Question for my 12 year old shooting buddy!

nelson · #1 07-24-2006, 01:03 AM

I recently became aquainted with a young kid that had been hanging around the gun store and local shooting range. I got talking to his mom one day and found out that his dad had been incarcerated 2 years previous for driving under the influence, manslaughter etc.. Anyway I have a soft spot for young kids that like shooting, I guess they remind me of myself. So I have been coaching him a bit, helped him pick out a 22 (which he saved the money for himself) showed him some reloading basics let him seriously warm up the barrels on my centerfire stuff etc. Heck this kid put a box of 3.5" mags through my 870 and loved it and he can't weigh more than 120 lbs, he just loves to shoot. This weekend he said he really want's to go whitetail hunting so I said he could come with me and my inlaws. I do have a slight dilema he want's to buy his own hunting rig but his right eye is defective from birth so he can't use a scope unless he uses his left eye. He shoot's right handed and even with my heavy barrel 308 and light loads it was smacking his face pretty good because of the way he sets his head down to shoot. I am a certified pistol coach and I have had kids that shoot right handed left eye no problem but I am thinking I should try and get him to learn to shoot left handed? What do you guys think, He has an 800 dollar budget to pick up a rifle and optics. We have decided on a .243 because he can use it as a varmit gun also. What low dollar rifles do you guys reccomend he is quite tall so a youth model is not a neccesity does the stevens rifle come in left hand or has anybody tried the low dollar Mossberg bolt action Thanks

Eaglet · #2 07-24-2006, 03:13 AM

Varmicide,
243 is a good choice that's what I got for a couple of my youngsters, latter I learned I could have made a better choice by getting a 308 Winch., now they want to go Elk hunting, they know their 243 isn't quite up to it in spite of the many elks that have been taken with a 243. So... now they want to use dad's gun. A 308 Win can do everything a 243 can and more, much more. A savage rifle would be hard to beat!
Yes! He has to learn to shoot left handed.
Good luck and blessings to you for what you’re doing for the young man!

biff's reloading · #3 07-24-2006, 12:38 PM

definately go for the 243. if he cant shoot it left handed for some reason, he will be able to shoot it right side with the left eye as he's been doing. it isnt correct, but i know of a few people who do it that way, and although they look pretty funny, they hit what the aim at.....

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

the 308 cannot do everything the 243 can.... nor can the 243 do everything the 308 can. but the 243 will be a much better rifle for him to have. the savage or browning in right hand are almost ambidextrous because of the tang safety and either are close to the price range. the 12bvss may be the ticket for him. very acurate, accutrigger, and can be had in the 500's for a nice 26" barreled rifle.

thankyou for taking him under ur wing...... thats a great thing u did, otherwise he may end up in the cell by his dad....

Meister · #4 07-24-2006, 02:16 PM

Varmicide, It's a great thing you are doing! I'm inclined to agree that the 308 has it's advantages. Cheap surplus ammo is available, the barrel will last forever and there are more numerable components. If I had a choice of rifle to keep forever for 800 I would pick a Remington PSS, but since optics are included in that price the savage is unbeatable for the money.

My father had the same affliction, right handed, almost blind in his right eye. He tried to do the same thing as your protege. It didn't work well for him so he went with left handed rifles. If the youngster learns now he will do well.

It's kinda funny, I'm going to have to buy 2 of every rifle in the future. My 4 year old is right handed, 1 year old is a southpaw. I can tell that the youngest is the shooter! My friends say the same thing.

lovdasnow · #5 07-24-2006, 02:42 PM

just wanted to say thanks for mentoring that kid. good stuff!
and of course...gotta love the .243's

screech · #6 07-24-2006, 03:36 PM

Thanks Varmicide, Being a young fello in high school myself I have had some personal friends get into trouble because of actions they did because of the lack of things to do in a small town. All of them aren't hunters. The ones around here that are hunters and fisherman seem to have a pretty good reputation for being fairly responsible and mello. Thanks for bringing out a young kid. It will help him alot throughout high school and I'm sure his life. One of my favorite rifles is my 243. so I would say go for it. I've taught alot of my friends how to shoot with a 243 or a 22-250 and they all fell in love with shooting and ground squirle hunting at least. Thanks again.

RBrowning · #7 07-24-2006, 05:33 PM

I am in the same boat, with a defective right eye, but otherwise right handed. Fortunately I was taught to shoot long guns and archery LH, but I do shoot pistol RH. PLEASE get him shooting with his left hand. Yes, it will seem akward at first, but that is only because he has been doing it wrong from the get-go. Shooting a RH gun LH is not a big deal, unless it is a flintlock. Actually there is an advantage in shooting a RH rifle LH from the prone or bench, reloading is easier. But please don't let him continue trying to shoot right handed with his left eye, you are just asking for either a face or neck injury.