what caliber for my son

[bowhunter]

i am looking at guns for my son for deer he is small i am looking at some single shot combos like 243 20 gage combo or 44 mag combo in a few years i would like to take him bear huntig i do not know if the 243 would be big enough i did read about guys takeing bear with it but i dont know if it would do the job

[Beaver creek hunter]

I personally would buy him an adult gun. Let him grow into it. 30-06 for caliber and start him out the first couple years shooting the Remington reduced recoil loads they have. A guy I work with did this for his son. He bought him a Remington bolt action new. And had him shoot the reduced recoil loads. His son is a small guy and had no troubles shooting the gun and went thru a box of shells with out a complaint. This way when your boy gets bigger he'll have a gun that'll do the job on anything he hunts.

[Steve]

Like Beaver creek says, a 30-06 with the reduced recoil loads won't kill him.

[bowhunter]

i have a 30-06 i will have to try that with him if that works thats what he will get i love my 30-06 thanks for the info

[Water_Dog]

Bolt action in a 7MM-08 the rifle will be lighter than a 06 for the lil guy; it will have a short action vs. the long action of the 06 which makes it easy for him to work the bolt. Recoil is that of the reduced recoil loads. It will be a gun that he can use the rest of his life and quite capable of taking all game on the North American Continent except for dangerous game like Alaskan Brown Bears & Griz. So for Black Bear, Deer, Moose, and elk at reasonable ranges he would never need another weapon.

You can even buy a youth model stock at Cabelas and drop the barrel and action in it till he grows some and the full size stock will fit. A gun that does not fit the shooter is not an accurate gun!

[bowman7337]

Listen to water Dog....he is right on the money. The 7-08 is a excellent caliber.

[WPGriffon]

I'll also put in a plug for the 7mm08 as a good choice for your little guy.My son and I both shoot one.We've only shot deer , but the deer we shot went very little distance.The recoil is light which makes them afun gun to shoot.

[brokenarrow]

7mm-08 has been my sons gun since 14 He is 22 now.

[bowhunter]

i will have to look at the 7mm-08 thanks for the info

[Huntinguide]

I agree with the other guys 30-06 or even a 270 would be good for him

[Tim50]

Just don't "overgun" him. IMO the worst thing you can do is give a kid too much gun. Let him borrow friends & families rifles at the range. The gun needs to fit. My 94 Winchester beats ME up more than my '06. I assume it is just how the gun fits me! I like the 7/08 and some of the new Remington reduced loads would help in the '06 also. Good luck with you search. Nothing better than hunting with family!!!

[Justjosh]

7mm-08 or 270 or 270wsm in a bolt action.

Unless you hunt some seriously large game, thats going to take care of him for life.
I personally am not a fan of the 30-06 round, sorry guys.

Single shots are a poor investment for a first time hunter in my personal opinion. A thompson center for the experienced hunter would be a totally different thing.