You’ve finally reached that point in your child’s life. They have proven they can safely handle and shoot a firearm. They have been deemed old enough and responsible enough to obtain their first hunting rifle. Now is when many of the questions begin. What caliber? What brand? Should I buy a full-sized rifle or a youth-sized one, because my child is almost 5 feet tall?
You may find yourself tempted to purchase a “lifetime” rifle they can grow into. Perhaps something along the lines of a .308 or .30-06 caliber rifle that can take a wide variety of game animals. A popular caliber with numerous ammunition choices that are competitively priced. Resist this temptation. Like shoes, rifles are not a “one size fits all” option.
The good news? Regardless of which youth rifle you buy, guns — especially youth guns — tend to hold their value over time. When you’re done with it, there will be no issue passing it on to someone else.
Buying Your Child’s First Hunting Rifle
Kids grow fast.
It seems like the new pair of shoes you bought them a month ago are already tight on their feet or worn so badly they need another pair. Their school clothes bought in the beginning of the year are short in the sleeves and length of the pants legs. It seems like you can never get far enough ahead of it.
The same is the case with guns. When buying a rifle for a youth, or even a small-statured adult, there are several important factors to consider. Failure to address any one of them will make shooting that gun anywhere from “less pleasant” to downright painful.
The Four Fs
When purchasing a new firearm, you should always follow the rule of the four Fs- fit, feel, function, and fire.
Fit
A properly fit rifle will aid a shooter in multiple ways. First, the gun will mount to the shoulder easily at the proper angle. Likewise, it will position the shooter’s eye at the correct distance from the optic or sight. This will make target acquisition easy.
Length of Pull
The length of pull on a shotgun or rifle is the distance from the trigger to the center of the butt plate or recoil pad. The correct length of pull can avoid things such as neck straining, back-bending, the tendency to mount the rifle anywhere other than the pocket of the shoulder, and any number of other physical complications that promote bad shooting form.
A proper fitting hunting rifle will also reduce the amount of felt recoil, as it directs the recoil “back,” rather than at an oblique angle toward the shooter’s face or arm. Proper fit is the most important part of shooting a rifle — especially when it is a small-statured shooter behind the gun.
Feel
Have your child pick up the rifle and carry it around. They will most likely immediately notice anything that doesn’t feel right about their preferred method of carry. Maybe they prefer a palm swell on the pistol grip, or a thumb hole-style rifle stock to make them comfortable while shooting. Today’s platform-style hunting rifles have made their way from precision and long range shooting to the hunting grounds. The additional adjustability offered by platform-style rifles results in near endless options for stock length, angle of grip, barrel length. With many models, you can even cast of the stock to one side or the other.
Function
This is another important one. Have your child work the rifle’s action to ensure they are comfortable with it. Some guns, even though sized for “youth” have a full-size action, and a full-length forearm. If the rifle is a pump-style action, The forend may be too far out for them to comfortably hold the rifle.
When the rifle is mounted properly to the shoulder, everything should be comfortable. The child’s head should be in a comfortable position. Their arm should be relaxed when gripping the pistol grip. The front arm should be at a comfortable distance from them to avoid the gun feeling too front heavy. (This can also lead to back-bending.)
The young shooter’s line of sight should be such that they will be able to see through the scope (or other type of sight) without having to raise their head off the stock.
One of the most important things to look for is that the rifle has a recoil pad that will be effective. For a long period of time, rifle makers were making recoil pads out of rubber that was as hard as a 2×4. Hard materials don’t do much to soak up recoil. Ensure the recoil pad is comfortable for the shooter. When the gun is mounted on the shoulder, it should not be sticky or grip-y where the shooter will have trouble mounting it while hunting or shooting.
Fire
This is perhaps the most difficult of the four Fs to achieve. If possible, you should have your child fire a rifle in the preferred caliber and action that you are looking to purchase. The last thing you want is to buy a .308 Win. and realize your son or daughter never wants to shoot it due to the recoil.
If you don’t have access to a particular caliber gun or action type, retailers occasionally schedule events demo day events where different companies bring out their various firearms for people to try before they buy. Social media can also be a valuable resource. I’ve worked with several youth whose parents reached out on social media asking whether anybody had a youth big game rifle their child might be able to shoot before making a purchase.
Use caution when selecting the ammunition for your child’s first big game rifle shooting experience. A bigger the bullet, and heavier the powder charge, will result in additional recoil being generated. Start your youth on the lightest loads available for the caliber. That way, they will not only be comfortable, but they will also be confident while shooting.
Caliber Choice
This is perhaps the most important, yet most often overlooked, aspect of choosing a youth rifle. There is no way to know what level of recoil a child can handle without exposing them to recoil. I’ve seen 50-pound girls shoot a .30-06 and .308 without issue and a 150-pound boy unable to control his flinch beyond a .243.
The best advice here is to go low and start slow. The .243 is an excellent caliber for any big game animal up to the biggest whitetails or mule deer. Though a bit light for elk, with proper shot placement and a premium bullet, plenty elk have fallen to the diminutive .243.
The 7mm-08, in my opinion, is the perfect caliber for a youth rifle. With the proper bullets it will handle almost all North American game animals. The 7mm-08 is amazingly accurate and only gives up 200–300 fps to its big brother, the 7mm Rem Magnum.
The 7mm-08 (slightly) edges out newer caliber offerings such as the 6.5 Creedmoor. Low recoil, long and heavy bullets, and being designed specifically for shooting long range, also makes the 6.5 Creedmoor an excellent choice.
Whatever caliber that you choose, ensure you start with the lightest loads available and work your way up to heavier loads with more recoil. Remember, regardless the rifle you choose, make sure everything about the experience is centered around the child. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to bond with shooting, hunting, and you.
Do you have a tip for selecting a first gun for a young shooter? Share it in the comment section.