I would think at the age of 14 you may want something a touch smaller. 300's pack quite a punch. easy to develope bad shooting techniques. Tell him to look into a .308 or 30.06. A bit less punch, but easier to handle.

Yep but you need a muzzle brrake a recoil pad and then the best ear pro because of the load muzzle blast from the brake and don't forget a led sled or something to sight it in so you don't flinch afte getting hammered all day. But seriousy I have a .300 wsm and I love it it is accurate packs a punch and I can hunt all of North America with it. I would not trade it in for anything However I am 5'11" and 210-215 ( vacation) and that thing hammers me hard I shoot alot and my shoulder hurts afterwards and a few times I ave looke liked a unicorn because of the scope or my head however you see it. So ask him what he thinks about a 30-06 or a 270 escpecially if you will mostly hunt whitetail. It took alot of concentration for me to get over my flinching and alot of rounds. David Petzetl I believe wrote agreat article on the flinch check it our before you purchase. But if you do buy one you will enjoy it

The .300 Win Mag is a GREAT rifle for long range hunting of larger animals like deer, moose, elk and black bears. I consider it TOO much for most starters at the age of 14. I have seen good shooters develop BAD habits that hurt their hunting by starting with too much rifle. I even saw a 30-06 ruin my best friend for life; the recoil scared him and made him miss everything. He became scared of rifles and he lost his interest in deer hunting for life. There is not a deer in America that requires such a heavy recoil rifle, at least inside of 500 yards. If you and dad hunt lots of big game and reload, the .300 could be a great investment for the future if you load it down to .308 velocities for now. You will grow into it within a couple of years and have a great lifetime rifle. If neither of these apply or if you also want to target shoot, plink and hunt varmints, get a 25-06. You can't go wrong. You can hunt anything in the continental U.S. better than your buddies and do lots of shooting without much recoil. Get small bullets (75 grain or 87 grain)for practice and varmints and shoot 100 grain bullets for deer (they make 120 grain bullets but I have never shot one at an animal because they kick and have limited benefit unless I am in heavy brush). I always use 100's for deer because of the speed. The only problem is that you might be spoiled. Once you hunt with a 25-06, you won't want another rifle. I shot almost 40,000 rounds with mine over 30 years before I could bring myself to consider using something else to get a buck. I still have a hard time pulling up another caliber unless the shot is over 500 yards. The .308 and .243 suggestions are good ones too unless you have fired a 25-06.

I would suggest a 25-06 for right now. However, my buddy has a 325 wsm that kicks more like a 25-06 than a 300. But if you are afraid of the dreaded flinch, practice, practice, practice with smaller caliber guns. I love to just shoot my 22 mag.

If your dad wants to get you a Win. Mag., tell him some of the people suggested muzzle-brakes/recoil pads. Both sound advice, I'd suggest the Browning A-Bolt w/ muzzle-break,and a Sims recoil pad if he's got his heart set on the .300 Win. I 've got this set up and recoil is'nt a problem at all. I'd still suggest something in the .308/.30-06 range though and if you need the extra range use the Hornaday Light Mag. rounds that push these guns to approx. the next size cal. velocitys. Good luck and Good hunting!

You had better calibrate your shoulder. There is no .325 WSM that recoils like a .25-06, unless the .325 WSM weighs about 12 pounds and the .25-06 weighs like 5 1/2 pounds. Google Chuck Hawks recoil and look at the comparison in rifle cartridge recoil.

The .308 Win should be the absolute upper limit for a young beginner, but a .257 Roberts or .25-06 is a fine choice for deer as is a .243 Win. Sounds like the Dad needs a new rifle....

WMH

I agree with the guys above. A 300 is great but it's alot of gun for a young guy. I'm 29 and I use a 270 win.

Before you buy a 300 try to shoot one and be honest with yourself about whether you want to carry and shoot it on a regular basis. If it is too heavy or kicks too hard get something smaller.

I think you'd be happier with a 270 or a 30-06. You can always upgrade later on in years.

yeah a 300 is to much 4 a 14 yr old i hunt with a 30-06 and it shoots great so try one out then pick