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.

 

[howl]

Safety first!

A break action will give you peace of mind when walking about the woods. You'll know it's safe because it's broken open. You'll miss out on that special feeling of a turning to see a child with a loaded gun pointed at you.

T/C Contenders have a switch on the hammer. You can lower the hammer with no chance of slipping and accidental discharge. If you want to hunt deer, etc., with .223 you'll need to buy an aftermarket fast twist barrel. All the factory barrel were slow twist. For shotguns, you can find .410 and 28ga barrels for Contenders.

 

[ridn9high]

I have taught my girls(7&8) to respect a firearm and constantly remind them about gun safety. I will randomly ask them questions about gun safety when we have the guns out. My brothers and I started with bolt actions and so have my girls. Get them a gun that fits them and doesn’t have much recoil. Mine are shooting a suppressed Howa mini 6arc that I cut the stock down for shorter LOP. It has turned into the favorite gun to shoot with my girls, their little cousins and even my wife.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Start all mine w/ bolt action 7mm-08 and made reduced loads for practice.

 

[gemihur]

the obvious choice

... get 'em , boys!

 

[Snailz]

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?

One bonus for break actions is that they’re short. A light recoiling round with a 20 inch barrel will be light and probably more easily-wielded size for a kiddo. They can be reloaded quickly with practice and the vast majority of your encounters are going to be one shot affairs. I would go against other’s advice of walking around with the action open. There’s a lot more risk of missing or a failure with a minor bit of debris in a rifle chamber or barrel than in a shotgun. Just walk around unloaded and load up once you sit down. Unload if you change spots. Get a CVA break action and size up to an adult buttstock once they outgrow the youth size. Single shots forever!

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

If they have to have their finger on the trigger to lower the hammer after deciding not to shoot bad things can happen.
Speaking from experience on this one. Not going to go into details but a friend was shot in the leg by a 10-year-old.

It turned out to be a minor injury but traumatized everyone. The kid didn't hunt for a long time. The person who got shot purchased the gun for the young hunter. He said it was his own fault and should have realized the risk.
I started my son and grandsons on bolt rifles and pump shotguns. My son still uses the first bolt rifles I bought him and he is in his late 40s.

 

[Darkside]

BOLT ACTION.

And later If they Want to learn about other types of actions, Sure.

Like mentioned above KISS

And for your next question,
6 creedmore with a brake or suppressor. Very accurate out of the box, very little recoil.

 

[tystash]

For a rifle, my first was a bolt action and that is what I taught my kids with. For a shot gun, I had the break action single shot.

 

[CMF]

I started my oldest with a single shot. She shot one deer with it. Been mostly bolt action ever since. To do over again, I would have just started with the bolt action and never gotten a single shot. Nothing wrong with it, just seems like an unnecessary step. And I say mostly because we still have a TC Encore 243 that my fil bought for my youngest, but only my wife has shot anything with it.

If they have to have their finger on the trigger to lower the hammer after deciding not to shoot bad things can happen.

My wife had an accidental discharge with a TC Encore muzzleloader, trying to decock it. Luckily, she knew the potential and had it pointed at the ground.