Mornin everyone
I know we all like to push the upper limits sometimes to see what we can handle, but what is the lower end that is still acceptable for takeing big game?
My 12yo son is turning out to be a fairly good shot with a wide variety of guns and can handle bigger recoil better than I would have suppected. We went shooting clay pidgeons with some friends and he fell in love with my 1887 12 ga leveraction with 20" bbl and put around 100 rounds through it in one afternoon.
He can handle the 500 JRH with 400 LFN @ 950 fps, but I don't want him to devlope a flinch. He really likes the 385 KSWC @ 700 fps and can shoot box after box of them hitting the 100yd gong regularly.
I have shot piles of Deer and Elk with a rifle, but my handgun experience is abit more limited.
So I guess the question is,(assumeing a well placed shot) what is a reasonable lower velocity than can still take Deer, Pigs, Elk and restrict shots to 50-100yds?
.357-180 LFN, .451-255 SWC, .451-300 LRN, .500-385 SWC...
and just for fun .700-440 @ 500fps? <-- Howdah load with 12ga 1 oz slug

There is very little the 385 grainer at 700 fps won't go through. I'd stick with the load he is using currently and roll on.

I dont think kids are hard to take down. Low velocity will work!!!!

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Originally posted by OLBIKER:
I dont think kids are hard to take down. Low velocity will work!!!!

Absolutely! Usually only takes a willow or plum switch with mine. Belt if I'm in the house.

At 12 years old I'd forget the handguns for hunting and get him a .243 rifle. With the right load it will do a far better job on the critters you mentioned with much less chance of losing a wounded animal. Hogs, maybe, because you can generally work in close.

My 12 year old has taken two deer with a single shot in .243. They still love the handguns though.

12 years old and huntin with a handgun! I say more power to ya! If he can handle it let him loose with it.

I was 10 when I shot my first deer, it was with a .243. First time I'd ever shot a firearm. Didn't feel a thing.

Didn't shoot anything with a handgun till it was 29 years old, wish I had started years earlier. Let the kids figure out what theyre ready for. You just make sure that they figure it out on the range!

His favorite gun is a Rossi M92 leveraction in 357 mag. He took his first deer, a 3x3 Mulie, last year with a 180gn hard cast. His newest gun is a Savage 340 in 30-30. We were headed out to shoot clay pidgeons and he was talking smack about shooting them out of the air with a 22lr pistol. I said I'd give him 5 shots and if he shot one out of the air that I'd buy him a new gun, so we went shopping.

quote:

Originally posted by Lar45:
His favorite gun is a Rossi M92 leveraction in 357 mag. He took his first deer, a 3x3 Mulie, last year with a 180gn hard cast. His newest gun is a Savage 340 in 30-30. We were headed out to shoot clay pidgeons and he was talking smack about shooting them out of the air with a 22lr pistol. I said I'd give him 5 shots and if he shot one out of the air that I'd buy him a new gun, so we went shopping.

You need to be careful when dealing with kids.

Thats for sure I watched my son head shoot a grouse on the fly with his 10-22 from the hip.

The ice was just off the lakes my daughter said she wanted to go swiming. I said sure I give her a buck a min 10 dollars later I put a stop to it.

My daughter took a nice javalina (50 lbs) in Feb with a 44 mag loaded with a 240 gr hard cast bullet over 6 gr of Unique. The shot was 35 yds. I believe that load would work well on whitetail. Keep your shots close and lots of practice.

That's about the same as a .44 Special and I agree it should work on deer.

quote:

Originally posted by Lar45:
His favorite gun is a Rossi M92 leveraction in 357 mag. He took his first deer, a 3x3 Mulie, last year with a 180gn hard cast. His newest gun is a Savage 340 in 30-30. We were headed out to shoot clay pidgeons and he was talking smack about shooting them out of the air with a 22lr pistol. I said I'd give him 5 shots and if he shot one out of the air that I'd buy him a new gun, so we went shopping.

Had something very simmilar happen when I was young with a pellet rifle......... Never told my dad I had been practicing for almost a month...jejejeje

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We were headed out to shoot clay pidgeons and he was talking smack about shooting them out of the air with a 22lr pistol. I said I'd give him 5 shots and if he shot one out of the air that I'd buy him a new gun, so we went shopping.

Yeppers ya got tiger by tha tail there, for sure.

At his age I was the same way, good eyes, and reflexes to match, got a 12ga in a VERY similar fashion. Wasn't much in a firearm I wouldn't snuggle up to.

My grandson got it in his head at 3 he wanted to shoot him a hog, and well with some reduced loads for my little .308, and plenty of practice, two weeks before his 4th birthday,


I'm pretty sure the loads your working with there will do fine to at least 50yds with a rested careful shot.

Good luck, sounds like you will have a busy season, and full freezer.

Great photo, Mike! Good job on the bad influence!

Excellent!! Did his mother know he was goin hog huntin with Grandpa?
What kind of reduced loads for the 308?

I have a grouse load for my 30-06 with 165 cast at about 1000 fps, has almost no recoil. I started my youngest son shooting this from the bench at about 4-5 years old. He liked shooting it better than the 22lr.

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Originally posted by Lar45: He liked shooting it better than the 22lr.

Can you blame him?

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Great photo, Mike! Good job on the bad influence!

Well if you liked that one, here is a couple of my fav's, Sorry for the hijack, but I am a little proud....






And the final one to go with the first one,

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Excellent!! Did his mother know he was goin hog huntin with Grandpa?
What kind of reduced loads for the 308?

Oh yea, his mom was well informed about it and was wishing I was taking her instead. I told her she had her turn int he barrel it was his turn next.I did have to set up a double archery stand with one 4' piece of ladder on it to pacify Nana and great grandma though.

The loads I used started out as 37grs of H-4895 with the Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tip at about 2250fps. We set his range at 50 yards for hunting but I had him shooting out to 50,75, and 100 yards, before we hunted. He also hit our 8" steelie at 200yds on the first shot in front of 8 grown men, who were having a hard time with a 8" paper target at 100.

After he got the above hog, he got a coyote at 158yds, and dumped him on his nose. We however found that the bullet didn't exit, so after that I upped the powder charge to 40grs, and we moved to the 130gr Barnes TSX and went on from there.

The last loads he was shooting with it were with 42grs and he dumped a couple of hogs with it, and then swapped up to his mom's 6.5x55 and got his first doe at 8 with it. Then last fall he used her 25-06 with 56.5grs of RL-22 under the 110gr Accubond to get his first buck.


When my daughter started out at 6, she was shooting my first .243 loaded with 95gr Ballistic Tips. Through no fault of hers, she didn't get a shot on a deer until she was 9, and she used the same rifle that the grandson has pictured with him for her first deer at 180yds. After that we fought on who got to use it, until I gave it to her about 5 years ago. Now she has to fight him for it. LOL

Excellent pics, and loved the video.