what caliber of rifle should i get my 10 yr old for deer hunting?
broncosrock05 asked:
i thought about a .223, .225, .243, or a .270
i have a .243 that i use, but it dosen’t seem to drop the deer
usually where i hunt i have to make 400 yd shots, which makes .243 shots dicey, it kills them but after they run
we hunt at my dads place in kansas
we hunt while stalking
Blake
i thought about a .223, .225, .243, or a .270
i have a .243 that i use, but it dosen’t seem to drop the deer
usually where i hunt i have to make 400 yd shots, which makes .243 shots dicey, it kills them but after they run
we hunt at my dads place in kansas
we hunt while stalking
Blake
Tags: Caliber, Deer Hunt, Deer Hunting
November 4th, 2008 at 3:45 am
I would go with the 270 . HANDS DOWN over the other choices you selected. However he is 10 years perhaps let him try your 243 and see how it feels for him. If he thinks he can handle a 270 then go with that.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
.243 or a .243 WSM or a 6mm…they do just fine with the proper shot placement..I have a friend who has killed 11 deer with 11 shots with the 6mm…one a State non-typical record..every shot was in the heart…a good scope and lots of practice helps a lot..good luck to your son…you are starting him out right…EDIT:at 400 yds you are still trying to shoot a deer?..good lord…hes too young for that range..ok,try a 7mm-08..low recoil and good range…….I still say no one but an experienced shooter with maybe a 7mm Rem Mag should try that range….too much chance of a wound…at 150-200 the .243 is still ok
November 5th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
A 243 with the right ammo will drop a deer, if you can’t humanely kill a deer with this caliber, you’re either not using the right grain bullet, or right sty;e bullet. OR, you’re a bad shot.
A 243 is perfect for a young hunter, or a 25-06.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I would buy him the same .243 I use it too and it does just fine…..Type of bullet? It makes things a whole lot easier not buying different ammo. Where do you want like what are the conditions and what type of deer are you shooting at generally? Here are some good guns I like…..There are many more……..I just like CZ because of the quality
November 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
There is a school of thought that thinks that when Gabriel comes down to blow his horn he will have a .270 slung over his shoulder…I am not one of these people….for a 10 yr old,a .243 or 6mm is just fine….a sweet shooting caliber that will kill any deer sized animal with proper shot placement…..the new .243WSM is more powerful and I dont have any experience with it…so I wont recommend it…I concur with the good luck to your son…You are doing the proper thing raising him in the woods…even if he stops hunting,he will still enjoy the outdoors and be a responsible person….kudos…(psst..forget the .270)EDIT: 400 yd deer shots?…no no no…nobody should be shooting deer at 400 yds as an everyday event…way too much chance of wounding a deer…I know there are people who shoot whats called “beanfield guns”,usually tricked out 7mm Rem Mags or 300 WIn Mags at deer…this is just a bunch of sniper wannabes…get a grip…reduce the range
November 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
.357
Ive shot one and it doesnt kick at all.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:37 am
well, make sure you get a gun that fits his body, that means probably a youth model, or IIRC remgington has a new line labed JR or Junior that is even shorter length of pull than youth.
A .223 might be a little too much. You have had bad experience with a .243 on deer? You must either have had massively huge deer or else you might need to consider a better designed bullet. Maybe try a 257 roberts? Thing is, you start getting to less common calibers and your ability to find the gun in an appropraitely sized stock is greatly reduced.
P.S. Everyone knows that Gabriel will be carrying a 416 rigby, demons aren’t phased by a little .270 pill
November 18th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Depends what deer species,they vary several times in size, but 223 is really a varmint round, so while you can take larger game, you need to wait too long for perfect angles, rather than being able to nail them quartering, or through the shoulders if that’s the only shot available.
If you are shooting close range one of the pistol or lever action rounds in a lever action might be the go.
However for general all round hunting the best choice really is the 243 or another fast 6mm calibre for a young shooter.
If your 243 does not drop small/medium deer species you should probably look at your bullet choice as the problem, since the longer heavier/premium bullets in 243 should be doing the job.
The 270 is of course a lot more powerful, but it really is a big step up, in recoil too. No need for a 10 year to suffer it.
Since you can easily split the difference between 243 and 270 with any of .257/264 calibres like the 257 roberts, 260 rem, 6.5 x 55 etc. which are all great deer rounds, and much less punishment to the shooter than 270 or bigger.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
either .243 or 7.62×39 work very well for white tail, and average mule deer, but are a little under power for the big muley bucks. But shot placement really pays off!!
I changed my mind here, I was going to go off on my praise of the .270, (but I will behave this time) LOL
I agree with the others, if you are having bad experiences with the .243, you might want to check into a better performing bullet or a different load altogether for it. I used a rifle in .243 many years ago (but only on deer) and had no complaints.
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 am
For Chrissake, not 243. I think of it as the rifle equivalent of the 410 shotgun, used by novices but really only good for experts. My middle son was a bit recoil shy, but the youngest was pretty impervious, and you’ll have to place your kid’s tolerance, but I’d suggest something like 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser, 260 Remington, 7×57 Mauser, or 7mm08. Those all have shorter powder columns than 270 but have an equivalent level of punch (or better).
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 pm
You don’t say what part of the country you are going to hunt in. I own a small place in the hill country of Texas, our deer aren’t as large here as they are in other parts of the United States, most of the folks around my place either use a 243 or 22-250. I have both as well as a 30-06, 30-30, 308, 223. Depending on how large the deer are and at what range you are going to try to take these deer is what would be my determining factor. Shooting deer up to about 150 yards is great with a 22-250 or the 243 for greater distances I would use the 308 cal., all of our friends that have been to sniper school should recognize this weapon as it is a little bit like AT&T is will reach out and touch some one. I would how ever train your son with a small cal. rifle, when he shoots at a deer he isn’t going to feel the (recoil) rifle buck against his shoulder.
This past season I took a wild pig and a seven point buck with a 243 cal. The buck ran maybe 35 yards and the pig ran almost 15 yards.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
.223 would be a good gun for him… when i was 10 my dad bought me one and it was great
November 26th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I was raised on a .30-30 and have fond memories and remember nothing negative from the first time firing it. Sometimes it’s hard to look back on our youth and try to remember what we as kids thought of the guns we shot. I think if we could do this efficiently we would make good choices. A .30-30 is usually good up to 200 yards.
November 28th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Get him a .270 He will never feel any recoil when shooting at game anyway.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I’d say a 243 would be a good one for a 10 year old.I have one i use in WV with a 85 grain BTH and it does a great job.Haven’t lost any with it yet.What’s nice about a 243 you can use it for more than just Deer Hunting.I use mine for groundhogs in the summer to.You can go from a 55grain to a 105 grain with it.If you ask me it’s the all around gun.I got the Remington model 700 and i love it.Good Luck hope you find the right gun for your 10 year old.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
everyone left out the most ideal caliber.
the 25-.06
trust me, i’ve used this since i was 9 years old and it is a great, flat shooting gun. use hornady light magnum ammo and a leupold scope, and you can’t go wrong.
check out the ballistics on one. you’ll see the difference!
25-.06 does everything the 223 and 243 won’t, and competes with the 270 without hardly any recoil.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Try a 7mm08. They have a little more recoil than a .243, but it is a bigger round with more knockdown power and has a little bit more range.
December 11th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
for 400 yd shots the 270 would be best. at that range ballistic tips should be used to insure expansion.
the 243 with 100 gr. bullets is a good deer round up to about 300 yds.
I had the same experience you did with the 243 at about 420 yds. the deer lay down in tall grass & jumped up when I got closer,killed it with another shot. the first one at long range went all the way through the lungs & exited without expanding. it didnt bleed from either the entrance or exit hole I didnt even find the exit wound untill I field dressed it.
the 130 gr. 270 is just as devastating at close range as the 243 & will ruin a lot of meat but keeps enough velocity to expand at long range too.