Kids 1st rifle project

[mooretitan]

I have a buddy who is looking to set his kid up with a rifle for Christmas. He is wanting to keep everything under a $1000. I told him I would research a little. I like nice guns so I started looking at some of the new model 700s and they ran between $700-$900 which would leave little room for a nice scope.
Looked at a few savages and they run a little less unless I went with something cheap like an axis. But like I said I like the look of a nice gun and an axis just dosent cut it.
I also looked through my safe and remembered a savage model 110 in 300 win mag that I was going to do another build off. I was thinking of maybe up grading the stock $200, new trigger $100, action $400 (my cost) and $300 for a scope. I would have to hope that the factory barrel and shoot moa. It's a base savage hunter 10. No accu trigger or accu stock. I have another 300 so might go out and see what it does before I make any upgrades.
So my questions
1. Any guns with scope for a $1000 would you suggest
2. What caliber(mostly pigs and deer)
3. Has to shoot factory ammo well
4. Would a 300 win mag be to much for a 14 year boy. He is pretty tough but hasn't shot much
5. What's the chances that my savage barrel can shoot moa being the lowest price savage you can get
6. Can I make it happen for a $1000 with a build scope included???
So for the long post I know this is propably the only rifle he is going to get and want to set him up with something nice
Thanks

 

[fmajor]

I have a buddy who is looking to set his kid up with a rifle for Christmas. He is wanting to keep everything under a $1000. I told him I would research a little. I like nice guns so I started looking at some of the new model 700s and they ran between $700-$900 which would leave little room for a nice scope.
Looked at a few savages and they run a little less unless I went with something cheap like an axis. But like I said I like the look of a nice gun and an axis just dosent cut it.
I also looked through my safe and remembered a savage model 110 in 300 win mag that I was going to do another build off. I was thinking of maybe up grading the stock $200, new trigger $100, action $400 (my cost) and $300 for a scope. I would have to hope that the factory barrel and shoot moa. It's a base savage hunter 10. No accu trigger or accu stock. I have another 300 so might go out and see what it does before I make any upgrades.
So my questions
1. Any guns with scope for a $1000 would you suggest
2. What caliber(mostly pigs and deer)
3. Has to shoot factory ammo well
4. Would a 300 win mag be to much for a 14 year boy. He is pretty tough but hasn't shot much
5. What's the chances that my savage barrel can shoot moa being the lowest price savage you can get
6. Can I make it happen for a $1000 with a build scope included???
So for the long post I know this is propably the only rifle he is going to get and want to set him up with something nice
Thanks

I'd re-think the 300Win for a newer shooter. If a brake was installed, maybe.

Newer shooters need practice, practice, practice. A larger chambering is just too much for new shooters. Think about how many nearly new 338RUMs go up for sale because someone new to hunting bought one, but found the recoil/blast unbearable. This doesn't promote a lifetime of hunting/shooting enjoyment.

If your buddies kid is a boy, he may never verbally complain about recoil/muzzle blast even if it is bothering him (mine wouldn't). Thus, flinching and other problems would never surface. The boy (?) may never verbalize his discomfort, but may just want to avoid shooting and cite other reasons for it.

It's easier to develop excellent shooting skills with a chambering that is less likely to induce bad habits (FLINCHING, etc). Since shot placement and the skills to accomplish that are TIMELESS, choosing a chambering that's fun/painless to shoot (which would encourage practice) is the better plan.

Honestly, maybe a 30-06 would be the better 1st choice? They are an absolute hammer on deer, but I can't comment on pigs as I've never hunted/shot one.

 

[mooretitan]

I was dreaming a little of building the 300 win mage for him just to give him something nice that he would grow into in a year or so but after thinking about it I will keep it and build something for me.

So after looking at a few different guns I am thinking Savage Weather Warrior SS. I have mostly rem 700's but the last couple years have picked up some savages and they are growing on me plus I can always build off of it for him later down the road. Now I need to pick a narrow it down to chambering. He will only shoot factory ammo unless I reload for him.

So which chambering would you suggest for the best factory accuracy but something that will take down pigs and deer. I am thinking 6.5 or bigger.

Thanks

 

[midwesthunter]

I would look at a savage in 260 Rem or 6.5 creedmore

 

[mooretitan]

I gave him the pros of
7 mag
30-06
308
260

to me those a pretty good factory rounds that would work well for a new shooter and still give them they ability to kill a wide range of animals

I will let you know what they decide. Now I got to figure out the glass for about $200-$300.

Thanks

 

[pburton]

I just set my son up with his first rifle and the cost was around that. Maybe a little over. He is 11 and kind of small framed so I went with the .243 in a model 11 predator hunter. I did get a very good deal on the rifle at around $500. For a scope, since he is not going to be shooting over 300 yards for now, I went with a Nikon Monarch with the ballistic reticle. It is a shooter for an out of the box rifle. If he was a little older I would have gone with the .260 and eventually I will rebarrel his to this caliber.

 

[JOSH 03]

I agree with the .243. I lived in Florida for a while and killed pigs with everything except a claymore mine I never met a pig that could shake off a .243 round behind the ear. The .243 will do everything you need it to and then some.

 

[azsugarbear]

In my experience, nice rifles and kids don't work well together. It's kinda like the first car your Dad gave you to drive. Young kids have no concept of what care needs to be exercised in taking care of equipment. It takes a couple of years before they look at their rifle and say "Hey, how come my rifle is all beat up with scratches and dings?"

I'd go with an Axis and a medium caliber where recoil won't beat him up too bad. Or maybe a rifle with a good action that can be upgraded later. Nice is for later.

 

[trebark]

Consider one of the "Cabela's Specials" that is a complete rifle. Something like this:

Remington® 700™ ADL Bolt-Action Rifle and Scope Combos : Cabela's

You can get it in 243, 270 and 30-06. Being that it is a Rem700, it can be easily upgraded as the kid grows-up and becomes more proficient. It can transform into something like this...

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f53/nephews-transformed-rifle-53634/

 

[mitch260]

I will let you know what they decide. Now I got to figure out the glass for about $200-$300.

Weaver Kaspa 3-12x42mm, I picked you up for a budget built and couldn't be happier for a "cheap" scope. The glass is quite clear and the turrets track right on. Doesn't compare to my Nightforce, but hey, its like $230.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I was dreaming a little of building the 300 win mage for him just to give him something nice that he would grow into in a year or so but after thinking about it I will keep it and build something for me.

So after looking at a few different guns I am thinking Savage Weather Warrior SS. I have mostly rem 700's but the last couple years have picked up some savages and they are growing on me plus I can always build off of it for him later down the road. Now I need to pick a narrow it down to chambering. He will only shoot factory ammo unless I reload for him.

So which chambering would you suggest for the best factory accuracy but something that will take down pigs and deer. I am thinking 6.5 or bigger.

Thanks

Here is a thought, depending on how close you are to the lad. Take the 300wm barrel off, put on a Shaw 260 barrel (not too expensive, but pretty good for the money, I have a 6.5 creedmoor they did for me and it's a shooter) switch the bolt head to match the 260 case, and when he has grown into the skills, help him, or he can help you to change back to the winmag. It would make a nice project for him if he has the interest.

 

[Jluck]

I bought one son a used 700 in 308 and put a VX-2 on it, The other boy got a Ruger American 7mm-08 topped with a Redfield Revolution, Both came in just under 1k. I couldn't imagine spending a grand on one kids first rifle, YMMV.

 

[roninflag]

Remington heavy barrel 700 in 243. dicks has them with a scope for 400 or so.,

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Heya mooretitan... This is a nice thing you are doing... Especially all the thought you're putting into making sure this young lad has a nice rifle. Personally, i think that the .243 is a very nice caliber for youth to start out with. It's flat shooting and typically very accurate with little recoil, yet still has the chops for up to deer sized game (some would argue elk... But most would prefer heavier bullets for game that large).

If you want to get him an off the shelf gun that has an amazing feel and great accuracy, try the tikka t3 ss lite. There should be enough money left for decent glass and it will honestly be a gift that he will value for a long long time. Even with the factory synthetic stock, it'll shoot lights out and you be hard pressed to find an action with a smoother feeling bolt. I'd go with stainless for a new shooter as it takes time to learn proper gun care and the stainless will reduce the likelihood of rust while he is learning.

Looked at a lot of rifles when I had the same quest as you for my sons first hunting rifle... Also a Christmas present. I looked at Remington 700s, ruger m77s, weatherby vanguards, savage 110s, and winchester model 70s. On the counter... Sportsmans just happened to have a tikka t3 on display. They were a new test bed gun, not yet out as full production inventory. I picked it up and cycled the bolt. Impressed, i pulled it up to my shoulder several times to get a feel for it's balance. Nice. I then asked if I could go ahead and dry fire it to check the trigger. Wow. I was thinking that this was one of the best feeling rifles I've ever found in its price range. I believe at the time it was only $435.00. I had never heard of tikka but I was curious now. The guy behind the counter said they we a subsidiary of sako and that every one that had bought one came back saying that they were shooting moa or less out of the box. This wasn't so common at the time. I took a chance. My son and my first time out to the range... It didn't shoot a group over .76 moa. I was so impressed, I spent the next week calling gun stores all over Idaho and Utah to find another one for myself! We bought the last one from sportsmans. Needless to say... I finally did find one and bought it...

I now have 4 tikkas in various calibers and though I do own a number of other rifles, I still find the tikkas to be the guns I reach for when deer and elk season comes up. Sorry for the huge post... But you just brought back this nice memory of the whole adventure of getting my son his first, his first range trip with it, and the two of us trying to find another one. Good memories. He still loves his rifle and so do I

Good luck MT.