Good rifle for 12 year old, 243 or 270?

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Rambo101

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My 12 year old son is really getting into hunting and shooting guns right now. I have a 30-06, .223, .22 and a few 12guage shotguns that he shoots but I want to get him his own. Guess I should say that I bought the .22 (S & W 15-22) for him but want something that he can hunt hog n deer with. Been doing some research but haven't come to a decision yet. Should I get him a 243 or 270? And y?
 
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Yes.


Either of those would be great for deer etc. guess it just comes down to ammo availability, you want a long or short action, is recoil an issue etc. I bought my son. .243 at that age but a .270 would have been fine.
 
Check out the CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39. It's a very slick little rifle, top quality, accurate, fun, and cheap to shoot, plus it comes with iron sights and a set of rings. I picked one up this spring and put a Redfield 2-7x scope on it and it's a great combo, my new walking around rifle. Recoil isn't much and the 7.62x39 has ballistics similar to a 30-30. My 12 year old really enjoys it, too, and since the ammo is so cheap he can shoot it all he wants.

I don't have a pic of mine but I borrowed this one from canoeguy's post about his rifle, mine is set up the same way. Here's a link to his thread - http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge...-7-62x-39-some-serious-carbine-love-pics.html

2.JPG
 
.260 Rem or the 7mm-08. With todays quality hunting bullets either one is fine for deer or hogs.
 
If he can handle your .30-06 and 12 gauge, why not let him use those or get him one? Why bother suggesting a different gun to him?

On a practical note, if you both sight in with the same caliber with identical ammo, if you're ever out hunting and one of you runs out of bullets/drops them in the mud/forgets them at home, etc., you can bum a couple rounds from each other.

Just my opinion.
 
Either would be fine. The CZ above or a 30-30 might be a better choice if recoil is a concern. They'd both be cheaper to shoot too.
a semi-auto will probably have less recoil than a bolt gun too, but I'd tend avoid that for a first hunting gun.

how about a 308? There are more ammo options available (including surplus), and the recoil isn't all that much different between it and a 243.
 
Without knowing about your sons size or build, it is difficult to make a recommendation. My daughter, at that age, was very thin (and still is at 24) and tall. I chose a .243 and it couldn't have been better!

There is, IMO, a significant difference in the recoil between the .243, 7mm08 and the .308. The .243 has much less felt recoil.
 
Hillbilly77 said:
If he can handle your .30-06 and 12 gauge, why not let him use those or get him one? Why bother suggesting a different gun to him?

On a practical note, if you both sight in with the same caliber with identical ammo, if you're ever out hunting and one of you runs out of bullets/drops them in the mud/forgets them at home, etc., you can bum a couple rounds from each other.

Just my opinion.
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Duhhhhh.....can't believe it took to post #5.
 
Thanks all for your opinions and info. Guess I should have been more complete.
He shoots my all my guns but can't get good accuracy with the 30-06 n 12 gauge because he's flinching in anticipation of the recoil. I want to get him a rifle that he is comfortable with and not concerned about recoil so he can concentrate on the shot and improve accuracy therefore building his confidence. He will be hunting hogs and deer out to about 100yrds.
I have never heard of the CZ but am going to look into them.
Has for the 308, I would love for us to have one but I though the recoil was more up in the 30-06/12 gauge range?


My son is medium built, 5' 1" tall and weights 95lbs
 
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Frank237 said:
.260 Rem or the 7mm-08. With todays quality hunting bullets either one is fine for deer or hogs.
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Two EXCELLENT choices! Take a look at the Remington Model Seven. Available in either caliber. Carbine length,low recoil and easy to handle.
My seven-year-old grandson took this buck with a 7mm-08 last year.

MrBsguns725.jpg


f.t.
 
Well depends on a few more "things". Do yall live where can do some varmint hunting? Do you intend to shoot @ a range for nice groups? Do you intend to take up handloading? If yes to the above, a nice Remington heavy bbl would sure be nice. If mainly a deer gun etc.........whatever fits him
 
I have no advice, but a question. Whether its a defense gun for a woman or a hunting gun for a youth, why are we so quick to recommend a caliber that we ourselves wouldnt depend our lives on and consider a caliber for a youth for hunting that we ourselves wouldnt use thinking it wouldnt do the job?
 
feralmerril said:
...why are we so quick to...consider a caliber for a youth for hunting that we ourselves wouldnt use thinking it wouldnt do the job?
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Because the youth has already developed bad habits (flinching) he needs to overcome? And a mild-recoiling like the .243 might allow him to do this?
 
there is nothing wrong with a .243 for a grown man anyway. I dont know why people think it wont do the job on deer sized game. Shot placement people. I hunt with a 270 and its done well for me, but Ive seen plenty of deer taken with a 243.
 
The .243 all the way. In a good rifle the .243 is capable of stellar bench accuracy without battering recoil and is a fine medium game rifle to boot. The .270 is still going to recoil nearly as much as the .30-06. 7mm-08 is a great caliber, but sometimes ammo availability isn't the best.

You definitely want to get a rifle and caliber your son will enjoy range time with. A gun that hurts will make him develop flinching and trigger jerk issues which are very hard to break. FYI, in western PA the .243 is a very popular deer cartridge with youths and women.
 
feralmerril said:
I have no advice, but a question. Whether its a defense gun for a woman or a hunting gun for a youth, why are we so quick to recommend a caliber that we ourselves wouldnt depend our lives on and consider a caliber for a youth for hunting that we ourselves wouldnt use thinking it wouldnt do the job?
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I use both of those guns I recommended. Successfully,I might add. ;)
f.t.
 
I guess I am nitpicking. But overall I have seen these questions forever. The point I am trying to make here is lets do this in reverse? If a youth or woman can handle a small caliber and we think it will properly kill, why then do we go to a bigger harder kicking weapon ourselves. I am relateing this question to the often asked and advised question moreso with defense handguns for women. Many times I have seen it advised a woman to get a .32 or .380 for defense and the writers adviseing that wont use anything under a .357 or .45 acp themselves.
 
I have nothing against a 243. I think its a fine caliber for your intended game, but if he is flinching with the 30-06, he will flinch with the 243.

gotta go lighter than a 243 IMO. The CZ in 7.72x39 or a maybe a 30-30 (not sure how it would stack up) is what I'd recommend. Maybe a 6.8spc or 300aac, but I'm not sure how you'll fare finding them anything other than an AR though. I'll even through 44mag into the mix.

the other thought is to find some reduced recoil ammo. I know they make it for the 270 and 12ga, I'd assume its also available for the 30-06 and 243 also. or just put the gun money towards reloading equipment and load your own.

How about a muzzle loader? mine kicks noticeably harder than my 270 with a 300gr bullet and 150 gr worth of pellets, but there's no reason you couldn't use one with 50gr of powder and a 200gr or lighter bullet. as he gets used to it, load up a magnum shot every now and then and see what happens.
 
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270 with managed recoil ammo. That's how I'm setup. Can work into the full power stuff later. Will be able to use on just about anything the rest of his life. 270 is cheaperthan 243
 
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