looking to buy my GF's 10 year old his first deer rifle. he has been shooting my .22-250 with great results but as with the .22-250 shot placement is paramount and with kids and field conditions it doesent always work out.

anyway, wanted to get him a caliber that he can grow up with and can handle a range of animals, like axis, oryx, mule deer, etc. and even a .243 imo is underpowered.



I don't think he can handle full power 7mm-08 ammo just yet but am wanting to try out the managed recoil stuff, looks to be along the lines of a .30-30 in terms of power.


I am in a quandary because when I was a kid we were handed a .30-30 and told to get to hunting ( I got a model 94 which as a ten year old kicked the snot outta me) and I don't wanna do that to him

I've never used the reduced recoil. I do load 120gr ballistic tips out of the 7-08, even at max loads It takes a lot of the felt recoil out of my rifle compared to the heavier bullets. It's also devastating on animal flesh. I think you can buy factory loaded 120 Ballistic tips and TTSX.

Wanted my wife to sit in the blind with me this year so I got a few boxes of the Hornady reduced recoil 120gr & they're very pleasant to shoot.. That being said, the tikka has a B&C Medalist rather than the factory stock & I'm not really recoil sensitive.. They're fine for my wife as well..

No experience w/ youngsters & that round..

Good choice of caliber and an excellent plan.

Reduced loads, or dropping down to a 120 grain bullet will both help. My Daughter starting shooting a 7mm-08 at about age 12.

I hand-load for her rifle...so could 'tailor' the cartridge as desired, but discovered the single best thing to manage the already minimal recoil, was replacing the recoil pad with this:

http://www.pachmayr.com/home/prefit-pads.php


Pachmayr Decelerator. I couldn't believe the difference when I first shouldered and shot the rifle after installing one.

hornady loads their custom lite in a 120 grain bullet....i'm a big fan of hornady maybe I should try that out

I shoot the 120gr Federal Fusion in my 7mm-08 and was surprised by how mild the recoil was compared to shooting 150gr Superformance loads in my .308. I can't speak to the bullet performance on the Reduced Recoil loads, but looking at the specs I think the recoil is going to be extremely moderate. I'd give 'em a try, BUT shot placement will still be important given that the Remington reduced load only has ~1600-1700 ft/lbs of energy.

Never shot them, but it should have plenting of killing power for deer hogs etc. at moderate ranges. I have made reduced loads for a 270 that offer similar performance and they have done well on deer.

That's what my daughter uses and took a nice buck this year at 160 yards. The ballistics loss is not severe at 200 yards and under - her comfort range anyway.

Hornady SST put the deer down quickly with her heart shot. No exit wound though. I am going to set her up with a full load 140 grain cartridge with a little tougher bullet for the upcoming season. But she is 21 and I'm certain will not even notice the slight increase in recoil.

Just be sure to put a good recoil pad on it, like the limbsaver

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Interesting and informative.

Totally agree with what NP said. My 9 y.o. son uses the Hornady Custom Lite 120 and it performs as advertised. Manageable recoil (paired with a Limbsaver). Enough energy at 100+/- yards to get a pass through on a medium sized buck and to drop a hog (no exit wound). Best of all, he hasn't developed a flinch and is talking about wanting to try the "full power" load.

I will echo others and say that you are thinking right. A 7-08 with reduced loads is as good as it gets for beginners and the same gun with full power loads are excellent when the shooter is a few years older. I would suggest getting a shorter stock for the youngster as it will fit him better. You can put the original stock back on when he gets a little older. Best of luck!