I am trying to find a good rifle for my son and myself to use for deer and coyote hunting. My son has just turned eight and may not use it for deer hunting for a few years but would enjoy thinning out the yotes with me. My current rifle for the deer is a TC 7mm 08 and have a Remington youth model 243. The recoil on both the guns is a bit much for him but he will still pull the trigger on both. My question is this, is the Howa Axiom in the .243 a good alternative for recoil? I mean does it really have that much less recoil as advertiesd?. Not to mention the adjustable stock is very attractive.
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- Thread starter Davfro
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FearNoWind
Well-Known Member
May I suggest a less expensive alternative that should accomplish your goal?
Have a muzzle brake installed on the youth model Remington .243. He'll have all the gun he'll need with all the comfort he'll need and you'll have more money in your pocket.
Just be sure to get him some high quality ear protection. He needs to learn how to wear those anyhow if he's going to be a shooter.
Have a muzzle brake installed on the youth model Remington .243. He'll have all the gun he'll need with all the comfort he'll need and you'll have more money in your pocket.
Just be sure to get him some high quality ear protection. He needs to learn how to wear those anyhow if he's going to be a shooter.
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
Muzzle breaks a good idea, but be aware if it's the recoil or the blast that bothers him.
A .243 is a .243 some subtle differences in weight and stock design, but not enough for him to notice.
I've been doing this kids first rifle for a while, and a lot depends on the kid. I had a 9y/o out the other day, and he was all over the .223. His older brother same age was cautious about the .22. By the way nothing wrong with a good .22 for a couple of years.
The issue is the grow and change, and dad's want to buy one that can use up until they can afford their own sometimes.
I need a bit more time with it, but this years choice is a Ruger compact in 7.63x39. Their pretty scarce so I'm not recommending it, just opening the door to smaller cases for managing recoil.
Personally an 8y/o that likes to coyote hunt would get the Ruger compact .223, and a leupold ultralight 2.5x. Let the future deer hunts handle themselves. A sage rat hunt is also the big time for kids.
I have a Ruger 96/44 that has served well as a first deer rifle. The bolt action .44 should be decent also.
With the 8y/o the fit of the rifle is important, and keep the weight down.
Keep it fun.
A .243 is a .243 some subtle differences in weight and stock design, but not enough for him to notice.
I've been doing this kids first rifle for a while, and a lot depends on the kid. I had a 9y/o out the other day, and he was all over the .223. His older brother same age was cautious about the .22. By the way nothing wrong with a good .22 for a couple of years.
The issue is the grow and change, and dad's want to buy one that can use up until they can afford their own sometimes.
I need a bit more time with it, but this years choice is a Ruger compact in 7.63x39. Their pretty scarce so I'm not recommending it, just opening the door to smaller cases for managing recoil.
Personally an 8y/o that likes to coyote hunt would get the Ruger compact .223, and a leupold ultralight 2.5x. Let the future deer hunts handle themselves. A sage rat hunt is also the big time for kids.
I have a Ruger 96/44 that has served well as a first deer rifle. The bolt action .44 should be decent also.
With the 8y/o the fit of the rifle is important, and keep the weight down.
Keep it fun.
wackinandstackin243
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2012
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It really don't see how a person of any age could go wrong with a 223 rem. Very low recoil and very good accuracy. When your son gets ready for something bigger for big game you will still get plenty of use out of the 223 the other 51 weeks of the year.
Buy the reduced recoil rounds that are out now
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
I'd strongly consider loading either rifle "down" for your son.
For his stage in life full blown loads aren't necessary to build enthusiasm.
I did this for my grandson in 308. It turned him completely around.
I like the load enough that is, fun to shoot in a good shooting Mossberg Youth, that I use it for coyotes and as a saddle gun for foraging around for wolves.
For his stage in life full blown loads aren't necessary to build enthusiasm.
I did this for my grandson in 308. It turned him completely around.
I like the load enough that is, fun to shoot in a good shooting Mossberg Youth, that I use it for coyotes and as a saddle gun for foraging around for wolves.
wbm
Well-Known Member
One of the Savage Light Weight Hunters or Youth Models in 223. Later you can switch bolt heads and barrels to anything in the short action family. Savage makes a great switch barrel platform and the boy learns a lot about firearms in the process of switching calibers.
bullfrog
Well-Known Member
I really like the AR platform for my kids. They can shoot .223 for practice with a .300 blackout and a 6.8spc upper for deer. The 300 kicks a little less but the 6.8 has better range. I have both for my boys and we use the 6.8 more. The best thing is the collapsible stock can grow with them. My 12 year old has grown a bunch in the last 2 years while my 9 year old has grown little. Doesn't matter. Any of us has a perfect fit in seconds.
