Guys,
I took the oldest boy out shooting the other day (got two big sows, he had a ball ) I took his brno .22 with us and gave him a shot but the stock is two long. This got me thinking about a centrefire for the lads for when they get a bit older. Gary Hall has a nice little Rossi in .44mag that has a short stock but I was also thinking about a marlin 30/30. Any suggestions for a short stocked rifle that won't kick the boys to death?

Trim the stock you have?

A 30-30 in a light gun will kick. The 44 isn't much different.

The single shot NEF 243 or 7mm-08 is available in short stocked rifles and it's cheap.

A second hand Anshutz 22 Magnum.

Will be small and light enough and cut the stock back a bit.

A .22 Magnum is a big bore to a small kid.

For a youngen how bout a nice martini in .357m, being single shot and with plenty of practice not much slower than a bolt....

I agree with tracks, 357M in a martini sounds great. Also with a single shot, they will learn the importance of making the first shot count. My first 22 was an Ithica Model 49, this is a martini action with external hammer, still have it, 40+yrs later.

Hog Killer

.22 Mag or .357, either one works good enough on pigs or similar pests.

Bakes
I have used a 44 Mag rifle a fair amount and find that inside 125 yards it kills deer as good as any rifle.
For practice, milder reloads or even 44 Special factory loads kick like a 22. When shooting at game with 240 or 270 [Speer] factory or equivilent handloads he will not notice the recoil. Hard cast 240 lead bullets at @ 1000fps will even work for pigs up close.
A 44 Mag rifle was my first deer rifle and I have not been with out one since.

Martini Cadet in .22 Hornet would be my choice for small boys as a first centrefire , or any el-cheapo single shot that has no intrinsic collector value . That way it wont matter if you lop an inch off the butt to get a better fit . Just keep the sawn off bit so you stick it back on in a year or two when the small boy becomes a tall boy.....

Get a Marlin Lever Action,they will have it for the rest of their lives.Either a .44 or 30/30.Just load it back accordingly.Work up the loads as they grow,maybe throw in the odd heavy one for pigs.

44 being the pick(holds more rounds)3.5gns W231 w/200gn lead is a great plinking load.
My shooting buddy has had his Marlin .44 new since 1973.He broke a firing pin two years ago-$36.It spent the first few years digesting 100's of heavy loads on pigs and travelling around Australia,it's done some work.It also has been very well maintained,regular stip,clean and oil etc.

Now the short stock-make one! Not very hard to do at all,either get Geoff Slee to send up a rough blank or grab some timber from the hardware and laminate some together and trim away.The longer one(OE)can be swapped back when older.

PS.Stay clear of Rossi,my 2 cents.

There are alot of options here & I believe all sudgestions on here so far are good,you dont say how old your boy is or what he thinks?

Get him a bolt gun in 260rem or 7mm-08,youth model that remington & a few others do.

My next choice would be a marlin lever in 44 mag(although there could be drama coming up with lever actions possibly loosing there cat B statis)

If pigs are unlikely to be on the menue than a 22 mag would be an excellent choice.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys (and girls) I don't want to chop off any of the brno stock as its nice wood and the rifle has some sentimental value. I have a stirling .22mag I can butcher (already have )I might just go that way for awhile. I'm leaning towards the marlin option. Now to sell off some rifles....

I have a Rossi .44.
Using 180 gr factory loads, recoil is not a lot more than a .22, and not a huge bang. Drops most bigish game out to a 100 yards or so.
Have shot all sorts with it, ranging from cats to cows, and plenty in between.
Would be a good starter gun for a young fella wanting to shoot a hog or two.

I've had both the 44's and the 30/30's in rifles, and I'll agree they work about the same with most stuff to 100 yards but the 30/30 is much harder hitting after about 60 yards. And over 100 I wouldn't comfortably take a shot with the 44 magnum (it was a ruger autoloader). I no longer have any 44 rifles but still have 30/30's. <G>

If you don't want to scope it, I like the 94 over the marlin. Put a peep sight on it and it makes a nice light and quick gun.

I got my 1st rifle at 12. Cleaned stables,mowed,
etc to pay the $80.00 for a brand new Marlin 30-30. I can see it from where i sit. It ain't fer sale. They will have it forever.
Good Shooting
Gene

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
I have a stirling .22mag I can butcher (already have )I might just go that way for awhile.

Perfect way for them to start. But give them one bullet to shoot to start with ie use as a single shot. So they learn to shoot well. Maybe more if shooting pigs.

Any small game up there other than small to medium sized grasshoppers?

I started with a singleshot .22. Makes you learn two things fast - get close , and place your shots where they count .

Also being quiet and with low recoil the boys wont learn to flinch like their old man.....

There are heaps of wallabys here but of course they are protected and we don't shoot them .

And I don't flinch.....I just get alot of dust in my eyes

G'day Bakes,

I lopped a few inches off a Stirling 22 mag for my boy when he was about 8-9 y/old, he took to it like a duck to water - he kinda grew up with that and then my C/fires - 223, 270, and now shoots all of them, plus a 12g O/U, and will soon get his own 243... at 14 the young 'un outshoots me every time, but I can still stalk better than he can!

I was going to try to flog off the old .22mag, but I think I'll keep it for the boys. I may even lop a bit off it tomorrow.

Bakes, make sure you keep teh bit you lop off - I lost mine, and now that the ol' Stirling has proved its worth, the stock is too short for either of us to use easily (he's as tall as me )... It'll be fixed soon, but it would have been easier if I'd just glued the thing back on.

Stirlings can be remarkably accurate with the right ammo - mine prefers Federal or Win Supreme 50g - won't shoot a damn with anything else!

Yep mine likes winchester stuff. I played around with bedding it and screwed it up . Still shoots well enough to pop of rabbits. In fact the last time I used the thing was at Dick's place, shooting bunnies.

quote:

Martini Cadet in .22 Hornet would be my choice for small boys as a first centrefire

Why not a 310 ? It gives the option of converstion at a latter date to something with a litte more sting !

D-O-K

when was the last time you walked into a gunshop and saw .310 Cadet ammo for sale.....unless Bakes is going to spend lots of time reloading 310's the Hornet is a better bet in my books ( even if he reloads Hornet too ).

Bakes,

yep, they're good rifles all right, a bit rough, and you have to make sure you don't knock the safety towards the 'on' position, other than that, very servicable...

It's a shame I didn't know you were in my neck of the woods, would've been nice to catch up...

How is Dick, and how's the 4x4 project coming along?

Sorry mate I should of been clearer. It was about 2 years ago I haven't spoken to him for awhile, must give him a call.

quote:

when was the last time you walked into a gunshop and saw .310 Cadet ammo for sale.....unless Bakes is going to spend lots of time reloading 310's the Hornet is a better bet in my books ( even if he reloads Hornet too ).

I know what you mean Muzza! I have a soft spot for the 310 (and so does my 11yr old) I reload all of my ammo do'nt really stop to think about whats avalible as factory these days! Ive got a beaut Little Martini hornet that has been My Fox rifle for about 32yrs now & I swear by it!