Kids rifle manifesto

[Nine Banger]

Here's a nice easy shooting load for kids we whipped together with some stuff we had laying around:

223 Remington:
55gr Sierra #1365
24gr Leverevolution
2.230" OAL

 

[Nine Banger]

 

[farmer14]

@Formidilosus is it unrealistic for a 9 year old to shoot a Tikka
6. 5 PRC suppressed? It’s either between that or a 6.5 Creedmoor. He needs to be able to shoot elk and I’ve always been a .30 caliber guy.

 

[eric1115]

@Formidilosus is it unrealistic for a 9 year old to shoot a Tikka
6. 5 PRC suppressed? It’s either between that or a 6.5 Creedmoor. He needs to be able to shoot elk and I’ve always been a .30 caliber guy.

I can't recommend strongly enough that the 6.5CM is already above what is ideal for a 9 year old, even suppressed, and is more than what is needed for elk especially at 9 year old shooting distance. 6.5PRC is absolutely a poorer choice, and if possible I would take a step down from the 6.5CM.

 

[RWT]

I can't recommend strongly enough that the 6.5CM is already above what is ideal for a 9 year old, even suppressed, and is more than what is needed for elk especially at 9 year old shooting distance. 6.5PRC is absolutely a poorer choice, and if possible I would take a step down from the 6.5CM.

Agree 100%. 6.5 Grendel or 6 ARC are the way for kids. Same big boy bullets and speed just less distance.

 

[WestMOhunter]

I can't recommend strongly enough that the 6.5CM is already above what is ideal for a 9 year old, even suppressed, and is more than what is needed for elk especially at 9 year old shooting distance. 6.5PRC is absolutely a poorer choice, and if possible I would take a step down from the 6.5CM.

Agree! My 8 yr old is bigger than most 10 yr olds. I have an 11# suppressed 6.5CM and I will not let him shoot it. Sure he could, but my 6.5 Grendel or 6 ARC are better choices. In fact we’re moving back to .223 w/ 73 ELDM for deer this year. His shots will be limited to 100 and he loves shooting it. That’s a recipe for success. I’m sure there are kids that are exceptions, but I think a 6.5CM would set my kid’s shooting back considerably.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

My 85# 9 year old has ~1000 rounds of 223 under his belt. And he is no where near ready for a suppressed 6.5 creed, much less a prc.

 

[wirehead]

Agree 100%. 6.5 Grendel or 6 ARC are the way for kids. Same big boy bullets and speed just less distance.

Page 2 has a lot of info.

Page 4 has a good video series that shows the difference in recoil of a few common youth cartridges. The recoil energy of the 243 is way too strong, in my opinion. Think about whether you would *want* to learn how to shoot with good form if that was the penalty. No way.

223 with gold dots, 77 TMKs, ELDMs., etc are just outstanding deer rounds.

 

[wirehead]

.243 with a 108

6mm ARC with a 108

.223 with a 77

Suppressor brought .243 to near unsuppressed ARC and brought ARC to near unsuppressed .223, I can upload those too if people want to see.

Here are the videos

 

[eric1115]

@Formidilosus is it unrealistic for a 9 year old to shoot a Tikka
6. 5 PRC suppressed? It’s either between that or a 6.5 Creedmoor. He needs to be able to shoot elk and I’ve always been a .30 caliber guy.

Just for a little more perspective, if your 9 year old is 100 lb and you are 200 lb, the high-teens recoil energy of a 6.5PRC accelerates him backwards with at least as much violence as a .338 Lapua moves you (high 30's recoil energy). Probably more, since a 9 year old usually carries more of their body weight in their head and in long skinny limbs vs mass in the chest/shoulders of an adult that actually absorbs/slows the recoil.

If you put a 9 year old's brain (emotional regulation, anticipation of an unpleasant event, focus, etc) in a 200lb man's body and put him behind a light weight .338LM, will he develop good shooting habits or bad ones?

 

[Jbuck]

I should stay away from this thread. Even though I have 3 boys I raised shooting and hunting. Currently they are 8, 12, and 22. I disagree with people who say there is only 1 way.

There are so many different variables that play into the "what caliber should I get" question. Going by shooter weight alone is over simplified. There are a lot more variables then that. Brakes, suppressor, stock LOP, recoil pad, grip to trigger distance, comb angle, etc. For some shooters its the concussion for others its the recoil that causes flinch.

Kids are extremely individualistic. My kids are all different in what they can handle. I always let them choose with my approval, of course. Both kids prefer the slightly heavier 6mmCM, 6.5cm over the Howa 6.5grendel I build for them. They say its harder to shoot. I don't really care as its just grab what you are comfortable with. So this year my 12yo and 8yo both hunted with a 6CM. My 12yo made a good shot on a decent muley, slightly quartering away. Bullet struck about the 5th rib forward and midline. Impact velocity was just under 2300fps with a eldx 103gr. Deer staggered and went down. Ended up running off when we got close. There was decent blood, bright red frothy, where he bedded. Horrible experience that we never recovered him. Searched for hours well into the night with flashlights and back the next day.

The next opportunity he used my 7prc, which is overkill I know, but he has shot it enough to be comfortable with it. Its about 13lbs total. He made a 545yd shot taking the top of the heart off and lungs out.

I guess the point is take your kid out and see how they do. It's not wrong to start small and work up. Watch them and let them tell you what they can handle.

 

[big217boy]

My 9yr old put a big doe down on Saturday with a T3X Compact .223, 16.5” barrel suppressed. Bullet was a Remington Premier Accutip 55gr. Shot was 115yds right behind the front shoulder and she was down in 40 yards. He’s 3 for 3 with this setup and can see him using this combo for yrs to come.

I know it’s not always possible due to weight but the Bogpod Deathgrip is an awesome tripod for kids. The stability it provides removes a few variables and allows him to focus on the shot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jbuck]

Using a tripod has been a huge gamechanger for the boys.

 

[Jbuck]

This is where we hunted this year for mule deer. Depending on cover and wind direction and where the deer came from it might be able to close the distance or not. Had one we tried to close from 370yds to 130yds, while we were moving out of sight he disappeared. So there are several variables that come into play with caliber selection. Hunting timber in the PNW where 100yds is a long shot a good 223 would be nice.