First Hunting Gun, For Youth

[camper4lyfe]

My oldest took, and passed his hunter safety course a couple weeks ago. He's only 11, so we have a bit of time as he can't hunt until he's 12, but we're starting to look into getting him his first hunting gun, possibly for Christmas.

The problem is that he wants to hunt EVERYTHING, so it's hard to decide between rifle and shotgun. As it stands, he will have access to a .22LR, a single shot 20ga (smooth bore, with only a bead on the barrel), and is lined up to temporarily permanently borrow a .410.

The other catch is that he's never shot anything with any recoil, so I'm really unsure of what direction to go with him. I DO want to take him out and see if he can handle the 20ga with some target load. I don't want to go too big, too soon on him and completely scare him away from shooting and hunting.

Any thoughts on a direction?

 

[FRANKIE]

Never hurts to start them off with a 22lr bolt action (iron sights) to start, then to the 10/22 or Marlin 60 or similar.
They learn all disciplines, loading, unloading, clean lube, and marksmanship with the irons (pre scope training)
As far as the shot guns he may surprise you. Like how some young men will go from firecrackers to M-80’s in the blink of an eye. Don’t ask me how I know. Lol
Remember what ever you get him he will always treasure it.
Because,
This was the first gun his father gave to him and he will pass it on to his son.

Happy hunting to him and stay safe.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Never hurts to start them off with a 22lr bolt action (iron sights) to start, then to the 10/22 or Marlin 60 or similar.
They learn all disciplines, loading, unloading, clean lube, and marksmanship with the irons (pre scope training)
As far as the shot guns he may surprise you. Like how some young men will go from firecrackers to M-80’s in the blink of an eye. Don’t ask me how I know. Lol
Remember what ever you get him he will always treasure it.
Because,
This was the first gun his father gave to him and he will pass it on to his son.

Happy hunting to him and stay safe.

Sadly, I won't be able to get him a 10/22, or any other semi-automatic rifle. FUKH for that one. It'll have to be straight up bolt/pump action for him at this point.

 

[FRANKIE]

.22 bolt for sure

 

[camper4lyfe]

.22 bolt for sure

My biggest hang up on that is that he can't really hunt with that (except squirrels)

 

[cgrutt]

What about something like a 17hmr or similar 22?

 

[camper4lyfe]

What about something like a 17hmr or similar 22?

It's certainly worth looking into. I'm still a bit unsure of what he'd hunt with that outside of squirrels.

Granted, it would be a start. I'm really hesitant to jump to a shotgun for him before he gets a chance to feel some recoil.

 

[Bustedknees]

My first was a Winchester ( model 37 , I believe) single, break barrel 20 gauge. Still have it too. That was 45 years ago.

 

[cgrutt]

It's certainly worth looking into. I'm still a bit unsure of what he'd hunt with that outside of squirrels.

Granted, it would be a start. I'm really hesitant to jump to a shotgun for him before he gets a chance to feel some recoil.

Not a hunter but would think it would be good for all sorts of small game. No birds or deer of course. They are tack drivers. Much louder report than a 22lr but not much felt recoil. I think it would be perfect for young pre/early teen.

 

[FRANKIE]

.22 magnum another consideration

 

[Robin]

Another direction might be a single shot rifle in .38/.357, works for small game up through deer, recoil is mild but enough so that you get the full experience of pulling the trigger. Several company's make them, like Henry, some receivers are made to accept shot barrels interchangeably, .410 on up. like Rossi.

Rossi Wizard – The One Rifle That Does it All

Ingenious system allows the shooter to change to any barrel quickly...

www.ammoland.com

Good luck!!!

Robin

 

[Nevar]

.22 mag/410 O/U .

 

[Bustedknees]

Going too small is a waste of money and last only a short while. Kids grow quickly. And don't sissify kids. Most want to shoot / try something big and loud. I still remember pulling the trigger on my dad's 30-06 at our family camp. I was probably about 10 years old. I still own that gun too.

 

[1075tech]

Seems you have rimfire and shotgun covered.

Assuming rifle is for deer (mainly):

My daughter's first rifle was a Ruger American Youth model in 243. Little recoil. Surprisingly accurate out of the box.

350 Legend is another option.

ETA: You can get a new Mossburg 500 20 gauge for $300. They sell them in a youth/compact version. Drilled and tapped for scope mount or you can get a red dot mount that goes on the vent rib

 

[thughes]

PCC IN 9mm would be a nice option.

 

[Xae289]

I second Robin's recommendation of a single-shot .357 rifle. He can hunt deer with a .357 softpoint or hollowpoint. He can use .38 roundnose to practice and to hunt small game. More flexible than a .22 in terms of what you can legally hunt with it, but with lighter recoil than a 20 gauge.

 

[northny]

With my sons at that age a .22 and 20 gauge youth model pump with 3” chamber. Started shotgun with 2 3/4 “ trap skeet loads and worked up to deer slugs. Lots of power stages in between those two choices

 

[Hillbilly77]

Going too small is a waste of money and last only a short while. Kids grow quickly. And don't sissify kids. Most want to shoot / try something big and loud. I still remember pulling the trigger on my dad's 30-06 at our family camp. I was probably about 10 years old. I still own that gun too.

This is great advice.

An anecdote…
A few years ago I was at the outdoor range at the gun club. There was a guy there with his son & the son’s girlfriend. I’d guess the son & girlfriend were in their mid-20s.
It was the girlfriend’s first time ever firing any gun at all. So to teach her to shoot and not scare her, they only brought a few different .22LR guns. After a while of shooting, she said, “This is fun but it’s getting a little boring.” Since they hadn’t brought anything else along, I offered up some of the stuff I had with me.
So, the girl got to shoot my M&P 9MM & my S&W .357 Mag. She handled the 9MM with no trouble. I asked if she wanted to try a .38 Spl out of my revolver. She handled the .38 so we loaded one round of .357 Mag and let her try that.
Her response? “That was awesome! Can I shoot another one?”

I applied this reasoning to my own daughter. She’s been shooting a .308 Win since she was 13 and she does great with it. She handles the recoil without any trouble at all. She’s taken 4 deer with it, all with one-shot kills.

My oldest took, and passed his hunter safety course a couple weeks ago. He's only 11….

There’s not much information to be gained from this statement.
Is your son a small 11 year old or is he one of those almost 6’ tall 11 year olds? Does he weigh 60 lbs or 160lbs?
Either way, handling recoil is something you have to learn (within reason).
Maybe a nice .243 would be the way to go. Or maybe jump right to a .308, .270, .30-06, etc.
Like Bustedknees said, he’ll grow. Whatever you decide, I recommend plenty of dry fire practice with it. Let him learn the feel of the gun, the trigger break, etc.

Whichever way you decide, have fun and good luck to your son. I hope he gets a wall hanger.

 

[fresch]

I started with a red Ryder BB gun, .22 crackshot, 20g 870 rem., 9mm, .22 high standard B, but I did see a picture and barely recall ,of me on my dads knee I'm in a diaper pulling the trigger of the Stevens crackshot.

 

[Saltwater60]

When I was looking for my son this mossberg super bantham youth guns looked really nice. Cabelas jerked me around so we never got one but the .410 I looked at there was nice.

 

[Parzival]

I’m a lever guy so it’d be a .30-30, still have my first one that was my grandfathers.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Another direction might be a single shot rifle in .38/.357, works for small game up through deer, recoil is mild but enough so that you get the full experience of pulling the trigger. Several company's make them, like Henry, some receivers are made to accept shot barrels interchangeably, .410 on up. like Rossi.

Rossi Wizard – The One Rifle That Does it All

Ingenious system allows the shooter to change to any barrel quickly...

www.ammoland.com

Good luck!!!

Robin

I love all things flexible. Those Rossis look like a solid contender.

I do love the idea of Henrys, too. I've wanted one myself for quite some time.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Going too small is a waste of money and last only a short while. Kids grow quickly. And don't sissify kids. Most want to shoot / try something big and loud. I still remember pulling the trigger on my dad's 30-06 at our family camp. I was probably about 10 years old. I still own that gun too.

It's such a fine line, I think. Too small and it's a waste. Too big and they develop a flinch, or just can't hold the gun in general.

 

[camper4lyfe]

There’s not much information to be gained from this statement.
Is your son a small 11 year old or is he one of those almost 6’ tall 11 year olds? Does he weigh 60 lbs or 160lbs?
Either way, handling recoil is something you have to learn (within reason).
Maybe a nice .243 would be the way to go. Or maybe jump right to a .308, .270, .30-06, etc.
Like Bustedknees said, he’ll grow. Whatever you decide, I recommend plenty of dry fire practice with it. Let him learn the feel of the gun, the trigger break, etc.

Whichever way you decide, have fun and good luck to your son. I hope he gets a wall hanger.

Good point. He's in the neighborhood of 85-90 lbs, so he's not a terribly big kid. He hasn't grown into himself yet.

.243 was something I was thinking of as well.

 

[camper4lyfe]

I started with a red Ryder BB gun, .22 crackshot, 20g 870 rem., 9mm, .22 high standard B, but I did see a picture and barely recall ,of me on my dads knee I'm in a diaper pulling the trigger of the Stevens crackshot.

I am thinking about getting him something like one of those little .22LR crickets, one that he can call his own instead of borrowing mine or his mom's.

 

[HIghlander]

My first firearm. Ithaca M66 Lever Break Action 20 ga.

 

[camper4lyfe]

View attachment 245412
My first firearm. Ithaca M66 Lever Break Action 20 ga.

That might be the exact same 20GA my dad has. My grandpa bought one for him and at least one of his brothers.

 

[FP1201]

Another direction might be a single shot rifle in .38/.357, works for small game up through deer, recoil is mild but enough so that you get the full experience of pulling the trigger. Several company's make them, like Henry, some receivers are made to accept shot barrels interchangeably, .410 on up. like Rossi.

Rossi Wizard – The One Rifle That Does it All

Ingenious system allows the shooter to change to any barrel quickly...

www.ammoland.com

Good luck!!!

Robin

One of my favorites is a H&R "Handi-Rifle" in .38/.357 that I rechambered to accept .357 Maximum....perfect size for smaller statures, minimal at most recoil, short stock and barrel, 3X Leupold M8 and it's super accurate. Now that Rifle and optic are long since discontinued, so I expect the Rossi or Henry to be a fine replacements....kids usually see better than adults, so with simple instructions on Iron Sights, they should be just fine for beginners.
.38spc. is excellent for training, familiarization, and acceptable for game animals at range, .357 will take Deer sized at 100yds. and should you lengthen the Chamber, the maximum will get you out to two hundred.

OP's Son might be too young at 12 to be in a School Trap Club, however many Clubs will accommodate new shooters on practice nights (they want new shooters/members) and it gives them a chance to learn how the shotgun shoots and targets are more reliable which builds confidence when the actually hit them. don't worry too much about recoil, and after their first session there will be redness/light bruising, but it quickly subsides and it's a badge of honor...try not to get a gun too big to wield; many manufacturers offer "Youth Models" that allow for adjustments as they grow. Avoid Synthetic Stocks if possible, as they transmit more recoil than wood furniture.

 

[HIghlander]

That might be the exact same 20GA my dad has. My grandpa bought one for him and at least one of his brothers.

Got my first buck with it too. (7 point)

 

[camper4lyfe]

One of my favorites is a H&R "Handi-Rifle" in .38/.357 that I rechambered to accept .357 Maximum....perfect size for smaller statures, minimal at most recoil, short stock and barrel, 3X Leupold M8 and it's super accurate. Now that Rifle and optic are long since discontinued, so I expect the Rossi or Henry to be a fine replacements....kids usually see better than adults, so with simple instructions on Iron Sights, they should be just fine for beginners.
.38spc. is excellent for training, familiarization, and acceptable for game animals at range, .357 will take Deer sized at 100yds. and should you lengthen the Chamber, the maximum will get you out to two hundred.

OP's Son might be too young at 12 to be in a School Trap Club, however many Clubs will accommodate new shooters on practice nights (they want new shooters/members) and it gives them a chance to learn how the shotgun shoots and targets are more reliable which builds confidence when the actually hit them. don't worry too much about recoil, and after their first session there will be redness/light bruising, but it quickly subsides and it's a badge of honor...try not to get a gun too big to wield; many manufacturers offer "Youth Models" that allow for adjustments as they grow. Avoid Synthetic Stocks if possible, as they transmit more recoil than wood furniture.

School trap team starts in 7th grade. He's already planning on joining it next year (he's in 6th now)