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Looking at getting my kid a new rifle before the impending season.

I have looked at the Savage Axis Youth Model in .243 and 7mm-08...with scope it is around $400 or a little more.

I have also looked at the Remington 700 Youth Model in the same calibers which without the scope is around $600 (so probably $300 price difference).

Questions:
(1) Do you guys have any experiences, positive or negative, with these guns, and if so, what are they?
(2) Is the price difference work it?


Side note: My thoughts on the Remington is that I may be able to convert it to a fun size gun for my kid when he is large enough by getting a bigger aftermarket stock (like a Bell & Carlson) and putting a betting after market barrel with trigger and the like down the line and he would have a sho-nuff shooter. I am not so sure I could do that with the Savage.

bought my son a CVA Scout (and an adult stock for later) in 7mm-08 two years ago.
He's shot two nice bucks and a doe the last two years.
highly recommed it for the money.

Roach wrote:bought my son a CVA Scout (and an adult stock for later) in 7mm-08 two years ago.
He's shot two nice bucks and a doe the last two years.
highly recommed it for the money.

How is the recoil on the scout? Been looking at this one but was worried about the recoil since it such a small gun.

My boys both started with the Rem 700 7mm-08 and never complained about recoil. I still shoot this gun as it is vey accurate and good when hunting in tight spaces.

Look at a ruger mini.......no other choice in my opinion

I bought my daughter a Marlin XS7 last year for $349. Deadly little gun that doesn't break the bank. The gun will drive tacks. She killed two deer with it last year and hopefully we will be adding more to the tally this year. It came with a cheap scope but I took it off when I bought it and replaced it with a Nikon Prostaff.


http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/ ... on/XS7.asp

I just worked with a customer on this same issue.. He was thikning about the Axis also. I can get that gun for $380.00 out the door including taxes. That gun doesn't have the adjustable trigger and comes with a Bushnell scope.. He went with the Savage Trophy Hunter instead.. It comes with a Nikon BDC 3x9 (much better scope) and has the adjustable trigger.. Total out the door for that one is $550.00.

If your son is 12 or less I would go with the 243. The 243 has a lot more bullet options ranging from 55 to 100 grains.. The 7mm08 usually starts at 140 grain and are much harder to find.. Both calibers are the same case so you can control recoil alot better in the 243 using smaller grain bullet weights. Today with the new style bullets 243 and even the 223 is plenty gun for thin skinned animals like deer.

9 times out of 10 when I go to the woods.. I still grab the 243 I got when I was 13...

Remington 7mm08 model seven, it was my first gun and I still like to shoot it every so often

There is so much aftermarket stuff you can get for a Remmy 700 it isn't even funny. I honestly think you'd be better served getting a .308 and shooting the managed recoil bullets until your child is big enough to handle the full loads. If you reload, you can progressively load your own as the child grows up. My 10 yr old that honestly weighs about 50 lbs will shoot my .308 all day long with managed recoil bullets and loves it, and my 14 yr old daughter shoots it with full loads no problem.

Dutch, I'm striking out finding any MR .308 ammo. Can't even order any. Just food for thought.

cwink wrote:I just worked with a customer on this same issue.. He was thikning about the Axis also. I can get that gun for $380.00 out the door including taxes. That gun doesn't have the adjustable trigger and comes with a Bushnell scope.. He went with the Savage Trophy Hunter instead.. It comes with a Nikon BDC 3x9 (much better scope) and has the adjustable trigger.. Total out the door for that one is $550.00.

If your son is 12 or less I would go with the 243. The 243 has a lot more bullet options ranging from 55 to 100 grains.. The 7mm08 usually starts at 140 grain and are much harder to find.. Both calibers are the same case so you can control recoil alot better in the 243 using smaller grain bullet weights. Today with the new style bullets 243 and even the 223 is plenty gun for thin skinned animals like deer.

9 times out of 10 when I go to the woods.. I still grab the 243 I got when I was 13...

+1 on this. Sell a lot of the axis (probably 3 7-08's a week) because of price point but the trophy is a better option and I believe they both come with shim kits to convert to a full size stock. Also savage is a much better gun out of the box than a Remington at a lower price.

Guys your kids will not know the difference between managed recoil and a regular load when shooting at a deer. There is so much adrenaline pumping they could shoot a 50 cal. Let them wear a 22 out on the target range ....they will never know the difference when the moment of truth comes. Ol buck is a big kid but he has been shooting a 7 mag since he was six

My personal choice is the Savage Axis. Savage makes a great rifle. For what you will spend on the Remington you can buy the Axis, upgrade to a Rifle Basix or Timney trigger and a custom Boyds stock and most likely still be under the remington price.

What ever rifle you decide on remember that if you go too big in caliber you can't ever go back after that first impression of recoil. Some kids handle recoil better than others, but you won't know until after they pull that trigger.. I messed up with mine when he was young and now he doesn't like shooting because he is scared of the recoil.. It has taken a lot of work for me to get him even to pull the trigger on something again..

Start small, you can always work up in caliber later, but you can't work down.. Deer are thin skinned animals and don't require large caliber rifles.

While the 243, 7mm-08 and 308 are all the same case they have a big difference in felt recoil

Check out this article/table

"While recoil energy determines how hard the blow to the shoulder feels, recoil velocity determines how abrupt the blow to the shoulder feels. My subjective impression is that, with a well designed stock, recoil velocity above about 10 fps begins to feel like a sharp rap on the shoulder rather than an abrupt push.

I estimate that fifteen foot pounds of free recoil energy and 10 fps of recoil velocity represent the approximate upper limit of the comfort level. Above that recoil becomes increasingly intrusive. Also, the effects of recoil are cumulative. The longer you shoot, and the harder the rifle kicks, the more likely you are to flinch. These are good things to remember when comparing rifle cartridges, and at the range"

That puts the .308 with a 150 grain bullet at the top of the recoil comfortability chart for an ADULT..

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Caliber Rifle Weight Felt Recoil Recoil Velocity
.223 Rem. (62 at 3025) 7.0 3.9lbs 6.0fps
.243 Win. (100 at 2960) 7.5 8.8lbs 8.7fps
7mm-08 Rem. (120 at 3000) 7.5 12.1lbs 10.2fps
.308 Win. (150 at 2800) 7.5 15.8lbs 11.7fps

Bought my son a Browning Micro 7mm-08 when he was 9-10. Still shoots it today and I also enjoy hunting with it. It's a bit smaller in stature than most regular guns, but we'll hang on to it forever.