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Getting son into hunting Deer.

I let my son choose thru a few different rifles as well. He chose a 270. Been 5 years now and all he wants is the 270. I'd stay away from tactical turrets for a scope though. Nothing like sitting in the stand , looking down to see him turning turrets back and forth.
 
I picked up a Rem. 700 ADL in .25-06 and dropped a used synthetic youth stock on it for my kids. Lot of performance, mild recoil.
Nothing wrong with at .243 or 6CM or similar.

Find something that fits and easy to handle. Hard to shoot well when the gun is too big and or heavy.

I also like bolt actions for several reasons:
Safety, reliability, accuracy.
 
The rifle my son is using had his grandfather's original Nikon scope on it, which is good for his use. He can't mess with the knobs without a tool. The biggest issue for him was getting his initial eyerelief correct. Younger hunters sometimes have problem looking through scopes and there is only so much room to move it back. Once he learned where to put his cheek on the rifle, everything was good.
 
My youngest son is going for his first hunt on the day after Christmas (cow elk in Gila Wilderness). I took him to the range and let him shoot a variety of decent caliber rifles for the animal he was hunting. I didn't tell him what he was shooting, I just let him shoot in his favorite stance and gave him 5 rounds for each. We went through a couple of .30-06's, a smaller .300 Win Mag., and several others. His two favs? A customized Arisaka 7.7 Jap and his grandfather's Weatherby Vanguard in 270 Win. (he didn't know it was Papa's before he shot it). He settled on the 270 and I have taken him out three times since to shoot off a couple of boxes each time to get used to the gun and hone his aim.
Nice! I bought my sons (3) all 300 Weatherby Vanguards when they were old enough to handle them. The 270 is a great one!
 
My youngest son is going for his first hunt on the day after Christmas (cow elk in Gila Wilderness). I took him to the range and let him shoot a variety of decent caliber rifles for the animal he was hunting. I didn't tell him what he was shooting, I just let him shoot in his favorite stance and gave him 5 rounds for each. We went through a couple of .30-06's, a smaller .300 Win Mag., and several others. His two favs? A customized Arisaka 7.7 Jap and his grandfather's Weatherby Vanguard in 270 Win. (he didn't know it was Papa's before he shot it). He settled on the 270 and I have taken him out three times since to shoot off a couple of boxes each time to get used to the gun and hone his aim.
270 excellent choice, a stone cold killer.
 
223. 22-250. 300 BO. All with the correct projectiles of course.

One of my favorites to start kids on is the BO. An adjustable stock AR with a good suppressor shooting subs is great for target practice. Builds confidence. Doesn't kick. Super quiet. Then when season arrives, a quick re zero with the light fast ammo and he/she's ready. Inside of 100 yards, it's a hammer.
 
I will go the opposite way of thinking here.

Build you kid a nice semi-custom. They can keep it forever.
My younger daughter (now 19) has a semi-custom 6.5SLR I built for her when she was 11, and has killed a bunch with it. Nice having a super accurate rifle to get the confidence level up. Shot the first barrel out at about 2800 rounds, and rebuilt it 2 years ago. 130 OTM @ 2925fps suppressed has killed pronghorn and deer out to 637 yards. But she has shot steel out to 1720 with it too.
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Let me add. I put a eotech on top of the AR BO. Easy easy for a kid to see through. And. I had to remind myself. My son is now 11 and shoots some nice bolt rifles at decent ranges.
When I started my recommendations I was referring to 5-6-7 year old kids starting out.
You're probably right lance. A 5' 100lb 10 year old kid is likely ready for a more substantial rifle.

But don't forget the "cool" factor most kids see in a AR style rifle. If they WANT to get out and shoot, they'll get more range time.
 
Let me add. I put a eotech on top of the AR BO. Easy easy for a kid to see through. And. I had to remind myself. My son is now 11 and shoots some nice bolt rifles at decent ranges.
When I started my recommendations I was referring to 5-6-7 year old kids starting out.
You're probably right lance. A 5' 100lb 10 year old kid is likely ready for a more substantial rifle.

But don't forget the "cool" factor most kids see in a AR style rifle. If they WANT to get out and shoot, they'll get more range time.
Great point with the gun and sighting system. It made me chuckle. I only have three kids brought up with guns into hunting. They all started when 8yoa hunting, and heck I have grandkids now who will be hunting in a year or two. I also teach hunters ed, so I get even more kids to show firearms to. I use many different guns including AR15's as a teaching tool and every time....every time I get to hear the ignorance of kids and parents about them in class. Luckily I get to share some facts they have no idea. Anyway, I tell them on range day they can shoot one if they want. Range day almost to a kid and heck adult all they want to do is shoot the AR's. My kids included many of them comment and dont like the smoke, smell, etc that comes from the action. Another great opportunity to give them more education. In summary get the AR15, and you can get a bolt gun if they don's like the smoke/smell. LOL
 
I think the 7mm-08 is the best kids caliber ever made. They can be loaded down or up so it can be used for a lifetime. If you can find a Remington Model 7 they are perfect for kids. Just my two cents worth. Good luck and way to go getting him into the hunting world.
Yea he saw my pics, and heard my stories and was interested. But one day he found Meat Eater on Netflix and now that's our evening show every night. LOL
 
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