what type of gun is best for a child?

[newby]

ORIGINAL: dewey

5'-11" and 230, cripes I was thinking that he was smaller than that. You son is almost bigger than me 6'-2" 210[:D]. I would take him out with your other 2 sons 12 and 20 gauge shotguns and the 30-06 and see what he thinks. With a 30-06 I am fairly certain that there are tons of different bullet grain weights that would vary the recoil force.

Good luck.

Dewey

Yes, he is a big boy!!  I have read such good reviews on the Savage 111 30-06...it's really tempting to just go buy it while it's on sale.  I wish you could return a gun if unused within 30 days, but the sign says all sales are final.  Think it will go on sale again in December, before Christmas?  We won't be anywhere near a Dicks on black Friday...  Also, any idea how much a Remington 700 is?  I also may check into some of the guns mentioned above.

[DEERBOSS]

IM NOT SURE HOW MUCH A REM 700 IS BUT REMINGTON MAKES A REMINGTON 770 WHICH HAS A BOX MAGAZINE AND COMES WITH A SCOPE FOR ABOUT $3OO. NOW I HAVE 2 ONE FOR ME AND ONE FOR MY GIRLFRIEND. MINE IS A 270 AND HERS IS A 243. THEY ARE NOT A FLASH GUN BUT THEY REALLY DO A GOOD JOB FOR THE PRICE. I HAVE PROBABLY PUT 200+ ROUNDS THROUGH MY 270 IN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES. IT COMES IN A VARIETY OF CALIBERS TOO!

[berudd]

I am a Remington guy for sure but I have not heard great things about the 770. I am also a Savage guy and really think you can not go wrong with a Savage. While I don't think a 30-06 is neccessary for deer (and neither is my .270) and would prefer a short action round you realy can't go wrong with it. And if he is for some reason drawn to the 30.06 then go for it. If that makes him enjoy shooting and hunting more it makes sence. At that price I assume that it is a model that does not have Savage's AccuTrigger. But don't let that stop you. Yeah, the trigger is not as good but it is still capable of great accuracy.

I am getting the impression that you don't hunt/shoot and that this will be his first experience. Is that true? Just make sure someone shows him how to shoot properly. If you don't mount the gun to your shoulder properly it will smack you and make felt recoil even higher. Also, keep in mind that you have low recoil options for ammo. Remington Manage Recoil and Federal Fusion Light. I've shot the Remington in my .270 and it has noticeable less kick. My 9 year old was able to shoot it fine. But, I think I prefer the concept that Fusion uses which is a heavier slower bullet.

One last thing to consider. How about something to learn shoot with. A .22 is a cheap way to learn. No kick and almost no noise means you can shoot it for hours with no discomfort. For that matter a pellet gun in the backyard can be a good way to learn the mechanics of how to shoot safely as well. Considering that it may take a couple hundred rounds to get comfortable with shooting, a 30.06 may not be the best thing to learn with.

[newby]

You are correct, I've never shot a gun in my life!  My husband use to hunt, but that was many years ago.  He is going to start again since our son has expressed interest.  My brother, a former marine and a hunter (not a big time hunter though), is going to take him to a shooting range this week and teach him proper form and let him get a feel for some various guns.

We are still looking at the Savage 111 but you are right, it doesn't have the accutrigger.  We found a Savage 110fxp3 at Walmart tonight with the accutrigger and it was only $384.  So if the accutrigger is that much better, perhaps that would be a better choice. 

We are also considering a Remington 870 (not the combo) or a Mossberg deer/field combo that the guy at Dick's told us is going on sale tomorrow for $70 off.

My husband and are disagree on how to proceed.  I want to let him try my brother's guns and see what he likes best and then go buy one of these and surprise him on Christmas morning.  My husband thinks we need to take him with us and let him pick it out himself so he can pick out what feels best. In my opinion, that's no fun because there's no surprise.

[krawiech]

you really should have him with you to check the fit of the gun most guns are made for the most common sized males fit and finish bring up the price of the gun you cannot go wrong with any currently produced rifle or shotgun some people like remington others like mossberg i have shot both and also a 30-06 from savage all are excellent guns pick one that fits and feels good to the shooter then look at the price sometimes you can buy a used gun at tremendous savings v buy what you can afford

[berudd]

OK, glad to hear a marine will be teaching him proper safety. I've not used the accutrigger but I will say that if I could get one for $385 I'd buy it. Of course you'll need to spend another $50 on a cheap scopre for it. And to be honest I'd want to invest at least $150 to get a scope that is up to par with that rifle. My savage does not have it and it shoots great. You could always have a gunsmith tune the trigger for maybe $40 or $50 or install a good after markter trigger for $100. But to be honest don't sweat this. It's not a critical thing to worry about.

If he is going to shoot birds in addition to deer and only have one gun you gotta go with one of the combos. I really like the Mossberg setup. To be fair, you don't need the deer barrel in a shotgun to shoot deer slugs. They won't be as accurate without them but I heard of people being effective to 100 yards. You can buy sights that attach the the vent rib (that rail on the top of barrel of the 870 and Mossberg) to put on when you go deer hunting. Just keep in mind you won't be able to remove them and put them back on without messing up the aim point.

Unless your son is spoiled I am pretty sure he is going to be happy with any of these options.

[newby]

I took my son out with me today, under the pretense that I was going to buy a gun for his dad and I wanted him to help me pick it out.  He was excited to be holding the guns and helping me pick something out.  On the other hand he was whining because I was looking at one for his dad, but not him.  [;)]  He liked the feel of the Mossberg better than the Remington 870, esp. where the lock was or something like that.  He liked the combo Dicks put on sale today, saying it would be a good option so "dad" could hunt deer and turkey.  However, he also kept saying that the 30-06 felt the best and was the coolest.  Still undecided, but it looks like either the Mossberg combo or the Savage 110 that Walmart has for $384.  Btw, it's not only AccuTrigger, it also has a cheap scope on it too...good enough for now.

Should I buy the combo while Dicks has it on sale ($269 until Wed.) or wait until he tries my brothers guns?  We will be 2 hours away from Dicks when he gets to try them Wed....he lives out in the middle of nowhere.  (they do have a Walmart though)

[berudd]

I'd go for the combo. I might be biased becuase I have come very close to buying it for my son as well. That sounds like a great price. I think that is what a Dick's here wants for the gun without the deer barrel.

Since he mentioned hunting turkeys that is pretty much going to take the Savage out of the running. I't probably illegal to hunt turkeys with a 30.06 and if not, its not really the right tool for the job. It is definitely illegal to shoot waterfowl, doves and any other migratory birds with it and on top of that it's stupid and dangerous.

Get the Mossberg and while your at it pick up one for dad and you get the mom/wife of the year award! [:D]

[mnslayer]

newby
I agree with berudd the mossberg is a good fit at this time.
If he takes to hunting the rifle could be something down the line.
Savage is a good gun but lacks in the looks dept he may want something
with a different look or action down the line. I started with a Savage 110
but now it hardly leaves the case. Shotgun covers all the bases for hunting
and some states limit you to shotgun only for deer hunting. When you said he was big for his age
you weren't kidding!

[newby]

We have talked a lot about it and agree the Mossberg is the most practical right now.  We are thinking the 12 gauge...anyone disagree with that choice?