Best gun for small youth.

[Nsghunter]

I want to buy my 9 yro his first gun. I looked at a few ( mossberg 500 youth and bantham, 870 compact both in 20 ga.) and they proved to heavy for him. He fell in love with the Rossi compact .22/.410. it looked to fit him well. I believe it will make a great gun for him to learn on.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these and if you could get it in a .243?

Also can anyone reccomend a good .243 single shot for a small frame youth?

 

[pressfit]

I bought my daughter a 22 cricket.. probably dont weight 3 pounds... as far as a deer gun... I bought her a h&r single shot handi rifle youth model in 223.. probably the worst caliber out there...(dont get a .223) on my second daughter I got her a 7mm08 with reduced recoil loads.. big pop and no kick... really accurate with good knock down power..

 

[Nsghunter]

Thanks. What model/make 7mm-08

 

[Pic IN the Casa]

Some folks on here like the CVA Hunter in 243.

 

[pressfit]

the 7mm08 is a savage axis youth model in pink camo.. he probably wouldnt want it..lol
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/axisxpyouthmg

 

[stik]

x2 on the 7mm08 and try to find a 20 ga over the .410.

 

[Gravey]

My son shoot an H&R Handi Rifle .243 and it's not a youth. I put it on a bipod rest and the extra weight of it being an adult model helps with any recoil. Bought it for him when he was 7 or 8. I shoot an Encore .243 and last year he used it. He's now 11.

 

[feathersandfur2214]

Also look at the Marlin X7Y . I bought my 11 yr old daughter one last year. She is a small framed girl even for 11. She can handle it pretty good. They come in 7mm 08 and 243.

 

[duckriver]

Youth model Ruger American in 243 is what mine are starting with on deer

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

.223 with the appopriate bullet will do the trick.

 

[Hunter 257W]

The Mossberg ATR bolt action with the butt stock that has a section you can remove until the kid grows up makes a lot of sense to me. With that stock piece taken out, you get a 12" lenght of pull which will accomodate a real small shooter.

Unfortunately they call the rifle the "Muddy Girl" and give it a camo pattern with a pink background, so a boy may not be too anxious to be seen with one. Of course you could paint it. A synthetic stock doesn't look good anyway so there's no worry about messing it up. This rifle is available in both 243 and 7mm-08. I'd go with the latter.

I'm looking at a wholesale catalog that shows a standard black stock version is available but is not shown on the Mossberg website.

 

[Labboy]

My son shoots a savage axis 7-08

 

[Tar12]

The H&R .44 rem mag is perfect for small framed youth

 

[mike243]

they make a rossi trifecta that has shotgun 22 & centerfire ,my brother has or did have 1 for his kids and they fit the small framed kids well. several deer have been killed with it and is a good shooter. fit means more than the caliber for the kids,keep in mind the 08 has almost 4lbs more kick than the 243 but the 223 has less than either and with good bullets and not long range will kill deer.

 

[ROVERBOY]

The .22 centerfires will work with premium bullets, like Partition, Trophy Bonded, Barnes X, etc. The bigger calibers are better but, the .22's will do it a lot better than most people will tell you.

 

[SMarshall]

I bought my son the Rossi 22/410 when he was 5. It was a little big for him then but he's 7 now and he loves shooting it.

 

[John O'Neill]

I had the same concern with weight in the store for the Mossberg and the Remmington for my 9yo daughter. I knew she'd have 6-8 months to get stronger so we got the Remington. I let her pick it up and practice 3-4 times a week and after 3-4 weeks she was tracking tennis balls I'd through in the back yard and not having any difficulties. She'll be using it with slugs during the juvenile hunt.

My only personal experience with the Rossi single shots in .243 wasn't impressive. It may have been the Basra optics that came with the rifle. But my 12 yo nephew was shooting one and couldn't get it to group in the black at 50 yards. I figured it was his inexperience so I gave it a try. It was too small for me, and I'm sure that had some effect, but I couldn't get better than an inch and a half at 50 yards. I know that individual results vary, but based on that I wouldn't buy the Rossi.

 

[deerbnb]

Bought a Rossi combo for my son when he was about 8. He killed deer with the .243 barrel on it till he was 14. Great kids gun, very much a tack driver. Sitting in the safe waiting on the grandkids.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Years ago you were really limited with the .243 rule.

Now with .22 cal centerfires coming into play it really opens up the field.

I rather like the idea of a .223 centerfire for Youth. The report and recoil is very manageable.Starting Kids off on the right foot is the way to go.

 

[TraumaSlave]

Savage Axis youth .243 is a great starter. Had to make a cheek rest to get the proper eye relief for him but, he is shooting about 2" groups @ 100 yrds and the gun will hold an inch with hunting ammo if I'm shooting it. My boy is a tall thin framed 10yr old and handles it fine. He has had a cricket since he was 5. Its a little small for him now but, when we went out for squirrel , it was his choice over a 10/22.