# What gun should I get for my 13 year old for elk hunting?



## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

My son is 13 and wants to try the youth elk hunt and antlerless hunt this year. What would be a big enough caliber for an elk but not knock him off his feet or make him not want to shoot?


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

It seems like the 7mm08 is the caliber most often recommended with this topic.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Similar topic here viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13792 Good luck!


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

I would also say the 7mm-08 I personally have never shot one but they say it is good for young and littler hunters. There is also the 270 wsm.


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## stick_man (Sep 10, 2007)

A lot depends on the size of your 13 year old. I have seen some kids 13 years old that could easily handle some of the large magnums, others that could barely handle a .22. The 7mm-08, as has already been mentioned, makes for a great light rifle very capable of taking elk at reasonable ranges. It seems to be a very popular choice right now. The .308 also makes a good choice. It is ballistically superior to the .30-06 in bullets lighter than 165gr due to it's case design and efficiency. A good 165gr slug makes good medicine for a big bull, even out to around 300 yards or so.

If your kid is average size or larger, I would recommend going with a .270 or an '06. With the '06, you can get the "light magnums" or load it down to a power level the kid is comfortable with until he grows into the heavier loads. They are one of the most versatile calibers ever created. You can use bullets as light as 40 grains (in sabots) all the way up to 220 grain monsters. I believe at one time Barnes even put out a 250gr 30cal bullet.

As for the new short magnums, a lot of their appeal is hype. People have been killing elk and moose and bears long before the short magnums were ever even thought of. And they were doing it pretty regularly. Personally, I wouldn't start a kid out with a magnum (reg or short). 

The important thing to remember in purchasing a gun for a younger shooter is to get something he (or she) will be able to get comfortable with. Get too much gun and it will either scare him/her away due to the recoil or they will develop a flinch that is very difficult to overcome. The magnum cartridges are generally a lot more expensive than the standard ones if you are not a reloader. Lots of practice leads to proficiency. Proficiency leads to clean kills. If the shells are too expensive to accommodate a lot of practice, proficiency is difficult to attain.

Availability: The .270, .308, and .30-06 shells can be found in virtually any mom-and-pop country store that sells any kind of ammunition. A lot of the other calibers are not that readily available.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> It seems like the 7mm08 is the caliber most often recommended with this topic.


+1 on the 7mm 08

.308 would be my second choice

30-06 with Remington's reduced loads would be another option

I tried to teach my sons and daughter the most important thing about elk hunting: how to get close to them. Then the caliber of the firearm didn't matter much.


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

A lot of good info. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

My boys all started out with a 270. They did fine with it. Guns are rather expensive. Get him something he will be happy with for many years to come. Boys tend to grow up pretty fast. 
How about a Savage in 270, 30-06, or 308? Put a recoil pad on it. I suggest these calibers because they are common and you can usually find ammo for them. The ammo won't cost an arm and a leg. They are also tested and found to be very effective on our big game. What's not to like?


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

I always recommend the 7mm-08, and have had a tremendous amount of positive feed-back from those that have bought one for a wife/daughter/child or themselves.
Compared to the .308 it has a slightly higher velocity potential and flatter trajectory coupled with reduced recoil. Having seen how my own son performed with both .270 and '06 on his first hunts vs. using a .243, I would say that more gun that .243 is desired, but that the recoil level should stay low. The bigger rounds were a negative experience for my son. The 7mm-08 delivers on all accounts and I wish I would have had one at the time. 
I would agree with Payton Miller (_Senior Editor Guns & Ammo_), who started his son on a 7mm-08 Rem Model 7, stating that "...it might be the most sensible cartridge introduction in the last quarter century. And that's saying a lot."


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## buggsz24 (Mar 18, 2008)

7mm


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

As for the new short magnums, a lot of their appeal is hype. People have been killing elk and moose and bears long before the short magnums were ever even thought of. And they were doing it pretty regularly. Personally, I wouldn't start a kid out with a magnum (reg or short). 

I only recomended the 270 wsm because its ballistics compared to the regular 270 is the same if not better and the recoil is quite abit less. I would not purchase any other short mags for the reasons you mentioned plus ammo is quite expensive. The guy at sportsmans tried to get me to buy a 300 wsm when I got my 300 win mag. I said look at the price of ammo and the ballistics aren't even as good, I think I might have embaressed him. I do agree with what you said about size @13 I was probably 110lbs 5'06" and the 30-06 would **** near put me on my butt. Actually when I was 10 I was shooting my dads 25-06 and couldn't quite see through the scope clearly so I move the butt under my shoulder. I now have a permenent scope mark on my forehead.


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

My 13-year old took his elk this year with a 270.


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## gwailow (Jan 20, 2008)

My nephew is a smaller framed little guy and he shoots the 25-06 like a charm. Shot his first elk with it last year. I like the 25-06, but if he's big enough to handle a 30-06 do that and be finished.


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

What is everybody's thought on a 280 and what grain bullet would be best?


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## stick_man (Sep 10, 2007)

The .280 (7mm Express) is another fine choice for deer and elk. It is right between the .270 and the '06. It is very capable of doing anything either of them can do. A little more poop than the 7mm-08 and with it's greater case capacity, pushes the heavier bullets a little faster.

Using the .280 for elk, I would probably opt for a 140-160gr Barnes TSX or the Nosler Partition.


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Thanks stick man. I found a Browning A bolt 280 that has never been out of the box for $500. I think that is what I am going to get.


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## stick_man (Sep 10, 2007)

The only disadvantage to the .280 when compared to the .270 or the '06 is the availability of ammo. You won't be able to find shells at every little store that sells ammo. Factory loadings are probably pretty limited, but if you handload, you would be fine. There are lots of great 7mm bullets on the market to fit just about any application you could desire with it. You can get some great ballistics out of this not-too-terribly-popular round.

Good luck with it. You may want to try starting your kid out with some light loads and build him up to the full power loads so you don't scare him away with recoil. A good recoil pad should tame things down quite well, but even without one, it should still be very similar to the recoil of a .270.


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## Firehawk (Sep 30, 2007)

I recall many years ago after reading an article by Craig Boddington, that I would have purchased a .280 over my 7mm Rem Mag. That it would do everything the 7mm would with less powder. That said, I am very satisfied with a 7mm Mag. I also own a 7mm-08. Talk about a sweet shooting little cartridge. I love that thing. Shoots lights out with almost any 140 ish grain bullet and is surprisingly close in performance of the .270 Win. Without any question, the 7mm-08 would be a terrific cartridge for any younger shooter. That said, I have a buddy who is around 6'3" and 240 ish that shoots only a Rem Model 7 in 7mm-08. I personally watched him shoot a spike elk in 07 that went right down to a 140 Barnes TSX. 

So.....a 7mm-08 is so close to a .280 Rem in factory loads that it is really a wash. Handloading, the .280 will definitely shine as it can approach the 7mm Mag.

FH


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## hunter_orange13 (Oct 11, 2008)

when i was 13 i was shooting .30-06 like crazy!


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## shootemup (Nov 30, 2008)

i have read quite a bit about the .280 and it is a great gun even though it is not really popular caliber it has more power then a 270 but it flat if not a little flatter shooting then a 270 sounds like a good choice to me.


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

> i have read quite a bit about the .280 and it is a great gun even though it is not really popular caliber it has more power then a 270 but it flat if not a little flatter shooting then a 270


Actually they are basically peas in a pod. Any difference would be imaginary, or so insignificant in the field that you couldn't possibly tell which is which - between different loads, as these graphs show:

Bullet Path comparison *.270 Win 140-gr* Remington factory ammo vs. *.280 Rem 140-gr* Rem factory ammo









Bullet Energy comparison *.270 Win 140-gr* Remington factory ammo vs. *.280 Rem 140-gr* Rem factory ammo









Remington Load .270 Win 140-grain #PRB270WA
Remington Load .280 Rem 140-grain #R280R3
As calculated by the Oehler Ballistic Explorer program


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

If you are still looking; Cabelas has the Remington 700 on sale right now in the 270 Win with an extra/interchangeable stock for adult size for $389 http://cabelasflyers.dirxion.com/77v/WebProject.asp#


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