Recs for 8 yr old first hunting rifle????.

[BuildingConceptsllc]

So, the boy wants to hunt with me this year and I shoot lefty, he's right handed. (Though I'm questioning his eye dominance)

The only RH hunting rifle I have left is a .270 feather weight Win mod 70. Love the rifle but not a gun I really want him shooting just yet, it kicks pretty hard.

Id like to get him his own rifle but I really don't know how much he's going to be into it, so I'm not forking out custom action money just yet. He'd rather play ball than anything else and has always been that way. He's 8 years old and about 55 lbs., so I'd really like it to be a 6cm (I already load and shoot a lot of this), but I suppose a 6.5cm would work too (I load this too a lot).

Any recs for a solid rifle that will be good for hunting but could also reach out there when he goes to the range with me? I'm guessing Tikka will be a common rec but is there anything I could get that wouldn't suck for say $500-$700?? I havent bought a factory rifle in quite a while, so I am pretty apprehensive about it, and would love some info. Used is also on the table very much but its hard to find a hunting type (not super heavy) 6cm. I have a scope I can put on it. I'd hate to get him a rifle that has a crappy trigger and isn't accurate but I also don't want to fork out big bucks for this.

Thanks

 

[powdahound76]

Dont overlook 6.5 grendel or 6 arc.
.223?
300 BO with 110 supers?

My daughter ended up with a chassis and AR buttstock to get LOP right for her.

Howa 1500 can be had for a deal I am pretty sure.
Ruger American maybe? (Pretty sure they make a youth model stock).

 

[Bsnyder]

Ruger American gen 2 6 arc.

 

[FNG1001]

Model 94 in 30-30, or M70 243 would pair up nicely with that M70 270

 

[DarinC]

Absolutely agree with the above ARC recommendations.

 

[powdahound76]

Do you have an accurate 16” AR?

Im fixin to try some of the AAC 556 with 70 gr barnes in one of mine.
That should work fine on AL deer.
Or 77 TMK.

One of the 16” ARs here is set up with a MLOK arca section for tripod use.
Now sports the magpul DT PR stock with a riser (really nice fit, easy to adj LOP).
My daughter has claimed it as her own…..

 

[XP1K]

My brother picked up a stainless t3x in 223 and dropped it in an mdt chassis and I was pretty impressed with how it shot factory aac 77gr ammo so I bought one myself.

Probably going to give it to my son next year. But I went ahead and got it this year.

It's a tikka t3x lite compact in 223 that I cut down to 16" and threaded. It's a little shorter lop than the standard lite model and it almost fits my son now. He turned 6 in October.

Scope is temporary. I didn't have anything to put on it so my brother loaned me his atacr. Way too much scope for the setup.

The recommendations for the gen2 ruger american in 6arc are pretty sound as well.

I have a ruger american ranch in 300blk that is a pretty handy cost effective option. Pretty deadly with 110gr varmegeddons too. It shoots way better than I figured it would.

 

[ggmanning]

I use any chassis that has the ability to use adjustable AR stocks. Right length of pull at any age, grows with them. Last one I did for a nephew was a Howa mini 6.5 Grendel in a MDT chassis. For my son I did a 16" 6.5 Creedmoor in an XLR chassis when he was 7. He is shooting the same gun today at 22.

 

[whatsupdoc]

Model 94 in 30-30, or M70 243 would pair up nicely with that M70 270

94 in 30-30 will beat the crap out of an 8 year old.

 

[hlee]

My son took his first deer, a nice size 10 pt, with an AR15 chambered in 223. I hand loaded some 62gr Barnes TSX for it, and would not feel under-gunned for white tailed deer, anywhere legal for the cartridge.

A collapsible stock means it is easily made to be shootable by a child or an adult in seconds.

 

[vortexyz]

My son got his first deer at 6 with an ar I built shooting 75gr Hornady factory match BTHP. Hit her high shoulder at 80 yards, dropped right there.

He missed last season because we were stationed in Nebraska and you have to be 10 to hunt deer (lame), but he shot his first buck a few weeks ago back home in Texas at 8 years old with the same rifle and ammo.
185 yard shot, slightly quartering away, heart shot and he skipped 10 yards before wobbling and falling over.

If .223 is legal in your state and you have one already, they do pretty good on whitetail with heavier bullets. The ar platform is also nice because the stocks are so easy to adjust for your kiddo and you, so you can both use the same rifle. Grendel or Arc would be great options too if you can’t use .223.

Obligatory proud dad pics.

 

[hlee]

That’s some cool character for a first deer. Back in my day, a first deer was a spike that dad didn’t want to tag, but wanted off the property…

 

[vortexyz]

That’s some cool character for a first deer. Back in my day, a first deer was a spike that dad didn’t want to tag, but wanted off the property…

Yeah he got lucky that this one walked out, we were going for a spike, but this guy walked out and fit the very small “not big enough to save for all the adults who hunt here, but old enough he probably won’t get much bigger” category.

 

[BCP]

Hunting from a stand or blind? A heavy barrel 223 using hunting ammo, there's several good off the shelf loadings that will work. Shouldn't kick too hard for an 8yr old if it has a little weight to it.

 

[hlee]

Yeah he got lucky that this one walked out, we were going for a spike, but this guy walked out and fit the very small “not big enough to save for all the adults who hunt here, but old enough he probably won’t get much bigger” category.

“Legal cull.” Both of my boys have benefitted from the rather lax “rules” of my deer lease. We get a “good buck” and a spike. They shoot my deer and the other guys on the lease are cool with the arrangement.

 

[M_R_Woodard]

My daughter just killed her first buck with a remington 700 223 shooting 73 grain eldms. Youth model stock and suppressed. Rifle was less than $600.00 plus chopping and threading.

 

[Andrew863]

I would go Ruger american in 6.5 grendel.

 

[wvfarrier]

My 7 year old daughter hunts with a Rem 700 Tac in 300blk.

 

[LuvDog]

6 creed would be a great caliber, and as much as I like Tikka my concern would be LOP on a stock rifle, which means you’d need a chassis. And there are less used options for Tikka chassis than R700 clones. And resale on Tikka chassis isn’t quite as good either.

I think I’d be looking at Bergara and then find a chassis that goes really short. XLR goes really short.

And if it doesn’t work out for your son then it would be easy to sell

 

[fdkay]

Howa mini action, 6 ARC.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/155131/lsi+howa-legacy+mini+hti+6mmarc+20+hb+black

 

[Charger442]

im going old school for my 8yo girl hunting rifle, back to an old uncles first rifle in 30-40 Krag.

gotta love the classics

 

[ma smith]

77 TMK + in a .223.

 

[Franko]

There have already been all kinds of good suggestions so I am going to go at this from a different direction. Have you considered letting him use your .270 with some reduced recoil ammo?