I love my .38-55. Perceived recoil is very mild.
I love my .38-55. Perceived recoil is very mild.
Honestly, my first thought was the .357 Magnum in a single shot rifle. H&R/NEF made a bunch of them, you should be able to find one fairly easily.
I recommend a single shot for new hunters, just so they concentrate on the all important first shot. Any modern SS with an ejector isn't all that slow to reload, and a Whitetail isn't likely to try to eat them at the same time.
Next thought was a .38-55 with the traditional 255-265 grain load. If it qualiies as straight walled in your state.
Reason for these two cartridges is lack of recoil. They will still work fine for him in later years if he grows, or even if he stays small (I don't know the boy).
A lever action rifle or carbine would work well too, I just think it is better to learn with a single shot. I know I killed a truckload of small game with my single shots (.22 and shotgun) before I ever began using a repeater or deer hunting for that matter.
Robert
I think you'll find a lot less recoil & better accuracy with some of these suggestions than with a 20 ga. slug again my 2-cents.
My grandson started at 10, small for his age, with a Ruger Deerslaryer .44 mag. At 18 he still uses it. He got his first deer at 10 shoot it at about 60' from the blind. His dad said it took 2-3 steps and went down. From running around in Pa. the deer are not close to west coast deer. A .357 mag will drop a deer but for a human kill by a kid I think a .44 will give little more edge with an off target shoot. I know at 50 yards my grandson at 10 was doing good to shoot an 8" center to center pattern shooting 5 rounds.
My Ruger 77/44 is paper light and accurate to boot! I have 2 different Lyman devastator HP load combos that shoot sub MOA at 100 yards. Recoil feels less than, or equal to, a 410 to me with a 1750 FPS load out of it. I got my buddies, extremely small for his age, 12 year old started his hunting career with it for black bear. I started him out with shooting 900 FPS trail boss loads to full power loads in a few weeks. He was extremely confident with it after a couple of range sessions. He uses a model 7 chambered in 243…and a Ruger American 30-06 now!
I’m going to have to try my 16/1 pewter and pure Lyman Devastator HP during anterless only season this year and see how fast something hits the ground. I have it loaded around 1650 FPS using 21 grain of H110 if I remember. I can’t hardly feel it recoil with my hunting jacket on. If you check my home page it shows my loads and mushroomed boolits I caught in water from the load. I did install a trigger kit in it which I believe was just a spring if I remember. I also polished the trigger group. The only other things I did to it was free float the barrel and glass bed the action. Shoots tight groups with several of my cast loads now after the upgrades.
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 09-20-2021 at 09:53 PM.
I'm going fall in with the 357 crowd. Almost no recoil. Works well with cast boolit.. Practice with light loaded 38s. I have 16" handi rifle. One of my favorite plinking loads is 1.5 gr bullseye with a flush seated 158 gr boolit. Sounds like a pellet rifle. Accurate out to 25 yds. Perfect to start a new shooter.
siamese4570
I can tell you what I'd be handing to my nephew if he were allowed to use a rifle on deer tomorrow. My Henry Big Boy in 327 federal. They don't make a better 0-100 yard, kid friendly, no-recoil rifle. Don't overestimate kids though. Even if they shoot great at the range, there are almost no 10 year olds that can make a 100 yard shot under adrenaline in the field.
I would also recommend the .357 Magnum. When fired from a carbine length barrel it delivers performance all out of propotion to it's diminutive size. You can't go wrong with a light, slim carbine that delivers a 158 gr. bullet at 1800 fps. I'm using my Marlin 1894c this year for exactly those reasons.
"We take a thousand moments for granted thinking there will be a thousand more to come. Each day, each breath, each beat of your heart is a gift. Live with love & joy, tomorrow is not promised to anyone......"
unknown
let him try a few different guns and see what he likes and shoots the best.
Took my Ruger 77/44 out to make sure it was still zeroed from the last time I shot it…same time last year. Never got any action last year since I used my 35 Rem marlin 336 and cast HPs.
First shot at 100 yards aiming for the little orange circle…
I forgot how fun it was to shoot! I have tested that load a few seasons ago and it will stack boolits on top of each other at 100 yards when I do my part.
I never tried it passed 100 yards before. Someone hung a 6” gong up at 200 yards. I went Nikon’s spot program and plugged in a 270 speer at 1600 FPS. Figured it’s about as close as I’m going to get to my 21 grain H110 load and a 265 grain Lyman devastator. It said 20” low at 200 yards with a 100 yard zero. I knew from last year messing around with my leupold 2-7 that where the thin part of the cross hair going down touches the thick crosshair is approx 8”/9” at 200 yards. I eyeballed what I though was an equal length of the thin crosshair down on the thick cross hair (approx 20” drop) and let my boolit fly. I hit three for three on that gone at 200 yards! I packed my gun away and saved ammo for hunting after that. You really can’t see my hits on the gong but the spits are brighter….
Deer beware! The little gun and load has the felt recoil of a 410 to me.
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 09-23-2021 at 07:47 PM.
Even though it’s not a straight wall cartridge here is another one of my light kicking favorites. A Remington 600 chambered in 243. It’s around 5.2 pounds and a 16.5” barrel. I took it out and checked my zero on it yesterday after I re bedded an old acraglass job. I also have an aftermarket trigger i installed it. I adjusted down to 1 1/4 pounds for predator hunting.
It’s a tac driver and it’s very light recoiling. I use .6 grains over Hodgen’s max published load of IMR4831 with zero signs of pressure. It will clover leaf at 100 yards. Sighted in 1.6” high with my 90 grain Nosler ballistic tip load at 100 yards it drops -2.7” at 250 yards.
Last edited by Tripplebeards; 09-24-2021 at 10:50 AM.
Thank you all for the great advice! I will let you know we end up with.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hunt hard, shoot straight, drink GOOD beer!
I love and have used a 357 Maximum for years. My 9 y/o son shot his first deer this year with a 357 Maximum rechambered H&R Handi rifle using a Mihec 200gr Penta HP bullet cast at 10BHN, powdercoated, and sized to .360". Using Viht Tin Star it's leaving the barrel at just over 1160fps. When a 357 Magnum chamber is rechambered using a 357 Maximum RIFLE reamer accuracy is usually better with 38 Specials, 357 Mags, and the Maximums due to having a true throat cut.
My unequivocal vote would be for a Henry SS in 357 Magnum. Have Mike Bellm or another gunsmith who resides in a straight-wall state rechamber it to 357 Max using a good RIFLE reamer.
Thanks, Dinny
I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace.
Thomas Paine
Straight Walled Youth...... screams .357 mag. a Cast Boolit an some practise.
My thoughts are that if you are looking for an ideal youth gun, 357 Mag/Max. But if this is a gun specific to him (his rifle) I’d say a 44 Mag or 45 Colt allows for more opportunities opening up large game. Any of these are plenty for within 100 yds.
But I also view the 38-55 as much more versatile, as well as the 45-70 if you reload. But if you aren’t shooting to 200 yds these aren’t really necessary.
I use a Rossi model 92 in 45 colt loaded hot or a Rossi in 44 magnum. But looking at the ballistics of a 357 out of a rifle ,,,I would recommend a 357 model 92 for low recoil .
Do they allow a single shot handgun in 30-30
All suggested are gonna Work.
But as you already stated he is recoil shy or at least sensitive. Excellent calibers like 44 mag & 45/70 are OFF THE TABLE!
My suggestion from my heart is the 357 Maximum. But not many chambered for it. Any single shot can be reamed to accept in 30 minutes.
You didnt say if you hand load, but its assumed being here. So that also opens allot of options.
A Henry, CVA and others can be had in 357 Mag. Using proper Reamer a Dinny suggests you will have quite a versatile package. Able to shoot 38,357 Mag & Maximum. Hand loaded you can reach 2100 fps W/180g thats square in 35 Rem territory.
If you dont hand load, look at the 350 Legend.
ALL are ample for under 200yards on Deer Bear & Hogs.
Good luck
CW
NRA Life member • REMEMBER, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE its being paid for in BLOOD.
Come visit my RUMBLE & uTube page's !!
https://www.RUMBLE.com/user/Cwlongshot
https://youtube.com/channel/UCBOIIvlk30qD5a7xVLfmyfw
Ditto on 357 max. But I recommend a Thompson Center carbine.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |