Which youth rifle?

[spdrman]

Will you adopt me and take me hunting
I won’t talk back much and can afford to buy the gas!

Man, people have hunting buddies that aren’t mouthy and offer to help cover expenses?!? I might need to look into this

 

[crowlja]

The Thompson Center Encore was a great rifle for childern. I grew up with this rifle just getting different barrels as I got older. Starting out with the .243, progressing to .308 & .30-06, then .300WM.

I don't believe T/C still has this in current production, but I'm sure you can find them used with a couple different barrel options. None of my barrels were threaded, but a good gunsmith can help with that.

 

[JRS3]

The Thompson Center Encore was a great rifle for childern. I grew up with this rifle just getting different barrels as I got older. Starting out with the .243, progressing to .308 & .30-06, then .300WM.

That is good advice.

I have an Encore and have been kicking around the idea of having MGM build a threaded 6mm CM barrel for a youth setup.

 

[crowlja]

Man, people have hunting buddies that aren’t mouthy and offer to help cover expenses?!? I might need to look into this

 

[StupidLightweight]

The problem with the Encore route is threefold.

1. Receivers are discontinued and pricey.
2. Custom barrels cost as much as complete rifles.
3. You can't upgrade the design.

It was and is a clever firearm, but unless you’re already an owner, buying a TC single-shot now makes little sense.

 

[MarkOrtiz]

An economical option is the the Mossberg Patriot Bantams. Not high end but very functional.

That's what I went to after 22lr for my son. Patriot Bantam in 7mm-08. Doesn't kick much more than the 22 with 120 grain reduced recoil loads and can grow with them. Took a mule deer last year no problem with that load and you can load it up to heavier bullets for elk etc.

 

[mshp710]

We purchases a .243 with a muzzle break. Really loud, but no recoil.

 

[eric1115]

We purchases a .243 with a muzzle break. Really loud, but no recoil.

The more I see of kids with brakes, the more confident I get that they are a really bad solution. (I dislike them for myself and other adults as well, but with less intensity)

I see so many kids get beat up by the noise and the blast and develop as bad of a flinch as the ones with bare muzzle.

The solution as far as I'm concerned is a cartridge with less recoil, effective bullets in those cartridges, and suppressors if possible.

.223, 6mm ARC, and similar (.22 ARC if you want to be cool and new) are awesome kids cartridges with heavy for caliber match bullets. It's all my kids shoot, and the ones that started on these have way less baggage and bad habits than my oldest did when he was their age (I started him on what I used to think was a good "kid's gun," a 7mm-08 shooting 120's.

He's fixed a bunch of it, and a lot of that has to do with shooting more .223 this summer through his new Tikka than he did 7mm-08 in the 4 years before combined. Probably 800-1000 rounds through the .223 this summer.