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Q:
Whats a good deer rifle for my son? Hes a beginner. Would a .30-.30 be to much?
Question by Spence. Uploaded on February 19, 2009
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Answers (28)
As his first deer rifle, I presented my son with a well used Winchester Model 94 chambered for the .30-30 and equipped with a William receiver sight. He was (is) delighted. I handload, so the first loads he used were assembled with light (110 gr. RN) bullets, but he quickly transitioned to 150 and 170-grain bullets.
A Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag is another good choice in dense brush and, if you handload, you can provide him with affordable light loads for plinking and practice. Your son is a fortunate lad. Best wishes to both of you.
Im 13 and i took my first buck, 11 points, with a
300 win. mag. I was 9. That thing kicked so hard, but I was so excited I didnt even feel it. I think a
30-30 would be great. If not, a .223 kicks like a bb gun but it definitely does the job fine.
other virtues of a 30.30, i'm assuming it is a lever like a model 94, is that it is light and compact, which makes it easier for a youngster to carry, handle, and shoot comfortably. The only downfall is that many 30.30s have hard plastic or metal butt plates that can bite the shoulder if he is practicing with only a t-shirt on. Padd it a little bit or add a rubber recoil pad and it should work out great.
30-30 would b really good
A 30-30 is a great gun for a first time hunter to start with. I started off with a 30-30 and loved it.
A 30-30 would be a great gun. But if he is big enough I would get him a 30-06.I said IF he was big enough.
My first deer rifle was a .243 and it worked out great for me. It just depends on what your son is built like and what he feels comfortable shooting.
NO im 14 years old it also depends on his age if he is under 13 start him of with a .243 or .308 those would be the to guns I would use but i also use a 20 which is a great gun some people think its a short range gun but it really isn't it can reach out about 200 yards
30-30 would be a great gun to start with
I have a .243 and I love it, it is great for deer, pronghorn, and even elk. However if I was buying for my son I would buy a .270 it is a great gun for many species, its big enough to take down an elk, but small enough its not going to blow a hole in smaller game. It has a great range of bullet grain sizes and they are popular enough you could probably find one for a good price. Take the money you save and buy him a really good scope, it will make all the difference.
I would go with a .243, but it also depends of what type of terrian you hunt in. If it's brush and up close then go with the 30-30, if it's alittle more open then the .243.
Most 30-30's are lever actions with exposed hammers. The only safety is the half-c0ck notch and you can't see what's in the tube magazine. No companies make lever-action youth guns that I can recall. Because of safety they are not the best gun for a beginner. There are several youth model bolt actions that can be loaded like a single shot and have excellent safeties. A 243 or 7mm08 is about as good as it gets cartridgewise accurate, light recoil, plenty power for deer sized game.
Although the .30-30 is not a bad choice I tend to start kids with either a .243 or .270 bolt action. I have owned .30-30's that were more obnoxcious to shoot than a .270 of reasonable weight with a light bullet and a good recoil pad. I don't ever remember a kid complaining. I own a .243 that has killed over 40 deer and antelopes. Most of them by kids or beginning adult hunters. Invariably it was their first kill but not their last.
30-30, 223 or 243 all kick about the same 223 is the lightest kicker of the bunch though, and will bring down a deer just fine.
I used a .243 my first year and moved on to a 30-30 from there. Either of those would be a great biginner gun.
Man, I can't help but get nervous about exposed hammer weapons and kids, and that goes the same with auto-loaders, etc. Get your boy a bolt-action rifle in whatever caliber you think suits him. I mean, safety is in the hands of the shooter, but man, those hammers are tricky...
yea i think so i think he should use a .22250
Not a fan of the .223cal rifles for deer, in the hands of a beginner especially. In the hands of a sharpshooter they're very affective, but begginers? If you are looking for a lever the 30/30 is fine. If i was looking for a beginner deer rifle for my son(i am), the .243 and 7mm/08 are great light kicking versataile guns
Depending on how old he is I would go with a .270 or if he is older a .300 win mag. or .300 wsm.
I am 12 but i shot my first deer when i was 11 and i had a 30-30 then and when that deer walked out into the field and i shot it i didnt even notice the kick.i thought it was a good gun and it was a lever astion so i had more safteys.now i have my own gun and it is a 243 and it has killed every deer i have shot at and i think it would be a good choce also.
I use a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag and I killed my first 2 deer with it. Both deer dropped within 60 yards of where they were shot. I think a 30-30 or a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington would make great deer rifles.
If you already have a 30-30 its perfect. If you are buying him a rifle, buy something a little more versataile. With a 30-30 his range is limited. That is fine for a beginner, but he won't be a beginner forever.
i think 30-30 is perfect
Try a .243 they have range but they don't have a big kick.
I have a model 710 30-06 which i got cheap and it don't kick much but i don't think a 30-30 would be to much. But a 30-06 is a good all around gun that will take anything you put your sites on and so would a 30-30 but its range is limited. Another gun you can't go wrong with is the 280 or the 270. A 243 is good for deer. But really it doesn't matter what kind of gun as long as you have good shot placement.
I own a marlin 336 in 30-30, it is an amazing gun. With 125 grain bullets you can kill varmints, a 150 grain bullet will flatten a deer, and a 170 grain bullet will kill up to black bear.
243 becase it has little recoil, its just enough to kill a deer, but it isnt a good rifle for longrange, not a good blood trail but they usually go down in sight( within 20 yards). I got five deer all bucks with a 243 when 12 loved but went to a biger cal for larger game
oh and it is very acurate at 50 yards try and hit them in the shoulder or right behind it doesnt go throught it very often
Agreed with Edward J. Palumbo answer above and A + 1 for you sir!!!
marlin 336 how much would a limbsaver help with the recoil. I am a new shooter but have a bum shoulder.
Do you think the limbsaver would help decrease the recoil as much as limbsaver states up to half?
Post an Answer
My first deer rifle was a .243 and it worked out great for me. It just depends on what your son is built like and what he feels comfortable shooting.
I own a marlin 336 in 30-30, it is an amazing gun. With 125 grain bullets you can kill varmints, a 150 grain bullet will flatten a deer, and a 170 grain bullet will kill up to black bear.
Im 13 and i took my first buck, 11 points, with a
300 win. mag. I was 9. That thing kicked so hard, but I was so excited I didnt even feel it. I think a
30-30 would be great. If not, a .223 kicks like a bb gun but it definitely does the job fine.
As his first deer rifle, I presented my son with a well used Winchester Model 94 chambered for the .30-30 and equipped with a William receiver sight. He was (is) delighted. I handload, so the first loads he used were assembled with light (110 gr. RN) bullets, but he quickly transitioned to 150 and 170-grain bullets.
A Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag is another good choice in dense brush and, if you handload, you can provide him with affordable light loads for plinking and practice. Your son is a fortunate lad. Best wishes to both of you.
other virtues of a 30.30, i'm assuming it is a lever like a model 94, is that it is light and compact, which makes it easier for a youngster to carry, handle, and shoot comfortably. The only downfall is that many 30.30s have hard plastic or metal butt plates that can bite the shoulder if he is practicing with only a t-shirt on. Padd it a little bit or add a rubber recoil pad and it should work out great.
30-30 would b really good
A 30-30 is a great gun for a first time hunter to start with. I started off with a 30-30 and loved it.
A 30-30 would be a great gun. But if he is big enough I would get him a 30-06.I said IF he was big enough.
NO im 14 years old it also depends on his age if he is under 13 start him of with a .243 or .308 those would be the to guns I would use but i also use a 20 which is a great gun some people think its a short range gun but it really isn't it can reach out about 200 yards
30-30 would be a great gun to start with
I have a .243 and I love it, it is great for deer, pronghorn, and even elk. However if I was buying for my son I would buy a .270 it is a great gun for many species, its big enough to take down an elk, but small enough its not going to blow a hole in smaller game. It has a great range of bullet grain sizes and they are popular enough you could probably find one for a good price. Take the money you save and buy him a really good scope, it will make all the difference.
I would go with a .243, but it also depends of what type of terrian you hunt in. If it's brush and up close then go with the 30-30, if it's alittle more open then the .243.
Most 30-30's are lever actions with exposed hammers. The only safety is the half-c0ck notch and you can't see what's in the tube magazine. No companies make lever-action youth guns that I can recall. Because of safety they are not the best gun for a beginner. There are several youth model bolt actions that can be loaded like a single shot and have excellent safeties. A 243 or 7mm08 is about as good as it gets cartridgewise accurate, light recoil, plenty power for deer sized game.
Although the .30-30 is not a bad choice I tend to start kids with either a .243 or .270 bolt action. I have owned .30-30's that were more obnoxcious to shoot than a .270 of reasonable weight with a light bullet and a good recoil pad. I don't ever remember a kid complaining. I own a .243 that has killed over 40 deer and antelopes. Most of them by kids or beginning adult hunters. Invariably it was their first kill but not their last.
30-30, 223 or 243 all kick about the same 223 is the lightest kicker of the bunch though, and will bring down a deer just fine.
I used a .243 my first year and moved on to a 30-30 from there. Either of those would be a great biginner gun.
Man, I can't help but get nervous about exposed hammer weapons and kids, and that goes the same with auto-loaders, etc. Get your boy a bolt-action rifle in whatever caliber you think suits him. I mean, safety is in the hands of the shooter, but man, those hammers are tricky...
Not a fan of the .223cal rifles for deer, in the hands of a beginner especially. In the hands of a sharpshooter they're very affective, but begginers? If you are looking for a lever the 30/30 is fine. If i was looking for a beginner deer rifle for my son(i am), the .243 and 7mm/08 are great light kicking versataile guns
Depending on how old he is I would go with a .270 or if he is older a .300 win mag. or .300 wsm.
I am 12 but i shot my first deer when i was 11 and i had a 30-30 then and when that deer walked out into the field and i shot it i didnt even notice the kick.i thought it was a good gun and it was a lever astion so i had more safteys.now i have my own gun and it is a 243 and it has killed every deer i have shot at and i think it would be a good choce also.
I use a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag and I killed my first 2 deer with it. Both deer dropped within 60 yards of where they were shot. I think a 30-30 or a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington would make great deer rifles.
If you already have a 30-30 its perfect. If you are buying him a rifle, buy something a little more versataile. With a 30-30 his range is limited. That is fine for a beginner, but he won't be a beginner forever.
i think 30-30 is perfect
Try a .243 they have range but they don't have a big kick.
I have a model 710 30-06 which i got cheap and it don't kick much but i don't think a 30-30 would be to much. But a 30-06 is a good all around gun that will take anything you put your sites on and so would a 30-30 but its range is limited. Another gun you can't go wrong with is the 280 or the 270. A 243 is good for deer. But really it doesn't matter what kind of gun as long as you have good shot placement.
243 becase it has little recoil, its just enough to kill a deer, but it isnt a good rifle for longrange, not a good blood trail but they usually go down in sight( within 20 yards). I got five deer all bucks with a 243 when 12 loved but went to a biger cal for larger game
oh and it is very acurate at 50 yards try and hit them in the shoulder or right behind it doesnt go throught it very often
Agreed with Edward J. Palumbo answer above and A + 1 for you sir!!!
yea i think so i think he should use a .22250
marlin 336 how much would a limbsaver help with the recoil. I am a new shooter but have a bum shoulder.
Do you think the limbsaver would help decrease the recoil as much as limbsaver states up to half?
Post an Answer