Cheap bolt action rifles for son

[shooterdon]

Similar situation. I bought the Thompson Compass for $200 a few months ago when they had the rebate. I decided to buy two. One for my son and one for me. Both in .308. They are not “pretty” guns but that is an advantage in a hunting gun.

My hunting rifle was a M70 Coyote that is amazingly accurate but weighs over 10 lbs with the scope. Got to be too heavy to lug around.

I reload and cast and that is a good way to save money and tailor your ammunition to your needs. Surplus ammunition is still available in .308 but I would not hunt with it.

There is no one gun that does it all. I think adding a .22 for target practice and plinking is worthy of consideration.

 

[widefat]

Similar situation. I bought the Thompson Compass for $200 a few months ago when they had the rebate. I decided to buy two. One for my son and one for me. Both in .308. They are not 菟retty guns but that is an advantage in a hunting gun.

The Compass is ugly? How about the Dimension? I had a Dimension in 308 that I gave my son. Very accurate rifle. But ugly.

FWIW, the 30-06 or 308 are excellent all around cartridges. Wont go wrong with either.

 

[paulsharvey]

Similar situation. I bought the Thompson Compass for $200 a few months ago when they had the rebate. I decided to buy two. One for my son and one for me. Both in .308. They are not “pretty” guns but that is an advantage in a hunting gun.

My hunting rifle was a M70 Coyote that is amazingly accurate but weighs over 10 lbs with the scope. Got to be too heavy to lug around.

I reload and cast and that is a good way to save money and tailor your ammunition to your needs. Surplus ammunition is still available in .308 but I would not hunt with it.

There is no one gun that does it all. I think adding a .22 for target practice and plinking is worthy of consideration.

If the rebate was still ongoing I wouldn't stop to think about it, but at $299, it seems like there's a cluster of similar guns for the same price. What's really funny is the Thompson Center Venture in 270 can be had for less than the compass can in other calibers.

 

[BLSXJ]

I've got an Savage Axis... in Stainless and in 308 Win. I have no complaints, its accurate and being stainless I can stay out and hunt in crap weather and not worry about the riffle. 308 win is a great round with lots of versatility for hunting and target shooting. I shoot 180 grain mostly because I hunt calf moose and white tail deer.... the deer hunt is normally in thick bush and sub 50 yards. I would spend the extra and get the axis II with the accu-trigger. I've spent some money upgrading the stock and scope rings on mine, I'm still on the fence if it was worth it on a "value" gun.

Around me I can get 308 for about a buck a shot (loonie a shot). I'm now shooting every week and am looking at a 22 to bring down my costs. 7.62x39 I also considered but availability of cheap surplus rounds and quality firearms seems unreliable

I fully agree the bolt action is the way to go, easy to clean, simple and reliable. Every 18 point buck story I have heard that ends with "my gun jammed" involves a semi.

If I could start all over again... I would work towards this list of tools. possibly in this order. this list is based on hunting progressively larger animlas

22LR bolt action, open sights
410 single shot (or bolt maybe)
308 bolt action scope
12 gauge pump (possibly with multiple barrels)
300 win mag or similar with a scope

just a something to consider... have a plan work towards it, change it as required.

 

[LD1]

Have heard really good things about the savage axis. But Im not really a bolt gun guy other than the .22lr's I have.

As to caliber....here in ohio there really isnt much use for anything larger than .223 unless its for fun. No rifle hunting of deer unless straight-walled calibers like .357, .44, .45-70, etc. So guys that have .30-06. 30-30, .243, etc are usually just using them for fun. Because a .30-06 or 6.5 is really overkill and expensive for hunting coyote and groundhog.

While not on your list....two calibers that I would consider are .22-250. Ammo is still reasonably affordable, good flat shooting fun and should have no issues with well placed shots on deer as it does have a little more zing than a .223/5.56. Second would be the .308. And I am surprised its not on your list. Plenty of pep for deer if that is your concern. Good accuracy. And ammo is very affordable in comparisons to any similar caliber

 

[paulsharvey]

I had really just left 7-08 and 308 off the list because they seem like more gun than necessary for anyting you're going to run into in the southeastern United States but now I'm starting to think maybe I eliminated them too soon.

 

[paulsharvey]

.30-06 is classic, but I always preferred .270 Win for the same task. Both are not going to be fun 20 rounds into shooting for a 85 pound kid.

 

[shooterdon]

Like I said, reloading opens up a lot of possibilities and it is not that expensive to get into. Last time I looked the Lee kit was under $125 and it has everything you need except dies...so add another $30. You WILL NOT SAVE ANY MONEY by reloading but you will shoot more....at least that is how it works for me. If I had to spend $1 per shot, I would not shoot much.

 

[paulsharvey]

Like I said, reloading opens up a lot of possibilities and it is not that expensive to get into. Last time I looked the Lee kit was under $125 and it has everything you need except dies...so add another $30. You WILL NOT SAVE ANY MONEY by reloading but you will shoot more....at least that is how it works for me. If I had to spend $1 per shot, I would not shoot much.

I currently only reload 9 mm but I actually would like to reload for whatever cartridge we select and I can work on that with my son reloading his own ammo. In a lot of ways that's what opens 243 up as a slightly more affordable option. 30/30 also becomes much cheaper than store-bought.

I may have to see if I can borrow a 308 from a friend or neighbor and see if he's able to handle the recoil for an entire box of ammo.

 

[lhawkinsjr]

My 12 yr old son is wanting a new gun. He has a single shot .410 already, and doesn't really want a .22 LR. It would be 90% target shooting at 25-100 yards for now, and 10% deer/possibly one day hog hunting. My thoughts on calibers are .223, 5.56, .243 Win, 7.62x39, or 6.5 Grendel. Recoil isn't a huge factor, he can shoot a 12 ga with target loads, but maybe not a box of 25 at a time. The boy is only getting bigger and older, so I want something that will serve him through his 18th BD. I don't currently reload any of these rounds.

Rifles we are thinking about (all less than $350)
Thompson Center Compass
Thompson Center Venture
Remington 783
Savage Axis
Savage Axis II
Mossberg Patriot

Clamberings we are thinking about
.223 or 5.56
Pros: cheap ammo, cheap components
Cons: with right ammo, it's OK at best for deer

.243 Win
Pros: hunt anything in SE US, good long range
Cons: no cheap ammo,

7.62x39
Pros: cheap ammo, plenty for hunting within 200 yards
Cons: expensive components, hard to find cheap bolt gun in caliber

6.5 Grendel
Pros: already have an AR in it, good or cheap ammo can be ordered
Cons: guns available, expensive components, ammo not on shelf

.30-30
Pros: ammo easy to find, good for hunting, available components,
Cons: ammo cost, few if any bolt guns, and Lever guns are all a big step up on price

.357 Mag
Pros: really everything but the gun prices, should be ok on whitetail under 100 yrds?
Cons: price of the guns, maybe limited on deer?, limited range if he grows into 2-300 yard shooting.

If truly 90% target shooting inside 100 yards, .223.

For the other 10%, borrow a gun or get larger caliber later.

If he truly wants to be a great marksman, training in .223 will be the way to go due ammo costs and recoil. It will also teach him wind calls better than something flatter shooting and better BC.