small gun bigger than .243
03-12-2004, 09:15 AM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: small gun bigger than .243
I'm going to come right out and suggest a lot of things, I've owned/operated/worked at/instructed at a dozen rifle ranges in my limited time on earth, I've seen and learned a lot about new shooters.:
FIRST OF ALL, you're 14, if you're average height and weight, and not a wimp, there's really no reason you should be terribly worried about recoil, two or three years at most with a little practice and you'll be big enough to handle any recoil out there (barring safari cartridges which take some getting used to), there's not a lot of reason to need a "small rifle" at your stage, two or three years ago, yes, you'd need one, but like I said, you'll grow out of your recoil problem in the next year or so-if you have one at all now....the first deer rifle that I owned was bought for me at the age of 12, a .30-06 Ruger M77-II standard, I've never had a problem with it and was shooting a .416Rigby for targets by the age of 15 (family tradition with .416Rigs, we've all got one or two for one reason or another). My sister started shooting a .308 when she was 11yoa (about 75#), I started dating my fiance when she was 14, let her hunt that year with my .300win mag, My sister is 15 now, and she's moved up to silouette shooting with a .45-70+P marlin 1895. My fiance is early 20's and under 120#, she took her first buffalo with a .375H&H this winter....
Secondly, there is no sporting rifle that kicks so hard that you can't add weight or pads enough to tame it enough for a 130-140#man, like I said, I've seen a lot of people start shooting, and there's nothing more stupid that someone coming to the range without some sort of recoil pad, I don't care if it's wimpy or not, when it comes down to it, if you need a pad to be a good shooter, there's nothing to disrespect about using one...my sister and fiance can handle those rifles because I've weighted the forends, cut the stocks to fit them and added recoil pads (most are butt mounted, but slip ons work if that's what you've got)...having a gunsmith add weight and a pad will cost about $20 unless he's a crook, or you can do it yourself if you feel comfortable with it.
I'd recommend to you what I do all new shooters (adults that is), get a .308win or a .270, they aren't terribly hard recoiling but they'll do the job as good as anything else, plus, you don't really out grow your rifle, if you buy a .243 just because it is light recoiling, in two years you'll be able to handle a .300win mag or bigger and probably wanting that type of performance by then too, and you'll have to buy another rifle, start out with one of these (or countless others) and you avoid this step later.
One thing people often do that is really stupid when starting off, they'll give a kid a compact rifle in a "real cartridge" because it's smaller so it'll fit them=easier to shoot...you couldn't be more wrong, you want the rifle to fit the kid, but it's either got to recoil less or it's got to be weighted a lot, take weight out of a rifle and it kicks more, I've got a 4.8# .300WSM custom made compact that I don't even really like shooting without a shoulder pad, my little 9yr old cousin that it fits great, but it'd kick the hell out of him if I let him shoot it...it's just too light.
If you're on the small side for your age, or you honestly do have a problem with recoil, then by all means, don't take the above advise, I was always shorter than everyone else, but I've always been very muscular (putting up hay all summer and feeding it all winter tends to do that to you), so I wasn't necessarily any "smaller", just shorter and lighter.
Don't discount the .243win, there's absolutely nothing wrong with hunting a .243win, I've hunted them for deer and elk, taken a 238# (live wt.) doe at 267yrds, it's quite a capable round if you shoot it well.
If you are on the small side, here are some other recommendations:
.44mag or .30-30 in a levergun-Marlin only, both are quite capable hunting rounds to 150-200yrds, assuming you put the bullet where it needs to go-the .30-30 is flatter shooting, but the heavy bullets of the .44mag are quite potent even at long ranges and low velocities...the .444Marlin is also a good choice, a little more stank than a .30-30, but with the big bullet capabilities of the .44mag, I've used one on deer out to 257yrds to good results.
.257robers, 7-30waters (7mm bullet in a .30-30 case), 7mm-08 (7mm bullet in a .308case), .250, and the list goes on and on, .25-06....
7.62x39mm (SKS rifles shoot this, very light recoil, pretty potent round, compares to a .30-30, SKS's can be had newly imported for under $200, the only hard part is to find one that's hunting accurate, you can usually return them if you're not satisfied though, or at least you can re-sell them for basically what you bought them for-not to mention they're fun)
Like I said, there's really no reason that you should need to buy a smaller rifle unless you're small for your age or are overly sensitive to recoil (which isn't bad, I've seen 40yr old 250# men that shoot .243's because they don't like recoil)...
My overall suggestion is either a .308 or .270 in a standard weight rifle, and mount a recoil pad, you'd be just fine with it.
FIRST OF ALL, you're 14, if you're average height and weight, and not a wimp, there's really no reason you should be terribly worried about recoil, two or three years at most with a little practice and you'll be big enough to handle any recoil out there (barring safari cartridges which take some getting used to), there's not a lot of reason to need a "small rifle" at your stage, two or three years ago, yes, you'd need one, but like I said, you'll grow out of your recoil problem in the next year or so-if you have one at all now....the first deer rifle that I owned was bought for me at the age of 12, a .30-06 Ruger M77-II standard, I've never had a problem with it and was shooting a .416Rigby for targets by the age of 15 (family tradition with .416Rigs, we've all got one or two for one reason or another). My sister started shooting a .308 when she was 11yoa (about 75#), I started dating my fiance when she was 14, let her hunt that year with my .300win mag, My sister is 15 now, and she's moved up to silouette shooting with a .45-70+P marlin 1895. My fiance is early 20's and under 120#, she took her first buffalo with a .375H&H this winter....
Secondly, there is no sporting rifle that kicks so hard that you can't add weight or pads enough to tame it enough for a 130-140#man, like I said, I've seen a lot of people start shooting, and there's nothing more stupid that someone coming to the range without some sort of recoil pad, I don't care if it's wimpy or not, when it comes down to it, if you need a pad to be a good shooter, there's nothing to disrespect about using one...my sister and fiance can handle those rifles because I've weighted the forends, cut the stocks to fit them and added recoil pads (most are butt mounted, but slip ons work if that's what you've got)...having a gunsmith add weight and a pad will cost about $20 unless he's a crook, or you can do it yourself if you feel comfortable with it.
I'd recommend to you what I do all new shooters (adults that is), get a .308win or a .270, they aren't terribly hard recoiling but they'll do the job as good as anything else, plus, you don't really out grow your rifle, if you buy a .243 just because it is light recoiling, in two years you'll be able to handle a .300win mag or bigger and probably wanting that type of performance by then too, and you'll have to buy another rifle, start out with one of these (or countless others) and you avoid this step later.
One thing people often do that is really stupid when starting off, they'll give a kid a compact rifle in a "real cartridge" because it's smaller so it'll fit them=easier to shoot...you couldn't be more wrong, you want the rifle to fit the kid, but it's either got to recoil less or it's got to be weighted a lot, take weight out of a rifle and it kicks more, I've got a 4.8# .300WSM custom made compact that I don't even really like shooting without a shoulder pad, my little 9yr old cousin that it fits great, but it'd kick the hell out of him if I let him shoot it...it's just too light.
If you're on the small side for your age, or you honestly do have a problem with recoil, then by all means, don't take the above advise, I was always shorter than everyone else, but I've always been very muscular (putting up hay all summer and feeding it all winter tends to do that to you), so I wasn't necessarily any "smaller", just shorter and lighter.
Don't discount the .243win, there's absolutely nothing wrong with hunting a .243win, I've hunted them for deer and elk, taken a 238# (live wt.) doe at 267yrds, it's quite a capable round if you shoot it well.
If you are on the small side, here are some other recommendations:
.44mag or .30-30 in a levergun-Marlin only, both are quite capable hunting rounds to 150-200yrds, assuming you put the bullet where it needs to go-the .30-30 is flatter shooting, but the heavy bullets of the .44mag are quite potent even at long ranges and low velocities...the .444Marlin is also a good choice, a little more stank than a .30-30, but with the big bullet capabilities of the .44mag, I've used one on deer out to 257yrds to good results.
.257robers, 7-30waters (7mm bullet in a .30-30 case), 7mm-08 (7mm bullet in a .308case), .250, and the list goes on and on, .25-06....
7.62x39mm (SKS rifles shoot this, very light recoil, pretty potent round, compares to a .30-30, SKS's can be had newly imported for under $200, the only hard part is to find one that's hunting accurate, you can usually return them if you're not satisfied though, or at least you can re-sell them for basically what you bought them for-not to mention they're fun)
Like I said, there's really no reason that you should need to buy a smaller rifle unless you're small for your age or are overly sensitive to recoil (which isn't bad, I've seen 40yr old 250# men that shoot .243's because they don't like recoil)...
My overall suggestion is either a .308 or .270 in a standard weight rifle, and mount a recoil pad, you'd be just fine with it.
03-12-2004, 11:33 AM
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SE Wisc
Posts: 677
RE: small gun bigger than .243
Fantastic comments above. I would just add that if you will be shooting at the range quite often for sporting, then i would stick to something with a little less recoil. it makes no sense to develop a flinch at your age. I think a .270, .308, 7mm-08 would be a good gun for what you are looking for. I am not a fan of the .243 but i know alot of people are. I just think you should be a very good shot or risk wounding the animal. Now it comes down to what you will want to hunt. If you are hunting just deer then the above are perfect. If you see yourself hunting bigger game later, get the more powerful caliber right away and get good with your gun thru the years. I would say .270, .308 or 30.06 would work well. I have a 30.06 and i put a recoil pad on it cuz i like to range shoot quite often. The recoil pad makes a world of difference. The 30.06 doesn't kick that hard either. In fact, i came from hunting with a 12 gauge and the recoil there was much greater. Keep in mind that most guns will kick you a bit if you are shooting from the bench all day, but you will never remember the recoil when you take game. You will forget you even shot the gun once the game falls. The bigger calibers take game better and quicker (all depending on the shot) but in case you are a little off it works well. Just my opinion.
03-12-2004, 12:12 PM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: small gun bigger than .243
NoMercy,
I love it!
[:@][:@]
Obviously there are no wimps in Kansas! My kind of folks, serious about going out there and kicking some booty!
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM
I love it!
[:@][:@]
Obviously there are no wimps in Kansas! My kind of folks, serious about going out there and kicking some booty!
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM
03-12-2004, 02:58 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: small gun bigger than .243
On my previous post, I may have come acrossed a little harsh, but I'm hearing a 14yr old kid ask for a small gun, when he probably doesn't need a small one, I've not yet witnessed anyone that age or older, male or female, that honestly could not handle the recoil of a .308win for a box of shells at least, of course with the proper padding in place...
There are wimps and small, thin, frail, what have you people out there that may actually NEED a light recoiling rifle, and then there are people that are convinced that guns kick hard and can't be tamed, so anyone short of a fully grown man in top physical condition shouldn't shoot a "real cartridge"....which obviously isn't true.
I just wanted to point out that there aren't any standard deer hunting rounds out there that can't be handled by a normal 14yr old boy, especially when you consider putting weight in the stock (or recoil reducers) and recoil pads either on the gun or on their person, I've yet to come acrossed a deer rifle cartridge/gun combination that kicked too hard that nothing could be done in a practical manner to reduce the recoil to manageable levels for even the smallest of framed shooters.
If you're young, say 5-12, it's a given that your arms are shorter and you're much lighter and "weaker" than an adult, and will be for some time, but when it comes to the age where you break 5'2-4" and step over 100#, there's no reason to limit yourself to a smaller round based on your age...you might still need a smaller stock so the fit is right, but you can always replace a factory stock, cut it short enough that you can stick a good thick pad on it and have the fit right, drill out and insert a reducer, then when you out grow the stock, put on the $100 replacement factory stock, instead of going out and buying a new rifle for $300+ that fits you and being stuck with the old gun that's just too small.
There are wimps and small, thin, frail, what have you people out there that may actually NEED a light recoiling rifle, and then there are people that are convinced that guns kick hard and can't be tamed, so anyone short of a fully grown man in top physical condition shouldn't shoot a "real cartridge"....which obviously isn't true.
I just wanted to point out that there aren't any standard deer hunting rounds out there that can't be handled by a normal 14yr old boy, especially when you consider putting weight in the stock (or recoil reducers) and recoil pads either on the gun or on their person, I've yet to come acrossed a deer rifle cartridge/gun combination that kicked too hard that nothing could be done in a practical manner to reduce the recoil to manageable levels for even the smallest of framed shooters.
If you're young, say 5-12, it's a given that your arms are shorter and you're much lighter and "weaker" than an adult, and will be for some time, but when it comes to the age where you break 5'2-4" and step over 100#, there's no reason to limit yourself to a smaller round based on your age...you might still need a smaller stock so the fit is right, but you can always replace a factory stock, cut it short enough that you can stick a good thick pad on it and have the fit right, drill out and insert a reducer, then when you out grow the stock, put on the $100 replacement factory stock, instead of going out and buying a new rifle for $300+ that fits you and being stuck with the old gun that's just too small.
03-12-2004, 03:06 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,476
RE: small gun bigger than .243
Don't overlook the 7 X 57 if one presents itself. In a modern strong action it is a wonderful round covering a fairly wide range from 100 gr bullets up to175 gr bullets. It's be a long action, but can send a very effective projectile downrange with fairly mild recoil. It can be among all the other cartridges mentioned as a good choice for a smaller person in need of low recoil. Stay away from real lightwieght guns if your purpose is to avoid recoil.
03-12-2004, 05:45 PM
#19
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 127
RE: small gun bigger than .243
I've never shot anything that kicks like my 12ga slug gun. That said, there are hundreds of choices depending on what you want to do. If all you are going to do is hunt deer, then the .243 will be just fine, in fact it would be better than a .30-30 at ranges beyond about 150yrds. You really need to decide what you want to do with a bigger gun. I went from a .32win special to a .30-06, which is not really that hard kicking and will take care of just about any big game in the U.S., is very common so it's chambered in just about every rifle made, and ammo is easy to find and cheaper than some less common calibers. Just don't get it in a 5lb rifle, and expect it to not kick.
03-12-2004, 09:39 PM
#20
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mtn. Hse. Alberta
Posts: 823
RE: small gun bigger than .243
6.5X55 Swedish mauser. 87 gr. bullet for varmints, 120 gr. for deer and 140 gr. for bigger game. IF YOU HANDLOAD. 140 gr. factory ammo will work for deer.
I also like the 7X57 mauser for a light recoil cartridge with lots of punch.
.300 savage in a Savage Model 99 would make a fine light deer gun. (I used one to shoot my first moose)
Robin
I also like the 7X57 mauser for a light recoil cartridge with lots of punch.
.300 savage in a Savage Model 99 would make a fine light deer gun. (I used one to shoot my first moose)
Robin