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Thread: First Hunting Rifle/Shotgun?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    First Hunting Rifle/Shotgun?

    Hey All,

    My daughter is turning 5 this year, and I'm starting to look at hunting guns for her.

    For Rifles-

    I have heard reports of the .243Win being borderline at best on deer, and don't want to give her a gun that is going to wallop her and not kill ethically. The problem is that most 'youth' guns are chambered in .243Win. Would a .44Mag single-shot be a better option?

    For Shotgun/Rimfire-

    I've been looking at the Rossi .410/.22LR combos as I think it would give her a good option for hunting squirrels and maybe .410 slugs for deer?


    Help me out! I'd just hand her my single shot 20ga, but I don't think that would end well...

    Thanks!
    Chris
    Chris



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  2. #2
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    I think 5yrs is pushing it for a kid to deer hunt. Perfect time to start them shooting with a 22 rifle. Not many 5yr olds can even hold up a youth rifle. Then you have scope issue too. My family starts kids shooting early. Most get a 22 at 5yrs but most can't hold it up themselves. Now they have a lot of small 22s that a 5yr old can handle.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy bluelund79's Avatar
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    A 44mag single shot would not be an advisable youth rifle. I owned one, and it was one of the loudest guns without a muzzlebrake that I’ve owned. I did some H4895 reduced recoil 243 loads for my son when he was 7. We had more fun at the range with a Cricket 22 and balloons to pop. The 243 is an Encore with the Choate M4 stock, we still have it, and it’s still incredibly accurate. I’d recommend a youth fit 22, and reactive targets to get them excited. Let their interest level dictate future purchases. Heck, I got my oldest son a youth Mossberg 20ga pump when he was born. He took 2 shots with it. 1 turkey load to see point of impact and feel the recoil, the second killed his first turkey. He won best overall bird at the youth turkey contest, and won a Remington 870. That Mossberg didn’t leave the safe for 5 years until his little brother took it turkey hunting this year.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

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    .410's arent for killing deer, even with slugs. get that out of your head. .243's or any of the 6's kill just fine. choose a good bullet, and remember shot placement is the important factor.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    A deer rifle for a 5 year old? Better wait till she's 10 or 12. She needs to develop basic fundamental shooting skills before going to a high powered center fire. For that, the .22/.410 combo gun would be a great choice. It's a perfect small game gun. Single shot method will get her to make each shot count. A .410 slug for deer? Feasible, but not recommended over 50 yards. About the same as a .30 Carbine. Besides, the combo guns usually come with full chokes which don't give good accuracy with slugs. When she's ready, perhaps a 6.5 Grendel or 7.62x39 might be the ticket.

  6. #6
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    buckwheatpaul's Avatar
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    My first rifle was a Rem. 600 in .243.....killed a passel of deer without losing one. My brother still uses it. I prefer the 95 to 105 grain soft point for deer.
    My first shotgun was a Winchester 1400 in 16 gauge. It still works.

    I think you would do well with the .243......and for a shotgun...gas operated 20 gauge....love the Browning Gold 20 gauge and you can find a good used one.......I dont like the .44 for a youth deer rifle. Some kick very hard and in the carbine can be hard to use iron sights and often need a cheek piece for a lever rifle. Good luck on your quest....Paul
    When guns are outlawed only criminals and the government will have them and at that time I will see very little difference in either!

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  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    I guess I really had two questions. Haha

    I agree that 5 is too young for deer hunting. We will likely be just target shooting and maybe squirrel hunting (provided she is interested). That was why the .22LR/.410 combo looked appealing. What is the quality like on the Rossi guns? Are they worthwhile, or should I look for a NEF/H&R?

    Do any of you guys have experience with the Keystone Crickett/Chipmunk guns or the Savage Rascal? I've heard the rascals can be iffy on accuracy.
    Chris



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  8. #8
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    My daughter had a chipmunk when she was very young ( she’s 33 now). Quality made with a walnut stock. I agree 5 is a little young for anything bigger that a 22.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Both of my children have cricketts. Good value for the money and quite accurate.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Get the Cricket for a 5 year old and let her learn to shoot. My sons who were and are rather large shot 22 pistols under supervision when young. At 10+ they got Mossberg pump 20ga shotguns. Teach the young lady how to shoot and let her have fun. take her hunting with you. She doesn't need a gun , she just wants to be with dad. Don't get the 410/22. Savage made and may still make a 20ga/22WMR. A much better gun for birds.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    My wife had a crickett, very accurate. It prefered winchester 333/555 ammo and I could hit an empty 22 casing at 25 yards with it. You can get a larger stock but we never did, both used the kiddy stock. She's little and it fit her okay. I'm huge and it fit me poorly but it was fun as heck. Woulda made a nice backpack rifle.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub Terminatorret's Avatar
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    At 5 years...? Daisy BB.
    At 10 years? Remington 514 single shot .22.
    JMHO

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duckiller View Post

    Get the Cricket for a 5 year old and let her learn to shoot.

    I know that you're excited to have her take an interest in guns, but (IMO) @ 5 y.o. children have neither the concentration or ability to safely handle a firearm.

    If you have patience, you will certainly eventually be rewarded.

    A BB gun would be best, for a few years, until she can easily aim it properly (aka: baby steps, which she still is)

    Just be aware that yer gonna have to cock the Crickett (every shot) for her until she's about 10 y.o. - as the mainspring is way too strong for a youngster to handle.

    My oldest Grandson (now 28) still has the Chipmunk (forerunner of the Crickett) I started him out on when he was 7 y.o .(Yes, I had to cock it for him for a few years)

    I started all my 3 children and 3 grandchildren into shooting a .22 off the bench (for support) when they were 7 y.o., and had them sit by me while squill hunting once they were 9 y.o. - by the time they were eligible for a junior hunting license (11 y.o. here) they were GTG.


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  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    [QUOTE=Terminatorret;4728909]At 5 years...? Daisy BB.
    At 10 years? Remington 514 single shot .22.
    JMHO

    I've been shooting 22lr's since I'm 4yrs old but I'll tell you my precision shooting is from the 100,000+ pellets from my air rifle. Trigger time is the key. No noise, no flinching no disturbing others. I picked up a couple of old Remington 33's for my kids as they got older I paid about $50ea. We don't get to the woods much to shoot but the bb guns/pellet rifles can be used at home. I'm planing to make a range in the garage for them as well. I'd say a semi-auto 20ga with light loads will get the kids started. Load one at a time at first so there isn't and double tapping the trigger. I've been shooting 243Win since I was 9 or 10 woodchuck hunting. I've seen grown men take mule deer in Colorado with 100gr 243's. I shot a S&W 629 71/2" at 10yrs old with 240gr JHP that was a little much as i had to duck as it almost cracked me in the head but I didn't drop it or bleed.

    I did this on one of the Rem 33's & replaced the rear sight with a bulls eye style & the front with a fiber optic bead. She was 8.
    Last edited by NyFirefighter357; 09-17-2019 at 10:33 PM.

  15. #15
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    The new little auto-loaders would be good if you don't mind teaching her with one. I got me a Mossberg 702 plinkster at Walmart for $99. Great gun for any age. Only 4 lbs. The stock MAY be a bit big for a 5 yr old but my buddy got one for his 9 yr old grand daughter and it fits her very nicely. Strangely these little guns fit full sized people too. Don't know how they do that. Otherwise one of those little cricket bolt action single shots are good too.
    It would be nice if someone still made a break open single shot 22. I would opt for that if you could find one. They are very illustrative for a young mind to get the basics of how guns work.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    At 6 I inherited a Remington nylon 66 22lr semi, at 15 a Stevens .410 bolt gun. I used dad's (great grandpa's)Remington model 9 12ga for deer. I now own grandpas model 37 featherweight deerslayer, great grandpas model 9 and my maverick 88(bought myself). I bought my first deer rifle a few years ago per a change in hunting laws, a remlin 336 in 30-30.

    Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by pietro View Post
    I know that you're excited to have her take an interest in guns, but (IMO) @ 5 y.o. children have neither the concentration or ability to safely handle a firearm.

    If you have patience, you will certainly eventually be rewarded.

    A BB gun would be best, for a few years, until she can easily aim it properly (aka: baby steps, which she still is)

    Just be aware that yer gonna have to cock the Crickett (every shot) for her until she's about 10 y.o. - as the mainspring is way too strong for a youngster to handle.

    My oldest Grandson (now 28) still has the Chipmunk (forerunner of the Crickett) I started him out on when he was 7 y.o .(Yes, I had to cock it for him for a few years)

    I started all my 3 children and 3 grandchildren into shooting a .22 off the bench (for support) when they were 7 y.o., and had them sit by me while squill hunting once they were 9 y.o. - by the time they were eligible for a junior hunting license (11 y.o. here) they were GTG.


    .
    Generally I agree with above. Most 5yr olds do not have a good enough attention span to shoot with the proper thought processes. Yes, you can sit them down, place the gun in position, let them hold and pull trigger and then you can load another round, but that does not create a responsible shooter.

    And, yes, some may actually be able to concentrate long enough and be responsible enough, but, most are not.

    I taught most of my kids, nieces and nephews when they were 8. One was still a bit immature so waited until he was 9. FWIW, first was a lot of safety and danger stuff, with attention being paid to how they react to this information. You can tell a lot about how a kid will handle a weapon when you start teaching safety. For example, if they can't sit still for the safety stuff they aren't ready, or if they make some 'interesting' comments or questions.

    IMHO, airsoft stuff is ideal for teaching gun handling and shooting basics. I even used it to teach some adults before going to a range.

  18. #18
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    Yep, 5 is too young. Ten is about right.

    I wouldn't waste time on a .243. Get a .308. Started youngest son on one because Savage was the only maker who made left handed youth bolt actions and the choices at the time were .308, 7mm-08 and .243, easy choice. Referenced the Hogdon youth loads, 37 grains of 4895 and a 125 grain bullet kicks less than a .243, kills deer just fine at realistic ranges and when you need to, you can load it so it's powerful. It's also a better cast bullet cartridge.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master Moleman-'s Avatar
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    5 is about when my oldest started shooting bb guns and 22lr Savage Cub. 2 more kids have also shot that same Cub. No issues with it and my son used it when he was about 9 to place first for iron sites at a 4H shooting contest. The Cub and Rascal look like they're the same basic gun just different stocks and rear sights. The rear sight on the Cub we have is a dovetailed adjustable Peep site that takes standard peep apertures if you want to change out the size that it comes with. The receiver is also grooved for 22 scope mounts, but figure they should know how to shoot irons before going to a scope. He would occasionally ask to shoot an ar15 (prone, bipod, scoped target bull barrel upper, carbine adjustable stock lower) from about 6 on, but he'd only shoot a few rounds then ask that the 22lr kit be put in it. Don't think he liked the noise of the 223 until he was about 10. Got his first deer when he was 12 with an ar15 in 357AR. Oldest Daughter liked the cub when she was younger, but likes my old 10/22 much better now even though she's in high school and has her own ar15. Youngest daughter doesn't want to shoot anything but pellet guns or bows.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    My dad bought me a Marlin 1897 when I was 5. I couldn't hold it up by myself. I was given a Stevens Maynard Jr which was one of the many boys rifles made in early 1900s. Most 5yr olds don't have arms long enough or the strength to hold even a youth deer rifle. My kids learned on the Stevens and later on a 15Y BA. A Rem 66 was still to long in the stock for them. My kids didn't hunt deer but shot groundhogs with a Ruger #3 .223 when they were 10 but off a rest for a couple years. When Grandkids came along I got a Chipmunk. It's probably the best kids gun that was on the market but expensive, in my opinion, for what it is. I bought a Win Ranger Youth in 243 for the kids when the were 14-15 yrs old. They had no trouble shooting it.

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