Need a rifle

[ctafoya]

I'm looking to get my son a gun thats enough to kill an elk. He is almost 13, but he is very small framed. He wieghs 67 pounds and is 4'5". I'm leaning to a .243, but i can't find a youth model. All I seem to be finding is 7-08. I was thinking about cutting a 308 stock down, but don't know if he can handle the kick. Light loads maybe? What does everyone think?

[deercrazy]

I'm looking to get my son a gun thats enough to kill an elk. He is almost 13, but he is very small framed. He wieghs 67 pounds and is 4'5". I'm leaning to a .243, but i can't find a youth model. All I seem to be finding is 7-08. I was thinking about cutting a 308 stock down, but don't know if he can handle the kick. Light loads maybe? What does everyone think?

 

Just wondering what your budget is? There are lots of youth model guns. My daughter is about the same height and weight, and she isn't ready for my remington model 710 because of the fit. A ruger M77 compact or something like that might work well, and comes in lots of calibers.

[Santana Outdoors]

My dad gave me a 243 when I was 10, my kids have shot it and in a few years I hope my gandchildren will be shooting it. It was shortened and I really liked it because it was light and got the job done. It has killed many deer, bear and my daughter dropped an elk with it too. Highly recommended.

 

Good luck.

[azslim]

I have a Rem Mod 724 in the safe in .244rem that has been the rifle for a lot of kills for kids and women. While Rem hasn't made it in years I have seen them for sale at gun shows and occasionally in a pawn shop. Another is the Rem Mod 600 Mohawk, never shot it, ran into folks in the field with them that liked them and they fit kids.

 

An alternative is to look at some of the single shots available, come in kids sizes and you can buy barrels to give them a shotgun and muzzle loader option to boot.

[Browning'sCustomMeat]

My 11 year old is a small framed one. 4' and change and about 80lbs. He shoots my Ruger M77 .243 just fine. fits him good. They are a great gun, compact too so they fit the kiddos well.

[sjvcon]

I'm looking to get my son a gun thats enough to kill an elk. He is almost 13, but he is very small framed. He wieghs 67 pounds and is 4'5". I'm leaning to a .243, but i can't find a youth model. All I seem to be finding is 7-08. I was thinking about cutting a 308 stock down, but don't know if he can handle the kick. Light loads maybe? What does everyone think?

Do you have an issue with a 7-08? Better knockdown than a .243 for Elk and flatter shooting than a .308 in most cases. Probably on the light side for Bull Elk for all but the best of shooters, but plenty for Cow Elk and can be loaded fast and flat for our little Coues Deer. Both of my boys (9 and 11) shoot that round pretty well. They aren't small, but they aren't big either.

 

You should be able to find .243, .260, 7-08 and .308 in youth and compact versions from Ruger, Savage, Remington and Weatherby ... Not all calibers from all manufacturers. There is also a Winchester Classic Compact if you are lucky enough to find one.

[jwdodge01]

Try looking at new england arms they have many youth modles to choose from i started with one in .243 when i was ten and then got one in .308 not to long after. they are very accurate and the recoil is very light. They are single shots and i have always thought that is the way to go for kids. Another thing is you can buy different barrels for the same action from 22 on up as well as shot gun and muzzle loader barrels. They used to be $200 or so for the rifles but haven't priced one lately

[tjwking]

We got our daughter a weatherby vanguard youth rifle in .308 when she was 12 and she could handle the kick easily and she was very small framed. the rifle came with 2 stock, 1 youth and 1 standard for when she outgrows the youth stock.

[bowhuntaz1]

My buddy got his 2 daughters a .243 He cut the barrel down and put a scope on it. Between the 2 girls (11 & 13) they have taken 3 elk and 2 deer)

[Hunterjohnny]

I have had a Rossi combo that all my kids have used now. Youth model .243, .22, and .410 barrels. Inexpensive, light, and I have been real happy with it. A little short for me but I still sneak in some shooting with it.

[ghost hunter]

When my son was just starting out, I got him a ruger 308 in the youth model. He never really shot it much. I like it cuz its small, but it does seem to kick more than you'd like. Ended up putting on one of those shock-absorbing butt plates on it. It shoots nice but is a tad bit "unforgiving".

 

If I had to do it again, I'd probably go with the 7mm-08. Its basically the same shell as the 243, just a bigger caliber.

[billrquimby]

It’s been said that 20 foot pounds of recoil energy is about the maximum an adult can shoot frequently without developing a flinch, and that most adults find 15 pounds of recoil to be their “comfortable” maximum limit. Some young people are comfortable with higher recoil levels than others, but if I were buying a young shooter his first rifle, I would try to keep the recoil energy to 12 pounds or less. This would rule out the .270, 7 mm RM, .308 Win., .30-06, etc. I cannot vouch for accuracy of the data below that I found on the internet, but it appears to me that a .257 Roberts, .25-06 or 7mm-08 Rem, all shooting 120-grain bullets, would be good choices for an elk gun for young people. Remember: recoil levels increase when rifle weight is decreased.

 

Bill Quimby

 

Cartridge, bullet, velocity............rifle weight lbs.....recoil ft. lbs

.243 Win. (95 gr. @ 3100 fps)............7.25..................11.0

.243 Win. (100 gr @ 2960 fps) .........7.50...................8.8

257 Roberts (100 gr @ 3000 fps).......7.50...................9.3

.257 Roberts (120 gr @ 2800 fps).....8.00.................10.7

.25-06 Rem. (100 gr @ 3230 fps)......8.00.................11.0

.25-06 Rem. (120 at 3000.................8.0...................12.5

7mm-08 Rem. (120 gr @ 3000 fps) ..7.50.................12.1

7mm-08 Rem. (140 gr @ 2860 fps)...8.00.................12.6

.308 Win. (150 gr @ 2800 fps)...........7.50.................15.8

.308 Win. (165 gr @ 2700 fps)...........7.50.................18.1

.308 Win. (180 gr @ 2610 fps) .........8.00.................17.5

[ruffcountry]

You might could kill somthin with 7-08 if you could find one with a bayonet attachment

[ctafoya]

Thanks for all the imput. Took him today to get sized up. Turns out a full size gun was the best fit for him. Got a Savage Edge in .308. He holds it up fine and its light, but not too light so it shouldn't kick too bad. I'll keep you posted how it works out for him.

 

Thanks again

[sjvcon]

You could always add a muzzle break on it for use on the range. It will cut down the recoil substantially. When you hunt, just pull it off and put on a thread protector. With the adrenaline surging, he won't feel a thing in the field, and with the break he won't develop a flinch on the range.