First rifle for kid

[The Oregonian]

i have a nephew who wants to graduate to centerfire and start hunting with me and an 8 yr old son that is ready to start shooting.

I would like to buy a gun that either can use...thinking 6.5cr in R700 due to out of the box accuracy with factory ammo, which seems to be fairly common with that cartridge.

Is there a better rifle first rifle here other than the 5r in 6.5cr? Can always upgrade platform if needed, but for now it will be probably 100 and in and I assume the out of box accuracy will be more than adequate for that - need minute of of dead rather than what a lot of us chase in a longer range rig.

5r is about $1k and SPS is about $500-600. Is it worth the extra money for the 5r?

Thoughts?

Thx

Tom

 

[Rick Richard]

I think you might be better off with a Savage product rather than some of the other manufactures. Because, chances are higher with a savage of getting an out of the box rifle to shoot accurately.

 

[26Reload]

What about the ruger American rifle in creed...
Or any other caliber small enough for the kids to pack..
A 243 will work for most any smaller big game critter in Oregon...
A friend of my brothers hunted everything with his 243....killed more elk and deer than a lot of people will ever have a chanc to see in their hunting careers....and those weren't the only animals he used it on....coyote, bear, grouse, chickens.....he used it.....

 

[J E Custom]

Having a rifle that first fits the youth is very important. Next one that has enough energy to quickly dispatch the game even though a perfect shot was not made. also one that doesn't weigh 10 pounds. Next, a cartridge that can be loaded with lighter bullets for reduced recoil, and as the youth get older can be stepped up for larger game.

In my opinion a rifle with all of these attributes is a Model 7 Remington in a youth configuration In a 6.5 or 7/08. This is a light/short quality rifle that can grow with the youth and will perform well with the appropriate
ammo and As the youth gets older and bigger the butt stock can be extended or a stock replacement can be done to change this rifle to an adult rifle.

Ammo can be readily available if the right cartridge is chosen and bullets in the 120 to 150 will do a good job on game. I always recommend starting with 120 grain bullets because of recoil and later move to 140 or 150 for larger game.

Even though the 6mm will do the job, they can sometimes be to light for deer if perfect shot placement is not made. (And youths sometimes tend to get excited and make less that perfect shots.

So pick a rifle that fits a youth, that they are not afraid of, pick a cartridge that does not hammer them but will drop the game in its tracks, and one that they can grow with.

Just my recommendation

J E CUSTOM

 

[26Reload]

I was looking last night for a stock for a rem 700...came across the boyds new stock with adjustment allover....don't remember the name..look it up...awesome stocks of laminated woods for $200....

 

[Buck Buster]

As far as a deer rifle the 30-30 is unbeatable to start a young hunter out with, especially when hunting in the woods and brushy draws, they have shot through small trees and brush and killed deer. A 222 or 243, 223, you have to place your shots a lot better, and they will not wade the brush like a 30 cal. other than that I have nothing against the smaller cals. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Best of luck with whatever you go with.

 

[CTK]

I went back and forth on buying my 7year old an inexpensive youth rifle or buying a nice short barreled rifle with an adjustable sock or sawing one off. I went with the 7/08 Savage Axis Youth. He killed his first deer with it this year as an 8year old. It has shot MOA with hand loads. The stock is still long for him and particularly when wearing heavy coats. I considered the Tikka but figure I will give this gun to someone when he outgrows it. I would not sink a bunch of money into a kid rifle.

 

[slas]

Got mine a Remington Model 7 243 at that age. He struggled a bit with the weight but with practice came around.

 

[mtp29464]

I loaned a buddy my 300 blackout in Remington 700 with an Axiom stock. Not sure what range you are going to be shooting, but the blackout will be effective out to the ranges I would be comfortable with a new hunter would be shooting. Regardless of the caliber the Axiom stock can be adjusted to a variety of shooters, plus it has a cool factor for the kids.

 

[dmoon]

In my opinion the stock on the 5R is worth a little bit extra, not sure its worth that much more though. The 5R will have a much heavier barrel than the SPS's that I have seen as well that may be too much for a youngster.

 

[26Reload]

Get one rifle...a 260 Remington or a creed....ill last his lifetime....and possibly his kids.....

 

[HARPERC]

A lot depends on how you intend to hunt. Is it something he will need to carry? Open country or close quarters?

Probably the best all around we've used is the Ruger Hawkeye Compact Rifle. We've got a couple of them, but I think the .308 is my current front runner. Lighter calibers work also, but with the newer bullets out there the .308 gets down to kid size. Use the 130 Hammers with bottom of the book loads, and it's real usable on most anything, and fun to shoot.

Volume beats precision with the kids.

 

[Wild Bill G]

If you are going to shoot factory ammo try a Tikka in 6.5x55. To me it kicks less then a 6.5 Cred and is plenty accurate. If you do handload in a modern rifle will even kill elk if need be. In the states I think you can get that Tikka for under 1000. Just my thoughts.

 

[The Oregonian]

Thanks for all the replies and input.

The Savage seems attractive bc it is inexpensive, comes with a scope, and while I have never owned one I understand they are plenty accurate. This will be 200 max, and likely 150 and in. I would prefer to use factory ammo for simplicity but not against loading myself. MOA would be plenty accurate...need to get their shooting to the point that accuracy of the gun is the limiting factor.

7-08 seems to be offered widely in youth rifles...selfishly i would like to get a 6.5mm of some sort bc I own a custom '06 and have a custom 28 Nos on the way and have always had a list for a 6.5, but I am smart enough to know this isn't about me in the least. But all else equal I'd get a 260 or 6.5cr.

When he is ready for a full size i could go with a different rifle altogether, which would not push me to a R700 for the upgrades down the line.

Any reason not to go with a Savage in 7-08?