Thread: How youngs too young

My sons 8 going on 9 very solid build and will grow to be 6ft at least. I've got a Remington 700 .270 which has got abit of kick. He wants to have a shot at his first deer. Do ya think the guns too big for his age? He's shot my 22 since he was five
. His 9th bday present is to have a shot on the farm.

Does the Remington boot? If it's anything like my mates tikka 270 I wouldn't want any kid shooting in case it puts him off wanting to shoot again.

Unless it suppressed to reduce the recoil, it is too big of a cartridge to go letting an 8 year old shoot it, If I were you I would get hold of robbie from gunworks and look at getting it suppressed with a lightweight suppressor.

@Toby Remington 700's do not kick as bad as a tikka T3 but still too much for a young feller to absorb

Too big

My fella shoots my .223 and has shot goats with that, he has also shot goats with my 708, both suppressed. 708 is a softer calibre than others, he is 10 and was 9 when shooting 708

Let him have a shot standing up and see what he thinks of it, be sure to tell him to expect a push and hold it tight into his shoulder.
Some kids are tougher than a lot of adults

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If he is a big lad for his age then it may be OK. Tell him what to expect and he will tell you soon enough if he doesn't like shooting it.

If he respects the animal, understands the consequences, and can shoot and handle the rifle ok then give him a go. I was hunting deer with Dad and carrying a sporterised .303 when i was 11-12. Rifle was lightened, stock shortened for me, limbsaver recoil pad and lighter bullets with a lighter load.

I dont think the recoil or shooting a large bore rifle is much of a problem. The thing I would want to be sure of is that the young chap is mature enough to understand the significance of taking the life of a game animal.

I see too many pics of kids with deer making stupid gestures and not giving the animal or the occasion the respect it deserves. I tried to teach my boys some respect for our quarry, and made sure it was well embedded before I let them shoot a deer. They were about 14 or 15 I think. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. May be, maybe not.

Originally Posted by Gillie

If he respects the animal, understands the consequences, and can shoot and handle the rifle ok then give him a go. I was hunting deer with Dad and carrying a sporterised .303 when i was 11-12. Rifle was lightened, stock shortened for me, limbsaver recoil pad and lighter bullets with a lighter load.

We were both typing about respect at the same time Gillie, although I was putting it on a bit thicker.

The first time i typed out my post it was very very similar to yours, Tahr. I once watched a young fella shoot at a fallow deer, he hit it well back in the gut then leapt up wooping because he thought it was great that he hit it... situation only got worse once dad got on the gun to finish it off as it took dad another three shots to put it on the ground and he still had to cut its throat when he got to it. Kid thought he was ten feet tall... had no empathy for the animal, no respect. I said as much to the dad and left them to it. Not a good day in the hills

Good on yah Hooperman for getting your young fella involved. Its really great to see younger people getting into hunting.

I can remember my boys first deer at age 11, remember it like it was yesterday. He waited and watched that deer for 20-30 minutes prior to taking the shot when the animal finally presented itself clearly. And then the next day he turned down his first pig at 150 cos he couldnt see it enough of the pig to be certain of the bullet placement. He had been hunting with me since he was 7, and now 14 years later he still wont shoot a spoonie because of the time we spent watching them while duckshooting. So my take is, if he has done some shooting, understands the process involved and you have taught him some respect for the hunt and the game, then go for it, big time. It will be one helluva special moment. And all the more special if he gets to go home to a pro hunting household and shows Mum the meat he has harvested. And then invite the grandparents and son's freinds for the first cook up of said meat.

Think Husky1600 has summed up the values of hunting perfectly.

My kids started early but each kid is totally different,I don't force hunting on them its in the blood. My eldest is 15 I think and is very capable with shottys and high powered rifles. The youngest is capable but doesn't need pressure and I would never force him to shoot a high calibre rifle. If the FAL holder is in complete control age is not a problem.

Originally Posted by Hooperman

My sons 8 going on 9 very solid build and will grow to be 6ft at least. I've got a Remington 700 .270 which has got abit of kick. He wants to have a shot at his first deer. Do ya think the guns too big for his age? He's shot my 22 since he was five
. His 9th bday present is to have a shot on the farm.

my boys when they were that age would shoot my tikka 6.5 suppressed but I wouldnt let them if it was unsuppressed asit would make them recoil shy and not enjoy it.
the first shooting they should be doing is at paper or rocks as then they are used to placing their shots and I also show them on a picture or a shot animal where to aim before we took them out for their first animals.
by the by I have seen adults not enjoy shooting a 270 but once suppressed has been a lot nicer!

Do you or do you know anyone who reloads? You may be able to sort a reduced load if so.