Youth rifle (and maybe book) suggestions

[gjk5]

I will be taking my daughter on her first hunt this year. We will likely go on a whitetail hunt on a lease near Llano TX and almost certainly a doe management hunt on private land here (below the Grand Mesa if it matters).

She has her own .22 and .410 and has shot my .223's, but honestly I have never shot any of the smaller centerfire chamberings other than .223 and .25-06. She is 8 and is learning to use a scope but the huge majority of her shooting has been with irons (or occasional red dot). She has never shot with a scope other than on my LeadSled.

I have a couple of .223's, but neither is appropriate (Stag M4 and a Rock River Varminter). I have a Wby .25-06 but I think that is too much cartridge for her size and I am certainly not monkeying with the stock on it!


I am leaning toward .243 but have no idea of what actual felt recoil is like. Would probably put a Viper 3-9x on it, I have had good experience with them and have a friend who is a dealer.

I am willing to spend a little coin on the rifle as it SHOULD suit her for years and my 6 year old daughter will be ready to hunt in a couple of years too.

I don't want a crappy Rossi break action or bottom end Savage like most people buy their kids though.

I grew up shooting and am a decent shooter but I am sure I have bad habits to break and do not want to teach her any, plus I just bought a Wby AccuMark .30-378 so it would not hurt for me to hone my skills some, a good rifle shooting book would be probably not be a bad thing.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[barnesuser28]

Will it be used just for deer?

 

[gjk5]

Deer, maybe javelina and hogs (I'll keep her on little pigs) and who knows; could be some yotes or p-dogs. (but for the latter two I can put her prone with my Varminter)

When it comes time for her to hunt elk (or a true muley buck hunt) I think she will be MUCH bigger, it is just a much harder hunt in my experience. The TX whitetail would likely be out of a stand and the doe hunts here would likely not be more than a couple hundred yard hike from the truck.

When it is time to step up to a larger caliber, it will probably be time to step up to a larger gun. I have no problem buying her a 7mag or .30 of some flavor in a few years, it's part of the fun!

I am certainly not trying to find her a "do-all" type gun, if I were that guy I wouldn't have a safe full of guns. Finding different guns for different tasks is part and parcel to this hobby.

 

[gjk5]

pic of me and my little hunter for good measure:

 

[Aldon]

I would get her a 6.5 Swede.....or a Rem 260 or something like that. I would add a quality break and let her focus on the shot.

 

[mitchell]

i use to hunt outside of llano when i lived in texas, used everything from a 243 to a 45-70 on deer and hogs out there and ill tell you that 243 will work just fine on a llano deer and my hog rifle of choice was a savage 22-250 shooting them behind the ear while they eat under a feeder was too easy.

do take an other look at savages as customizing them is not hard and wont brake the bank. i put together a 260 for my wife bought a stock painted it pink with black spider webbing looks sweet.

 

[barnesuser28]

I would get her a 7mm-08 it has a HUGE selection of bullets and when the time comes she could take an elk or mule deer with no problem at a sane distance.

 

[gjk5]

I would get her a 7mm-08 it has a HUGE selection of bullets and when the time comes she could take an elk or mule deer with no problem at a sane distance.

HA! I was just on wikipedia reading about the 7MM-08, my buddy just had a custom built for his daughter (couple years older than mine).

Great suggestion.

 

[barnesuser28]

I have both a 7mm-08 and a 243 win and the 243 kicks more. If she if really recoil shy you could have a muzzle brake installed to tame it even more.

 

[DZelenka]

I crossed this bridge a number of years ago with my daughter. She is petite (even at age 22, she only weighs 100 lbs). When she was 9, I bought her a Remington Model 7 Youth in .260. I loaded a light charge of 4759 under an 85 gr Sierra for a plinking/practice round. The bullet ran about 2200 fps and the recoil was really light. When hunting season came, I substituted a 120 Ballistic Tip over 32.0 H4895 for 2375 fps. She and 2 of her cousins all killed their first deer with that rifle (and a number more). Recoil is light and trajectory is +2" at 100 and -2" at 200. When her cousin received her own rifle, I had my brother purchase a Remington 700 youth in 7-08. I loaded a 140 BT over 35.0 H4895. She didn't have any trouble with the recoil of that load and made a number of 1 shot kills. A 120 would recoil even less.

Since you are hunting Texas with small bodied deer, you may try a .223 with premium bullets. I have heard some good reports about the Barnes X and Nosler Partition teminal ballistics. The 65 Sierra GameKing works pretty good on hogs so it should work on deer as well.

Good luck

Dan

 

[T3-OleMan]

I purchased the Rem youth 700 ADL 20" 9.125 twist with the Limbsaver type buttplate and NEW X type trigger on it for $398.00 at WalMart. It has a $3 'brand R' 3x9-40 scope, so I can put my VX III on it and have a good midrange tool.
Got it for me (some day?????) or my 3yo GDaughter ...which ever needs it first.
Plenty of ammo choices.

Cool PINK cap. She is a real keeper...for sure!
Good luck. The family that hunts together stays together.

 

[Edd]

Any thoughts appreciated.

If it's legal in Texas, you can buy Federal 223 ammo loaded with 60 gr Nosler Partitions.

 

[gjk5]

Thanks for the input guys.

I want to stay away from .223 because it's not legal for big game here. The TX hunt will be outside the norm, a once every few years thing. The more likely scenario is hunting muley does up here.

The 7mm-08 is sounding better and better.

 

[DZelenka]

Can't go wrong with the 7-08. If they are available, one of the 6.5s would be my preference because the lighter bullet will reduce recoil without sacrificing penetration. No one has mentioned them, but the .250 Savage and .257 Roberts would also. E good choices.