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Love the advice, thank you.Howdy Shawn,
I do not have a '94 for you, but some unsolicited advice. I have fond memories of the hunts and the game I took with my first deer rifle: a '94 30-30. My memories of how it kicked me are NOT fond.
I would strongly recommend you consider a nice bolt .243 or such for your boys. The .30-30 is not an especially hard kicking cartridge, but the buttstock design and lightness of the gun create felt recoil that is nearly intolerable for average 12 year-olds. I have never overcome my aversion to recoil as a result of that first deer rifle. Consider what sort of deer rifle YOU carry, and consider starting your boys on a similar type gun (perhaps in a milder cartridge). They'll like having one "just like Dad's", and in a cartridge such as .243 (7-08, 257 Roberts or a mild 6.5mm are also candidates), your boys may discover it works for some fine long range practice, coyote calling and such: the ol' '94 can't "do it all" like that.
If you are set on the .30-30, I'd be looking for a Savage 340 (or 325) bolt action .30-30 for the kids. Stock design is way better for felt recoil, and these guns are much cheaper than any '94 nowadays.
All advice that is worth exactly what you paid for it. Good huntin' with your boys!
I agree with Spitpatch. My memories of getting kicked by the 30-30 are not fond, either. These days, it's nothing. But then it was something! That's the reason I started my grandson on a Savage 99 in 243.Howdy Shawn,
I do not have a '94 for you, but some unsolicited advice. I have fond memories of the hunts and the game I took with my first deer rifle: a '94 30-30. My memories of how it kicked me are NOT fond.