Cheap bolt action rifles for son

[mbohuntr]

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/308-win-125-gr-sst-custom-lite#!/

 

[LD1]

Hard to find a happy medium if you are concerned .223 isnt big enough and .308 is too big. Because those are about as good as it gets in terms of ammo prices. Not much in-between to compare. The .243 would probably be my third choice. Been around a long time and ammo isnt terrible.

Regarding the .308 being too much gun/overkill/recoil/etc. You can always buy or reload reduced-recoil loads. Basically get the ballistics (and recoil) down to 30-30 levels and then it would be a great 100 yard brush gun for deer. But still the option to load up hotter loads and reach out farther if ever needed.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I was thinking though he's only 12. He doesn't really want a .22 LR, but I can't see where that would be all that bad at 12. Cheap ammo, he could practice, then when he's a little older think about a higher caliber. Who knows, at 16 he may lose interest and be more concerned with girls.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Not a fan of .243 or .223 for deer hunting. Try .257 Robert's or .25-06 or 6.5 I like the Ruger or savage. Many more rifles to choose from. Rossi or Mossberg make inexpensive lever guns.

.22 LR (preferably a 10/22 with a nice hammer) is a must.

 

[Beltzington]

When you say cheap what are you looking to spend? You can find a barely used quality bolt action rifle in most the calibers you listed for $400 and sell it in 10-years for $350. At his age I would not recommend a semi-auto rifle as it is too easy (and fun) to throw more bullets at the target instead of learning good technique. The .243 is most unfairly categorized at a woman's or youth rifle usually by internet experts who recommend a .300RUM for deer. Go to wally-world and you will see it is about as cheap (sorry inexpensive) centerfire cartridge you can buy, excluding the .223 which is not even in the same ball-park as far as a deer cartridge. Lastly, AR (short barrel centerfire rifles) have a vicious muzzle blast that is no fun for the shooter or those unlucky enough to be standing nearby. Good Luck!

 

[paulsharvey]

Would like to be shooting under $350,

 

[Teachu2]

At the range, it's very hard to beat Savage 287 MKIIFV 22LR AT HB $192. with a scope. Practice, practice, practice. While you're there, strike up conversations and you'll get a lot of offers from others to try their guns. Take them up on their offers, and gain experience. He'll have a much better idea of what he can tolerate, and will be a much more experienced marksman.
Check out Project Appleseed | Project Appleseed as well.
Shooting a lightweight hunting rifle at the range isn't much fun, and gets expensive in a hurry. Shooting a .22lr at the range is a lot of fun, lots less expensive, and will develop shooting skills. Get good with a .22lr at 50-100 yards and you'll be good with a deer rifle at twice that.

 

[lhawkinsjr]

At the range, it's very hard to beat Savage 287 MKIIFV 22LR AT HB $192. with a scope. Practice, practice, practice. While you're there, strike up conversations and you'll get a lot of offers from others to try their guns. Take them up on their offers, and gain experience. He'll have a much better idea of what he can tolerate, and will be a much more experienced marksman.
Check out Project Appleseed | Project Appleseed as well.
Shooting a lightweight hunting rifle at the range isn't much fun, and gets expensive in a hurry. Shooting a .22lr at the range is a lot of fun, lots less expensive, and will develop shooting skills. Get good with a .22lr at 50-100 yards and you'll be good with a deer rifle at twice that.

I can second the Savage Mark II series. I have an FV-SR and great value!

Also if there are any NRL22 matches in your area, they are a blast. We run monthly NRL22 matches at our local club.

 

[Teachu2]

I grew up with my Dad's Remington Model 12 pump .22s/l/lr, open sights. I didn't own a rimfire bolt action until I was in my 50's. Now I have a pretty equal number of centerfire vs rimfire bolt action rifles in my safe. The rimfires get shot more often and for far more rounds.

 

[N2DFire]

.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

*Disclaimer - I am a hobbiest and plinker not a hunter. My Uncles, cousins, and son are the family meat getters. I'm more like Quigley. Never had much use for it, didn't say I couldn't do it.

All that being said - My uncle that was the biggest hunter carried a Marlin 336 lever action 30-30 and it was always his go-to gun.
I bought one for my son as his first step up from black powder for deer hunting. It is accurate, dependable, and it will shoot quarter size groups at 100 yards (well that's the best *I* can do, it might do better with a better operator)

It can be had plain in your price range or with a decent scope for around $400-$450. It does have a fair recoil but nothing extreme. My son was 17 at the time I bought it and would shoot 2-3 boxes of 12ga target loads at a time shooting skeet and not miss a beat & he still had a minor issue with the recoil (the biggest one being he got impatient w/ the local shop that mounted his scope and ended up with it too far back so it smacked his safety glasses when he shot it. Took me a little while to get it corrected & him over that.)


Our combined "Arsenal" includes an AR and a Mosin Nagant (7.62x54) and we are planning to build a "Low Budget Long Gun" in .308 for a "fun project" using either an Axis or Patriot as a base.

With all those as options and given our geography, if I had to pick a single "do-all" and get rid of everything else - I'd keep the 30-30.

Just my thoughts and opinions. Worth every cent you paid for them.

Bottom line is get something you both will enjoy, and enjoy what you get together.