down wind

Ok guys I am looking for a .25 cal or larger for my son. He is almost 10 but is less than 60lbs. I am looking for a light recoil rifle, I have used many different calibers but most of them were standard rifles 300 win mag, 30-06, 270 ect. I have never shot 7mm-08, 260, or the 25-06, so I not sure about the recoil. I am looking for a recoil that is not much more then a 243. Any info would be helpful.
Thanks Mike

Ballistictip

A .243 is an excellent gun for a kid. I' m not sure about the 25-06 because I' ve never shot one but heard the recoil is mild. A 6mm would be good also however ammo is much harder to find and there' s not much of a variety either. My son (8 years old) is shooting a .410 shotgun right now and the recoil doesn' t bother him a bit. I' m looking at getting him a deer rifle this year and have been considering the 25-06 but would like to shoot one first just to see what the recoil is like. Is there anyone here that can give me a comparison of the difference in recoil between a .243 and 25-06?

BareBack Jack

Down wind,
A good .25 bore would be the old .257 Roberts this gun dose not get enough credit with todays ammo listing go with my favorite deer cartrige a 25-06 rem.I have killed mule deer and white-tail not a one has ever got away.

Ballistic,
The diffrence in recoil in the .243 and 25-06 is not noticeble,but I' m not 8.I have both the .243,6mm and 25-06,I would compare them all close to th .410 bore 3" mag.
If this is gun for him to grow in too,I would go 25-06. Buy a Ruger M77 MkII full size,then buy a Ram-lite stock and sawzall it down to his size and some 90 gr Barnes-X and shoot away.

doubleA

I would opt for a rifle with a heavy barrel if the young person can handle it from a good shooting position. They' re isnt anything like adding weight to dampen recoil. A 308, 7-08, 260, 270, 25-06 shooting the lighter weight bullets have very little recoil in the HB/varmint versions. The biggest problems with the youth/ladies rifles of today is that they are light and will have more felt recoil ie. Rem Model 7 in 7mm-08 verses the Rem 700 varmint variant.


my $.07...AA

JimboHunter1

Recoil with the 25-06 is a little stronger than it is with the .243. It is noticeable, but not something to be too concerned with.

BareBack Jack

Down wind,
AA is right, a good Hvy barreled varmiter is a good option,I assume you are hunting out of a stand?
I have a .243 Remington Varmit Laminated rifle with a 26 in barrel,cut down for a youth for sale,3-9 x 40mm Burris scoppe,lee dot rectical and it' s for sale,no my wife said no it' s not.
I would go Ruger varmit 25-06,I' m tellin you can' t go wrong.

I would have mentioned the good Ol' 250-3000 but it is almost obsolete,but it is also a good .25 bore.

seattlesetters

Without question this job is tailor-made for the .257 Roberts or the .260 Rem.

Vapodog

your youngster is 10 and you mentioned (I assume) he' s not tall.

By this I' m assuming you are willing to cut off a stock to fit him.

The ideal gun is a Rem 7 rebarreled to .257 Rob. or .250 Savage.....spendy

You really should reconsider the .25 caliber requirement. The .243 is a fully adequate rifle for deer. It' s not at all a handicapp!!

Ballistictip

Thanks for the info Bareback. The .410 he' s shooting is an old single shot that' s really a little too big for him. He' s shooting skeet with the 3" mags in it and has not complained about recoil even after a few boxes of shells although there is a nice bruise on his shoulder the next day. I may ask around and see if I can borrow a 25-06 that he can try out. He' s got a really gentle trigger finger and I don' t want to do anything to mess that up.

akbound

As was mentioned once earlier....look real hard at the .260 Remington. It' s 6.5mm bullets come in a fairly large variety. From lightweights meant for varmints up to heavyweights intended for the largest medium game. (In factory ammo it slightly exceeds the grand old 6.5X55.) The recoil is very similar to the .243 Winchester in the .260' s 120 grain loadings. (The 120 grain bullet in the .260 Remington has a sectional density similar to 165 grain .30 caliber bullets....which makes it more than sufficient for deer sized game.) You can have factory loads by various makers in 140 grain as well. Which is a better bullet choice for medium game heavier than the average whitetail. And if you reload there are bullet weights all the way up to 160 grains....(about the same sectional density as a 220 grain .30 bullet). Which makes a very effective short to medium range load for any herbivore on any continent. And with a very flat shooting load in its lighter weights. All of this with very mild recoil indeed!

And as a bonus...there are a number of companies that chamber for the .260 Remington in very short, light, rifles. Remington' s Model Seven in either blue or stainless. Ruger chambers in its Compact (with only 16.5 inch barrel) in blue or stainless and even with a laminated stock. Also a number of other manufacturers chamber for it in other models as well. It is a caliber easy enough for him to handle now...and one he won' t outgrow!

Good luck with your decision!