Youth rifle 243 or 300blk?
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wardog5
Well-Known Member
.243 all the way, load it down with some 85 gr boat tails and H4895 low recoil accurate and deadly will kill deer size game all day long when they get bigger rev it back up .243 kills better than most think mainly because they have never used one if you hit em good they go down just my .02 cents
My opinion between the two choices would be the 243. Now In my experience guiding and seeing alot of elk get shot with all different calibers, for youth and even adults I am always amazed at how well the 243 does. Now I'm not saying go shoot elk past 400 yards with it but my word does it flat hammer them. I truly believe that bullet just goes in side the chest cavity and plays ping pong. I'm a firm believer In 30 cal, and 33 cal for most big game hunting. Honestly I think you will have much better luck with the 243 in the long run over the 300 black out. I'd rather have a 30 06 over the black out, but if your shooting close they will all work. Don't doubt a 243 it is unreal the damage they do. Plus you have a all around gun from varmints to deer, and even elk at a reasonable distance. Low recoil affordable to reload, one of my favorite little bullets.
I'd go 243 of the two. But my 8 yo has a 7mm08. Tikka has a model with adjustable stock, or rather a piece that can be inserted as he grows. There are light loads,available,which he shoots now and will decent For elk Which we have in Oregon. If You are hunting Missouri, 243 all the way. The only advantage of 300 blackout is recoil and AR platform (not my choice for a kid) .
Hard rock
Well-Known Member
Every rifle owner needs at least one 243 it gets the job done with the right bullet. If you choose the 243 get some advice on a good factory load if you don't handload in my opinion the choice of factory ammo will be your biggest concern with the 243 . It will serve you better than the 300 blackout
Zink14
Active Member
309bo is an absolute **** show on deer, my daughter started hunting with on, I've never tracked more animals in my life; switched her to a 260 and a 243 night and day on effectiveness (never shoot any you want to recover with a 300bo)
Correct me if I am wrong but, doesn't he already have both the 243 and 300bo? I thought he was looking for stocks to fit either of those for his son.
I agree on everyone needing a 243. They cover so many bases and are cheap to shoot.
2 the Plug
Well-Known Member
Yes keeping the original stocks in both. Options are youth stocks or Boyd's adjustable which he would be able to use his whole life.
Yes, I have a Ruger American ranch 300blk 16" barrel and model 7 predator 243 24" barrel that were both purchased for him someday (I just get to shoot them until he can) but neither is a youth model. I figured if I could get a youth stock someday would come faster than letting him grow into the full size rifles.
I am sourcing youth stocks for both now. 243 maybe what he uses when he starts on deer, but that 300blk is just fun and easy to shoot so I can hopefully get him the fundamentals on that…
With all this planning chances are he will want a drum set and my 1 year daughter will end up being the range rat.
A couple great members PM'd me some leads too, I love this place. Seriously thanks to everyone on this thread.
2 the Plug
Well-Known Member
On another note, maybe I get him the 7mm08 for a future birthday or Xmas. I mean if Santa drops it off the wife cannot tell me to take it back… but that's not in the cards now.
choprzrul
Well-Known Member
I've been on the path to get my granddaughters first deer rifle. It eventually boiled down to this Ruger: https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleGoWild/specSheets/36924.html
Downloaded some with the Hammer Hunter 85gr, the JBM recoil calculation tells me it will be just over 8lbs....and then calculate in the muzzle brake...
At that recoil level, I could pull the recoil pad and put on a flat buttplate for a 12" LOP.
My next choice was going to be a 20" 257 Robert's build using Hammer 75gr. Either way, both of those calibers allow room for a kid to grow in power levels.
Downloaded some with the Hammer Hunter 85gr, the JBM recoil calculation tells me it will be just over 8lbs....and then calculate in the muzzle brake...
At that recoil level, I could pull the recoil pad and put on a flat buttplate for a 12" LOP.
My next choice was going to be a 20" 257 Robert's build using Hammer 75gr. Either way, both of those calibers allow room for a kid to grow in power levels.
I had a Remington 700 in 308 that was pretty beat up and a nice 243, I just swapped stocks and took the beat up stock to a friend that shortened the butt and added a soft recoil pad that came from a throw away stock
So I ended up with a 243 with a short stock that's not to pretty but shoots good
Tool my granddaughter on her first hunt, deer walked up, she shot. The deer made about 5 jumps and that was it.
I carry it around sometimes when I'm walking in the woods, light weight and handy
When I finally run out of grandkids that need a starter rifle I can get a new stock or just leave it as is for when I want to do some walking in the woods, 243 should put a deer down quickly if you shoot them in the right spot
What bullet were you shooting?
.243!
