Best Youth Rifle for my 8y/o

[ECVMatt]

Hello to all,

I would like to get my his first center-fire rifle, but it seems there are not a lot of true, "Youth" rifles out there. I would like it to be a rifle that he could pass on to his son if he choses, so I am not really looking for the "Axis" type rifles. Nothing against the budget rifles, they are great, just not what I am looking for at this time.

I would like to have an internal box magazine, no detachable magazines yet. Looks like most of the Savages are DM, so I guess it looks like Remington/Howa are in the front right now.

So far I have found a Remington SPS, Legacy/Howa 1500, Savage 11 and Weatherby/Howa 1500. I have also looked at the Ruger Compact, but am not too enamored with the 16.5 bbl. I will most likely end up getting him a .243 Win.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[BCRider]

From what I've seen in my club's Jr .22 program we get two sorts. The first is the young one that is shooting because dad is urging them on. The other is shooting with dad barely able to keep up....

If your boy is the later then I'm going to suggest something that is cheaper to shoot just because your boy will go through a TON of ammo. So that suggests a .223 rifle of some form. And it's a great round for a boy. Good enough to easily reach out to 300 yards and more yet mild in recoil with just about any normal weight of platform. And best of all it's one of the cheaper rounds to buy or reload. Well, it WILL be once the current situation peters out.

You don't mention if this is for hunting or range use. The use it's put to makes a big difference in what to buy. You also don't say if you're going to encourage him to learn with basic iron sights for at least the first while or let him go with a scope right off the bat. Again, these factors weigh into the decision.

 

[ECVMatt]

I guess I should add some more info.

He has been shooting for quite a while. He has a 10/22 and a CZ Scout. I had to switch him to the Scout because he was eating up all my 22LR! He actually likes the Scout better and not surprisingly gets more hits with it.

I would like to take him deer hunting, thus the .243, but I was also considering a 1/9 .223 so we could shoot heavier stuff if the need popped up. I have a ton of .223 reloading stuff, so maybe I should go with the .223 and just turn him loose. We live near a wide open shooting area and make at least one big trip a month.

Going to .223 pretty much makes it Savage and Howa. I get conflicting info on the Howa's and if they are 1/12 or 1/9. This makes me hesitant to order one....

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Try a 1-8/1-7" twist, it should give you a bit more power with a .223. but if your deer are like Alabama's, a 1-9, with good shot olacement might could work. I would just personally prefer to use 75 - 90 grain bullets.

Good luck, be a great dad to your son, its the best thing you'll ever do for him.

 

[41 Mag]

Just throwing this out there, don't let that short barrel on the little Ruger fool you. I have one in .308 and from about the first trip through the woods it has become my most carried rifle.

I only recently started to load for it as I finally was running out of the cheap priced Rem CL ammo I have been shooting through it for years. It has done everything I have ever asked of it. Reached out FAR beyond what most folks should be shooting and taken everything cleanly.

My oldest grandson started shooting it with reduced loads when he was just past his 3rd birthday, and took his first feral hog two weeks before his 4th.

If you boy is accustomed to shooting, and you hand load, look no further than the Hodgdon Reduced loads info and run with it. We started out using the Nosler 125gr BT's which at the slower velocity seemed to work just fine. Only after shooting a coyote broadside at about 150yds and getting no exit did I change, (this was after I had bumped the loads up as well.) We switched to the 130gr Barnes TTSX and never looked back.

Nowadays at 12 he will jump in behind anything I own including my Sendero in 7mm STW, which does pack a stout whollop for s kid.

Anyway the Ruger Compact doesn't give up but about 200fps with factory 150gr ammo. I highly doubt that your boy will grow out of it much less notice the slightly reduced velocity as long as he is putting the shots where they need to go. I sure haven't.

Feel free to brows through the link below my sig there, and you will see that most of the hunting pics have that little .308 in them.

 

[MistWolf]

It ain't the loss of velocity why I'm against 16" barrels for youth rifles (243, 308 type calibers) but the extra muzzle blast.

I recently gave my nephew an economy Remington 700 that came with a stained birch stock. It's a 243 and has a 22 inch barrel. The butt was cut down for my son when he was young and a Decelerator recoil pad installed. It's topped with a simple Leupold 4x and is a good shooting rifle for those with a short reach. I don't know if Remington still offers this model

 

[back40]

how about a winchester m70 featherweight compact in .243. has a 20" bbl, and will sure be nice enough for your kid to pass down.

 

[Jlr2267]

In the area where I grew up, the first centerfire was usually a levergun. I still remember my first 30-30 like it was yesterday. Sounds like you are set on a good bolt action though...nothing wrong with that, especially if you'll be hunting more open spaces.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I like break action single shots and more specifically the ENCORE for my boys starting out.

The modularity means as he grows he can go from youth carbine layout to full sized rifle easily.

The choate m4 stock set can do the same with the push of a button.

But best of all they default to SAFE. They don't need to remember to engage or disengage a safety all you have to teach them is muzzle discipline and not cocking the hammer till they're ready to shoot.

See the rifle on the left (22-250)

 

[Chuck R.]

I’m in the process of putting together a youth deer rifle for my 10 year old. The route I took is a REM Model 7 Synthetic in .260REM with a Leupold 2.5-8 VIII scope. The rifle is on backorder due to the trigger recall, but should make it here sometime next month. I’m also ordering a youth stock from Numerich Arms for $80. Scope, mounts, dies, bullets etc. are sitting in my gun room.
My thoughts for the .260 are that I can down load it now to be about a .243 and ramp it up to close to .270 as he gets older. The MOD 7 with its 20” barrel is compact and light, which when the synthetic stock is reinstalled should last his lifetime.

IF something goes wrong with the rifle arriving in time, I’ll work up a load for my REM 700 XCR in .223 with 1-9” twist.

Chuck

 

[Skylerbone]

IMO a DBM makes ammo control far easier which is always a plus with kids. With the only difference being the convenience of removing the mag. Why not keep all options on the table?

Depending on your location and legalities, anything from a Rossi single-shot to an AR in 6.5 I tend to think in terms of class and style when I think of firearms to pass down but no reason a nice solid AR wouldn't also be inherited, mine will.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I own 2X Howa 1500 rifles, one in 30-06 and the other in .223. Both are very accurate and well made rifles for not a lot of money.

A .243 might be a little much for an 8 year old unless he's a little bigger than most 8 year olds.

If you do buy a .243 for him you might want to buy an inexpensive aftermarket stock that will fit him well. The best rifle in the world will do him no good unless it fits him correctly. A friend bought his 9 year old a bolt action Remington 700 but he could not shoot that rifle well at all. I have him buy an inexpensive stock and we cut it down to fit his son's length. He shot much better after that and he still have the original stock to put back on the rifle when he grows.

 

[ECVMatt]

Thanks for all the help guys,

I happen to have a youth stock for a Model Seven in the garage. I also hand load, so I could tailor the .243 loads down a bit if needed. My primary concern is that he not develop a flinch.

Thanks again,

Matt

 

[3212]

I bought a Ruger compact bolt action .243.It has the 16.5 inch barrel.I added a limbsaver butt pad to get a longer stock not for recoil.I can take it off for my grandsons use.It has a laminated stock and stainless barrel.I use it in wet weather and thick brush.I've taken two doe with it.It is heavy for its size which makes it steady for offhand shots.

 

[jmr40]

Ruger American Compact. About $350 street prices. I'd start em with 223 personally, but it is offered in 243. Blast isn't bad from the 18" barrel. You can afford to buy 2.

http://ruger.com/products/americanRifleCompact/models.html

 

[Nappers]

Same as ChuckR, I thought of the .260 Remington looks like a good round.

 

[heycods]

I’m in the process of putting together a youth deer rifle for my 10 year old. The route I took is a REM Model 7 Synthetic in .260REM with a Leupold 2.5-8 VIII scope. The rifle is on backorder due to the trigger recall, but should make it here sometime next month. I’m also ordering a youth stock from Numerich Arms for $80. Scope, mounts, dies, bullets etc. are sitting in my gun room.
My thoughts for the .260 are that I can down load it now to be about a .243 and ramp it up to close to .270 as he gets older. The MOD 7 with its 20” barrel is compact and light, which when the synthetic stock is reinstalled should last his lifetime.

IF something goes wrong with the rifle arriving in time, I’ll work up a load for my REM 700 XCR in .223 with 1-9” twist.

Chuck

Friend of mine bought a mod 7 in 260 for his daughter when she was 11, she had shot a lot before that. The 260 kicked like a govt. mule. I weigh in at 225 and even I thought it was a kikker. The gun didnt stay at his house long.

 

[HexHead]

The 2014 Weatherby Vanguard S2 .223 has a 1:9 twist. The earlier ones were either 1:12 or 1:14. The S2 comes in a Youth model, which still has all the stock design features that Weatherby is famous for and reduce felt recoil. I have one of their 1:12 ones, but I only shoot 55gr with it.

 

[Chuck R.]

Friend of mine bought a mod 7 in 260 for his daughter when she was 11, she had shot a lot before that. The 260 kicked like a govt. mule. I weigh in at 225 and even I thought it was a kikker. The gun didnt stay at his house long.

heycods,

I'm kind of surprised to hear that, from what I've read the .260 is a light recoiling round with the lighter bullets. I load a 6.5x57 in a slightly heavier rifle and don't have an issue.

I figured a 6.5lb rifle, topped with a 14oz scope, plus mounts, sling etc. would be manageable, especially when loaded down to be a low recoil .243. The 100 grain pills should be relatively light, maybe you guys were shooting the 140+ stuff?

Chuck

 

[maxxhavoc]

I happen to have a youth stock for a Model Seven in the garage. I also hand load, so I could tailor the .243 loads down a bit if needed. My primary concern is that he not develop a flinch.

Look into the 4895 youth loads. They are great for letting a shooter "grow in" to a rifle, and they are good for just about any caliber and bullet choice.

https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Reduced%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf

 

[ECVMatt]

Thanks for all the input guys. I am working on picking up a .243 Model Seven. He got to handle one in a local store and it fit him great! I found a gentleman in TN that has a nice youth model for sale right now and we are working on deal.

Thanks for the reduced loading info MH, I will try and find some 4895 and cook some up. In the mean time, I am going to try the starting load with H380 and a 85 grain bullet. It looks like a fairly light load.