Overthinking kids first rifle; .223 or bigger is better

[LongWayAround]

I don't have kids, but I would advocate for giving them the smallest amount of recoil available.

Last weekend I watched a small kid just getting hammered by recoil at a bench while three grown men provided "instruction". Poor little dude looked like a crash test dummy. I can't imagine standing next to that and thinking it looked alright.

I could just picture his old man saying "my boy handles the *** just fine."

Meanwhile my buddy and I are banging away with our little .223s.

 

[Kaleb]

I was started wrong and so were all of my friends. Kids are little but grow fast. To each their own but a small 7(or whatever) year old doesn't have to be able to slay big game if a youth stocked or factory chopped 223 is still too big for them. It will fit next year. Set them up with a decent 22 then swap over to the same in 223. Going too fast because of our egos will do more harm than good.

 

[roadrunner]

What bullets did you try in the .223? It is super effective with the right bullets but can def be underwhelming with the wrong ones. 77TMK'S produce more tissue damage than any .350 legend loading I'm aware of (disclaimer, I've never personally used .350 legend, but know guys that have and I have seen quite a few photos of .350L wound channels).

This is the inherent problem in grandstanding a .223. Unless you use the "right combination", it can be less than ideal and/or adequate....

Someone once made a post on a similar thread that spoke to how well their young son shoots a small suppressed caliber and then provided the photo "evidence" of three shots placed within inches of each other on a small bull behind the shoulder.

Question: why were 3 shots necessary?

 

[257WM]

Both mine started with .260 at the age of 8 or so. They still hunt with them.

 

[Kaleb]

This is the inherent problem in grandstanding a .223. Unless you use the "right combination", it can be less than ideal and/or adequate....

Someone once made a post on a similar thread that spoke to how well their young son shoots a small suppressed caliber and then provided the photo "evidence" of three shots placed within inches of each other on a small bull behind the shoulder.

Question: why were 3 shots necessary?

I think it speaks volumes to the point that all 3 were accomplished. Would you rather your kid be able to put 3 in the lungs and enjoy shooting or holding on tight and hitting once but only shooting because they have to?

I told this story again today. 10-11 years ago I was shooting with my nephew. He was shooting my old 6cm on plates out through the field. He kept shooting and asking if he could shoot one more time. Not is that good enough. Everyone needs to shoot something they want to keep shooting one more time. If that's a 223 or 300. If you love shooting it and want to shoot it over and over let er rip. Most people don't keep shooting boomers like they do more comfortable chambering. The boomer part can be different for different people. A 200 pound man will probably feel recoil differently than a 90 pound kid. Then again we all know the guy who is 46 years old stands 5'8 and a half who drives a jacked up diesel and only shoots a magnum cartridge.

 

[goathunter]

Lefty is tough unless you put together something semi-custom. I was just shopping factory rifles, and couldn't find a fast twist 243 in left-hand compact - or 6CM at all for that matter. I went 6.5 CM with a suppressor and heavy barrel for my kid and it was a great success. Hand-load a light range load. No problems with recoil. Now he has a gun he won't grow out of. Elk is on the horizon for us though, if it were just deer and targets tough saying what I would have gone with.

 

[wind gypsy]

Good off the shelf hunting ammo, you can spend $2/round for Black Hills if you don't shop smart. There are options around $1/round (Bone Frog, AAC when they get back into production).

The big deal though, is you can get some good practice ammo like ADI or AAC 77OTM for well under $1 per round. Shoot buckets of that all year, then switch to the 77 TMK a month or two before hunting seasons start.

Cheap 6mm ARC is around $1.25 per, and what I prefer for hunting is more like $1.50-1.75. I do very much like 6ARC and own one, but if I had to get rid of that or the .223 bolt gun it would definitely be the .223 that stays.

Civilian Marksmanship Program eStore

shop.thecmp.org

Less than $1/ea 77 TMK ammo. Edit: no idea when they’ll actually ship. Ordered some a week ago and haven’t seen anything..

 

[Mtncowboy]

My son started with a BB gun, then a 22, then a 223, and at ten years old started shooting a 6arc and I wouldn’t change a thing!

 

[Cmf88]

Civilian Marksmanship Program eStore

shop.thecmp.org

Less than $1/ea 77 TMK ammo. Edit: no idea when they’ll actually ship. Ordered some a week ago and haven’t seen anything..

Did you ever get your ammo?

 

[rkcdvm]

My first rifle was a marlin 336 in 35 Remington. I think I was about 10 . .223 should be no problem.
Or a 22-250

 

[FredH]

Suppressor will do more than lighter recoil. It’s mostly the noise and concussive blast. The blast wave does a number on some people’s autonomous nervous system. And, it is real.

I have seen “recoil” sensitive people handle a suppressed magnum better than an AR in .223 even though the magnum still recoiled more.

An AR with a muzzle break and a 16" barrel is pretty loud. Changing it out for a linear compensator is a big improvement. Teaching them to use ear protection is very important.

 

[30338]

Just grab a good quality suppressor early on. So much better.

 

[cbk215]

223 with a good bullet is deer medicine within reasonable distance is deer medicine and with ammo being cheap you should practice a lot.

 

[Publiclandorbust]

I opted for a 300 blackout begara stoke. Shooting suppressed has minimal recoil and noise. No worries about kids becoming gun shy. You have a heavier bullet than a 223. The rifle took three deer in 3 shots this season with Barnes tac-tx bullets. The kids love it.

 

[DosAmigos]

Started both boys with a 22 at like 6 years old and after a year they went into a 22-250. Both the boys now shoot anything in the safe from 300prc down to 22Creed.

 

[Brock63]

I went through this for my grandson...9yrs old. I wanted something accurate but also that he could shoot through highschool and he starts buying his own rifles/shotguns. I thought about 243 and while awesome round for whitetail...I do think a little light in some instances. Some told me .223 and yes is good for kids and yes I have shot deer during summer hunts for crop damage....not ideal either. So then thought about the new 6mm and 6.5mm wonder cartridges LOL. I have a 6.5 PRC but that is more of a magnum 6.5 and might as well get a 25-06 to be honest. Looked at a couple 25-06 rifles and liked them... then remembered my late father had a 7mm-08 so borrowed last year and got a box of the Hornady Lite Custom low recoil loads for whitetail deer...think are 120gr. It was the ticket....
Father passed and mother demanded all the firearms my father gave me back and after some back and forth....took them all back to her and went out and bought grandson Savage 110 Storm in 7mm-08. Couple reasons for rifle and round. For rifle, has adjustable trigger and adjustable stock....so can set it up to fit him fairly well now as young boy and when he continues to grow we can add and remove length of pull and comb height to fit his growth. Also, is stainless barrel and action out of their proven 110 action. The caliber is common and based on .308 case...in a 7mm bullet that has a lot of choices and he can use it for whitetail and hogs here in east....and black bears, mule deer, antelope, etc as he grows and expands his hunting.
My thought was a gun he can master and use throughout his life....and the 7mm-08 can grow with him as he matures into full power loads and heavier bullet weights.
Good or bad, I settled with Savage 110 Storm in 7mm-08 and he will be using the Hornady Lite 120gr SST cartridge this coming year and move into maybe 140gr for next year depending on how his shooting does over summer.
Good luck.