Howa 6mm ARC Youth Rifle Build

[one crazy kid]

While I'm ahead of the game by a couple of years I have taken the first step towards what will be my kids first hunting rifle. Due to sales and availability I purchased a Howa 1500 Mini in 6mm ARC barreled action (20" heavy with muzzle threads). I really like the mini actions reduced size and I think the 6mm arc will perform well at moderate range on game plus double as a long range trainer as their shooting develops. My questions for those who have built youth rifles/taught young ones to shoot are: what stock style did you find worked best? I personally am not a fan of the look of chasis though, have found them plenty functional. How much adjustment is ideal? LOP? Is an adjustable comb worth the extra money? I'm looking at the Boyd's at-one, Boyd's agility, or the manners CS (not sure I can get a manners CS inlet for the howa). Next is optics, how much is to much? I'm thinking a simple reticle would reduce confusion/variables to a young shooter especially in the heat of the moment. How about an illuminated reticle? I've been intrigued by the Sig BDX concept, if I had the environmental variables plugged in and ranged the target would it help eliminate variables? Would it ad confusion? Is the addition of electronics and connectivity cause more issues than it would solve?

I've got plenty of time and am confident I haven't considered every possability. Really just looking for outside perspective and to escape the bubble that is my own mind. The goal ultimately is to have a rifle well suited for young shooters to learn and to have the possibility of taking deer size game without upgrading to a regular hunting cartridge immediately. Plus it leaves the door open to build another rifle or two if the kids decide to keep hunting and shooting.

 

[Hoss50]

I am waiting for ruger to release the new Gen 2 American rifle in 6mm ARC. It says Q1 2024. I think ARC is a fun little round. My 11yr old son and I put together a AR upper in 6mm ARC earlier this year and it is super fun. We have taken it on a bear hunt and javelina hunt so far, but never got to use it.

I like Howa alot and your rifle should be fun. For kids I like simple hold over reticles, but a BDX could be interesting too. Both my son bolt guns currently wear Redfield Revolution scopes with BDC reticle. They don't make them anymore, but Burris had an entry level scope I almost bought recently.

Natchez

www.natchezss.com

Hold over reticle and 12x power without parallax adjustment. Kids don't need complicated reticles to start and if the power is low enough you don't need parallax adjustment which is just 1 more thing a kid does not need to complicate the shooting process to start.

 

[Winkfish]

I have done a couple different builds and I have found that the stock / chassis selection becomes more of what the individual likes based on looks not function. Some kids think the chassis is cool and others like the stock, you just never know.

I do have the Boyd's at-one and it does work well and there is a very wide variety of color options to allow them to pick a color pattern that they would like. No complaints here in regards to that option. This will allow them to use it as they grow with enough cheek adjustment to allow for a good and consistent cheek placement.

On the other side of the coin is the chassis and something like an MDT-LSS which I think works really well. You will have the same adjustability if not more, however your factory color choices are a limited.

Personally I like the chassis for little more for adjustability and durability. If it were a dedicated hunting rifle for me then I would gravitate over to a stock in a fixed configuration however you need something that can grow with the individual and they grow quickly you will like the adjustability of something like the at-one / chassis.

As for glass, that depends upon budget and the distance you are wanting to shoot. I am a fan of the 2-10 or 3-15 power scopes for most things. For hunting field of view is important and many in my opinion many go overboard on magnification and loose their sight picture during recoil on game and can't determine what happened. The smaller scopes also help keep the weight and overall package a little smaller, which may aid a younger or smaller shooter. With a decent scope at 10 power you can see your bullet holes at 100 yards.

You will like the 6 ARC. I have it in a couple different configurations and with the 108gr class bullets it will ring steel at 1,000 yards without issue and the recoil is very low. The only issue so far has been general brass availability.

 

[one crazy kid]

I am waiting for ruger to release the new Gen 2 American rifle in 6mm ARC. It says Q1 2024. I think ARC is a fun little round. My 11yr old son and I put together a AR upper in 6mm ARC earlier this year and it is super fun. We have taken it on a bear hunt and javelina hunt so far, but never got to use it.

I like Howa alot and your rifle should be fun. For kids I like simple hold over reticles, but a BDX could be interesting too. Both my son bolt guns currently wear Redfield Revolution scopes with BDC reticle. They don't make them anymore, but Burris had an entry level scope I almost bought recently.

Natchez

www.natchezss.com

Hold over reticle and 12x power without parallax adjustment. Kids don't need complicated reticles to start and if the power is low enough you don't need parallax adjustment which is just 1 more thing a kid does not need to complicate the shooting process to start.

Thanks for the insight, I hadn't heard about the Ruger American Gen II.... looks like a pretty nice rifle for the price. I might just end up with one once the kids are ready to cartridge up.

 

[Korhil78]

I had my kid hunting elk at 9 years old. He shot his first elk at that age at 450 yards using my rifle. It has a standard length of pull. I just made sure that he could see the whole picture through the scope when he was shooting. At that age, I was only allowing him to shoot prone which would give him the best and most stable shot possible.

Whatever you decide to use, the most important thing that I found was just to make sure and take the child out shooting for practice A LOT. The time spent explaining every detail to them about the gun and how to use it was the most important part of it (and the most fun). Kids can function at a very high level even at a young age if you just take the time to work with them.

One of the things I found was needed was a cheek riser for them because his face was so small. I used the Bradley cheek rest because it was removeable and adjustable.

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[ajvinyard]

As a dad with a 10 and 12 year old boys I will drop my worthless 2 cents in this giant bucket of positivity. I have a shooting range out to 200 yards out our back door so I understand that will curve my opinion here.

When starting my boys out a few years ago (even though they are young) we had the conversation of bullet drop, hold over, scope focal plane and ridicules so they could see what the difference is and what they maybe would like to try. We regularly set with 22 cal PCP air rifles (shooting pellets) or our 22lrs with, most of them Arken SH4 scopes and target shoot.

They have picked up the art of marksmanship at a level that took me years to understand. To watch them dial a scope and do additional hold over to watch a pellet curve out of the sky onto a 200 yard plate is very gratifying for both them and me. And then to watch the go squirrel hunting, you can tell they have learned skills the they apply in real world hunting situations.

What I am getting at is let him have a little say in it and maybe use the scope on a 22 for him to learn and get used to, then when the time comes move to the larger rifle he may just surprise you!