# Another cartridge vs. cartridge dilemma



## fish_wisper (Jan 7, 2011)

I apologize if this is a thread that has already been posted on here. Ok here goes, I reminded the wife that my oldest son is now 10 1/2 and it was time to start getting him used to shooting a center fire rifle so that when he turns 12 he will be ready to hunt big game with his new future 7mm-08 that he will get on his 12th birthday. I told her I want to buy a gun that has "low recoil" that he would be comfortable to shoot now. He has shot my 22 and 17HMR before and is a pretty decent shot with them. So, my question is... Is there much difference in recoil between at 22-250 and a 204- Ruger? I shot a jack rabbit about 6 years ago with a 22-250 at 236 yards and Since then have always said I would own one. I've never shot a 204 but it sounds pretty awesome! Is there one that would be more suitable to train my son on? After all, that is my selling point to my wife and in the end I get a sweet new varmint gun!!! I do plan on hunting coyotes with is as well!!! Thanks in advance for the advice!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Chuck Hawk's chart shows 2.6 ft/lbs of energy on the recoil of the 204 and 3.1 on the 22-250 (both rifles were of the same weight), which is so minimal that I would not even consider that to be a criteria in making the decision. http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm


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## fish_wisper (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks! That is a great chart to have and it confirms why my shoulder is so sore from shooting my 7mm mag!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Fish_whisper, we think alike!

I started my boy out on a .22 rimfire, moved up to scoped .17hmr from ages 9-10. Last year when he was 11 I had him out shooting my Rugar #1V in .22-250 and he loved it. He saved up his money and he bought a Savage Axis, youth model (lefty version) in 7mm-08. He's been out shooting it with no issues at all. The Axis has a really nice soft pad on it and the 7mm08 is a light recoiling gun. I loaded him up 120grn Ballistic Tips at medium velocity and hes doing quite well. Come hunting season we'll use the 120grn BT Hunting bullets. The 7mm08 has only slightly more recoil than a .243 IMO and is a pleasure to shoot. If you reload, I'd really concider getting a kid started on the 7mm08 with light loads early.

As for .22-250 vs .204, the .204 would have less recoil but not so much you would notice. The .22-250 however is a much more flexible caliber for larger game, further shots etc while still professing to be a "Varminter". My dad hunted deer with that caliber for as long as I can remember and they pretty much all dropped "DRT". Ammo is much more common for the .22-250's vs .204s as well. Not as much of a concern for a reloader... but if you dont it could be limiting. Even Cal-Ranch carries 100round bulk packs now for .22-250's but I've yet to see anything like that for 204's.

Either way, its a excellent way to start off a youngster. Get them shooting from a bench until their arms grow / strengthen with good hearing protection and they will love it. Set up some balloons they can pop so they can see the results of their hits, they think is really fun.


-DallanC


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

.204 . Awsome round. Just got back from Montana. It's a killin machine even out to 400 + yds.:grin:


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

It's a wash. If you have no other preference, flip a coin. 22 cal has some advantages if you want to cross over from varmint to medium-big game, but the 204 is a great round as well......as is the 223. I have all and all are fantastic. In my experience, the report from the 22-250 is more than the 204, but that just comes from perceived report...nothing scientific. I'm sure someone will throw up a graph that proves that my perception is off. 

Dallan is right on with the balloon idea, we like water jugs as well. Here are some kid basics from my experience:

1. Protect the ears. Noise is worse than recoil.
2. Shoot big, reactionary targets. Let them decide when to get more challenging.
3. Don't overwhelm. Focus on fundamentals gradually so it is always fun first.
4. Give them the big picture. You'd be suprised how much they care about the details. Caliber, Load, etc.
5. Always reiterate safety and ethics each outing.

---SS


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## fish_wisper (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks for all the info guys! Very helpful information!!!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

*Fun Times!*

I remember taking much the same route when my childern were coming of the "grocery shopping" age.

... Eggs make for great VERY reactionary targets. As do ballons filled with shaving cream. Fill the ballon with just enough shaving cream to do the job, then complete filling with air to you desired target size. You can then later hang them on just about anything with a paperclip poked through the tiedoff end. Id take it one further and setup a few dozen this way, one with green dye and let my kids bang away with controlled/called shots. The lucky one to pop the green one went home with an extra five bucks! It was a hoot! 8)


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I started by asking myself what kind and size of game he was going to be hunting. And also how many rifles I planned on keeping around for him. 

I settled on a .243 Savage Axis for him as he will be hunting deer primarily and he can buy something bigger or use mine once he gets into hunting Elk. He uses 80gr. for plinking and practice then we move him up to 100gr. when the hunt starts. (We are shooting factory loaded ammo) He took his first buck last year at 315 yds. with one shot. Practice is the real key, shot placement and trying to keep the "buck fever" under control will pay dividends.

I do like the .204 for accuracy and distance but you would be limited to deer and speed goat, as far as big game is concerned. If you want a varmint gun though it is an exceptional choice.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I've been a big fan of my 22-250... you can shoot the 40 grainers fairly fast and recoil really shouldn't be an issue. I've never shot a .204 so I can't compare, but I really do like the flexibility of loading 40-60+ gr pills for my 22-250. Either way, your son will have a blast and you'll have a sweet new rig!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I find there's a little more barrel jump on the 22-250 vs the 204 using similar rifle/scope combinations, enough sometimes that I lose the target in the 22-250 but not in the 204.


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