6mm Remington for my daughter

[Spino]

Ok all, I'm going to ask for some experience here. I'm thinking about building a custom gun for my daugher & would like for her to have this gun the rest of her hunting life. Want the gun to be very accurate & this is what I have on my list so far:

26" Shilen Barrel Select Match Grade 6mm - http://www.shilen.com/pricesRifleBarrels.html
McMillan stock in SAKO VARMINT - http://www.mcmfamily.com/mcmillan/hunting/sako.asp
Shilen standard trigger
Remington 700 Action

Here are some of the questions & something to consider is that we will be hunting from a deer stand & not stalking:

Barrel length - would the 26" be to much for a youngster say 8yrs old?

6mm Remington - Is the recoil going to be to much? Would like to make the gun on the heavy side to lighten up the recoil. Also considering using some of Conley Precision ammo & the 90gr Scirocco sounds pretty good - http://www.cpcartridge.com/6remP.htm

Scope will come later, want to build gun first.

 

[EddieHarren]

I would think that a rifle stock that fits an 8 yr. old is going to be way to short as the child grows. I suggest a Rem M7 youth model and later, as the child grows, a full size stock can be added. Just a thought.

 

[Tracer]

Spino since I have worked with kids a lot over the years, including my own from the ground up, I'll comment on your choice of calibers etc.

First off unless that 8 year old has been introduced to the .22LR first and understands the operation of a bolt gun and how to use iron sights etc., It just may be to much for her at first. My 8 year old daugher was small and frail at that young age OK. The rifle must fit properly or she is going to have problems with her marksmanship.

I do believe the 6mm Remington (light loads at first) is an excellent choice for a young shooter, who has learned hunter safety and understands the operation of such a fire rifle. This you can take care of before hand.

Yes, in my humble opinion, the 26 inch barrel is going to be to heavy, (think as though YOU were a small child OK)balance wise for her to cope with compared to say a 22 inch barrel at first, then a 24 inch barrel later down the road. Please don't forget the ear and eye protection either, even with the .22LR.

Our daughter went through 3 stock changes before she settled into a model 70 featherweight in a .308 Winchester. I might add that we progressed from the .22LR to the 22 magnum bolt in a Marlin and then to the .243 Winchester caliber. She now hunts elk and mule deer with a 7mm mag (24 inch barrel) in a model 70 sporter with a decelorator pad on the butt. Good Luck to your daughter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[budlight]

I taught my daughter on one of the best rifles made. The Ruger 10/22 with a 3X9 heavy duplex 40MM. "Zero recoil" cheap shooting. 10,000 of thousands of rounds through it with just oil and cleaning. By the time she was 8 she could even load the clips.

I would take her to the bench rest range and she would go through 500 rounds all on her own. She never did like bigger guns or 12 gauges when she got older. But she does have a heavy 243 now.

 

[gonehuntingagain]

I think a 26" barrel would be way too hard for her to do anything with unless it was on a tripod with the 4th leg to steady it - it would be way to heavy out in front of the stock. Recoil would be light though.

I would buy her a youth .243 like the Remoington 700 SPS Youth. You still may need to cut down the stock to fit her, but it will be light enough that she could still shoot it. Then as she progresses, add length to the stock. Once she is fully grown (it would make a sweet 16th birthday present /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif), then take that rifle and fully customize and fit it to her, she could also decide what whe wants in the rifle as well and could choose the caliber.

 

[eshell]

Assuming that your daughter has had some experience and is really ready for a centerfire, I think that the .243 suggestion is a good one. Anything lighter/smaller will not go the distance, anything heavier will either beat her or have to be built too heavy to be handy.

The 6mm will render slightly better velocities , especially with heavier bullets, and will also render more recoil. The .243 is much more common, data abounds, and .243 cases are available by everyone, including Lapua.

I had GAP put together a .243 for my own 21yo daughter, based on a Remington LTR. The only difference being that the LTR comes with a 20" barrel and we installed a 24" Schneider. With the OEM LTR stock, Farrell rings & bases, Leupold 4.5-14x PR and Eagle stock pack, it weighs 10.5#. I also have a spare PSS stock, which I have on it now, since it raises the comb a little for her.

She uses her's for long range target shooting. She attended a very challenging tactical match with me in May, and the rifle shot very well for her (placed 18 of 29).

For truly long range shooting, you're going to have better results with the heavier bullets. David Tubb markets a proprietary .243/115 grain Sierra Match King, called the "DTAC", that shoots extremely well and has a BC of about .585.

I got slightly flatter trajectories and excellent accuracy with Lapua 105 Scenars. They don't quite have the BC of the DTAC, but can be driven 175-200 fps faster in the same cartridge and shoot bugholes. I have 105 Bergers on hand, but I think that they'll be too long to seat to mag length and still shoot well.