Looking at getting my 11 year old his own rifle.

[Lowg08]

My first rifle was a model 70 30/06. Still have it. Not gonna do that to them yet. Ha

I killed my first deer with Remington 700 30/06. I wouldn’t do that either. Dad caught me rocked back in my seat.

 

[HunterGatherer]

I got an adjustable rifle (SIG Cross) so that I can adjust it for the kids as they grow, but also still be able to shoot it myself.

 

[hickswr]

So my boys have been shooting since birth. Ha. They shoot mostly with my 223 bolt gun or a 223 AR. Both have killed deer and hunted with me alot

This is me buying them their first rifle for themselves.

Semi autos have a few drawbacks for me with a kid. No matter how much you teach them kids can and will make mistakes. Having something that a second trigger pull could kills someone is not a good thing for that age imo. It’s fine when I am there. But my 11 year old will be hunting his own stands soon. Going on hunts with friends and family. A bolt action is better there

Agree

Plus it’s extremely hard or impossible to silently load and unload an AR while hunting. Assuming one hunts from an elevated position and unloads and loads the rifle upon entry and exit. I’m sure there are guys out there that climb into stands with loaded ARs b/c they are reluctant to unload them due to the noise it makes.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Agree

Plus it’s extremely hard or impossible to silently load and unload an AR while hunting. Assuming one hunts from an elevated position and unloads and loads the rifle upon entry and exit. I’m sure there are guys out there that climb into stands with loaded ARs b/c they are reluctant to unload them due to the noise it makes.

Cocked, locked and ready to rock Doc!

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I’ve got my sun setup on a RA gen 2 ranch in 5.56. Short barrel, easy to drop LOP on the stock (which isn’t great….) and suppressed. He loves it, much easier to shoot than a 6.5CM. Apart from fit and reducing recoil, mounting an optic that’s easy to get behind makes a difference. It isn’t super light and isn’t super heavy, so getting some practice to help manipulate the rifle is possible.

One thing I’ve come to prefer with the Ruger Americans (bolt lift can be tough) is their 3-pos safety and its location. Makes the weapon easier to use and clear for him.

 

[Stango424]

I haven’t seen it mentioned yet but 6 arc is pretty versatile with hardly any recoil. I’ve got it in bolt and ar platforms. It takes tikka away as an option but the RA Gen 2 has been great for me. I like it better than the savage varieties I’ve shot. You can also reload fairly cheap once you’re invested in brass.

 

[omicron1792]

Pulled the trigger on the tikka roughtech ranch 223.

16”. Already threaded. Already has bonded rail on receiver. Cerakoted barrel (I think). Extra grip on stock should be good for the boys.

We night hunt a lot so rail has easier options for switching to thermal than mounting scope directly to receiver.

Thanks for all the input. Been super cool buying a gun for my boys.

 

[Esperanza]

Nothing wrong with a .223. Depending on how much he’ll hunt and what he’ll go after, it might be worth stepping up to something that gives him more options down the road.

One other thought. I don’t think you need to go with a short or compact version at his age. He’ll outgrow it quickly, and at eleven he should be able to handle a standard-length rifle.

For what it’s worth, when my son was eight I started him on a suppressed .243. By nine he was shooting my suppressed .300 Win Mag and he’s been using it ever since. It was a little long for him at first, but he handled it fine and he’s taken several nilgai and deer with that setup.

 

[SloppyJ]

Went through this same thing and I ended up getting a Tikka Compact 223, cutting it to 16" and threading it. It has a DD Wolfhunter on it and is fed a diet of 77tmks over varget. It has killed everything that it's ever been pointed at. My son started shooting this at 7yo and after one year he could ring 200yd steel off the bench by himself. There's no better option out there.

Here in a couple years, that rifle will go to his brother and then he will get something ever so slightly larger. Maybe a 6 creed if Tikka will get off their ass and start making them.

 

[liv3mind]

I haven’t seen it mentioned yet but 6 arc is pretty versatile with hardly any recoil. I’ve got it in bolt and ar platforms. It takes tikka away as an option but the RA Gen 2 has been great for me. I like it better than the savage varieties I’ve shot. You can also reload fairly cheap once you’re invested in brass.

Can confirm this as well. I have one gas and one RA gen2, fantastic round, I have moved from reloading 223/308 to 223/6arc.

 

[liv3mind]

Pulled the trigger on the tikka roughtech ranch 223.

16”. Already threaded. Already has bonded rail on receiver. Cerakoted barrel (I think). Extra grip on stock should be good for the boys.

We night hunt a lot so rail has easier options for switching to thermal than mounting scope directly to receiver.

Thanks for all the input. Been super cool buying a gun for my boys.

Awesome 223 will serve y'all well!