Guest gt2003 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 My son is wanting to go hunting with me this year. My thought is to try out my muzzleloader with 70 grains of 777 and a 220 grain precision rifle dead center, all lead bullet. The maximum shot he would have in the area where I hunt would be about 40 yards. I have no doubt the bullet would perform at this distance. Does anyone have any other thoughts? The only other rifle I have is a remington 700, 7mm. Both guns have scopes and he will be able to practice but I will try the muzzleloader out first to see what kind of "kick" it has. I don't want to get him gun shy. I can always borrow a 30/30 or buy a .223 or .243 for him, or a 30/30. Please relay your opinions on what is best. He's a pretty good sized kid, probably 4ft 6 or 8 and 110 #'s. Thanks for the input. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old My 9 year old daughter has been shooting my black diamond and her mothers .243 since she was 8. She is pretty small. I use a 95 grain pyrodex load with a 240 grain xtp mag bullet. She prefers shooting the muzzleloader over the rifle, but has been focussing more on practicing with the rifle this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old If you have to stick with muzzleloaders, I would suggest the 175 gr PR Dead Center with a 70-100 gr charge of powder. You don't need 300 gr bullets to kill a deer. The 175 will work just fine. Its still going to have some thump with the recoil. If you can take him in rifle season, get a 243 Win. It will kill any deer as dead as a 300 Magnum will and have a lot less recoil. Personally, IMO, that is too young for big game. I could see varmints, but not deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popgun Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old One good option for a 9 year old is to go with a rifle that shoots a straight walled pistol cartridge like the .44 mag. I have a Winchester 94AE Trapper with a scope that is good to 100 yards and more with very little recoil. Remember when you are shooting a pistol cartridge, the felt recoil will be much less than if that same cartridge were shot from the handgun. A rifle like the Winchester 94 is also one of the safest for a new hunter. The 240 grn. XTP .44 mag. is a very good choice for a small shooter. I am still a firm believer that a .223 is too small for deer, even with experienced hunters. Shot placement is everything, and the .223 leaves no room for error. Good luck (sorry: I meant to reply to this same thread in the Youth & Hunting room; here I guess you are just interested in muzzleloader loads) ....popgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gt2003 Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old Everything considered I'll probably go with the .243. It sounds like a great caliber and can be used at close range or an extended distance. I appreciate the input. I like the idea of being able to purchase one rifle that he can use for years. Thanks again everyone. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gt2003 Posted October 13, 2005 Report Share Posted October 13, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old Update. I called a friend of mine who hunts quite a bit. He let me borrow his New England Firearms youth .243 for my kiddo to shoot with. He also has an ameristep doghouse and penthouse he offered for me to use. He is so excited that my child is wanting to start hunting and he wants to do everything possible to assist me. What a great feeling. Maybe the little one and I can shoot tomorrow. Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gt2003 Posted October 15, 2005 Report Share Posted October 15, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old Second update. I took him out and shot wednesday evening. I shot first, about 1 inch above and 1 inch left of the bullseye. He shot his 1st shot in the same hole. I adjusted the scope a bit. My second shot was about 1/2 inch to the right and still about an inch high. His second shot was about 1 1/2 inch below and 1 inch right of the bullseye. Not too bad for a fairly new shooter. All his shots have been within 1 1/2 inches of the bullseye at about 30-40 yds which is the maximum we'll shoot. He had no problem with the .243. I talked to another friend and decided to buy some winchester ballistic silvertip, 95 grain bullets for our hunt. We complete his hunter education course tomorrow. We'll shoot again Sunday morning/mid-afternoon and then hunt that evening. I plan to have plenty to keep the little one occupied while I watch and point out interesting things. I can't wait. I'm just excited that he's showing some interest in hunting. Tonight, we practiced seeing an object and being able to pull up the gun and being able to see it through the scope. Anyway, I'm still excited. I'll give an update after Sunday. Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 16, 2005 Report Share Posted October 16, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old Another consideration is having your child point out to you where to shoot. You can look at pics or pause a video and have the kids show where at ona broadside shot they would place their crosshairs. Makes for good practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gt2003 Posted October 16, 2005 Report Share Posted October 16, 2005 Re: Youth muzzleloader load, 9 year old Thanks. I think I've created a monster. He now wants to shoot my muzzleloader as well as my 7mm. We're going out this afternoon to see if we can take a deer. I'm having him stick with the .243 for now. I did shoot my .50 caliber with a 220 grain dead center and 80 grains of pyrodex with good results and minimal kick for a muzzleloader. If he's still in the mood during muzzleloader season this is what he'll shoot. Thanks for all the input. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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