Gun for my son

[michaeladkins]

I'm thinking about getting a gun for my son this year. He has taken interest in hunting recently. Last spring he begged and begged for me to take him turkey hunting, it just never worked out. So deer season we are going to get it done. I can't wait...I'm a happy papa that he has taken a lot of interest in the sport. We watch hunting videos together and he is starting to understand when to and to not take a shot. Although videos help, nothing is like real world experience.

So here is the issue. He is 7 and weighs 55 pounds. I do not have a gun I feel comfortable with him using at this point. I don't want to give him my Hoosier or shotgun and hurt him. That will totally discourage the little guy. I would like to get him a single shot 357. They seem to be pretty hard to find. My step father has a 44 carbine that we can use but I wonder if 44 is a little too stout for him. I am a reloaded, so I could take the round down a bit, but still not sure. I also thought maybe I could use a 44 special out of that gun. I'm not sure. I know for sure that I want to put a very good recoil pad on whatever gun we get.

Any other suggestions or do you think I am worrying too much about the 44?

Again, my concern is him losing interest in the sport if the recoil scares him. We have shot the 17 and 22 a ton, so he is not afraid of guns, but neither of those guns have recoil.

Thanks.
Mike

[HuntMeister]

Proper fit will go a long ways to reducing felt recoil. I think a 44 would be fine if you load it down some or like you said, shoot 44 specials through it.

[jjas]

When kids are young, I think you are just as well off to let them plink with a .22 and perhaps squirrel hunt a bit. Then, come deer season, let him sit in a blind and watch you.

He's only 7, there's plenty of time for him to kill a deer.

[dbd870]

My choice for my grandson ended up being pick up a Contender and had custom forearm and stock made. His is only a 22lr so far but when he gets to the point where he can handle it I will probably get a 357Max barrel made for it or maybe a 7 Waters if it is legal by then. I also handload which helps.

[lawrencecountyhunter]

I've got a H&R .357 and use 140 grain Hornady LeverEvolutions. I've killed probably a half-dozen deer with it from 20 yards out to about 80, none ran more than 40 yards. Recoil is about the same as a .223, so basically nonexistent.

Another option would be to practice with the .44 using .44 Special, as you stated, and only load up full power rounds when he's shooting at a deer.

I have a 7 year old girl who's gonna come with me some this year.. Maybe she'll be shooting the .357 next season if she takes a liking to it.

[swilk]

Braeleigh was 8 in this picture .... Ruger 77/44. Fit wasnt terrible at that age and I was able to put a Nikon scope on it that had a pretty long eye relief. She never had any problems with it .... even with fairly warm handloads.

[foamyflyer]

You might look into the CVA Scout in 44 mag. It's a break action single shot rifle similar to the CVA Wolf muzzleloader, but in 44 mag. I've got one and it kicks about like a 20 ga shotgun. I think they make shorter stock versions for kids. Here's a link to the stainless version and it comes in blued finish for less money. www.cva.com/CVA-Store-View.php?id=759

Here's a young lad shooting one. youtu.be/q33QGI_GF2k

[jimstc]

H&R single shot .410. Light weight and light recoil. My first gun was a .410 as was my oldest grandson.
Nice new hunter's rig. Heck, I have a 20 yr old friend who still hunts and harvests deer with his .410.
$200 out the door.

[jimstc]

Swilk is absolutely right regarding the Ruger 77/44. I have that rifle. Very similar to my comments regarding the .410 as to weight and recoil. Great choice, as are most .44 mags

[swilk]

They also make it in .357 .... but I dont think the recoil of the 44 would bother most. Especially if you handload and let him practice with some milder loads and just swap them out (after dad re-zeroing of course) for full power loads to hunt with.

Never seen anyone complain about recoil when shooting at game.

Do pay attention to eye relief on the scope no matter what you decide though .... that would ruin a kid pretty quick.

[firstwd]

If recoil and growing up with a gun is the issue, then why not go with a muzzle loader. You can pick up a wooden stock one quite cheap and fit the stock to the shooter. As for recoil, using loose powder allows you to lower the charge to build confidence and slowly work your way up to a safe lethal charge.

[michaeladkins]

Man I love this forum!! Great ideas! I will get back on later, gotta drive now.

Thanks for the advise.

Mike

[js2397]

My son shot his first deer at age 6 with a rossi 44. I got him the trifecta with a .22, .44, and a 20 gauge barrel.

[omegahunter]

The .44 is a cat (really??) out of a rifle when it comes to recoil. About like a .410, but will reliably penetrate a deer even on a not-so-great shot that finds the shoulder.

The muzzleloader is a great recommendation. Start out with lighter bullets and low charges of loose powder. You would be amazed at what a 180 .44 bullet in a sabot and only 40-50 grains of powder will do to a deer.

[firstwd]

50 grain of powder in a .45 caliber muzzle loader is exactly what my ex killed all of her deer with when we were together.

Great combination.

[HighCotton]

My oldest grandson (8 yrs old) is so excited about squirrel hunting this season. So, I had him help clean a few guns recently. This led into many conversations about safety, woodsmanship, humility, ballistics and so on. Here's were I am at with our conversations. He wants to start with the .22 rifle and practice at the range. Interestingly enough, he is more intrigued with my muzzleloader than my shotgun when it turns to chatting about deer hunting. He is very interested in the process of handloading and all of my equipment.
Together we are discussing the options of his first "gun." Here is what he constantly come back to...and I totally agree:
www.rossiusa.com/product-details.cfm?id=89&category=2&toggle=&breadcrumbseries=YM

Jus some more Food for thought!

[dbd870]

Jun 29, 2015 17:43:04 GMT -5 omegahunter said:

The .44 is a cat (really??) out of a rifle when it comes to recoil. About like a .410, but will reliably penetrate a deer even on a not-so-great shot that finds the shoulder.

The muzzleloader is a great recommendation. Start out with lighter bullets and low charges of loose powder. You would be amazed at what a 180 .44 bullet in a sabot and only 40-50 grains of powder will do to a deer.

every now and then that censor messes up!

[henson59]

I am not sure what your hunting situation is but have you ever thought of getting a crossbow? You could hunt from a blind and mount the crossbow on on a field pod. All he has to do is line up the cross hairs and pull the trigger. No recoil and it would offer you more times to hunt if you didn't have luck during gun season.

If gun is the way to go I think a .44 would be a fine way to start out. Get a proper fit and you can always buy an extra cover for the butt of the gun to offer more cushion.

[michaeladkins]

I have looked at the suggestions..mind you all are great. I love the idea of the trifecta, but you can't find them in 44 anymore. At least not new. So Rossi offered a 22lr, 20ga, and 50 cal ML in a package. It seems difficult to find that also, but I like that idea. I would rather have the 44 and load it down some but I can do the same with the ML in 50 cal. Maybe start out with 50 or 60 grains first then move up as he gains confidence and strength.

I have not considered a crossbow. I will look into that also.

Thanks again for the suggestions!!!

Mike

[michaeladkins]

Finding a single shot Rossi is becoming a real challenge. Hmm. I may have to start looking at other alternatives.

No one seems to have the mini loader in stock either. Which comes with 22lr, 20ga, and 50 cal ML. Back to searching!