H&R survivor .308 for son

Does anyone have one or use one to hunt with? Looking at getting one for my 9 year old just worried about the recoil in a single shot

I think it a bad idea.



Looking at the the rifle that must be scoped, I cannot see a 9 year old being able to see through a scope without totally getting his head off the comb of the stock (an adult as well). It will kick the snot out of him even if the cartridges are loaded down to 30-30 Win/7.62x39 levels.

I've seen quite a few kids come on youth hunts on my place over the course of a dozen years and the single digit age kids are the most comfortable shooting rifles designed for them. Even some so called "youth" model rifles are really just adult compact models and are too large for a fit.

Would you shoot that and enjoy shooting it?

If you want him to have fun, make sure it will be fun, not punishing.

I had a lightweight 308, and the recoil was painful, far worse than my 300 Win Mag. So, fit matters, as does weight.

Take a look at Ruger American compact in 223 and one 243, which is still a lot of rifle for a 9 year old. The Rem Model 7 compact is well scaled for children and smaller women. Ranch Dog is spot on, overall size and fit is very important.

Bring him along in steps and keep it fun - if you want him to have fun. Use a 22 for a lot practice, then try a 223 bolt rifle, then a 243 to hunt.

Most hunters are overgunned and underpracticed.

this

I've felt that the Mossberg Patriot Youth Super Bantam is one of the most sensible designs I've seen for a single digit aged youth to work their way up preteen ages and beyond. It is too bad it is not offered in the 300 Blackout as that cartridge delivers light recoil and killing authority very similar to the 30-30 Win.



This rifle is available in 243 Win, 7mm-08, and 308 Win but I would still want to load down for a young kid. With the 308 Win, I would use something like the Speer 130-grain SPFN Hot-Cor at 2,000 FPS. Heck, I would buy him a Lee Loader Kit and let him work on this effort as well; I've done that with a lot of kids. Main thing is not to thump her or him right out of the box.

Another downside to the H&R offering is the trigger pull. I've owned a half dozen of these rifles and all of the factory pulls have been from 6½ to 8½. No way a kid can shoot that without developing a jerk on the trigger or shoot it accurately.

Dang! I just looked up on the Gallery of Guns and that Super Bantam in 308 Win is only $295 delivered just up the highway! I might buy one for a loaner here on the ranch.

Thanks everyone. He shoots my .308 VTR right now and killed his first deer with it last year. We shoot a lot with the.22's and has shot my savage 110 in .243 as well with no problems. Was just looking at getting him something he can call his, but can grow up through the years and him not worry about messing it up or anything.

Heck then, I would get him the Mossberg and let him grow into it.

That H&R might look cool but it is not. I bought the Rossi Tuffy and quickly learned that a pistol grip does not belong on a top break action. In that your hand is on the grip, you cannot pull back the hammer, trip the break open lever, or active the safety with your thumb. It is impossible to reach any of the controls. That means you have to release the forearm or pistol grip to [censored] or relieve the hammer and open the action. It's awful.

My Tuffy is in the foreground with a Rossi Single Shot 44 Mag behind it.



I ended up buying a butt stock for it as it was impossible to quickly reload. Now it is just an overpriced shotgun and resides in the back corner of a large safe.

My kids liked the AR platform better. I started my son out with a 6.8 with a 6 position collapsible stock when he was 8, that is still his hunting rifle today and he is 15 and bigger than most men. My daughter claimed my 223 with a 6 position collapsible stock and still shoots it today 11 years later. Every time we go shooting those rifles go because my kids enjoy shooting them. To me the most important aspect of a gun is fit and then fun. If the gun fits they will want to shoot it, if it fits them when they are 8 more than likely will not fit them well when they are 15 unless you can increase the length of pull of the gun. That is where the AR reigns supreme in flexibility to fit the user.

Cool little gun!

i got one for the bull barrel and replaced the stock
with a conventional choate monte carlo.
i'm not much on having a "survival stock"
or a bag on a rifle stock full of items
or a bunch of ammo or stuff on a rifle
sling. extra stuff belongs in pockets or
the pack.
and the stock design is just asking for
recoil. i bought one when they first came
out to put on a topper shotgun. i didn't
keep it long.
the gun itself with a conventional stock
is great. may be too heavy for a kid to
tote with the bull barrel.

not no, but hell no.

I think that 308 Win might be a bit much recoil for a youngster. Have you considered 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm-08 ? If you go with 308, I would want something that has some weight to it to mitigate the recoil until he gets used to shooting.