Country Bumpkin
Well-Known Member
Hopefully not hitting on a touchy subject but Why hasn't he touched a rifle since?
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Youth - 260 Rem or 25.06??
- Thread starter Country Bumpkin
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No problem.....
Divorced....he lived with mom....and resentment for me leaving.....hes only talked to me when I drove out to see him....has never initiated conversations with me...and seldom if ever answers......
So....i guess it's good he is staying away from guns with the way some kids are......but he's was a heck of a shot with the rifles....and learned to blast clays with his 28ga shotgun...
Always competitive to dad....was fun.....
Tree Farmer
Well-Known Member
I started my son with a 260 when he was 12. It's killed a lot of whitetails, including a 150 class buck. Never needed a second shot. 20 years later, it's his only deer rifle. While the 6.5 was not popular at the the time of purchase, it sure is now with lots of options for young shooters.
Country Bumpkin
Well-Known Member
For now it's a wood-stocked (cut down) savage .243 that my Wife shot her first antelope with. It's going to work just fine.
My ego wanted me to buy him how own rifle. What I really wanted to do was start with a 25.06 and then be able to buy him another barrel and a nicer stock some day as a birthday and HS graduation gift so that he'd have a semi-custom going into adulthood.
There's still time to do that I suppose.
We are going shooting this morning after he finishes his "field day" for hunter Ed. Taking the .243 to see how he does.
Swinehunt74
Well-Known Member
260 all the way.. Load lite 120grs to start with, then lead him down that path of loading his own with the satisfaction of good kill with his loads. MAN, THAT WILL BE A PICTURE. If you get a 260, I have some factory lite loads ill give u (2-3 boxes). So keep this msg handy.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
I'm probably #30 with my 260 recommendation. I went with a 243 for my daughter and wish I did a 260. I built my son a 260 and just didn't think I needed two if them. Wish I had built her one also. The 243 is great but much more options with the 260. Great gun for about anything Deer size or larger in most cases.
I started my son with an NEF .243 at 9. He was a bigger kid (he's now 6-5, 250 at age 18) but not huge and I didn't want to rush him into a caliber he wasn't ready for. Two years later, he moved to a .270 with RL Federals and took his first two deer.
My personal deer rifle is a M48 in .260. I had hunted deer for 40+yrs with .30-06. I finally realized that I didn't need that much power for WT.
I will add that a .243 is perfectly capable of taking deer and I think it is probably just about perfect for kids <10YO, or older kids who are smaller-framed. Most kids by age 12 are probably capable of handling a non-magnum 6.5 caliber. I have a bevy of great neices/nephews, and I have a Ruger .243 set up for them as they age into deer hunting at the farm.
xsn10s
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I'd say either one would suit you fine. On the short actions I'd research a detachable mag model. Either factory or ACIS type. Off the top of my head I know the factory DM SA can seat out quite long, but I don't know the OAL. You might be able to use a straight 284 win with 180's for elk later on. A fast twist 25-06 would through some of the heavy 25 cal bullets in the mix. Or just barrel to a 280 rem or 280 AI. Sure a 7-08 would work too, I really like it's numbers too. But there just no arguing that a properly set up 284 win, 280 rem, or 280 AI would give you more range. Whether you need it is another good question.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Having kids at one time where this was a familiar and practical question and now having grand children needing the same tool, experience is money. Some will say if going 243, may as well go 260. Then there's if your going 260, why not go 6.5-284 etc, etc, etc. Well, IMO, the .260 fits about dead center of the .243 and the 6.5-284/284 option. Sure the 284 offers heavier options down the road but when the OP asks for a gun for a 9 year old, the decision is for their current stature. The .260 offers 100-156 grain bullets taking it into what the 284 can offer in mid weight bullets with less powder and less recoil. Also less performance but that's just what you get in a youth size cartridge. It is a cartridge that can and is used for all North American game. Kinda like that youth bow that goes from 18-28" draw and 25-55 lbs draw weight. They can grow into it real easy. After a young adult, rebarrel it to a SA magnum if desired.
xsn10s
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A 243 win is a great cartridge! Very useful for deer and varmints. My buddy hunts up in Sumpter with his 308 Win for elk though he has an arsenal of rifles. His go to is his 308 win with 165 Partition and a range limit of 300 yards. He's taken some respectable elk with that set up. Search on here for 7-08 for elk and you'll find a ton of threads. Sounds like you're off to a great start!
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
I agree that the.243 is a excellent gun for a young hunter. Once the young one is older you can sell it or trade it in on something with a bit more power.
260. When he gets comfortable and/or you are ready to rebarrel, rechamber to 260AI.
For now you can load the 260 with 109 or 123 Absolute Hammers and have full confidence in smoking pretty much anything up to large mule deer confidently. When you rebarrel, go with a 7 or 7.5 twist and you can run the 129 Absolute Hammer for a little more weight if desired.
For now you can load the 260 with 109 or 123 Absolute Hammers and have full confidence in smoking pretty much anything up to large mule deer confidently. When you rebarrel, go with a 7 or 7.5 twist and you can run the 129 Absolute Hammer for a little more weight if desired.
