Shorty and young hunter

[thumper113]

I had really been looking at the shorties and was thinking about cutting down my grandson's .30-30.  As I was researching I learned of the increased blast and realized that isn't smart for a young hunter.

He is seven and loves shooting as much as his pappa.  He has a whole .22 collection and is a crack shot.  He loves his .30-30 but even with the youth synthetic its still really too heavy for him for more than bench shooting.

What would you recommend?  I'm leaning towards a shorty in .357 now.  Is there still the muzzle blast issue?

Not looking for a long range killer but also looking for a responsible round.  I know I can kill them with a .223 but don't believe in first time hunters using marginal rounds where expert shot placement is required.

[Flynmoose]

I think a 357 with a shorter barrel would be great for a youngster! For general plinking 38s would work very well. Thank you for introducing a youngster to our sport.
FM

[HWB13]

I don't have either but the 243 and the 7mm-08 have been very popular with the youth hunters.  Had a friend's son that started on the 7mm at age 9 in a TC.  He managed the recoil fine.  Both are very effective rounds.

[hoytcanon]

Don't worry about the "increased" muzzle blast as it is only "slightly" more at 16" than it is at 22" and you should be teaching him to shoot with proper hearing protection regardless of the barrel length... Take it from someone with a constant "buzzing" in his left ear from decades of unprotected shooting.

[45-70.gov]

get the 357.......make it a MAX


this is never a wrong move

[petemi]

Don't worry about the "increased" muzzle blast as it is only "slightly" more at 16" than it is at 22" and you should be teaching him to shoot with proper hearing protection regardless of the barrel length... Take it from someone with a constant "buzzing" in his left ear from decades of unprotected shooting.

What did you say    Yeah, tell me about it

I too recommend a shorty .357 reamed to Maximum.  He can shoot .38s quietly and comfortably all day and move up to the mags and maxies.  As Hoyt said, muzzle blast is a non-issue.

Pete

[YRUpunting?]

He loves his .30-30 but even with the youth synthetic its still really too heavy for him for more than bench shooting.

I'll be the contrarian.  Sounds to me he's just not physically big enough to handle a deer rifle.  Making a rifle shorter isn't going to change that.

[Dinny]

Were it me, I would be looking for one of the older 158 barrels that are lighter contour and the same length. From my understanding they shoot just as well as the newer, heavier barrels.

Thanks, Dinny

[44 Man]

Great suggestion Dinny!  My 158 is my favorite Handi due to it's trim light wt barrel.  It is just one sweet handling rifle!  And it will shoot!  Mine will shoot under an inch at 100 with just a 4x on it when I do my part.  It was my first Handi and I expected them all to be like it until I picked up a modern 30-30 Handi.  I was so disappointed in the weight that I passed on it and it was a bargain.  That won't happen again, but it just shows how nice the 158's are.  If you can find one (most are like me and would never part with one) it would be the perfect answer for your Grandson.  But be careful, you may like it so much that you will want it for yourself!  44 Man

[petemi]

The youth compact wouldn't be a bad choice either.  Could any of you folks suggest how to get that scope higher

Pete

Handi-Rifle™ Compact         Model[/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t] Handi-Rifle™ Compact Caliber 243 Rem. w/ scope(SBS-Y43)  243 Win. (SB2-Y43) Order Online From Gallery of Guns  7mm/08 (SB2-Y08) Order Online From Gallery of Guns Stock American hardwood Monte Carlo pistol grip stock with walnut finish, ventilated recoil pad, sling swivel studs. Barrel 22" Sights Scope mount rail and hammer extension; SBS-Y43 comes with 3-9x32 scope, factory-mounted and bore-sighted. Length 36-7/8" Length of Pull 11-3/4" Weight 6-3/4  lbs.

[/td][/tr][/table][/td][/tr][/table]

[Spanky]

He loves his .30-30 but even with the youth synthetic its still really too heavy for him for more than bench shooting.

I'll be the contrarian.  Sounds to me he's just not physically big enough to handle a deer rifle.  Making a rifle shorter isn't going to change that.

 
+1 to that.
 
 
 
Spanky

[Doublebass73]

He loves his .30-30 but even with the youth synthetic its still really too heavy for him for more than bench shooting.

I'll be the contrarian.  Sounds to me he's just not physically big enough to handle a deer rifle.  Making a rifle shorter isn't going to change that.

 
+1 to that.
 
 
 
Spanky

I gotta agree with these guys. If he's 7 and a crack shot with his 22's then take him squirrel hunting.

I say this as someone who went down the same road as you with my 2 daughters. I started them with a .357 Handi. They could barely hold the rifle up. They got bored with deer hunting quickly. Now they're teenagers and I can't even get them in the woods.

I changed the approach with my son who is now 11. Took him squirrel hunting last fall for the 1st time. Tons of action and a couple kills later and he's hooked on hunting. He used a youth .410 Pardner which only weighs 5 lbs. so he can handle it easily. He also used his .22 Crickett which only weighs about 2.5 lbs. He talks about next squirrel season all the time. It was my most memorable hunting season ever seeing my son get that excited about hunting.

[twoshooter]

As a Hail Mary, you might want to check out a 300 AAC. Probably the lightest, shortest centerfire handi made. If he cant lift that the only answer is time and lots of Cheerios.......

[thumper113]

Thanks, guys!

And yes, he really is a little short in the britches yet but he is dead set on it and as long as I can let him do it safely, I will.

As far as muzzle blast not being something to worry about, I encourage any who will be teaching youngsters to keep these things in mind.  Noise and muzzle blast make a HUGE difference on the perceived recoil of a novice shooter.  Don't skimp on ear protection.

Now, anyone got a 158 barrel or .357 shorty they're willing to part with?

[hoytcanon]

"Noise and muzzle blast"... Have very little to do with recoil at all, perceived or other... They have to do with "sound" (DB) and harmonics (eg. Muzzle flip)... They are not perceivable as "felt recoil." And when comparing the same gun and load, there is marginal difference between 16" and 22"... Hearing protection should always be used regardless. IMO

[petemi]

I agree with Hoyt entirely.  However, the shorties can flash blind you in the dark.  They can be like mini flame throwers

[ulav8r]

My granddaughter was first introduced to shooting a .22 when she was 8.  She was not particularly interested because of the noise and she was using hearing protection.  It did not particularly bother her but she did not really enjoy it.  I gave her a Savage Cub last summer and we used CCI CB's and she enjoyed shooting it without hearing protection.  She also tried some LR's with hearing protection and then went back to the CB's without.  She, her dad and I went squirrel hunting once last fall but had no luck.  We did have some fun plinking afterwards.
 
Muzzle blast may not affect Hoytcannon, Petemi, and most experienced shooters but can have a much different affect on novices.

[garbhead]

My Dad thought my nephew (age 9) was big enough to shoot his 30-06 Rem 700...I tried to stop him but we all know how it is telling our Dads anything...I was watching, as he pulled the trigger he moved his head forward a bit...close enough to create a 2" crescent scope-hole all the way to the bone in his forehead...Then he though a bandaid would fix it...not...

My Dad had some serious splainin to do to my sister when she got home from work that day..after 20 some stitches....