This is complicated for me and may be simple to others.My son is going to be 9 years old this coming season and want him to sit with me when I hunt-occasionally.The options at hand-He loves shooting my AR-15-so an option is get an upper in a 6.8 spc,Probably $600.00 and expensive ammo.Already bought him a Rossi triple threat which is .22,.243, and a 20 gauge.The 243 is useless after 35 yards-Accuracy is not there-even tried different scopes-10 inches at 100 yds.Other options-chop down an SKS stock to fit-I have 2-Then there is the scope mounting issue as the saddle types move.Probably best option-Weatherby youth combo-$510.00.Comes with youth and adult stocks,Recoil a big issue at his age-what caliber-would like 7mm-08-I think I may be able to get a muzzle break for extra cost.Any advice would be appreciated,Thanks
Too bad you didnt get the .243 to work.A .243win. is an excelent beginner cartridge.It,s a good experienced hunters cartridge.I would go for a Rem.orStevens/Savage in .243.
Here is a good look at recoil of different calibers Rifle Recoil Table
There is a fairly decent difference in recoil from .243 to 7mm-08 but the 7-08 would do till he's 90.. I use mine for all big game.
You will want it to be lighter, smaller for his stature and this means recoil is going to magnified.. .243 would be my suggestion.
Check out this link, it's the one I would buy for my offspring Remington.com -- Products
__________________
2 things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, I'm not sure about the former. Einstein
The reasoning for the weatherby is 1)Resale value-even though I rarely sell any of my guns.2)comes with youth and adult stocks.3)weight 4)accuracy. I really need for my son to shoot the SKS to see if it is a viable option.It would be really nice to have him set up for several years with this purchase.Hunting in North Florida and South Georgia a .243 would probably be fine,My nephew started with a 7mm-08 as the recoil-to me -is similar to my .270 the ballistics-energy look good.If I can get a factory muzzle break-thats the way I am leaning.As much as i would like to modify the AR-15 I dont think it will be cost effective.
Why not try 64 grain Winchester Super-X PowerPoints in .223 in the AR?
You already have the AR, your son likes to shoot it, and the .223 most definitely kills deer. I use my AR with the Winchester 64 grainers with perfect success on deer.
Probably would be the most logical solution,He will be with me in the stand for at least 2 more years,I think I will try to find a good deal on the Weatherby-Which I think is made by Howa -In a Larger caliber than .243.I have been looking at the recoil chart for several days and there are considerable differences.Even a .410 is too much recoil for him at this stage.His Favorite gun to shoot is a .17m2 I built from a 10/22-This one is teaching him accuracy at 100 yds without side effects.They grow so fast and I really would like to see him enjoy these outdoor sports.Thanks Guys
Always proud to hear about a father having trouble deciding on equipment to get their child started right in the hunting/shooting field.We wouldnt have so many youths in trouble if we had more fathers like you.Besides,those kids are worth it.Those Japanese Weatherby,s are pretty nice. sam.
New England Firearms make youth rifles. I have a regular size in 270 and i love it. You could get him a 243 or 25-06 or 7mm-08. They come in alot of different calibers too.
If he likes the AR and can shoot it well, let him. If you're set on getting him a different rifle, a .243 is my choice. Enjoy your days afield, they'll last you both a lifetime!
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
You should return under warranty as this is not my experience with Rossi products. At least have a gunsmith look at it. The combo you mention is Rossi's largest seller therefore it is illogical they would put a sub-standard rifle on the market. I am well pleased with my Rossi.
Also, you mention various scoping attempts but not various bullet weight attemps yet a number of weights are available in commercial loadings. If you reload the options to match various bullets to powders and/or various powder charges are vast. This may just be a case of a gun not shooting well with a particluar bullet weight which does sometimes happen with any manufacturer's rifled barrel.
Last edited by nathangdad; 02-02-2008 at 07:48 AM.
Reason: addition
I would have to agree on a 243 Win. maybe in the Remington youth model. You can usually find them used in real good shape. When my son first started hunting He wanted an AR-15. I ended up getting him a Remington 700 stainless 243win. and buying a cheep synthetic stock and having it cut down. As he grew I put he original stock back on. Now he still has his first rifle.
Have you tried other brands of ammo in the Rossi 243 rifle ? To see if accurancy will improve ?
I would go ahead and buy him a rifle that will last him for years. Though I know little about the 7mm08 this may be the right choice.
The 308 and 7mm08 are similar BUT the 7mm being a smaller bullet than 30 caliber would give a little less kick.
There are some Hi-tech recoil pads today such as Limb Savers and Tru-Glow or HI Viz I don't remember which has a Hi-tech recoil pad.
At 9 years old I was blasting away with a Marlin 30-30 but I was to Dumb to notice recoil.
LOL...A.H
I would first scrub the barrel on the Rossi with some CR-10 and make sure it doesn't have some fouling. Then double check my optics or open sights to make sure that the rings are true and have good contact and everything is tight. If that doesn't fix it I would contact Rossi and possibly send it to them as that should be unacceptable to them also and I would hope they would want to fix it as well. If that doen't work why not get a 243 flat top upper for your AR?
I have tried all of the above on the rossi,Plan on sending it back.It does shoot great with the .22 barrel.There is a gun show this weekend and I will be looking for options there.I do have time on my side.Well for now-off to the woods,Got to pull stands and feeders.Will have the son try some target practice as well.Thanks
i just bought my daughter a rossi .243 with a bushnell 3x9x 40 scope
shoots it just fine she is 11 this is her first rifle.this weekend she is hunting hopefully get one with it.the recoil on it isnt bad for her.she said the only thing that bothers her is the noise.lol
Tom - One of the only problems with the .243 & accuracy is the vastly different bullet weights you can shoot. The rate of twist of the rifling may be the cause of your accuracy woes. Most are set up for the standard 55 - 75 grain projectiles. If you are trying to shoot 100 grainers, the rate of rifling may not be fast enough to stabilise the heavier, longer bullets. Not sure of the rate of twist of the Rossi has, but my son's Youth savage has a 1:9.25 twist that lets him shoot up to 105 grain accurately.
I would suggest that you get him a rifle that he will grow into. There are a lot of hunters that use the 243, but it leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to larger game. 25-06 is and excellent cartridge and suitable for most game. 260 remington (6.5-308) is a truely great cartridge for deer and elk with very little recoil (felt recoil seems to be between the 243 and 25/06). 7-08 has more recoil without much advantage over the 260. All in all, my suggestion would be for a rifle in 260 remington.
6.8 SPC ammo is no more expensive than .243 ammo or 7mm-08 ammo. Silver State Armory makes good hunting ammo in 6.8 and it's not bad price wise. $600 for an upper and you have the lower already. As he gets bigger you can extend the stock.
