Grandson 1st Deer Rifle

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Boattale said:
I'm getting another grandson his first rifle to take to deer camp. Henry single shot youth .243. I'm thinking fixed 4X Nikon or maybe Burris. Thoughts?
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A .243 in any configuration would make an outstanding deer rifle for anyone. Nothing wrong with a 4 power scope. I would choose Nikon over Burris though. Keep it simple, especially for kids.
 
The 243 is a great cartridge and most shooters over look it or calling it a kids/women's round. But it is very effective and flat shooting. For scope anything $100 should be fine, can't go wrong with luepold,Burris or nikon. I was raised on fixed power scopes and after using variable power scopes I am thinking of going back to fixed,
 
Call me a throwback but I want this youngster to have something with class. To me that means walnut, blue steel and a proper chambering for the purpose. The youth size, iron sights and the safest rifle action available are clinchers for the Henry. Here's hoping we get one that is an accurate and therefore interesting rifle. Scope is a given, but the backup irons are nice too. Thanks for the comments.
 
Single shot is perfect for a new hunter and .243 is an excellent caliber.

From experience, having inexperience and relying on fast reloads creates unethical shots and impatient hunters.

Sounds like a perfect rifle
 
Some things to think about. The Henry single shot stocks have comb heights set for iron sights, meaning no cheek weld when using a scope. It’s going to need a cheek riser for the stock to shoot comfortably with a scope. They also have an adult length off pull. A poorly fitting stock is not a recipe for good shooting with a young inexperienced shooter. They also need to be trained to be able to lower the hammer in a safe manor, which is not an issue with some kids, but others have a hard time with that. Personally I would start him out on a youth size bolt action.

For a deer hunting scope I really like 3-9 or 2-7. Much better field of view than a fixed 4x, but gives the option to turn it up. I rarely shoot at higher than 3x, but it’s often very useful when you need a better look to judge if that deer is a button buck or a doe or a fawn or whatever.
 
My kids started deer hunting with a .243. It’s a great cartridge. And the Henry Single Shot is a classy launcher (I own a couple). A fixed 4X is fine, though I personally prefer a compact 2-7X. My Henrys actually wear a 1-4X20 and a 1.5-5X20 ... both Leupold.
 
I have a Henry Single Shot in 45-70. It’s a very nice rifle. Good choice for a first rifle in .243.

Being one that grew up with and still has poor eyesight I am sensitive to folks picking out what “helps me see better”. Why not let your grandson help out with picking his own scope?
 
I would vote Burris over Nikon all day every day despite the number of Nikons I own which is a half dozen. Also would go 2-7x as the scope has a lifetime warranty which means someday it won’t be too much scope.
 
On a hunting rifle, I like a 3-9x40 in the modern offerings. I put a Leupold on my 30-06. My old 1.5-6 is still on the rifle it was put on long ago, a BAR in .270, a beautiful and effective rifle.
 
Skylerbone said:
I would vote Burris over Nikon all day every day despite the number of Nikons I own which is a half dozen. Also would go 2-7x as the scope has a lifetime warranty which means someday it won’t be too much scope.
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Yep, I would get a Fullfield II 2-7x35 if you are going to pick out the scope. Better yet I’d have your grandson look through a couple of brands of scope if possible and make the decision based on which glass he liked the best.
 
The .243 is a great start. Pretty much all of my cousins and I and our kids started on the .243. In fact the same .243. It's gone around the family a couple of times and seems like that will continue.

But rather than a single shot I suggest a good bolt gun. It can be single loaded until the youngster is proficient enough to handle multiple cartridges. Having just one shot does make a novice shooter pay more attention to sight alignment and trigger squeeze.

As to sighting equipment, try to get one with iron sights and start with those. Adding a scope only when they have mastered irons. I've seen quite a few folks who can't hit anything with the iron sights on their rifle if the scope fails.
 
I would also suggest a bolt action repeater with variable magnification. There are skills to be learned with the bolt and scope, and it's a setup that will serve him for the rest of his life.

If he needs a trainer, then a .22 LR or an air rifle would be something in addition to the hunting rifle.
 
Skylerbone said:
I would vote Burris over Nikon all day every day despite the number of Nikons I own which is a half dozen. Also would go 2-7x as the scope has a lifetime warranty which means someday it won’t be too much scope.
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I don't disagree, though I would prefer the Redfield Revenge 2-7x33 https://www.opticsplanet.com/redfie...e-matte-finish-4-plex-accu-range-reticle.html . For the money, you can't beat 'em (I have 3 of them on rifles right now and one looking for a rifle to be mated with...:what:). Every bit as clear as any Vortex, Burris or Nikon I have and dang near the quality of the Leupolds they are related to. (Owned by, that is.)
 
Boattale said:
Call me a throwback but I want this youngster to have something with class. To me that means walnut, blue steel and a proper chambering for the purpose. The youth size, iron sights and the safest rifle action available are clinchers for the Henry. Here's hoping we get one that is an accurate and therefore interesting rifle. Scope is a given, but the backup irons are nice too. Thanks for the comments.
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In a similar situation, I'd take them to the range to zero the irons... mostly to bust clay birds on the 100yd line... before mounting/zeroing the scope for the 50/200yd trajectory. With a .243 in a simple solid user-friendly rifle, if a kid can bust clays with irons and keep his cool, I'd say he can get his deer.
 
For awhile, Savage sold their youth/compact Axis rifles with a coupon for a full length stock. Would be a good rifle to "graduate" to a full stock when he got a bit older.
 
I've never been a fan of youth model rifles strictly because they are so limited in terms of use. People end up getting 2 maybe 3 years out of them and they end up selling or trading them for something else and usually they take a pretty good hit on the money when they go to sell. In this day and age, there is no shortage of guns that can be useful for kids that they can keep with them and grow into for many years to come or for the rest of their life even.

Obviously, the easiest choice is a collapsible stock AR platform gun. Plenty of kids start out with 223/5.56 with a heavy weight bullet and have good success. If you were opposed to that caliber, you also have 300 Blackout, 6.8 SPC, and 6.5 Grendel that are all very good deer calibers inside 200 yards that you can get in the AR platform. I think the AR is a great choice because you can build your own and get the kids involved in the build process and then they have a sense of ownership in the gun. And an AR can be continually used as they grow up or can be used by an adult until the child becomes "of age" and then you can gift the rifle to them as their very own. Of course you also have the advantage of being able to build the AR into a pistol configuration with a stabilizing brace that the youngster could still choose to shoulder. Then you've got a super short barreled gun with an adjustable length of pull that is capable of firing a lot of different calibers, several which are good choices for hunting, that can be used for a variety of other purposes also. The AR is a huge win-win scenario in my book, especially for a young shooter.

Then another good option is the TC Contender Carbine rifle which can swap barrels. You have the option of 30-30, 7-30 Waters, and 6.8SPC for factory deer caliber barrels or if you want to get a custom barrel, then you literally have close to 100 different caliber options. The length of pull on the Contender Carbine is very short, well within range of a young shooter, but still usable for an adult also. Plus you get the benefit of having a switch barrel design where you can shoot a variety of different calibers or even convert it to a pistol to use also.

Those are my two recommendations for a youth rifle, and that's coming from a gun dealer who sells guns all the time.
 
Olympus said:
Then another good option is the TC Contender Carbine rifle which can swap barrels. You have the option of 30-30, 7-30 Waters, and 6.8SPC for factory deer caliber barrels or if you want to get a custom barrel, then you literally have close to 100 different caliber options.
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That’s a great choice that’s often overlooked. I have a Pro Hunter and was inquiring at EABCO about a .44mag barrel to set up for kids during youth deer season before swapping back to muzzleloader for me. The Contender and Encore rifles are incredibly versatile given all of the barrel and stock choices.


Olympus said:
I think the AR is a great choice because you can build your own and get the kids involved in the build process and then they have a sense of ownership in the gun.
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Mine are all building ARs or 10/22s as a learning project and really enjoying it.

Part time muzzleloader, part time high power rifle, soon to be part time PC rifle. Really need to buy more scopes but it wasn’t in use so why not.
12B1394F-D1DA-4751-88BF-2A7A8FE3BAE5.jpeg
 
Considering that the kid is new to shooting and that the stock may not be the right height for scope use, you may want to consider installing a Williams 5D receiver sight and taller front sight. It's easier for a person who's not a seasoned shooter to use a receiver sight, especially without the aperture, or with a twilight aperture, to aim quickly and not fumble with trying to see through a scope...especially when excited.

I've installed several for hunters and they've done well. One had open sights on his 94 Winnie and missed more deer than I'd ever seen back then. I installed the receiver sight and higher front sight and sighted it in for him. The next weekend, he shot a running deer through the heart, and thinking he missed, shot again and hit it in the head.

Another buddy had a nice buck, about 40 yards away and fired all 5 of his rounds from a Marlin 336, missing high. (He didn't have any more ammo.) We installed a receiver sight and he never missed again.
 
Regarding the choice of a youth rifle. There are two more brothers in line after this one. I'm sure they will use it too when the time comes. He's shot .22 LR, shotguns and actually took a deer last year with his cousin's borrowed rifle. He needs his own. I'm sticking with a fixed 4x. Keeping this as simple and reliable as possible. He WILL sight in the irons before the scope is mounted. If we need to add a cheek pad, well then we will.
 
Olympus said:
I've never been a fan of youth model rifles strictly because they are so limited in terms of use. People end up getting 2 maybe 3 years out of them and they end up selling or trading them for something else and usually they take a pretty good hit on the money when they go to sell. In this day and age, there is no shortage of guns that can be useful for kids that they can keep with them and grow into for many years to come or for the rest of their life even.

Obviously, the easiest choice is a collapsible stock AR platform gun. Plenty of kids start out with 223/5.56 with a heavy weight bullet and have good success. If you were opposed to that caliber, you also have 300 Blackout, 6.8 SPC, and 6.5 Grendel that are all very good deer calibers inside 200 yards that you can get in the AR platform. I think the AR is a great choice because you can build your own and get the kids involved in the build process and then they have a sense of ownership in the gun. And an AR can be continually used as they grow up or can be used by an adult until the child becomes "of age" and then you can gift the rifle to them as their very own. Of course you also have the advantage of being able to build the AR into a pistol configuration with a stabilizing brace that the youngster could still choose to shoulder. Then you've got a super short barreled gun with an adjustable length of pull that is capable of firing a lot of different calibers, several which are good choices for hunting, that can be used for a variety of other purposes also. The AR is a huge win-win scenario in my book, especially for a young shooter.

Then another good option is the TC Contender Carbine rifle which can swap barrels. You have the option of 30-30, 7-30 Waters, and 6.8SPC for factory deer caliber barrels or if you want to get a custom barrel, then you literally have close to 100 different caliber options. The length of pull on the Contender Carbine is very short, well within range of a young shooter, but still usable for an adult also. Plus you get the benefit of having a switch barrel design where you can shoot a variety of different calibers or even convert it to a pistol to use also.

Those are my two recommendations for a youth rifle, and that's coming from a gun dealer who sells guns all the time.
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I got my belly full of M-16 when I was USMC. Never owned an AR 15 and never will. Much less start my grandson with one.
 
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