Deer round for a 12 year old boy

[fredball]

350 Legend would be my suggestion

.350 Legend Cartridge: Everything You Need to Know - Guns and Ammo

The Winchester .350 Legend straight-wall cartridge is ideally suited for hunting hogs and deer; here's everything you need to know to make it work for you.

www.gunsandammo.com

 

[BPOR11]

300 BLK could be an option.

 

[Goosebrown]

260 rem with a youth load available from Hodgden's web site. You can safely download with H4895 by quite a large margin. We have my 13 year olds rifle at about 70% normal load. VERY easy to shoot

 

[41mag]

My vote is 243 or preferably 30/30

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I think that a REASONABLE deer cartridge for a young hunter might be a 7.62x39mm. Practice ammo is plentiful and dirt cheap and hunting ammunition is readily available.

This cartridge in a Savage or CZ bolt action will put meat on the table. I own a CZ, in this caliber, and find it accurate, handy and a pleasure to carry.

 

[JRuby]

My suggestion is the 7×57 it is one of the best cartridges for deer that has very manageable recoil yet provides a larger margion of error than the 6mm cartridges do IMHO

 

[DirectDrive]

.243 or 6mm Rem are the perfect "1st Deer Gun" cartridges
.243 is more plentiful
6mm Rem is a better designed cartridge but not as plentiful (long story)

 

[No_Regerts]

270 does not have reduced recoil, it is not all that much different than a 30-06, not surprising since they use the same casing. When I was a kid I started out with the good old 30-30 and it was fine.

The 270 with 130gr bullets has at least 20% less recoil than a 30-06 with 150's, or even the 308. It has a couple ftlbs more than a 7mm-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Its a fine cartridge for shooters that are recoil sensitive. Gun fit with a long action is more of a concern to me than recoil.

OP: Whatever you do, choose a cartridge that has been around a while and will have plenty of available ammo and components. But, avoid obscure or obsolete cartridges.

For instance, I often hunt with a Winchester Model 70 7x57. The cartridge has been around since the 1890s and has a very storied history. Once the 30-06 and 270 came out in the US, popularity of European calibers waned. You might find a total of 3 or 4 factory loads for it online, and maybe one at a store. If I wasn't into obscure calibers, I wouldn't buy one.

The 7mm-08 is the ballistic twin of the 7x57 and can do it in a shorter and lighter rifle with ammo you can find anywhere.

 

[JRuby]

The 270 with 130gr bullets has at least 20% less recoil than a 30-06 with 150's, or even the 308. It has a couple ftlbs more than a 7mm-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Its a fine cartridge for shooters that are recoil sensitive. Gun fit with a long action is more of a concern to me than recoil.

OP: Whatever you do, choose a cartridge that has been around a while and will have plenty of available ammo and components. But, avoid obscure or obsolete cartridges.

For instance, I often hunt with a Winchester Model 70 7x57. The cartridge has been around since the 1890s and has a very storied history. Once the 30-06 and 270 came out in the US, popularity of European calibers waned. You might find a total of 3 or 4 factory loads for it online, and maybe one at a store. If I wasn't into obscure calibers, I wouldn't buy one.

The 7mm-08 is the ballistic twin of the 7x57 and can do it in a shorter and lighter rifle with ammo you can find anywhere.

Your right about the old mauser i have yet to buy a box of bullets for it in twenty years

 

[No_Regerts]

Your right about the old mauser i have yet to buy a box of bullets for it in twenty years

I wouldn't pollute my rifle with that weak-loaded crap they sell! I load a 140gr Partitions at 2800fps and call it good. Not even pushing it.

 

[waglockfan]

Are you set on a bolt gun?

Look into building or buying a 6.8 SPC for him. The AR in 6.8 is easily manageable for beginners and seasoned shooters. Recoil is mild with the proper muzzle devices. A fixed stock with an A2 Rifle buffer seems to reduce recoil impluse more than a Carbine buffer.
Ammunition is not overly expensive and easy to find. Many bullets and loads out there fit to do the job. Federal Fusion and Nosler Accubond are my favorites.

 

[bbbass]

270 does not have reduced recoil, it is not all that much different than a 30-06, not surprising since they use the same casing. When I was a kid I started out with the good old 30-30 and it was fine.

I agree that for a kid, .270 might be a bit much. But I shot a Win94 30-30 and it slapped the dog-snot out of me!! Savage 99 in 308 did the same... danged stocks that don't fit right!!!

I kinda like the idea of an AR platform in whatever caliber because of the adjustment available.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

300 blackout in a bolt gun. then it gives dad an excuse to build a 300blk SBR and get a suppressor

 

[waglockfan]

How about a lever action? 30-30 is making somewhat of a resurgence. Ammo is plentiful, accurate, and relatively cheap.

Maybe something in .44 Magnum to pair with a revolver in .44, because, you know you can never have too many guns. A .44 revolver is a good woods gun to have at your side out in the wilderness.

 

[No_Regerts]

300 blackout in a bolt gun. then it gives dad an excuse to build a 300blk SBR and get a suppressor

My problem with modern military or tactical stuff is that its too bean-counter/logistics focused. performance takes a backseat. We decrease lethality for capacity and weight and then tell people to shoot better.

When it comes to hunting, performance should be the #1 focus. You only need to carry 5 rounds. Maybe 10 if you plan on taking opportunistic shots on coyotes or other critters. If the case must be short, then neck the suck out of it and use the propper bullet.

 

[2ndtimer]

270 does not have reduced recoil, it is not all that much different than a 30-06, not surprising since they use the same casing. When I was a kid I started out with the good old 30-30 and it was fine.

I think Coltemp was referring to the reduced recoil factory ammo offered in .270 win.
Most experienced adult shooters don't find full load .270 Win. recoil objectionable, but it might be a bit much for a slightly built 12 year old. For factory ammo, my first choice would be the .243 Win, with the 6.5 Creedmore being the second option. I had a 7mm-08 in a Winchester Model 70 lightweight carbine with a 20" featherweight contour barrel, and it seemed to kick worse than my Marlin XL7 in .270 Win.

 

[No_Regerts]

I think Coltemp was referring to the reduced recoil factory ammo offered in .270 win.
Most experienced adult shooters don't find full load .270 Win. recoil objectionable, but it might be a bit much for a slightly built 12 year old. For factory ammo, my first choice would be the .243 Win, with the 6.5 Creedmore being the second option. I had a 7mm-08 in a Winchester Model 70 lightweight carbine with a 20" featherweight contour barrel, and it seemed to kick worse than my Marlin XL7 in .270 Win.

Gun fit is everything. My buddy has a son who got interested in hunting at 12 and he was probably 85lbs soaking wet. We tried to practice using my Tikka in 223 and he just couldn't get comfortable. He picked up a Ruger American Compact in 7mm-08 and we set up the rifle for the kid instead of trying to get the kid adapt to a rifle set up for a 6'4 adult. He got a cow elk with that rifle with a single shot through the lungs at 175 yards. His dad was proud.

I've never seen a magnum I didn't like, but I'm becoming less amazed by the performance I am seeing from cartridges like the 7mm-08. Not because its not amazing, its because its the norm. A 140gr Power Point exited and did quite a bit of damage along the way.

 

[thorborg]

CZ 550 AMERICAN 243 WIN by @elkaholic52 for sale on this site looks to be a good thing, though I'm not liking the scope, he does reduce the price to 400 without it.

 

[JRuby]

I wouldn't pollute my rifle with that weak-loaded crap they sell! I load a 140gr Partitions at 2800fps and call it good. Not even pushing it.

I have not found that premium bullets are needed for the 7×57. I shoot a lot of hornady interloks and am quite happy with their performance.

 

[No_Regerts]

I have not found that premium bullets are needed for the 7×57. I shoot a lot of hornady interloks and am quite happy with their performance.

I agree, but I have a mess of them. When I'm out, if I ever run out, I'll go to using Sierra Pro Hunters or GameKings.