I need help with a gun issue.

[pc farmer]

X3 or x4 on the Ruger 10/22.  Nothing wrong with starting into hunting small game with a .22LR.   And it's a gun he will likely own the rest of his life.  I still have the one I bought with the money from my first working summer while school was out (way back when the 10/22 first came out and when dinosaurs roamed the open plains).   No you can't hunt deer with a 22LR, but you can teach a lot of accuracy skills with a very inexpensive cartridge and still start to move into hunting small game.  This also gives chance to teach field dressing and food prep of the harvested meat for the table.  Then move him up to a center fire rifle once he has shown the skills and continued interest.   And if he tires of the 10/22 they hold their resale value like gold.

Very well put. Have me thinking now.

 

[chopsaw]

Ok. I should have posted better. I need a bolt or pump action in a .223 or similar caliper to hunt with next year.

Thanks for the comments so far.

If you are talking deer hunting , I think .223 is to small ,  from a humane point of view . Just my opinion . 

You can buy entry level hunting setups in .270 bolt action , that come with two stocks . One youth , one adult to switch over as they grow . 

However , might think about a nice .22 bolt to get him used to it . 

 

[pc farmer]

If you are talking deer hunting , I think .223 is to small ,  from a humane point of view . Just my opinion . 

You can buy entry level hunting setups in .270 bolt action , that come with two stocks . One youth , one adult to switch over as they grow . 
However , might think about a nice .22 bolt to get him used to it . 

.270 is to big of a caliper for him. To much kick for a 8 year old. Don't want to scare him with it .

I have killed a couple hundred deer with a .22 hornet.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Other than not being able to find ammo as ya say... If that changes, I'd suggest a .243 when its time for his hunting rifle ! My daughter loves her Savage .243 !

That being said, I think the .223 option is great... There's a site we got my daughters .243 on a great deal ! The deals change all the time, but...If your interested, let me know !

 

[LanceR]

As a longtime professional marksmanship instructor including quite a few years of youth instructing I'm a big fan of a good pellet rifle or .22 as a training aid, especially the pellet rifle.  The rifle wants to have a good adjustable sight that has accurate click adjustments so that results are repeatable if any sight changes are made.  The advantages of the pellet rifle are greatly reduced danger zone, noise and cost.  You can fill a cardboard box with newspaper and shoot in the basement if you want.

Linked below are a two articles that may help you decide on an appropriate big game rifle.  A properly dimensioned stock and managed (AKA reduced) recoil loads usually make a great starting point.  The third article will help if you reload,  Yes, I wrote that one but I've been told that it actually makes sense.....

Gary Zinn's article on "Youth" rifles:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/youth_bolt_rifles.html

Chuck Hawk's article on some brands of managed recoil loads (there are more brands out there)

http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_fusion_lite_managed_recoil.htm

And for the reloaders out there:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/reduced_recoil_H4895.htm

In the "For what it's worth" category, I have used the .223 with success for deer but I don't think I'd recommend it for a beginner.  I only use it at closer ranges when noise is a concern and with heavy for caliber Barnes TSX bullets.   (The People's Republic of New York does not allow the use of suppressors).

In generally my belief is that making bigger holes is generally better.  For example, a reduced recoil 7mm-08 bullet will make a hole a third larger than the area of a hole made by a .223.  That's a lot of effectiveness to give up if the recoil is kept manageable and the advantage gets larger as the bullet expands and the wound cavity gets larger.

Lastly, I'm one of the folks who thinks most hunters, especially in the east, have rifle scopes of too much magnification.  The 3-9 power scope is by far the most popular rifle scope on the market for 3-4 decades but as the magnification goes up the field of view (FOV) goes down and the apparent wobble as seen through the scope gets larger. 

A reduced FOV makes it harder to get on target in some cases but, more importantly, reduces the shooters situational awareness.  As we all strive to teach new hunters to always be sure of their target and beyond the reduced FOV is somewhat self defeating in that it makes clearing the area beyond the target significantly more difficult. 

Lastly, we all need to strive to reduce our wobble and then accept it when it gets to a manageable level.  Higher magnifications have the effect of magnifying the apparent wobble and tend to increase issues such as snatching the trigger as the crosshairs wander past the desired point of aim.

If your farm is like ours I suspect that a scope in the 2-6 or 2-7 power range would work well.  My "go to" deer and bear rifle is a .308 that wears a 1.5-6 scope and almost never gets set over 2x. 

All of this is of course my opinion so your mileage may vary.  I'm glad you are getting the lad out and about and wish you both the best of both luck and memories.

Lance

 

[mossymo]

Can't hunt with a semi here. Thanks thou

I understand. Noticing many replies after do not acknowledge the caliber you asked for...

 

[chef jimmyj]

Marlin 336 Youth Model...Lever Action 30-30, will take Deer all day long. Under $400...JJ

These too... http://www.wideopenspaces.com/top-5-youth-hunting-rifles-deer-hunting-pics/

 

[LanceR]

And for shotguns Mossberg makes a line of youth guns in 20 or 12 gauge that have shorter length of pull with spacers for the future and a special fore end that wraps around the receiver some so that the reach to the fore end is shorter.  They used to to ship with a coupon for a discount on the standard stock set as the shooter grew although I don't know if they still do.

Quite a few years ago we bought a youth Mossberg 500 Youth in 20 gauge that was passed around the neighborhood for years and helped teach a heap of youngsters after our six were done with it.  I wonder where that gun is now.  Id like to have it back for the grandkids......

Lance

 

[bkleinsmid]

Try gunbroker.com to see a huge variety of .223's.

Over the years I have bought 8 guns and sold two with them.

Brad

 

[smokesontuesday]

Going to pile on with everyone else that a .22 is the go to for a starter rifle. 98% of what you can teach him with a .22 will apply to any other caliber he ends up using as he gets older. It's also a low cost way of getting into shooting. 

I actually learned to shoot 30 years ago with a Marlin Model 60 (same model all my cousins and siblings learned to shoot with because my grandfather liked Marlin) that I still own. It's my go to plinking gun when we all get together and want to shoot targets.

Sentimentality aside I've owned several Ruger 10/22s and they're great guns. When I look to get Connor a .22 in a year or two it'll either be a Ruger 10/22 or a Marlin Model 60. They've both been in production for over 50 years for a reason so It'll just depend on which fits him better.

 

[string1946]

My suggestion is get a basic Ruger 10/22 and then order a Blackhawk Axiom 10/22 stock. The rifle is bulletproof and will  last several lifetimes. The stock will only cost about $70 and it has a adjustable stock like a M4 AR carbine so it can be adjusted as your son grows and if you want to  later you can put the rifle back  in the factory stock.

 

[boardpuller]

A Gunsmith can cut a stock down to size, we took 4" off a M1 for my wife to compete in CMP matches

 

[mowin]

Ruger American. Great rifle. I do believe they have a youth model.

Savage model 11. Acutrigger, and comes with Nikon optics.

 

[pc farmer]

Ruger American. Great rifle. I do believe they have a youth model.

Savage model 11. Acutrigger, and comes with Nikon optics.

These are the 2 that I am looking at.

 

[Bearcarver]

Hi Adam,

This may not be what you're thinking about, but I'll tell you what my first weapon was, after my BB gun.

I started at 12 years old with a Savage Model 24 DL. It was a 24" barrel, 20 GA Shotgun with a .22 Cal Rifle barrel above.

I've had many Shotguns since, but that little thing has always been my favorite Rabbit brush gun, because of the short barrel, and I was always comfortable with the way a Hammer type gun works.

No good for deer, but I didn't go for Deer until I was 15.

Note: I just saw a used one on a search for $650.  Mine cost $59 in !961.

Bear

 

[big t bbq]

Savage makes youth model rifles that are very reasonably priced. I have bought all of my kids the Savage Axis .243 youth rifles. They even fit my petite 10 year old daughter just fine, they are very accurate and come in other calibers as well. All of the rifles I bought come with a gift card for 50% off a full size stock, so the rifle can grow with the kids. I highly recommend them.

 

[driedstick]

Savage makes youth model rifles that are very reasonably priced. I have bought all of my kids the Savage Axis .243 youth rifles. They even fit my petite 10 year old daughter just fine, they are very accurate and come in other calibers as well. All of the rifles I bought come with a gift card for 50% off a full size stock, so the rifle can grow with the kids. I highly recommend them.

Yep - 243 Youth is a great gun.  

 

[mowin]

These are the 2 that I am looking at.

Both are great choices.
Might want to concider a 7mm 08.
Great cartridge.

 

[GaryHibbert]

For a one shot kill on a deer with almost no recoil, i swear by a 6.5x55 Swedish. Not all that easy to get a variety of ammo, but its a very flat shooting round. Miss Linda isn't very big & hates recoil, but is happy shooting my deer gun.

Gary

 

[weev]

When my boys were little I bought them a rossi it is a single shot but it has a short stock and it comes with different barrels the one I got was a 22 243 and 20 gauge. My son is now 22 and still uses the 20 gauge for rabbit hunting. The barrels change in about 2 min very easy to do
Being a single shot also teaches them the importance of shot placement