which new caliber for 13 yr old

[cole]

Thanks for all the (spirited) replies. I've been thinking alot about this.Here are my conclusions. First I should clarify that this next gun will not be a do it all caliber. It will just be another step up. With that in mind I think I lean more towards the good old 30-06 or 270. Then if there is a need/desire I'll move him up again, maybe to one of the 300 mags.

Thanks again for all the advice. I'll let you all know how this progresses for my son. I really do enjoy forums like this. I've found everybody to be very caring and thoughtfull, especially when it comes to helping out with kids.

Thanks all Cole

 

[BigBoreDan]

Thanks for all the (spirited) replies. I've been thinking alot about this.Here are my conclusions. First I should clarify that this next gun will not be a do it all caliber. It will just be another step up. With that in mind I think I lean more towards the good old 30-06 or 270. Then if there is a need/desire I'll move him up again, maybe to one of the 300 mags.

Thanks again for all the advice. I'll let you all know how this progresses for my son. I really do enjoy forums like this. I've found everybody to be very caring and thoughtfull, especially when it comes to helping out with kids.

Thanks all Cole

Very good choice cole you can't go wrong with either regardless of what some may say. Load a premium bullet of acceptable weight like a partition or Barnes TSX and you and your son will be fine...Good Luck

P.S.

I am sorry for my part in the tit for tat earlier and hope it didn't distract too much from your purpose.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Thanks for all the (spirited) replies. I've been thinking alot about this.Here are my conclusions. First I should clarify that this next gun will not be a do it all caliber. It will just be another step up. With that in mind I think I lean more towards the good old 30-06 or 270. Then if there is a need/desire I'll move him up again, maybe to one of the 300 mags.

Thanks again for all the advice. I'll let you all know how this progresses for my son. I really do enjoy forums like this. I've found everybody to be very caring and thoughtfull, especially when it comes to helping out with kids.

Thanks all Cole

The '06 would be an excellent choice, for the same reasons I gave for the 300WSM. Since you reload, he can get a ton of practice. The only cons for the '06 is its a long action, which will make the rifle just a bit longer for the same length barrel and a little heavier than the WSM.

I look forward to hearing about the new rifle. Wish your son the best from me.

AJ

 

[Bull45cal.]

Cole,

I agree with AJ Peacock. Except I believe the 7mm-08 to be at the bottom of the list for Elk, not off the list. You reload, so go big and load reduced loads. As he gets older, he can grow into the rifle. If you are really well off and can buy lots of guns, buy until your heart is content, otherwise, buy one gun and make the loads work for you.

Good words Peacock!

 

[406pat]

For what it's worth, my first hunting rifle when I was 11 (Can hunt at 12 in my great state) was a Savage package gun in .270 win. I still use that gun for a lot of my hunting and so far it has accounted for 3 elk and 4 deer (I pretty much took hunting off during high school and college). Recoil has always been manageable for me, even though at the earliest stage of our relationship I was so tiny I had to run around in the shower to get wet! Loaded with 130 grain bullets I've had nothing but 1 shot kills out to 400 yards. One thing I would recommend though for any sort of high volume shooting would be an additional recoil pad. I used a PAST gel shoulder pad if I was going to be shooting more than 10 rounds at a time up until I was about 17. Definitely helped to take the bite out of recoil against my bony frame and was a lot more comfortable than 4 sweaters and a coat for summer shooting sessions.

 

[3006savage]

I am a little late to this thread but I thought the 280 Rem sounded like a good fit. The same case as the 270 and 06 with a better selection of high BC bullets. The 150 grain ETip (.498 BC) or 154 grain Interbond (.525 BC) comes to mind for a good lower recoil elk round.

It can be loaded to 7mm-08 levels now and you can give it the AI treatment later if you want a little better performance. He may never need or want an upgrade when he is older.

 

[angus-5024]

also late to the thread, but as someone who has come across this same thing last year (my buddy's wife is small and was getting into shooting) i thought I could say my piece. She shoots a .300 win mag after starting with 06 level loads. It worked well for her. But then again she's not 13 and is a bit heavier (115lbs). At 13 i know that I was capable of shooting a .338 win mag comfortably for about 20rnds. All in all I would agree with AJ, but if recoil becomes a big issue the 7-08 is a good minimum.

 

[woolecox]

I would recommend a good 270. You could light load it with 130 gr. bullets until he is a little more comfortable with recoil. A 150 gr. bullet at max load in a 270 will handle any elk way on out there.

I have an older Sako 75 Deluxe hunter in 270 that I will never part with. It is one of my top all around hunting rifles and I am 50 years old.

 

[liltank]

Gonna be the odd man out here, I would go with a .308. If you are going to use soft loads in the heavy calibers (30-06, 280, 270, 300WSM), I would load the .308 Win. with a 175grain or 180grain bullet pushing it around 2650 fps. These loads would shoot more efficiently and give better ES in speed. Using Varget or RL15 will fit the bill. I use federal primers, but my cousin is getting good luck with CCI BR2's. It would stop anything with in 300yrds. You could actually drop deer at greater range if you want to, but I am sold on this caliber. The .270 would also get a nod, but I always felt recoil could be a little heavy. For me... it would definitely be the .308 Win. Its a proven caliber.

Good luck,
Tank

 

[JPRITT]

Will since your getting plenty of opinions I might as well throw my 2 pennies in.

Have you considerd the 6.5X55 swede. It is the 30.06 of europe. Many of moose have fallen to this round and it is known for being very light on recoil. the 6.5 bullet flys very well and has great sectional density for good penetration. It can be bought in a Tika t3 which is a excellent hunting rifle and good value with 1MOA garuntee. Since you reload you can get lapua brass for it too!

Good luck choosing, and good job on raising another hunter!!

 

[FEENIX]

Another vote for the 6.5x55. Both my boys started hunting with this classic cartridge with 140g when they were 10 years old.

Good luck and happy safe hunting!

 

[liltank]

Howa offers a 6.5X55 in the Axiom also.

 

[Lapua Hunter]

30-06.

You can down load some for practiice at the range. And it will serve him for all game the rest of his life.

Unless you can afford specialized guns for every application.

My son has taken oryx, deer and many elk with his -06

 

[head2h2o]

I vote for the 30 calibers. Go with the 308 or the 30-06. They have good bullet selection and since you reload, components are easy to obtain. You have a lot of options with these calibers. I would lean towards the 30-06. It was the caliber I started hunting with. To me it is gives you that little extra umph and you don't add that much in recoil over the 308. If you add a muzzle brake to the 30-06, recoil is more than manageable.