Overthinking kids first rifle; .223 or bigger is better

[hereinaz]

A Howa Mini in .223 is a nicely sized rifle for kids. And, they get to learn how to run the bolt at the same time.

 

[gbflyer]

Going through this right now and I would say consider the kids size and personality that's going to be shooting it. Borrow a friend's rifle in different caliber and let the kid try it.

I bought a cva hunter in 243. I have 3 boys shooting it ages 11, 10 and 8 all hunting for the first time this year with it. All three kids are small for thier age. Doesn't seem to be a problem for the younger 2. The oldest is recoil shy. He had an opportunity to kill a buck and didn't want to squeeze the trigger because of the kick. Same day my 10 year old put a perfect shot on a doe at 80 yards.

I may be borrowing a friend's 223 to let him get some more range time. And see if it's more manageable for him.

This is true. I’ve said it here before…built my youngest son a sweet custom 6.5 Creed with a spacer system to grow into. He liked the Rossi lever gun .357 mag better

 

[Bert01]

I just started my 9 yo daughter on a 223 bolt this year. Silenced and a cut down Tupperware stock that I painted pink for her, she shot her first deer Saturday at 150yds. Go with the 223 so that they will shoot it. Getting them shooting and not scared of it or the recoil is key. Once they can shoot, either see how they do with 223 or borrow a larger caliber for them to try.

 

[goalie]

I have had great luck with the neighbor kids shooting my recently acquired Ruger American Ranch gen2 in 5.56. It takes about a minute to switch the stock from "adult" to "T-Rex arms" and has almost no recoil or blast suppressed.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I feel like a bot because of how often I drop this link into kids rifle threads, but it is worth reading if you haven't yet. And then read the .223 for everything thread to quash any doubts about with it can do with the right ammo.

E

Thread 'Kids rifle manifesto'

Feb 24, 2024

I've chimed in on so many different "what rifle for my age XX kid?" threads that I thought I'd try to consolidate my thoughts here.

My oldest son is 14 now, started shooting centerfire rifles at 9. My younger kids started shooting centerfire rifles at between 5-7 yrs old. 5 kids shooting now, and a bunch of their friends that I have been involved or around as they learn to shoot. probably 20-ish kids? Here's what I've learned in the last 5-6 years.

Recoil matters, a lot. "Handles it pretty well" is way way different from "ideal for building skills as a rifleman." My oldest loves to...

• eric1115
• Replies: 237
• Forum: Firearms

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We need a bot to do this, it's tiring linking the same thing 5x a week

 

[SloppyJ]

I was in your shoes and I started mine off with a 16" Tikka 223. If I could do it all over again, I'd do the same exact thing. I had the same thoughts as you and was talked out of it. The comfort level my son was able to build with that rifle was amazing. Bonus, it doubles as a really sweet truck gun. Another big factor is that we only shoot suppressed. The report from an unsuppressed rifle might be worse than the recoil for the little ones in my opinion.

 

[Remington1]

Started my boys and grandson with a Tikka compact 7-08. Downloaded the 120gn sst bullets to reduce recoil. Tikka compact now has short LOP but comes with a spacer so when they get bigger you can lengthen it to 13.5”.

 

[wind gypsy]

I cant help but like the idea of a 6 ARC better than 223 but 223 is probably the right answer.