Need some Advice !

[cdup]

It's been awhile since I posted on here, hope all is well for everyone. My daughter has been coming deer hunting with me a few times over the past few yrs. I never forced her to take it up, i was hoping it was something she would decide on her own to try. Well don't you know, she's 10 yrs old now, and a few days ago she asked me if i would take her hunting more this year. I'm looking into purchasing her own rifle to make it more exciting for her, but i am trying to decide on cal.,and mod rifle for her. I leaning on the .243, or the 7mm-08 to keep the recoil down for her. I'm thinking about purchasing the rossi combo with the .243,20g,and .22 for her. Have her practice with the .22 and scope, then move her up to the .243. But i researched, and found they aren't accurate so i found the H&R .243 , and it seems to have good reviews. I never shot one of those combo's, or crack barrels, so i'm not sure how hard of a recoil they have. I don't want to ruin it for her.I would love to get the rossi for her cause of the practice with the 22, but scared of the inaccurate .243 barrel , and her crippling the first deer she trys to harvest. If anyone has any input that could help me decide on what route i should go with .... please feel free to respond., and thanks in advance!

[shuey270]

Rember you can buy reduced recoil shells for most calibers. When my son was 9 he shot a 6 point with a .308 that I loaded down{reloaded}. I had a Remington model 7 that a found a youth stock for 20.00, I refinshed it and it fit him well. Now he's 12 I put the full size stock back on and are shooting full house loads. Hope this helps alittle Good luck!!

[curtisgreen110683]

A good scope is what makes those Rossi's work well. Not a Walmart scope if you can pick up what I'm puttin down! A close friend of mine bought a combo for his little girl and the whole family loves it. What's good about the combo is you can hunt everything with it. It will also teach proper shot placement and controlled shooting being that there is only one shot to burn, which is something every young person should learn right off the bat. Like shuey270 says you can get lighter loaded rounds for her to get the feel for. I myself like the H&R break action rifles just because I have used them more, and you can interchange those barrels as well I believe. What one may consider is buying a T/C with an extra barrel for the daughter... Good luck and be safe out there...

[evaughan]

I would reccomend a Browning BAR in .243 or 7mm08. It is well known that semi's soak up recoil but IMO the BAR's are in a league of their own in this category. I bit heavy for your daughter to carry but probably the most shootable rifle on the market in terms of recoil.

[groundpounder]

I bought my daughter the 2 barrel combo(.22/.410) years ago when she turned 4 and it is a great little set up. I wish I knew they had the 3 barrel set ups back then! My daughter went a couple times with me last year and is wanting to go again this year. I'm debating over the .410 shotgun barrel on the Rossi or just letting her use our .250 savage. I know she can handle the .250 but I would also like her to get her first with "her" gun. She is 11 this year. My 8 year old daughter isn't showing much interest in hunting. Likes to eat them but not hunt them .

[BigHooks]

I bought my granddaughter a HR slug gun 20ga. she was 10 at the time they have them in youth also. She was fine with it put a good scope on it, at 130 yrds.was no problem with her but I have had her shooting for a good while now. She loves the little gun. Great gun for youths.......

[OkXbowHunter]

I would get her a 7mm-08. As she grows, she may want to hunt stuff a little bigger or tougher than Whitetail Deer. The 7mm-08 will be up to the task. Lots of people have taken hogs, elk, moose and bear with their 7-08's.

It can be loaded with light varmit bullets in the 100 grain range all the way up to the bone crushing 175 grain bullets (but you'll probably find that the 150 grain is enough for big boned critters).

Remington also makes a reduced load, or what they call Managed Recoil, load in 140 grain that will get the attention of any deer or hog you come across.

I'd choose the Remington Model 7 Youth if it were me. Get a gun designed for a youth, don't try to make a full size gun fit a small child. It can get ugly.

I'd also get her a bolt action .22 and forget about trying to have one gun do it all. I've had several "combo" guns and guns that take interchangeable barrels and I still prefer guns with non-removable barrels. The Rossi's and H&R's (or whatever they're calling this year) are notorious for having spotty accuracy.

[Crispy]

I cant remember wich make of gun it was(want to say savage, not sure), but one of them sells a rifle with the regular and a youth stock. Might have to do a little homework but I know its out there.

[raydaughety]

I started Tyler out at 5 years old with the Rossi .22/410 combo and he killed a many a squirrel with both barrels. At the age of 7, he passed his Hunter Safety Course and I found a great deal on a brand new Ruger M77 MKII Compact chambered in .243. He killed this buck on opening day of the NC rifle season.




He has since killed his fair share of deer with that little gun. That little gun is, well......"little" and fits him like a glove. I can't over emphasize how important it is for the gun to fit the child correctly and that the child isn't scared of the gun. That being said, if I had to do it all over again I would have bought the same Ruger but I would have got it .308. Remington now makes a 125gr "reduced recoil" .308 bullet. Deadly on whitetails and some larger game. Remember that if she is showing that much interest in hunting then the gun that you decide on should be one that she will cherish all the days of her life. Here's a picture of the Ruger but they can be purchased for around $550. Good luck with your choice.

http://www.ruger.com/products/m77Hawkey ... odels.html

[Limbs and Sticks]

I started 5 children on a 410 single shot bolt action Mossburg, this gun is still being passed around today to grandchildren, it has enough kick to make them aware of what it does if held to loose but not enough to make them gun shy, it may work for you?

Wes

[Cossack]

Above all shooting should be fun. I'd get a 22 and lots of ammo with which to learn shooting technique, shoot often. Then graduate to a .223 (where legal) or 243; or even a 7/08, if you know someone who could reduced loads for you. (Google "reduced loads 7/08") The latter is my caliber of choice for deer even though I load and shoot 16 chamberings. Avoid at all cost heavy recoiling guns (like a slug gun) kids may shoot it once or twice just to show how tough they are but invariably develop a flinch. I'm dealing with that personally- after a bow exploded- and watch my neighbor's kid struggle with accuracy using any firearm from recoil induced flinch.
Savage does indeed make a youth model with shorter stock and their Accu trigger is safest on the market.

[cdup]

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it! I just got off the phone with my wife's grandpa. He's a gun collector/gunsmith, he has a old remington model 788 in the .243 he said i can use to see if she likes it. If she does, he said he would take whatever offer i think it's worth. If i get it, i'll have to research a youth stock for it, or buy a full size,and cut one of them down for now.

[Riflemanz]

Go with the 788 and top it with a Nikon buckmasters 3x9 or go Leupold VX1 or rifleman 3x9.

[cdup]

I was told he has a scope on it already, and it groups 1 inch @ hundred yds... so i'll probably stick with it unless i see something i don't like about it when i try it. I won't let her shoot anything pass 80yds or so right now. So that scope should work fine.

[carvedtip]

If you do a little research you will find out that the Rem 788 is one of the best kept secrets when it comes to flat out needle threading accuracy due to the bolt lock up utilized on that model. It came out as a price product to give Remington an entry level rifle because the 700 ADL and BDL were considered expensive when compared to the competition during the years the 788 was manufactured. People soon learned that the 788 was just as accurate if not more so then the more expensive 700 series guns and the 788 was cannibalizing sales of the higher priced guns. Most speculate that Remington ended the production of the 788 for this reason. But it was later learned that the 788 was actually more expensive for Remington to make then the 700's so go figure.

The .243 is one of the best calibers in the 788 and you should be able to easily find additional clips for the rifle. The 788 is also on the small size especially in the carbine and fits the smaller hunter well.

At one time you could pick these guns up for around $150 to $200 less then the price of the 700's down here at the gun shows. But now when you see them on the tables they are carrying prices very close to the 700's as the old boys down here favor them as coyote guns that they can also use to deer hunt. The demand has driven up the prices.

I would jump all over that 788. It would be a great first rifle.