doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT (sorta) Classic Rifle advice

I'd have to agree with Paul. Even the 1B in .243 with a midwgt. barrel would be a load for the average 13 yr. old. At any rate don't get a laminated stock; that probably adds 2 lbs. of glue. How about a latter-day but still New Haven m70?

jack

Not an American classic and probably a questionable deer cartridge, but there is a Husquevarna bolt action single shot in 32-20 for sale in the For Sale section of this site under "Six Guns For Sale"...Geo

The answer is: Savage model 99 in .250 savage. You can't get any more classic in an American rifle, it fulfills your desire for a lever action, and the .250 is as easy a shooting round as anything, plus it delivers a little more force on impact than a .243. The stocks are also generally on the shorter side, so he shouldn't have any problems shooting it, and it's plenty accurate enough.

As a father of two sons who have gone on to shoot NCCA competition for The Citadel and as gunsmith who has built them and many others custom youth rifles, I'd suggest a Remington 700 youth stocked model in synthetic. Caliber .243/.257 Roberts. As he grows taller and can appreciate fine wood, a custom stock of quality wood. If $$$ is not an object I'd get a pre-64 Win. Mod. 70 action with a Krieger #4/5 barrel in .257/.280 Ackley with a good 30mm scope and some of Henry Pohl's (Great Am. Gunstocks)fire sale quality wood. That's my $0.02 worth. Best, Dr. Bill

Calibres your son will never grow out of are Savage 250 and 7 X 57 Mauser, soft-recoil, very accurate and capable of taking most North American big game. They're all I use---Ruger 77 for the 250, circa 1950 CZ Brno 7mm.

King and Skater,
Why the .250 Savage instead of the .243? The ballistics chart I looked at shows the .250 having less energy and more drop at distance. And, certainly the .250 ammunition is less prevelant than .243.
http://www.pacinfo.com/~dropinsator/chart2.htm#250%20Savage

What I DON'T know about rifles is big. Thanks for help and insight.
Jake

For me personally, I don't believe there is any such thing as a "classic bolt action". A Ruger #1 is hard to beat but, as others have suggested, it's a bit heavy for a youngster. A good choice would be a Browning 78 in .243. It's a true classic action (highwall), is not terribly heavy, and youngsters (and oldsters for that matter) should learn to hunt with a single shot so they learn to make the first one count. I'm not real fond of useing varmint calibers on deer but the .243 is adequate and the recoil is such that a kid can shoot it comfortably.

Cody, As I said, I am not opposed to a single shot (or for that matter a lever or something else). In fact, I quite like the idea of a true "classic." So, where do I get such a thing? Jake

Mr. Jakearoo:

My suggestions are tainted by the fact that I am a confirmed single shot rifle sort of guy, with minor infidelities involving old Marlin lever guns.

For a small person you might look for a Ruger #3. They are essentially the same as the #1 but smaller and plainer, and considerably lighter. One of the chamberings available was .44 Magnum. Such a rifle would be an effective close range deer rifle, light enough for a young man to handle and kind and gentle enough for him to shoot. The #3 has been out of print for a good while but are still found at gun shows and the like.

Another thought is the copy of the Stevens 44-1/2 being made by CPA Corporation. This is a switch barrel design, and so adds a bit of flexibility. The down side is the gun comes with a double set trigger, which is probably not ideal for a new shooter, or anybody in a field gun for that matter.

The Ballard Rifle Co. makes field type rifles on their Winchester and Ballard actions. Real nice stuff but not a cheap date.

Of course there are all the old original single shot rifles, but folks tend to be quite proud of them as well. One good option might be to find an original single trigger Stevens 44-1/2, which are smaller and lighter than most (including the CPA copy) and have a barrel fit that is chambered to the cartridge of your choice.

Best of luck to you and your son.

Glenn

Glenn, Thank you. New areas to explore. RCC