Help me choose a 7mm-08 Youth Rifle for my Grandson

[Code54]

I use a Savage .308 with a 20" barrel as an adult. I personally love a short-barrel rifle.

Not sure if you like single shots, but a Contender or Encore allows him to grow with the gun and allows a LOT of caliber choices with the same action. You will also find the accuracy outstanding. You have to go used with either of them currently but there are TONS of barrels available and several custom builders out there. Same with stocks, you can get anything in any size you want. It could easily be a lifetime gun that could fit him perfectly as he grows.

 

[dj1701]

My girlfriend wanted a gun for self-defense but did not want to go through the trouble of getting a handgun. I gave it some thought as to something that would be dependable, simple, and small enough for her to handle. I also thought if the SHTF she could possibly use it to put meat on the table.

I settled on a Marlin 336 Youth Lever Action Centerfire Rifle 30-30 Winchester. I tell you what, I fell in love with that thing. It's compact and comes to the shoulder much faster than the adult model. If I were in the market for a gun for a child, or myself, I would look hard at the youth lever guns.

Another good small lever gun is the Winchester 94 Trapper. I have one in 44mag.

Dave

 

[sea2summit]

My girlfriend wanted a gun for self-defense but did not want to go through the trouble of getting a handgun. I gave it some thought as to something that would be dependable, simple, and small enough for her to handle. I also thought if the SHTF she could possibly use it to put meat on the table.

I settled on a Marlin 336 Youth Lever Action Centerfire Rifle 30-30 Winchester. I tell you what, I fell in love with that thing. It's compact and comes to the shoulder much faster than the adult model. If I were in the market for a gun for a child, or myself, I would look hard at the youth lever guns.

View attachment 777226

Another good small lever gun is the Winchester 94 Trapper. I have one in 44mag.

Dave

Goodluck finding a lever gun at any kind of reasonable price right now...

 

[airbiscuit]

My first deer rifle was a model 94 Winchester that I paid $40 for. I still have it. That Ruger 44 semi auto carbine is a sweet gun.

I don't prefer single shots, but I have a 45/70 trapdoor that is about five feet long. I also have a Remington 45/70 side x side which is a nice handling gun.

In the end, I want to get him a flat shooting 7mm-08 bolt action like his dad has.

I could let him use my 6.5mm Grendel AR15, but that's what I use these days

 

[gsganzer]

A Remington Model 7 (not 700) is hard to beat for smaller folks. Remember, they're not young forever and if they're shooting from a blind/bench, then they can make do with a longer/heavier rifle in the interim.

 

[ZTMAN]

When my daughter started hunting I got her a youth model Remington 700 .243. Got my son a Ruger youth model, .308. Both are nice guns, and were a lot more expensive than my Remington 760 (my favorite). 20 years later my daughter still uses her "youth gun." She didn't grow much.

Between the Remington and Ruger youth guns, I was more partial to the safety on the Remington over the Ruger.

Sounds like you have a lot of good quality guns to think about.

 

[RobertN]

7mm08 is a great caliber, as is most calibers derived from the 308 case.

Cartridge It's 7mm caliber, 7mm-08 cartridge.
I see that all the time on the gun forums. I know, nit-picky

 

[RobertN]

Take the kid and see what fits and feels comfortable for them.
Keep in mind a wood stock is easy to shorten and otherwise modify. Most rifles have some aftermarket support like Boyds stocks.
If it doesn't fit him he wont like shooting it.

I only bought my son one shotgun without him being there, because he had shot the same make/model and was comfortable with it. Otherwise, I would take him along and make sure the rifle or shotgun fit and was comfortable. Kind of takes the surprise away, but I would trade that for getting something that fits/comfortable.

 

[airbiscuit]

So, I bought a Ruger American Compact mm-08. Her is a review I left.

I've checked out lots of youth rifles. With the possible exception of the Tikka ($$$ and didn't like the stock), this was the best choice. This rifle pulls up well, is light , and has great proportions for the young hunter. The action is smoother than the competition, and the balance is great, My gun dealer sells a bunch of these and says they are accurate (I got the 7mm-08), I like everything about this rifle except the magazine. It feeds well, but is difficult to load, For hunting purposes, I think the answer is to buy a second magazine.
I think having a rifle that "fits" a young hunter is a big deal. This rifle fills the bill and is a great value.

 

[jyoutz]

I have had my Remington model 700 for over fifty years and it’s still my go to gun for elk or deer hunting. I recommend that you take a look at those.