Rifle for 12 year old?

[Dragman]

savage Axis package! $329 for gun and scope. they shoot really well for a (cheapy) gun and they are light enough that kids seem to not have a hard time holding them up.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Gideon]

define the need; Deer hunting? plinking? training? for Deer hunting the .243 is it. .308 is good but a lot more recoil and in my opinion, a 30 30 lever action really kicks.

The NEF .243 youth is really ideal.

For just plinking and pure fun, a High Point carbine in 9 mm is a cheap fun gun that's also reliable.

I too have a Marlin 1894C in .357. It's a powder puff in .38 but with 158gr JSP in .357 it'll take deer out to 100 yards with decent shot placement. Hardly kicks and is short.

There are a lot of good options out there but the real challenge is fitting the stock to the kid. At that age, it's probably the biggest issue with sight alignment, preceived recoil, etc. Most guys let there kids deal with a poor fitting stock until the grow into another.

Lots of choices and I'm sure you're already having fun with him with a .22?

Gideon

[atctimmy]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=205236077

This Howa in 243 comes with a scope and a second adult sized stock. When he out grows the youth stock just put on the adult sized stock. Bingo! If you've never heard of Howa before they have made Browning and Weatherby rifles for years. The are quite nice and under the radar.

[Eagleks]

I was actually gonna suggest a .243 youth rifle. It maintains its resale value due to demand. There's always a supply of children and women who could use a small rifle. Anyway, that's my suggestion.

I'm with you on this one. Youth models have a great resale when you are done with it, and people are always looking for them.

[ExSoldier]

The venerable 30-30 is a great little carbine (I have the Winchester TRAPPER variant) and he'll never outgrow it, but it's not as much fun to shoot as a .223. That's another caliber he won't "outgrow" none of us ever do. Have you considered an AR15 for him? Or a Mini 14? Maybe a Mini in 7.62x39? These can all be had now at decent prices, especially used. SOME states allow a 223 for deer. IF he's really going to hunt, perhaps the "thutty thutty" is a better idea, but the AR is so much more fun.

[deafdave3]

The venerable 30-30 is a great little carbine (I have the Winchester TRAPPER variant) and he'll never outgrow it, but it's not as much fun to shoot as a .223. That's another caliber he won't "outgrow" none of us ever do. Have you considered an AR15 for him? Or a Mini 14? Maybe a Mini in 7.62x39? These can all be had now at decent prices, especially used. SOME states allow a 223 for deer. IF he's really going to hunt, perhaps the "thutty thutty" is a better idea, but the AR is so much more fun.

He said in his OP: "I have a fairly small-built 12-year-old son who want to start deer hunting with me." Those AR15, Mini-14s, assault type rifles will do no good teaching our youth the proper traditions and values of hunting as our ancestors did.

[ExSoldier]

Those AR15, Mini-14s, assault type rifles will do no good teaching our youth the proper traditions and values of hunting as our ancestors did.

Man, that sounds just SOOOO SNOBBY. You a transplant or native born to Louisiana?

Why not an AR15? They make 5rd hunting mags for them. An M4 style will also certainly fit his smallish frame and he can literally grow with the weapon. You want to hunt like our ancestors, then you're talking black powder or bow. Neither of those is particularly easy to do for a 12 year old. The "spirit" of the hunt lies in the stalk, not the kill. The kill is nice though to serve for dinner. Hey, you're all about those hunting traditions, you gonna "blood" the kid? When I killed my first deer, the folks I was with shoved me inside the belly cavity of the carcass! Said it was a ritual of the hunt. I had entrails hangin' off my ears! Other folks have to drink the blood or whatnot. You up for that? It was plain gross when it happened to me as a child but it didn't turn me into a serial killer or anything. 'Course some folks these days might be traumatized, I guess.

[deafdave3]

Man, that sounds just SOOOO SNOBBY. You a transplant or native born to Louisiana?

Native born. Real Cajun. And we hunt the way its supposed to be done... with a single shot rifle made for hunting. Not a high capacity rifle made for killing people.

[dukalmighty]

Barrett 82A1 50 BMG Semi-Auto deer slayer

[deafdave3]

Captain, you do realize I'm just poking a stick in the beehive, right?

[ExSoldier]

Captain, you do realize I'm just poking a stick in the beehive, right?

I'm still fighting the flu, my wife has it too and I'm tired of fighting the 9th graders I teach (thank the Lord it's Christmas vacation right now). That last comment before something about a beehive is going to send this whole forum into nuclear war mode. So PLEASE tell me you're joking before the long knives come out around here. Because very few people are going to see that as "amusing." Sorry, but I'm down to my last nerve for the aforementioned reasons and you just stepped on that.

[CEW58]

A .243 is a great deer rifle. I had an uncle that used a 30-06 most of his life, then got arthritis in his shoulder and switched to a .243. Said he wished he got got a .243 years earlier!

Myself, I shot my first deer at age 12 using a Karabiner 98 (7.92X57) but that's because it was the only rifle available and I was a big kid!

[kpw]

I've done a 180 on the .243 in the last dozen years or so. It's one of my favorite rounds these days. I find myself toting a .243 NEF a lot more often than my .30-06 Weatherby lately. It's just a "Handi" little rifle to carry and it shoots great! I like the idea of single shots for kids as well.

[ExSoldier]

Barrett 82A1 50 BMG Semi-Auto deer slayer

Works good on Elk and Bear, & T-Rex too! I LIKE IT!

[Silvertip]

I have a grandson the same age (12) and the 243 is probably the best all around with light recoil for varmints and game through the deer family. 100 grn. for deer. Lighter loads for plinking and practice. I have had 30-30's in Win.and Marlin and they kick to hard for a new shooter. I shoot a 300 Win Mag for deer and elk , but its too much for a young new shooter. The 6mm family is an excellent choice for game up to around 250 yards.