rifle for beginner/youth- bolt? single shot? other?

[nastynate]

Got a niece and nephew a few years from hunting, and looking at some opportunities to get them afield. I'm thinking big game here. What are your thoughts on a single shot, external hammer gun for kids? Do you find those to be the safest options, or does cocking/uncocking induce some uncertainty there? Looking at some bolt action repeater vs external hammer single shot guns. But I feel like if your walking around with an empty chamber, a bolt gun would be easier to get into battery than a single shot if you're in the field. Anyways... what have you had your youths/beginners start with and what did you like or dislike about it? Features to seek out or avoid?

 

[CT_SD]

I started my kids with a T/C encore with a 25-06 barrel. Good break action single shot. Worked well for deer and coyotes.

 

[Doublecluck]

The safest option is good gun safety and etiquette. For me and mine that includes not having a round in the chamber till something is gonna die and treating every gun like it’s loaded all the time. If I taught my kids with a single shot hammer rifle, the chamber would still be empty till ready to shoot. That said, it really doesn’t matter. I’ve taught all my kids with bolt action rifles as that’s what they are most likely to hunt with. Might as well start familiarizing them with what they are most likely to use and those features.I started most of my kids on Remington youth models. But more recently the chassis guns have really been the go to. The adjustability is really key here and basically means you could introduce them to a cartridge and platform they could never grow out of.

 

[elkduds]

Break actions external hammer guns like Encore, H&R are easiest to monitor for safety. Not actively hunting, gun is broken open, very obvious. Hunting, barrel is closed, half @#)(# hammer safety must be cocked w thumb before rifle can be fired.

 

[brymoore]

My kids all carried a bolt action rifle.

 

[Cornell Cowboy]

All three of my boys started with a bolt action.

 

[Dakota79]

Teach them to understand and respect a regular bolt action rifle and be done with it.

 

[Keep on]

Started mine with a single shot hammer gun when he was 8 or 9 for the first couple years before he switched to using a bolt gun.

 

[cne-elk]

As a hunters ed instructor the gun i see mistakes made with the most are those with hammer. There are just more moving pieces for a chance of a mistake to be made. I always preach proper gun safety and for quick corrections. If it is shown they are not responsible for it then the privilege needs to be immediately taken away. With that said I started when I was a kid and I did the same with my son with a BB gun in the field for the first couple years 8-10 yrs old. That gave him two years of being mentored in the field. He is now at 12 very safe and constantly watching even others to make sure they are doing the right thing. Even with that said with a rifle we still keep one out of chamber until ready to fire or closing moments. I have started to do the same.

Also from hunters ed, don't be in a hurry to start them too young. I see kids all the time that truly are not old enough to understand the content the way they should, but dad wants to start putting them in for points. I just always hope the mentoring continues.

 

[WildWill]

I went the single shot route with my son and haven’t regretted it. The rossi rifle we have has a external safety that can be flipped on even with the hammer back so there's no risk of accidental discharge when lowering the hammer.

 

[BDWD]

My first gun was a single shot .22, but by the time I was of hunting age I had a bolt action .243. As mentioned by others proper gun safety is the most important thing.