Need some help, folks. I'm not a newbie to guns, but it's been 29 years since I shot my first rifle and SO much has changed over the years.

I'm stuck trying to find out which way I should run for my 2 boys (currently 7 and 5). If bought, the guns would be 8th bday presents, so keep that in mind for the younger one. I cant decide between a .243, suppressing a 7mm-08, .300 blackout (suppressed), or just going with a .308 (suppressed as well).

I'm either going to buy them a gun now to get them by until their teens and then something else later in life, or by 1 gun that they can keep and shoot forever. I know the .243 has taken many animals, but the whole suppressor craze has my attention just by saving their eardrums alone, not to mention recoil reduction. Through the years, I always shot with ear protection at the range, but never in the blind/tripod. 1 shot, open area, .270..big deal. But the truth is, every shot without hearing protection damages the ears, especially when you're shooting a .300 RUM with a brake....so, for that reason alone, I'm leaning towards the suppressor. But can a kid handle light load .308's?

The brake + suppressor combo is greatness. I'd go with .308, myself. There will be no meaningful recoil.

Do you already have a .308 suppressor? If so, any of those mentioned rounds can be fired thru it and recoil greatly tamed. The one big advantage of going .300 or .308 in an ar platform is how the collapsible stock "grows" with a kid.

Just something to keep in mind, I doubt your boys will only want to own one gun for the rest of their life, so I wouldn't make it being a one gun for everything a huge part of the equation. Im sure all of the calibers you listed would get it done for deer and hogs just fine and the suppressor sure wouldn't hurt any of them.

None of the calibers you mentioned are bad choices. Today we have so many better designed bullets as well. the whole thing is more the actual rifle design than caliber. If your sons are not comfortable,the pull is to long, the stock doesn't drop or weld well, the optics have to small of relief( hey "scope brow" hurts like hell), and if its to heavy for off hand...it wont matter what caliber it is if they are not comfortable or it fits to their body size. I agree with Tim9880, and AR platform might be your best place to start, regardless of caliber...and it can grow and change with them!


Kudos to you for even thinking of rifles for your Boys though...we need more fathers and men that think that way!

well, I grew up with a Dad who went out of his way to take us hunting and fishing every chance he could. I have the fishing part down pat, and both are doing just fine in that category, and we go OFTEN. But come hunting season, my switch flips and nothing makes me smile like seeing them in a blind, with me.

Suppressor is on the way, .30 cal. I have access to my dad's .308 (he passed late 2014) and was thinking of keeping all original parts, and purchasing an LSS stock or something similar, re-barreling with a threaded barrel and adding the suppressor. I'm left with my Dad's original action in his grandson's hands...who wouldn't want that for their boy? And later in life, all the original stuff could be put back on it and have the original gun to keep. Which brings me to my next quandary...the tug of war of never being promised tomorrow...

Learned the hard way through his passing that each day is a blessing, so if I were to get 1 gun for each son, I'd want it to be something nice, have their initials engraved on the bbl, and if be some chance I leave this world unexpectedly...they have something else to look at to remember me by for the rest of their lives.

So yes, I should've included that whatever route I go, it will be dropped into a stock that allows an AR-style adjustable butt pad so that they can grow with it (AB arms, XLR, something along those lines)..and yes, "scope brow" does hurt like hell!

Personally I wouldn't alter your fathers gun.

For my sons first deer rifle (he was 8 when I got it for him), I bought him a Browning Micro Midas X-Bolt in 7mm-08. He's shooting Hornady Custom Lite (light loads) with a 120 gr. bullet. It has performed well on the 2 deer he has shot.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=023b&cid=035&tid=248

this is greatness

go see the boys at Hill Country Rifles up the road

30-30.

Suppressed 7mm/08 would be awesome!!! My son and a buddies son love shooting my suppressed 6.5 Creedmoor.

7-08 or 308 would get my vote. None of the calibers you're looking at are bad choices.

I wear protection even when hunting. With electronic muffs you hear even better than you do normally. I'm of the opinion the .243 will take down anything native to Texas with authority.

243 is the way to go now.

You really can't go wrong with a .243. Many great hunters started out the same way.