Starter Hunting Rifle

I've been hunting for years and have a favorite caliber. My son (11, will be 12 in October, 5'11", 150lbs) will be getting his own rifle soon. I've been keeping my nose out of suggesting what caliber to get for him, but do any of you have any suggestions? For your suggestion, propose a reason why he should get whatever caliber you suggest.

Sorry, I should have said what he will be hunting primarily.

Whitetail deer, maybe some hogs. In Wisconsin. He'll have the possibility of going out west for elk in the coming years, but primarily, he will be hunting whitetails. Maybe a few bears here and there.

what type of game are you going to be hunting and at what range?

a .243 is what god had in mind for deer and below. it is a full on laser beam of a cartridge as well.

i would select something you can shoot economically personally. there is no substitute for trigger time. the more rounds you put down range, the more familiar you become with the rifle; thus becoming a better marksman.

I would suggest a .270. It is a good round that you can easily change up depending on the game. At his weight he could easily, IMHO, handle a 100 gr (if you load your own) shot and not fear the recoil. If you don't load your own there is 90 gr available. When he is after larger game he can move up to 150 gr round. For whitetail I typically used 130 gr.

I'd say go .30-06 It's a relatively inexpensive, common shell. Powerful enough to drop a whitetale at 100 yards, and the recoil isn't going to be much of an issue. A quality starter rifle is going to be on the cheaper end, and is going to be easy to obtain. As for accuracy, it's only as good as the shooter so your kid is going to have a ball sighting in and practicing. Plus if you reload, there are supplies everywhere for it. Just my $.02.

I love a good .243 for whitetail here in Texas. But for anything larger I'd say 30-06 or .308 is a good round. Can't go wrong with either one.

Can't go wrong with a 30.06, lots of men in ww1 and 2 were only #150 and had no problem managing them. A 308 is a good option as well, at that point I would go with which ever you have or are comfortable with just for commonality sake.

My first rifles were a 45/70 and a 30.06 and I was about that age.

My first was a .30-06 also. I have two now and I'm a firm believer than proper shooting form mitigates the slightly excessive recoil. Plus, as others have stated the caliber is still relatively cheap to shoot and crosses over as far as being able to handle larger and smaller animals.

Most of the rounds suggested here are good choices. I personally prefer the 30.06 for myself, I have not found a north American animal I can't put down with it. Most of my nieces and nephews started with .243. My brother purchased the adult version, removed the original stock, bought an aftermarket (cheap) stock, and cut it down to fit the kids. After they grew out of the shorter stocks, put back the original, and you avoid a dust collecting miniature.

I have never had anything walk away from a .270, including 300lb+ boars. I have a friend that hunts hogs with a .243, but shot placement is critical. At 150lbs I would go with a .270 or 30-06 and pick the appropriate bullet weight.

One other factor to consider is the terrain. If it's brushy and up-close, you might not need a .270 or .30-06 with a 12x scope. If brushy and up-close is what you're expecting, I would consider something like a .30-30 or .45-70. My first deer was taken with a .44 Magnum lever-action Marlin, which is another good brush gun.

If you're looking for longer ranges, the ones mentioned earlier are all really good. My pick for a 11-12 year-old for longer-ranges (out past 100-200 yards) would probably be a .270, though, for its moderate recoil, versatility and availability of ammunition.....plus it'll also work well for elk down the road.

I've got a .243 for Whitetail here in Texas. It's decent, but wish I went with something a little bigger. I'm 20 years older than your son, and he's got an inch on me, yet I weigh only 8 lbs more! That's a BIG 11 year old! Get him the .30-06!

I grew up mainly hunting open fields in SC, with ranges up to around 400 yards. I've shot both a .30-06 and a 7MM Rem. Mag with great success. They are great, but I always stayed in nice stands out in the open due to not wanting to beat up the guns (both very high end Sako's), now in the safe most of the time.

These days I have an inexpensive Remington 770 .270 that I won at a DU banquet. Full synthetic stock with black parkerized finished metal. I put a decent Bushnell scope on it, did a trigger job, and can easily group within a quarter at 200 yards. Plenty of aftermarket stocks available if the factory one is too big, so I would highly recommend this option.

My other go to gun is an old Marlin 30-30, which I greatly prefer in the woods for it's compact size. If you are starting out in the woods, this would be my top choice.

Regardless, the one thing I would be sure of is that whatever you choose has a good trigger, either from the factory or modified by a good gunsmith. I am amazed at the trashy pull quality of the average out of the box trigger these days. I am not a fan of a super light trigger, but do like them to be around 4lbs or slightly less, and absolutely smooth. This makes for a much safer gun (because discharge is predictable) and also much more accurate because you are less likely to pull off of target. A good gunsmith can get you set up for under 100 bucks.

My first and only is a .270. Used is on dear, antelope, and som big old wild boar in south texas. It'll reach out and touch something but it won't totally decimate something thats closer up....my two cents...

Something that starts with a 3, for all the reasons listed.

My buddy took a deer handily with a mini 14, which is pretty much a .30.

The Marlin lever 30-30 is a good damn gun for the money.

Both of those come with adjustable open sights. Put a scope on a see under mount and bam.

I hunt whitetail with a 7mm08. It has flatter ballistics than the .243 and .308. Ammunition is as readily available as any of the other mentioned calibres and the recoil is somewhat less than a .270.

While I prefer the 30-06 for all the reasons stated above, remember that we're talking about an 11-year old. I personally think that the recoil may prove too much for a beginning hunter, especially at that age. A .243 is plenty of gun for the purposes the OP described and won't turn off a young shooter with excessive recoil. I received my first rifle at the age of 11 and the 30-30 was about all I cared to handle. I shot my father's 30-06 at that age and was scared of the recoil.

It's a rifle that the shooter can grow with and keep for the rest of his life and it's also more accurate than most shooters are capable of. He can always get a larger caliber if he wants to hunt something larger, such as moose or elk.

I'm a bit smaller than your son, and my fathers .03-06 is a bit much for me, might be right for him. I personally shoot primarily .223 and 7.62x39, both cheap and capable of getting the job done with proper shot placement. Have you also considered a Mosin Nagant 7.62x51, it's the same as a 30-30, but cheaper to purchase and cheaper ammo.

I started with a 300 Savage when I was 12 and have gone back and forth with a 30.06. I picked up a Marlin 308MXLR back in January and can't wait to take that out in Wisco. Next purchase will either be a Marlin 35 Rem. or a Marlin 45-70 guide gun. I like lever guns. If you go the Marlin 30-30 route, look for something pre-2009. Remington took over Marlin's operation in late 2009/early 2010 and quality has gone downhill, so much so that they have discontinued multiple calibers until they can fix the defects.

Winchester Model 94 lever action .30 -.30 unless your hunting the wide open plains and need to shoot something more than 100 yards away. This is what I have used since I was 14, excellent deer rifle for wooded hills, brush land and swamps of Michigan . Fired lots of other rifles but no interest in hunting with them. Compact weapon, easy to learn and use. Has good impact at close range and excellent accuracy, over 100 yards it may not be the best but where I hunt you cant see 100 yards.

I started with a Marlin 30-30 great gun! My uncle then passed and willed me his 30-06. Dropped my first few deer with it. However I'm only 5'7, it's a bit large for me. For college graduation I got a Ruger M77 MarkIII .243 bolt. Have shot every deer for the past few years with that rifle. Never had the deer run. Of course they were all proper shots. My vote for him is probably the 30-06. Might be a bit much now. However he will get bigger and fill out the next few years. He will be able to grow into it.

Having hunted in WI for the last 20 years, I know what kind of terrain you will be facing, and IMO you don't need a 308 or 7mm Mag. Most deer in WI are taken closer in than 100 yards, which puts every rifle in the running really. I grew up with a marlin 30-30 for deer and loved it, however if he is going to do some black bear hunting as well, I would suggest a 45-70 you can buy lower power or higher power rounds, or it is easy to reload being a straight cased shell and really hit an optimum for both game. I wouldn't trust 30-30 for bear.

MyNameIsPaul said:

I've got a .243 for Whitetail here in Texas. It's decent, but wish I went with something a little bigger. I'm 20 years older than your son, and he's got an inch on me, yet I weigh only 8 lbs more! That's a BIG 11 year old! Get him the .30-06!

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Yeah, he is a big 11 year old. About a 1/2" shorter than me. He will easily surpass me.

summersolstice said:

While I prefer the 30-06 for all the reasons stated above, remember that we're talking about an 11-year old. I personally think that the recoil may prove too much for a beginning hunter, especially at that age. A .243 is plenty of gun for the purposes the OP described and won't turn off a young shooter with excessive recoil. I received my first rifle at the age of 11 and the 30-30 was about all I cared to handle. I shot my father's 30-06 at that age and was scared of the recoil.

It's a rifle that the shooter can grow with and keep for the rest of his life and it's also more accurate than most shooters are capable of. He can always get a larger caliber if he wants to hunt something larger, such as moose or elk.

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I agree. As I stated to one poster, I've been shooting a .270 for about 30 years now and it hasn't let me down. My son knows about this to some degree, but he has his heart set on a .243 because he saw it at a Cabela's recently.

Thanks all to have posted. We will have a nice chat very soon.

Thought about a 7mm-08? Less recoil than a .308, better ballistics. I want one. Don't have one...

Yeah, but I don't want the recoil to bite him too much. The 7 is a great gun, no doubt.

I don't have a 7/08 either and would like to buy another gun....

Gentlemen,

For an 11 or 12 year old's 1st gun.............................. get him a .22. A Ruger is the most fun gun ever made. He'll actually beg you to take him hunting. Buy him too much gun & you'll be sorry.

Baby Steps.

Slyko said:

Gentlemen,

For an 11 or 12 year old's 1st gun.............................. get him a .22. A Ruger is the most fun gun ever made. He'll actually beg you to take him hunting. Buy him too much gun & you'll be sorry.

Baby Steps.

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Good luck dropping a deer with that .22, "guy who doesn't read entire threads".

Winchester 30/30 Model 94 OR a Marlin 30/30 if you are hell bent on a scope or plan to get one in the future.

I live and hunt in WI. Unless you put him on the edge of a cornfield (which is not a great place for a young hunter IMO), he will be in the woods. The 30/30 is an EXCELLENT brush gun and can be easily aimed in the brush due to the shorter barrel. Meaning it will go through brush with less deflection than a pointed round and it has plenty of power. I have shot MANY deer with the 30/30 and none of them went more than 10 feet, these claims can not be said with smaller caliber rounds (unless it is something like a .264 win mag). The last reason I choose this weapon is because it is safe and I have NEVER had one jam or not fire due to ice/cold.

IMHO a new hunter should learn how to use iron sights and be aware of the target and what is behind it. Looking into a scope limits the field of vision and creates a dependency on the scope. Iron sights are on EVERY gun, scopes are not.

The last bit of advice is make sure you are not in a shotgun only county, because that changes everything...

Regardless of caliber please do not get him a small mountain gun or youth model. Super light weapons will kick the snot outa you even in modest calibers. My buddy has a 308 mountain gun, really lightweight. Carries real nice obviously but kicks like a mule!! I am not one that is recoil sensitive, I own and enjoy shooting a 375 RUM. But don't ever ask me to shoot that 308 ever again. BTW my vote is for 7mm 08 or 308. It has to be fun to shoot at the range or he could get a flinch and never want to shoot the rifle properly.

HIM_Tattoos said:

Good luck dropping a deer with that .22, "guy who doesn't read entire threads".

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Yeah, a .22 is a great gun, but I can't take it deer hunting in WI.

Gixxer said:

Regardless of caliber please do not get him a small mountain gun or youth model. Super light weapons will kick the snot outa you even in modest calibers. My buddy has a 308 mountain gun, really lightweight. Carries real nice obviously but kicks like a mule!! I am not one that is recoil sensitive, I own and enjoy shooting a 375 RUM. But don't ever ask me to shoot that 308 ever again. BTW my vote is for 7mm 08 or 308. It has to be fun to shoot at the range or he could get a flinch and never want to shoot the rifle properly.

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Thanks, but a little bit too big for a first-time rifle shooter. The range will be around a 100 yards, give or take. He already has the knowledge to make the first shot count, regardless of what he is shooting.

Slyko said:

Gentlemen,

For an 11 or 12 year old's 1st gun.............................. get him a .22. A Ruger is the most fun gun ever made. He'll actually beg you to take him hunting. Buy him too much gun & you'll be sorry.

Baby Steps.

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Yeah, a .22 is a very fun gun, no doubt. But, he wants to go deer hunting very soon and a .22 won't cut it with WI laws. He has been going with me deer hunting for the last couple of years already.

avidhomebrewer said:

Thanks, but a little bit too big for a first-time rifle shooter. The range will be around a 100 yards, give or take. He already has the knowledge to make the first shot count, regardless of what he is shooting.

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Fair enough, I can appreciate that. Then the 243 with 100gr bullets is a solid combo.