The .243 is a great choice because it can be enjoyed both early and late in life. I was in my late 20's before I owned my first deer rifle but if I had been a youngster I'm sure I would have wanted a .243. I'm now pushing 66 and my last rifle purchase was a .243.
Help with gun decision for my son
- Thread starter MNElkNut
- Start date
Well since this thread was brought out of the moth balls, I will give an update. We ended up with a Browning Xbolt in 7mm-08. He shoots it well and has shot Mule Deer and pronghorn with it. He made a really nice 307 yard shot on a nice pronghorn buck while laying in wet, melting snow.
His twin brother also needed a rifle so we known have 3 of pretty much identical rifles, share ammo, and he has the same results as his brother (including a 303 yard shot on a nice pronghorn buck the same year).
I would highly recommend the 7-08. That light recoil just makes it fun to shoot.
His twin brother also needed a rifle so we known have 3 of pretty much identical rifles, share ammo, and he has the same results as his brother (including a 303 yard shot on a nice pronghorn buck the same year).
I would highly recommend the 7-08. That light recoil just makes it fun to shoot.
Wanna_track_well
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what ever he needs to shoot to shoot accurately. Break him in easy. That's the last thing you want is to discourage him. Maybe something lighter than 243, or reduced loads.
I know, right? Your son is now 17 years old and probably 6' tall, weighing 200+ pounds. The most recent posts on this thread are 'really' helpful to you, I'm sure. Haha. Maybe they can be helpful to others that are currently in the situation you were once in. Good to hear things worked out ok for you and the twins. Enjoy! Good luck this season.
Wanna_track_well
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fortunately for me reduced loads are a great help, with a slide action 760 in brush, even though the 06 is that punishable.
Just like old magazine articles, the knowledge gained from old social media threads can remain useful long after they first appeared.
They are both just shy of 6' and one is under one is over over 200 pounds! Recoil is no longer a problem, but you know what? They (we) love their(our) 7-08s!
Yes, hopefully someone can learn from the thread and none of the options were bad. I really liked the comparison of the same exact loads (as much as possible anyway) which really measures cartridge and not just ammo. It surprised me a little too, to be honest.
noharleyyet
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Always nice reading a positive update . . .
Outlaw99
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Beings this has been brought back up; I have a scenario I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts on. My 13 yr old son had a cornea transplant in his dominant right eye when he was around 7. His vision in that eye is still not very good as a result of scarring, stigma, ect. He’s naturally learned to do everything with his left eye, even though it’s not his dominant eye. Starting with a red Ryder, then to a scoped 177 cal pellet gun, he’s a crack shot. The problem is with recoil. He still shoots right handed but leans his face over the stock to use his right eye. He used to get punished turkey hunting with a 20 gauge because if it. As he’s gotten older, he’s adapted to that as well and shot multiple deer with iron sights on his 20 gauge.
He’s old enough now and loves to hunt. My concern is what can I get him into to be able to hunt elk without destroying his face every time he pulls the trigger? He’s shot my model 700 .223 well. It’s obviously not big enough for big critters, but I wanted to start him slow and see how he reacted.
It pains me to say that the more i go in circles on this, the 6.5cm seems like the most logical next step in his progression….
I don’t reload, and don’t ever plan to.
So there’s the backstory; I’d appreciate hearing anyone’s thoughts on this
He’s old enough now and loves to hunt. My concern is what can I get him into to be able to hunt elk without destroying his face every time he pulls the trigger? He’s shot my model 700 .223 well. It’s obviously not big enough for big critters, but I wanted to start him slow and see how he reacted.
It pains me to say that the more i go in circles on this, the 6.5cm seems like the most logical next step in his progression….
I don’t reload, and don’t ever plan to.
So there’s the backstory; I’d appreciate hearing anyone’s thoughts on this
Outlaw99
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I feel like there’s a decent jump in felt recoil from the 6.5 to the 7-08???
npaden
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I think you would be surprised. I think when I did this exercise several years ago before buying a 7mm-08 for my son the math on the 6.5CM and the 7mm-08 was nearly identical if you were comparing the same bullet weight. I think I looked at 140 grain bullets and it was very surprising how similar they were in nearly every category. The 7mm-08 held a tiny advantage closer and the 6.5CM held a tiny advantage at longer distances. I thought the 6.5CM was just a temporary thing so we went with the 7mm-08. My son is now 6'2" and weighs 185lbs so recoil doesn't matter. He is left eye dominant so he shoots a left handed gun so that was part of our decision making as well.
noharleyyet
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I operated a RH weapon lefty due to left eye dominance...switched to RH in my thirties & struggled but persisted...worked out for the best.
Sounds like a suppressor might be a good investment as well
Outlaw99
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I’ve considered this, but he’s also at the high end of adhd….getting him out the door with matching shoes is also considered a win for the day. Trying to get him to switch up his ways at this point in his life , would be like asking him to walk out and get the mail and not expect him to get distracted by a torn off coon tail, only to be found hours later 2 miles away on the farm attempting to make home made gunpowder out of a half burnt log he stumbled across while tracking down the coon with no tail…….
Outlaw99
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I agree, I want to find the right fit for him before I invest in the can for him. All this is so foreign to me and I feel disgusting and dirty even talking about it.
I prefer my rifles to have wood stocks and build before 1964 lol
6mm Remington
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25-06 6.5 PRC 7mm-08 270 Winchester 30-06
Ruger Hawkeye Hunter
Bergara
Tika
Ruger Hawkeye Hunter
Bergara
Tika
Tikka compact 6.5 creedmoor or 7mm-08. Probably more factory ammo options for the creedmoor. Can take the spacer out of the stock if your boy needs shorter length of pull and put it back in when he gets older. Ruger american gen 2 in 6mm creedmoor, 6.5 creedmoor or 7mm-08 would be good too. Just picked my daughter up one in 6mm creedmoor
kiwi hunter
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When I used a small cased 6.5 a 125 gr partition killed everything up to elk cross. A 130 gr in 270 cal has a SD of .242 while the 125 gr in 6.5 comes in at .248, so slightly better penetration, that's how to judge different calibre, for a 30 cal the 165 gr are .248. that is why the 6.5 with heavier than 140 grs performs above its order of things. Having said that I've shot a few truck loads of red deer with a 222 rem and a 50 gr projectile.
CentralPahunter
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It’s been said a bunch of times, but bears repeating. If you are not a reloader, a .270 or .30-06 are both excellent choices. Can get ammo anywhere. Can get many good bullet options. And both will dispatch all the deer and elk you can eat. Though nothing on your short list would be a “bad” choice.
