. I was hoping for 300win but cant seem to find that in stock anywhere. And for the scope we are looking at a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44.

He has always used my rifles and is a decent shooter, but its time he gets his own.

Ruger American Predator about $600, $1250 scope and $150 ammunition. I'd go 6.5 PRC for caliber