Youth caliber in muzzle brake rifle

[TheCougar]

I'm probably going to get the Kimber MA as part of a BHA lifetime membership. I only have two rifles right meow - a 7mm RM and a 243, both Tikkas. My son is about to turn 10 and my daughter will follow in a couple of years and I am preparing to be a "Daddy Guide". My kids are bean poles and I'm looking for ways to get them into deer to elk sized critters without tears. The Kimber MA has a muzzle brake, which I have heard does wonders at reducing recoil and helping control the muzzle at the shot - even taking it below my .243 in terms of felt recoil.

I'm looking for a good caliber for the kids and is a general purpose round that fills the gap between the 243 and 7mm. My priorities are: low recoil with a MB, cheap plentiful ammo, and a fairly flat shooting round with enough KE to kill an elk at 500 yards (for me, not the kids). I'm considering .270, 6.5, 7mm-08, 30-06, and .308. Based on the cost of the 6.5 and the 7mm-08 bullets, I'm leaning towards the other options. Any recommendations on a good caliber that meets the criteria and works with skinny 10 year-olds?

I have also heard MB destroy scopes - any truth to that? It will probably get my NF SHV scope mounted on it.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

They're all good. The cost for hunting ammo is usually similar. 6.5creed is gaining lots of popularity so I expect that to offer more affordable ammo as the years go by and its also the lightest recoil of the bunch mentioned. I like 7mm calibers a lot so I have a 7-08 destined for my kids and as a reloader I can tune down some loads if needed for them, I imagine with a break that would be an easy shooter. 270win has lots of ammo but actually will recoil harder than the 6.5 and 7-08.

Can they shoot the 243 okay as is? That might factor into whether a braked 30-06 is reasonable for them or still too stout.

 

[TheCougar]

They're all good. The cost for hunting ammo is usually similar. 6.5creed is gaining lots of popularity so I expect that to offer more affordable ammo as the years go by and its also the lightest recoil of the bunch mentioned. I like 7mm calibers a lot so I have a 7-08 destined for my kids and as a reloader I can tune down some loads if needed for them, I imagine with a break that would be an easy shooter. 270win has lots of ammo but actually will recoil harder than the 6.5 and 7-08.

Can they shoot the 243 okay as is? That might factor into whether a braked 30-06 is reasonable for them or still too stout.

I don’t know. I’m going to take my son shooting to see if he can handle 95gr factory in the 243. One of my issues is that I don’t know what a lightweight braked rifle equates to. Does a braked 270 equate to a 223 or a 243? I don’t have a frame of reference since I’ve never shot one.

 

[Beastmode]

“Don’t need more than a 6.5 Creedmore”. Haha we got one this year and so far loving it. Spot your own shots at any distance and if you do your part will take an elk out to 500. Don’t expect what you shoot to be DRT but they definitely won’t go far. We killed 3 deer with this gun last week. The two bucks ran roughly 75 yards and the doe was dead before she hit the ground. This is with a 130 grain VLD.


My boy is a little tall for his age but not by much. He weighs 60 lbs and is 7 years old and I am planning on letting him start shooting the 6.5 in the spring.

There are plenty ammo options for a 6.5 creedmore, it has long barrel life, recoil is very minor and is very fun to shoot. I got one for a cheap practice gun to that can still take game out to medium ranges and something that my kids can shoot. I would be cautious getting a light gun like the MA for the kids. While the light gun would be easy for them to pack, lighter guns extremely magnify poor form. It can be done with lots of practice but just be aware it could cause a miss in the heat of the moment on a first animal.

 

[Lawnboi]

Don't know how recoils shy your kids will be but I can help a little. Iv shot a 270 MA a number of times. While he muzzle brake helps, those light guns still pack a punch, IMO the kimber is not a gun I'd look for when getting something for someone shy of recoil. When shooting it I can't even spot hits, my 300 CA Mesa has less felt recoil when shooting back to back. Still not a lot of recoil but something to think about.

 

[Justin Crossley]

My son is 11 now and I started him with a .243 Tikka with an APA Micro Bastard brake. He also shoots a 7mm Tikka with the same brake and loves them both. Those little brakes do wonders for felt recoil.

Practicing at 730 yds.

 

[AK Troutbum]

My situation a few years ago sounds very similar to your situation right now. 3 1/2 years ago I purchased a Tikka T3 lite in 7mm-08 for my then 11-year-old son that was probably pretty similar in size to your son ( 4’ 7” and approx. 70 lbs). This was just a stock rifle (no muzzle brake), and I mounted a 3.5 –10x40 Leupold VX3 scope which brought the weight of the outfit to 7.2 lbs. He was able to handle that rifle without any issues whatsoever, and could easily shoot sub MOA with factory ammo. I took him on his first big game hunt later on that year (caribou), but we were unsuccessful. The following year at 4’ 9” and approx. 80 lbs., he had drawn a mountain goat tag, and feeling that the 7mm-08 was a bit on the light side for goats in brown bear country, I decided to have a muzzle brake put on my Kimber Montana .300WSM and have him use that rifle. After the modification, he was able to handle that (7.1 lb.), rifle equally as well as the Tikka, and went on to kill a mountain goat @ a little over 200 yards, and his first Sitka blacktail buck.
A couple months ago he killed his first moose with the 7mm-08, which helped ease any concerns I had regarding that calibers capabilities.
I also have a Kimber MA chambered in .270 Win. and I can vouch to the fact that the brake makes it very pleasurable to shoot.
Having said all that, if I were in your shoes, I would probably choose the 6.5 Creedmoore. Felt recoil will be considerably less than all of the rifles that I mentioned above, and the ballistics for that caliber are pretty impressive.
Anyway, that’s my .02, hope it helps.


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[TheCougar]

Thanks!

 

[5MilesBack]

I have a Ruger FTW Hawkeye rifle in 6.5 CM with a brake. I was really surprised at how much kick it still had with the brake. It feels like what I expected it to feel like without the brake, so have no idea what it kicks like without it. I think my Ruger American .270 kicks about the same, and it doesn't have a brake. But my 16yo daughter handles both of them easily. Last year she shot a deer at 375 yards with the 6.5.

 

[Cant hit em]

Im also looking for a rifle for a super small 11 yr old girl. Ive never looked into having a barrel threaded what is the going rate about to have one threaded ?


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[TheCougar]

I’ve seen about $250. I’m not sure if that includes the brake or if it is just the labor.

 

[luke moffat]

I’ve seen about $250. I’m not sure if that includes the brake or if it is just the labor.

That would be highway robbery!! My gunsmith charges me $50-$60 to thread my barrels.

 

[luke moffat]

One can do a lot worse than a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 creedmoor for a youth gun. Roughly $350-$400. Not overly heavy, but not super light either at 6.5 before optics. Comes factory threaded and the 2 I have personally shot both shot as good as my Tikka lites. Comes with picatinny rail from the factory as well so gives you a lot of options for ring choices.

Pick up a SWFA 6X42 during black friday for $260 or so and it may even come with rings. Be about 8 pounds all up and be into the setup around $600....and if you want to get a muzzle brake to thread on there just get one that you can time yourself like the APA little bastard gen 2 and you are set.

 

[micus]

my 8lb 300RUM has less felt recoil than my 7lb .243 with the T1 terminator brake.

I say put a micro bastard or terminator brake on the 06 and have the smith cut you out a thread cap as well. The kids can shoot it lots ( for cheap) and when they are older can remove the brake if they wish depending on the hunting conditions they are in and you have the upside of being able to kill... everything.

Mike.