Youth rifle to keep

ikeG

FNG
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Jan 25, 2022
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Looking at getting one of my daughters their first and forever gun. What's everyone's opinion on quality these days. Browning micro midas, ruger Hawkeye compact, savage 11 lady hunter, etc.

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You are going to get a lot of responses in favor of Tikka. I have a Browning Micro Midas.
 
A tikka compact in 7mm08 or 6.5 creedmoor would be a great forever rifle.

I have a 243. It’s short, light and accurate.

I forgot to mention the compacts do come with a spacer to extend the stock to full length.
 
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Some flavor in 6 creed, IMO. Choice of rifle is open these days with quality manufacturing. Some designs are better or more modular.
 
Sig Cross it’s light weight and lots of adjustability can grow with kid.
 
If you’re planning to get a forever rifle I’d get something that has a decent aftermarket and available prefit barrels so things can be easily adjusted later as necessary. The ability to swap stocks makes for easy birthday/Christmas presents down the road when they are ready to move up in size.

A compact tikka in 243 fits that bill and is a nice rifle for the long term.
 
Another vote for a Tikka. I have become a Tikka fan after first hand experience. Lots of options for caliber, compact or not, box fed or blind mag, wood-synthetic-laminated stock, synthetic stock just black or with a pattern, threaded or not….
 
Just starting to build one for my 6 year old. Bought a Tikka in .223. It'll get dropped in a KRG Echo stock as soon as they're released. If and when he decides he wants something else, we'll rebarrel to the caliber of his choice in a carbon barrel. Maybe at some point send it to UM for bolt fluting and lightening. That's as close to a custom rifle as he'll ever need.
 
Something else that just came to mind to consider would be the availability of a .22lr variant for low-cost practice. The Tikka T1x drops into T3x stocks/chassis and can uses the same factory parts used to adjust the stock fit. (note: stocks/chassis that were made prior to the introduction of the T1x sometimes require a small modification to work.) Bergara has one as well.
 
I wouldn't worry about it being her first and forever gun. Buy her something that fits, something she holds and handles good. If she keeps hunting and loves it, then invest the money later on the forever gun.
Based on you saying it's her first gun, I'm guessing she's around 12 years old, well my daughter grew about 16" from 12 to 15 years old, the gun that fit her right at 12 has zero chance of fitting her now, and she use to like the .223, not she likes the .270 because she's bigger and it doesn't have really any recoil for her anymore.
 
I wouldn't worry about it being her first and forever gun. Buy her something that fits, something she holds and handles good. If she keeps hunting and loves it, then invest the money later on the forever gun.
Based on you saying it's her first gun, I'm guessing she's around 12 years old, well my daughter grew about 16" from 12 to 15 years old, the gun that fit her right at 12 has zero chance of fitting her now, and she use to like the .223, not she likes the .270 because she's bigger and it doesn't have really any recoil for her anymore.
Wise words, and similar to my experience raising my son.
 
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