gun for son?

[270man]

Baylian,

Within the next few days I will be guiding a 14-year-old grandson, his 11-year-old brother and another 11-year-old grandson on a youth deer hunt. It will be the first big game hunt for the younger two. One of the younger boys will hunt with a Remington Model 7 in 243 Winchester. The Model 7 is a little steep unless you can find either a used one or a discounted price on a new one.

The older grandson will use my Rem 700 in 6mm Remington, about the same as a 243 Win. The last boy will use my Marlin 336CS in 30-30 Winchester. I bought this one used at a great price. The only drawback for the Marlin is that doesn't have the range of the Remington bolt guns.

My recommendations for caliber includes the 243/6mm, 260Rem and 7mm-08 Rem. The 6mm and 260 (and maybe even the 7mm-08) ammo might be hard to find if you live in a small town or rural area. If you handload, no problem.

For rifles, I would recommend a used Remington 700ADL or BDL but you probably won't find them in anything but 243. Remington now has the 700 SPS model, which I think is superious to the old 700ADL. It is available in either 243 or 7mm-08.

Best wishes for finding the right rifle for your young shooter, and kudos for introducing him to a wonderful sport.

270man