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Rifle for 12 year old?

9K views 39 replies 33 participants last post by  Burns 
#1 ·
Not particularly looking for something for a defensive purpose, but I have a fairly small-built 12-year-old son who want to start deer hunting with me. I'm trying to get some ideas on what kind of rifle he could should that the recoil or weight wouldn't be too much for him to handle. He's no stranger to shooting, but mostly .22 or .410. I tried him with a 12 gauge single-shot, and he managed to make it through 2 or 3 rounds, but hated it due to the recoil. I borrowed a .243 "youth" New England rifle from a friend, and he can shoot that fine. I'm a little reluctant to buy a "youth" rifle that he would outgrow, hopefully soon, though. I was thinking about trying a 30-30 lever action (which I've always wanted anyway :image035:), but wondered if anyone had any thoughts on whether or not that might would be a gun a kid could handle. Just for further info, son is about 90 lbs, and most or all of our hunting would be shots less than 100 yards.
 
#2 ·
I suggest a Marlin 1894C Lever .357/.38. Versatile, short, fun, and you have the optional loads from light standard pressure .38s to full bore .357 Magnums. Good for small, medium, and large game (up to 100 yards), plinking, target, etc. I have one and I think it fits this bill perfectly.
 
#3 ·
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.
 
#19 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
If he's shot the friend's NER .243 just fine, why not get one of those for him? It'll be a smaller investment than a Rem 700 or Win M70, and single shots tend to inspire care with that first shot. The .243 is just fine for deer, and when he grows a bit more you can get him a better gun with a magazine and good glass.
 
#6 ·
We got my son a Ruger compact .308 when he was 7 years old. Using the Remington Reduced Recoil rounds, it is very managable. It is a smaller rifle, but I have found it to be very handy even for me. Very accurate and is also a beautiful gun with the laminated wood. The cost was well worth it to me.

Here is a link to the rifle we got my son:
http://www.ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeLaminateCompact/index.html
 
#7 ·
I would buy him a Remington 770 Compact in .243 Winchester. It comes with a pre-mounted and boresighted riflescope, it is based on the popular Remington 700 rifle, the caliber is great for deer hunting and it is very affordable.

 
#9 ·
The .243 is a low-recoil, potent, and versatile round that will fit the bill for many hunters, regardless of size or age.

I agree at age 12 he's about to hit a growth burst and will outgrow a youth rifle in short order. If he's short-armed, an option you have is to buy an inexpensive bolter, shorten the stock and install a thin buttpad trimmed to fit, and then as he grows, add thicker recoil pads to lengthen the stock.
 
#10 ·
What he said. :)

My 11-year-old (about 80 pounds and short) shoots a .30-30 lever with a shortened stock just fine. For bird hunting I have a Winchester Model 37a single shot 20 gauge that I shortened the stock on for him. Yeah he will outgrow it, but hey that just means you get to buy more guns! Keep the small ones in the safe for grandkids. :)
 
#11 ·
A good lever-action .357mag or .44mag is hard to beat. It's relatively simple to learn, easy to shoot, carries a good number of rounds, can be acquired for just a few hundred dollars if you consider used examples. For a 12yr old with some experience shooting rifles with a kick, a .30-30 lever-action might be the right choice. A "youth" butt stock can be installed for now, and then the standard-sized stock can be installed when he grows into it. Beyond which, lever-action rifles simply have a history (here in the USA) that other options just don't have.
 
#12 ·
I bought one of the NEF youth rifles for my daughter. You can buy a full size buttstock for it when he outgrows it.
 
#13 ·
I'm suggesting the NEF too. I had one that you could get numerous extra barrels for.
Also agree to shorten the buttstock to him and buy a longer replacement when he grows.
Make sure the receiver is the SB-2 model. That's the model you can get the extra barrels for
A good start would be a .243 and 20 Ga. barrels.
 
#14 ·
A good 'ole Marlin 30-30 (336?)...he'll have it for the rest of his life and can still pass it on...:yup:
A lever action is for life.:hand10:
 
#15 ·
I'm a little reluctant to buy a "youth" rifle that he would outgrow, hopefully soon, though.
Find a gun/caliber you like then see if there is a tactical stock for it. I did this with my son. I have a Mossberg M500 that I have had for years, we put a tactical stock with 5 positions on it and the gun literally grew with my son. It has a pistol grip which may be a plus or minus depending on how you see things, but it allowed me to keep my stock stock stock and still get good use from the gun.
 
#16 ·
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.
 
#17 ·
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
 
#18 ·
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?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.
 
#20 ·
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.
 
#21 ·
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.
 
#29 ·
Works good on Elk and Bear, & T-Rex too! I LIKE IT!
 
#26 ·
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.
 
#27 ·
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! :smile:
 
#28 ·
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.
 
#30 ·
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.
 
#31 ·
I went through this three times years back. If you've spoiled him with a 10/22, like I did with my boys, a mini 30 would be a fun way to go. Anyway, I bought 3 SKS paratroopers with 16" bbls for $100 ea. The SKS was made for smaller people. A 1260 rd case of 7.62X39 ran another $100. When they turned 21 they took ownership. Now it's hard to recognize them with all their mods. If you want to be PC and historical in the woods, I suggest the lever action Winchester trapper in 30-30 or 44 mag. Do you think he would like to accompany you to the LGS for a look-see?
 
#32 ·
The .243 would be a good choice. You should never sell youth models short--also a good choice for smaller framed women. Keep your youth models and let your grand kids use them. Take it from me, you will be glad you did.

Not a .243, but I have a Rem 722 in .257 Roberts that was shortened to a 12 3/4 LOP back in the 50's for the wife of a friend. I can put a custom recoil pad on it and lengthen the LOP. But all of my children, 3 of my grandchildren so far, and several of the children of my friends and my kids friends have taken their first big game with this old classic. Personally I love a Winchester or Marlin lever gun and own several, but I feel the .243 is a better choice than the old .30 WCF

Opinion only and worth what you paid for it. My old daddy said "Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one, but some folks show theirs off more as if to prove theirs is bigger".
 
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