7mm WSM too big for 12 yr old son? 270 better?

[Sako7STW]

It is time to buy my son his first rifle. He is small, about 80 lbs. I found a really good buy on a Savage Weather Warrior in 7mm WSM. The gun super light weight which is what I think he needs for his small stature. I also found a .270 in a Ruger , wood stock & blued bbl.

With 140gr. Bullets, it looks the 2 are pretty close ballisticaly. I am thinking the 7 would better long term as we plan to hunt most every thing in N.A.. If I was to load it down some, do you think it could be manageable recoil wise?

 

[AJ Peacock]

If you are reloading, you should be able to load some 120gr bullets pretty light and it should be pretty mild. I think the 7mm will be a better choice because you have a much larger selection of bullets to choose from. If you use loads that have 15lb's or so of recoil, you should be fine. It is easier to download a smaller cartridge. If you get the Savage, you could invest in a second barrel and boltface adn he could do a lot of shooting and get used to the rifle (even just use it single shot). You could get a 223 barrel and boltface and he could shoot the heck out of it, then after he is really comfortable with the rifle, you could put the wsm barrel on with some light loads and work on up. You'll save the wear on the wsm barrel and it will pay for itself as it will be much cheaper to shoot and he can shoot more.

AJ

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

7mm wsm. No Brainer

 

[ZebDeming]

I'd definatly go with the 7 WSM, he'll grow into it, that is if he doesn't like it to begin with . I wish I would have bought my daughter something bigger for her first centerfire, I got her a stevens 200 in .223 when she was 9, kinda wish I would have gotten a .308 and reloaded light loads for her. But that gives us a project to do together, rebarrel it. You won't regret getting the WSM

Zeb

 

[flyin lizard]

I too would go 7 wsm. You can load it down to start with and also add a good recoil pad, kick-ezz or decellorater..I just the decell, on my 300 wsm and it makes a huge differance..

 

[kshunter]

I think the calibers are apples for apples since you reload. either one can be loaded down to a manageable level for him. I would recomend the savage over the ruger if it weighs less he will feel more comfortable handling the gun. my sister used a friends sendaro in 7-mag she is small framed and it worked well for her using front and rear rests because it was fairly heavy. My primary rifle I aquired when I was 14 is a savage 110 blued/ synthetic in 30-06. using 150 gr factory loads the recoil was about 25lbs. It was fairly painful to shoot at that age. However reducing the loads would have solved the problem for me at that age had I known how to reload then. I would highly recomend starting out with the lightest loads and bullets for the gun to practice with. It will help build your sons confidence and be a fun experience for him. hope this helps.

 

[walter351]

I own a 7mm wsm in a winchester rifle, and a .270 in a remington rifle. There is really no felt difference for me. I would go with the 7mm wsm as well.

 

[MN Hunter]

I am a MN Firearm safety instructor. The biggest problem I see is parents buying their kids guns that they will grow into. By that I mean size of the gun. They need to have one that fits them and that they can safely handle. Find a good used gun that fits him. Trade it off in a few years when he can handle a physically larger gun. Caliber is also important. Don't get a caliber that beats him up.

 

[blipelt]

+1 on growing into a rifle is bad.

My friends teach hunter ed. I have helped for more years than I can remember now parents bring their kids out to a private range on these peoples land to teach the kids how to shoot(shotgun and rifle). They will not stress enough the fit of the weapon and caliber that won't beat them up. Teach them good habits from the beginning and when the get older they won't have to try and break them like I had too(I definately heard the words "oh he will grow into it").


Brent

 

[Sako7STW]

He has already shot his Mom's 25-06 and did pretty well. He wasn't scared of it at all this year. I have no problem lopping the stock to get the proper LOP as any rifle will be too long, short of the youth rifles. The biggest problem with the youth rifles is using too small of a round for western big game hunting. .243 is a great deer and Antelope gun but I don't feel confident at all with it on Elk with a beginning shooter/hunter. 7mm-08, SLOW, Nahh no thanks.

We have thought about getting the 7mm WSM and then give him the choice between it and the 25-06 of his moms, since they are both lefty's. I personally wouldnt mind that as the 25-06 came from her Ex-husband and my boys bio-dad. It might be more special to him seeing how it has a connection to his Dad and it has already been a fight since the dad told him that the 25-06 was my sons gun and not his Mom's (not true). Yah, he is a real ***!

Anyways I personally wouldn't mind having both as then no matter what they hunt they have a gun that will work well.

How do you figure out Min loads as I know they can be just as dangers as loading hot if you go to far????

 

[FEENIX]

Both my boys started big game hunting with 6.5x55 at age 10 and handled them very well. However, their range time started with .22 at age 6. Good luck!

 

[AJ Peacock]

...

How do you figure out Min loads as I know they can be just as dangers as loading hot if you go to far????

The way I've always done it is to start at the book minimum and work my way down a little at a time. Run the loads over a chronograph and if they aren't consistent, then you are too light. Keep the neck tension pretty high (as this helps the pressure build). I like to use powders that fill the case as much as possible as well. I've had better luck using magnum primers with light loads.

Go to Hodgdon.com and look at their loads for the WSM, Their starting loads for th 120gr bullets will likely be very comfortable to shoot.

AJ

 

[baldhunter]

Out West,you certainly have a need for a hard hitting flat shooter.The 7WSM would not be a bad choice for that country.I don't know what kind of recoil pad the rifles have,but I recently bought a couple of rifles,Remingtons,with the Limbsaver R3 pads.One is a 270 and the other is a 300WSM.There is a little difference in felt recoil,but not really that much.I am impressed with this pad and I highly recommend it and something to consider if the rifle you choose has a hard pad.

 

[Sako7STW]

The way I've always done it is to start at the book minimum and work my way down a little at a time. Run the loads over a chronograph and if they aren't consistent, then you are too light. Keep the neck tension pretty high (as this helps the pressure build). I like to use powders that fill the case as much as possible as well. I've had better luck using magnum primers with light loads.

Go to Hodgdon.com and look at their loads for the WSM, Their starting loads for th 120gr bullets will likely be very comfortable to shoot.

AJ

Thanks AJ!