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My grandson received a Howa 7mm 08 starter kit when 8 years old and he has shot Remington reduced recoil 140 gr ammo for 3 years. We sighted it in on an indoor range and it is plenty accurate at less than one MOA at 50 and 100 yards. So far he has taken two hogs(one shot kills through heart and lungs) and a black Hawaiian ram (his first ofhand kill) with it and is looking to get his first whitetail and more hogs this fall and winter. The rifle kit came with a scope and two synthetic stocks; he is using the youth stock now and we will switch to the adult stock when he grows some more; he weighs just over 70 pounds now and he says the rifle kicks less than his .410 with 3" loads(he has taken three turkeys with that little gun and just graduated to a 20 ga.). When the last box of reduced recoil 7mm 08 ammo is used up, he will move to standard 140 grain loads. Start them young and right and they really love shooting.  NRA Life Benefactor Member, DRSS, DWWC, Whittington Center,Android Reloading Ballistics App at http://www.xplat.net/ | |||
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I would seriously consider something in a 6.5 Swede, or a 260 Rem.. No flies on the little Remington Mod.7 in 260 Rem. Just my 2cts.. MopaneMike | |||
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theres also the new M70 featherweight "compact" | |||
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I like the .308 Win. You can load 125gr. reduced loads for them to practice and then have the option to move up to 150, 165, 180 for larger game and still use the same gun they are familiar with. That is what I did with my daughters. "If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to destroy it". Fred Bear | |||
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My kids aren't old enough to hunt yet, but I have a couple of 6.5x55s standing by for when they are. I would suggest that caliber or 260Rem as an option as well. Soli Deo Gloria | |||
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Kim, being a hunter safety instructor the 243 is a great cartridge, a necked down 308 and less recoil. The 243 rifle combo for a young hunter ex cellent. Most importantly the length of pull is important to get him to shoot it well. I would try any or all of the rifles to see which fits him the best for his size. A trip to the gun store and even if it is a surprise tell him it will be for his 12th birthday. Anyway the best, Mike | |||
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Get the Remington and have it re-barreled to .260 Remington with a 1-in-8" twist rate. Make sure you shorten the stock to fit him and put a good recoil pad on it. A 20" #3 barrel contour is about perfect. Pray it shoots Federal's 120-grain Barnes TSX load. My son is 11 now, but he has used a Hill Country Rifles .260 with that load on on black bear and all sorts of native game here in the states and he's killed about 50 or 60 African animals with it, including leopard, nyala, kudu, zebra, 4 gemsbok, and 7 wildebeest, plus a bunch of other stuff. My daughter has used an A-Bolt .260 given to her by my good friend Biebs that was shortened to fit her to take a few hogs and a very nice kudu with the same load. The .260 has recoil very similar to a .243 but kills far better. I recover very few of my son's bullets and it kills 'em quick and clean. PHs can't believe how deadly he is with that little gun. I would not get a 7mm-08 because its recoil is awfully close to a .308. It may not seem like much to you, but to a tiny kid, the difference between it and a .260 is substantial. | |||
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Mine is 10 years old and he loves the .223, 22-250 and the .308 (synthetic stock) Dream it...Discover it...Experience it... Patrick Reynecke Outfitter and Professional Hunter Bushwack Safaris Box 1736 Rustenburg 0300 North West Province South Africa www.bushwacksafaris.co.za Cell: +27 82 773 4099 Email: bushwacksafaris@vodamail.co.za | |||
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7mm-08 definitely. He can restock it when its too small for him and keep it for the rest of his hunting life. | |||
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Kim If you end up with a Rem #7 i have a extra stock you can have. FYI mine is a 7mm-o8. | |||
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Another vote for the 7mm-08. Trophy-Wife is kinda recoil-shy and loves her Rem 700 Youth model. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Give me the simple life; an AK-47, a good guard dog and a nymphomaniac who owns a liquor store. | |||
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rem 700 in 7-08 would work very well for your son, even through adulthood. | |||
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I would go with 7mm-08 also. However, if you chose to go with the 243 Browning has the A-bolt Micro Hunter. I bought one in 22-250 several years ago for a girlfreind, which I got rid of but kept the rifle.  It is probably the most accurate of all my rifles!Graybird "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning." | |||
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At 14 years old my daughter killed her first Whitetail with a 7 x 57 that was a tad long but light enough for her to control. She is now shooting her 243 that she just loves. For what it's worth, Doug | |||
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Another vote for the 7mm-08... I did what several other posters suggested. Rather than buy a youth model, I purchased a Winchester/FN action and had a 7mm-08 built for him with two stocks from McMillen, one with a 12.5" LOP and the other with a 13.75" LOP. When Mason hit 13 he shot up like a weed and now at 15, he is 6' tall, weighs 172 pounds and wears a size 13 shoe! Needless to say we have changed stocks and he still loves his 7mm-08! Build him a gun he can hunt the rest of his life with. You will only trade that youth model off at some point and all of the memories with it! It may seem more expensive in the short run, but trust me, it will look cheap in 5 years! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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My 12 year old has had a Ruger Compact in .308 for the last two years, I'm pretty sure Ruger chambers it in 7-08 as well. Has a short LOP and heavy laminated stock so recoil is manageable for him. We use the Remington managed recoil ammo. Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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I have a steyr ultra light in a 7mm/08 I'd sell. Its a great shooter, I bought it for my wife, but she liked the Blaser R93 a little better. Its light, accurate, and would be perfect for a young hunter. Contact me if your intrested. Ed DRSS Member | |||
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Howa makes several .308s as well. What about one of those w/the adjustable (AR15 type) stock on it? .30'06 w/ reduced recoil loads and a shortened stock is a rifle that he can pass down to his kids! Robert If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy. Thomas Jefferson, 1802 | |||
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The .260 would be my choice as well. Finding a 700 Mtn Rifle and shortening the stock would be less effort than rebarreling. The Mtn Rifle is one of my favorites for whitetail - nice and light and handy in blinds. "Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult." | |||
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Another vote for the 7mm-08. Wife took one to South Africa in 2008. She used 140 grain TSX's but you can go with the 120's for less recoil. Have him shoot it standing instead of sitting off a bench and the recoil will be greatly reduced. Practice more with .22's and don't over do the larger rifle and he will never develop a flinch. I hunt, not to kill, but in order not to have played golf.... DRSS | |||
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I didn't get a chance to weigh in, but the rifle you picked is exactly what I would have recommended bases on the options you listed. It is a classic rifle and being chambered in 7mm-08 it will be perfect great for all plains game and everything short of the big bears here in the US. It is perfect for everything a preteen would most likely hunt, and he will be able to continue using it the rest of his life. Great choice! Jason "You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________ Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt. Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure. -Jason Brown | |||
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My gunsmith cuts off a lot of stocks for kids. He gives the cut off piece to the owner and when the kid gets bigger it can be glued/doweled back on easily, there is a bit of a step from the missing material from the blade but that is what sandpaper is for. Mark | |||
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243, I agree with Mike totally. A 243 is enough for broadside shots on elk out to 200 yards if you take your time and wait and place your shot. I know because I killed my first 3 elk, lots of deer and javelina and several good sized black bears with my Rem 700 in 243 before I finally stepped up to a 270. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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I vote for the 6.5 X 55 Swedish. If that were not an option...I would go with the .243 Winchester. I would get a Winchester M-70 Feather weight in 6.5 X 55 and get the stock cut down to fit with a thin Pachmyer Deccelerator pad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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My son did well with his Sako 25-06 this July using 115gr NP bullets on Warthog up to his Zebra and Gembok. One shot kills out to 200 yds. Recoil is managable for a young boy. His 9 y/o brother borrowed it for his own Zebra. With all the talk of using "premium" bullets for game these days, are the Core-lok bullets premium enough for African animals? I honestly don't know. Any ideas? | |||
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I have killed about a dozen PG animals with a 180gr Cor-loct at 2700FPS. All were one shot kills. All were perfect mushrooms. I think they are great bullets and I would not hesitate to use them again. But having said that, I don't believe you can judge how a bullet will work in a given size/weight/velocity based on how it worked at a different size/weight/velocity. Jason "You're not hard-core, unless you live hard-core." _______________________ Hunting in Africa is an adventure. The number of variables involved preclude the possibility of a perfect hunt. Some problems will arise. How you decide to handle them will determine how much you enjoy your hunt. Just tell yourself, "it's all part of the adventure." Remember, if Robert Ruark had gotten upset every time problems with Harry Selby's flat bed truck delayed the safari, Horn of the Hunter would have read like an indictment of Selby. But Ruark rolled with the punches, poured some gin, and enjoyed the adventure. -Jason Brown | |||
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My 8 yaar old has a light wt 300 win mag with as synthetic stock that is sized to his LOP. I load 130 barnes and 125 balistic tips with a youth load of h 4895 to a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps. recoil is similar to a 243. I spent more on a good quality rifle and can change the stock to fit for a reasonable cost. good trigger job and good scope. I would cost less than buying several rifles as he grows and he will become very familiar with one rifle. Do not get me wrong I do not think there is anything wrong with the inexpensive rifles but this is the solution I chose | |||
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Wow! I meant to be DSC Member...bad typing skills. Marcus Cady DRSS | |||
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My go to deer rifle is a 7-08 Sako AII action worked over by Bullberry and It is one of my favorite guns. There are a lot of good ammo options out there. I meant to be DSC Member...bad typing skills. Marcus Cady DRSS | |||
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great choice on the M70 FWT! Its what he used in Africa to take his first game, now he has one just like it. If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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I would go for the Mod70 in 7mm08 and use 100 gr or 120 gr Barnes TSX or TTSX bullets. He will probably end up using that rifle for the rest of his life! "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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Get him a Tikka T-3 in .30-06, and zero the gun in for the Federal Fusion Reduced Recoil with the 170 gr bullets, and never look back. He can use it now with the reduced recoil ammo, and you won't have to discard it later when he wants a bigger and faster cartridge. Using a .243 is marginal at best. Yes it will kill. I'll rather put my money on a gun and cartridge that will last for ever on anything in North America, and all plains game in Africa. Mike JP Sauer Drilling 12x12x9.3x72 David Murray Scottish Hammer 12 Bore Alex Henry 500/450 Double Rifle Steyr Classic Mannlicher Fullstock 6.5x55 Steyr Classic Mannlicher Fullstock .30-06 Walther PPQ H2 9mm Walther PPS M2 Cogswell & Harrison Hammer 12 Bore Damascus And Too Many More | |||
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Kim, I think you made a fine choice. Antlers Double Rifle Shooters Society Heym 450/400 3" | |||
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+1 | |||
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You chose the rifle I would have suggested. I cannot think of a better rifle for the application. Have fun! | |||
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At that age mine used the PH 243. Taking 7 animals from 8 shots. Also they used a .260 for red deer in New Zealand. Now 1.5 years later I just purchase an R93 in 7/08. Will also get a 9.3x62 barrel for it as well. The rifle they can shot well with is best choice. Hunting africa with all the people around will be enough of a shock to the system. Shoot once and shot well. Regards Mark | |||
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I took my oldest son to Africa the first time shortly after he turned 10. I bought him a Browning A Bolt in 30-06. I had it ported and modified to fit him along with a really good recoil pad. He did very well with that gun. He took many animals with 1 shot including kudu, gemsbok, zebra, black wildebeest, etc. | |||
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In scanning this excellent thread I did not see mention of .257 Roberts. I have it in a Rem. Mountain Rifle and it is superb. Might be a great caliber for this young man. "In these days of mouth-foaming Disneyism......"--- Capstick Don't blame the hunters for what the poachers do!---me Benefactor Member NRA | |||
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