my 15 year old nephew has non hunting parents so I am more or less in charge of getting him ready for the field this fall. For the rifle I am thinking this is a no brainer, in the gun safe is a 243 Remington 700 and a 6.5 x 55 Ruger 77. Perfect choices. He how ever expressed an interest in "that one" . "That one" is a 7 1/2 pound Vanguard in 300 Weatherby that I acquired at a Pheasants Forever fundraiser years before he was born. The thing terrifies me and it has never been fired. That is what he wanted though, and after consulting with his parents 4 boxes of ammo were ordered on the internet. Less than $ 35 a box delivered. Remarkably affordable I thought, for a 300 Weatherby anyway. The first 20 rounds were shot off the bench (by him) to zero the no name scope and to "get a feel for it". The next 20 were from field positions. He did fine. the rifle is accurate, most groups from the rest were less than 2 inches. The next day I asked him if his shoulder hurt, no, not really he said just a bit sore. Opening day of deer season i am giving him that rifle.

MY stock answer is usually a 308/7mm08 but a 260 or 6.5x55 would be equally as good. Much would depend on the terrain/ expected ranges/ type of game. Hopefully you will be within arms reach if he he's never been along on a hunt before. Happy hunting.

Sounds like he earned it. Based on what you posted about him it appears you are going to have a serious shooter in the family as he ages!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I guess I'm just getting old. I recently fired 12 rounds through my 30-06 Remington BDL with plastic butt plate and I was wearing a T-shirt and my shoulder was really sore the next day. I think a 6.5 Creedmore with recoil pad is my next deer rifle.

PERHAPS as his mentor you should explain that (as of now) he really doesn't have the same knowledge & experience that you do. The last thing he needs is a flinch. A STRONG suggestion that YOU pick his first rifle to use, then he can have whichever one he wants on his 18th birthday/HS graduation (with good grades) may be an option. Having HIM pay for the ammo might help sway his decision.

That would have not been my first choice but if he can handle the recoil without developing a flinch, more power to him. I started my grandson of with a .243 when he was 12. This year (age 15) he wanted a .30-06 after having shot my .308 some. He does fine with the .30-06, good groups and no flinching but 20 rounds at a time is his limit right now.

The 243 is about perfect. There are few rounds out there that shoot flatter and will hold their ballistics better. Some of the guns people choose to hunt deer around here are about like hunting squirrels with a 12 gage shotgun.

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Dr. B

For whitetail deer, that 300 Weatherby Magnum is really overkill. For his first hunts I would suggest the 6.5x55 or the 243. He might be able to shoot the Weatherby fine from the bench, but either of the others will work on whitetail just as good and kill them just as dead. Now if he were hunting bigger game such as elk, that Weatherby would be the gun of choice.

My Dad gave me a Remington Model 721 300 H&H Magnum for my first Elk hunt at age 14. I got a 5 point bull on the second day of the season. It was all down hill from there.



That 300 was the only "big game" rifle I ever needed. It's in the closet waiting for my Son to come pick it and my Dad's Winchester Model 70 300 H&H up one of these days.

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Eccentric old coot

Personally for deer I feel a .243 is too light for deer and an animal can never be too dead. When it comes to ethically taking game I feel bigger is better. A perfect shot is one thing but, things happen and on those marginal shots is where a bigger gun becomes your friend.
I am partial to a .308. Growing up it is what my grandfather and Uncle used, it’s what I learned and hunted with as long as all three of my kids. One thing we did was put on youth stocks and forearms which get swapped back out as they grow. By doing this it becomes a youth gun which becomes easier to handle. Personally, whichever choice a person makes, I recommend this be done for all youth hunting.
Recoil is less than a 30-06 and ballistics are not far off either. It can also be used on plenty of other big game. I feel it’s a perfect gun for your grandson.


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How big is this kid? I have always been recoil tolerant myself. I was thinking a Remington Model Seven in 7mm-08. If he is a big kid, the rifle he shot may be fine.

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That's gonna leave a mark.

Now that I am 86 years young I cannot tolerate recoil as I once did. My suggestion is start him out with something like the 7mm/08 or 6.5 Creedmore and when he is able to handle the recoil then the Weatherby. Once a flinch starts it is hard to overcome. Start the small and grow slowly to the harder recoils.

Sounds like your grandson has made his choice. I wouldn’t mess with it. The 300 Weatherby will certainly kill deer.

As time passes, he’ll have the chance to shoot other guns and will probably adopt other calibers over the years, as have most of us.

Be thankful he’s not campaigning for an AR in 223 for deer hunting and instead is interested in a real big game rifle.

Has he shot all 3 rifles before deciding?

.300 Weatherby seems like overkill for deer. But if he can handle it I guess it would work. Too much noise and recoil for me. I am partial to the 6.5x55, have been shooting that caliber all of my adult life. I even used a custom-made Douglas barreled Mauser in 6.5x55 for bench rest shooting back in the late 60s-early 70s. Over 30 years ago I was speaking with a Swedish national. According to him, that's by far the most popular hunting cartridge in Sweden. And with good reason.

He is nearly 6 ft tall and on the stocky side. The kid has always seemed immune to pain. Falling off his bike, slamming his finger in a door,ect. It is a any species any sex youth deer tag, so mule bucks are possible, it is what he wants and they can get big in North Dakota. He never shot the 6.5 or 243 but he has shot a 270 and 30 06. that is what I and his other uncles and cousins mostly use. He has spent the last 2 years wandering around the prairie with a 223 shooting anything that needed shooting, rabbits, prairie dogs , ground squirrels, empty cans , clumps of dirt ect. Off hand he can keep it in a 12 inch circle at 100 yards. He handles that 300 as well as the 223, so I don't see a real downside ( except cost). Personally i would be in the truck crying after 20 rounds off the bench.

Geeze guys. The kid picked a rifle-apparently can shoot it well-so what's the problem?????? (other than expensive ammo ) We have another hunter which I think is a good thing.
Maybe y'all ought to re-read this thread Ever notice how gun people tend to eat their own?

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Forum consigliere

I have no problem with the choice except that I think it's too much gun for a lowly deer sized animal. I mean, you are supposed to gut it and skin it after it's been shot, not while you are shooting it.

SUGGESTIONS MAY have been somewhat different. Size, experience, tolerant of recoil, all good to know. All anyone is guilty of is trying to help.

Whitetail deer in Central Texas average around 90 lbs. for an adult doe, and the largest bucks average 150 lbs. Depending on the location, most are taken (shot) at ranges no greater than 100-150 yards. I've killed them with rifles ranging from 5.56mm to .308 Winchester (7.62mm), and with a .357 Magnum revolver (Model 686-3). My favorite deer rifle is a Savage 99c chambered in .308 Winchester. My recommendation for a good, all purpose medium caliber rifle is the .308 Winchester. Lots of different bullet weights available. Ammo is easy to find and affordable, and with the right bullet design and weight, and proper shot placement, you can take any animal on the North American continent.

I have a 6.8 SPC-II rifle I hope to use on deer and hogs this year as the MSR (AR platform) is more ergonomic and a bit easier to handle in the tree stand.

I also think the .300 Weatherby is overkill for whitetail deer. If it's all you have, then that's one thing. If you have the ability to get him in a smaller caliber rifle like the .243 Winchester or the 6.5, I think he would be better off. Now if he was hunting for larger game like moose, or elk, the .300 would be a better choice.

Good luck, I bet your grandson thinks you're the coolest Grandfather on the planet.

Regards,

Dave

...maybe he should try my new purchase off of GB...

...TC Encore...

...416 Rigby barrel...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

Reload...

Bob


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Sure, the OP could give the Weatherby rifle to his grandson, but his nephew that he referenced in the first post may get a bit jealous.

300 Wby……….Ya gotta like it.

That's what I gave my SIL for his first big game rifle.


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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

It sounds like you have the rifle already. If he can handle the gun, it’s a done deal. If he ever wants to go after bigger game, he’s all set.

We have a winner !

Might not be my personal choice for a first gun but it works for him. You might look around for a vanguard in, say, 223 or other common caliber. You can set it up the same as the 300. It will give him something to shoot, off season for practice with much less expensive ammo. (And it would make a great birthday or graduation gift!)

The gutting isn’t so much the issue.

A few decades ago I bought a Winchester 70 in .300 Win Mag for elk hunting. Just to get a feel for carrying it around, I took it out on the last weekend of a (up to then unsuccessful) deer season.

Of course I had to run into a forked horn standing broadside at 25 yards, as happens in the dense woods up here.

With a 180-grain Nosler, the exit wound wasn’t any larger than the entry. But the bloodshot covered half the side and ruined most of the backstrap

If you reload, you can throttle back that magnum to .30-06 velocities. It's also a hobby that might be of interest to him. In any case, best wishes to both of you for a safe and successful hunt.

Sounds like it found a loving home once he grows into the responsibility of gun ownership.
Might think about reloading if you don't already.
A rifle just ain't complete without it

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it just needs more voltage

I could handle recoil better at 15, than now at 61.

I shot a friend's 500 NE awhile back, it wasn't enjoyable, at 15 I would have been grinning like a possum eating yellow jackets.