I have a newborn and am already planning his first rifle. I'm thinking of skipping the .243 in favor of the 7mm-08 or even .308. I'm afraid that if I get him a .243 he'll be wanting a larger caliber within a few years. There is nothing wrong with .243 for most Texas sized whitetail, but there are other rounds that do a great job as well, and some do it better.

The NEF with it's low price and swappable barrels is a good option, as well as the single shot for safety's sake. If I buy one for my son, I'll make sure it's something I'll want to keep and shoot myself after he outgrows it.

My wife has shot my Marlin 30-30, she's only 4'11" and likes its weight and low recoil, so my son could be shooting that for his first rifle.

I've only got 10 years to figure it out.

Welcome to The Forum, never hurts to start planning for such things well ahead of time.

I've been thinking about picking up a Rossi .243 from Academy, it also comes with a 20 guage barrel for under $200. I really don't know much about Rossis though. Good luck

What ever happened to starting off a kid on a .22? I guess I started with hunting crows, rabbits and praire dogs. I suppose if they are going to start hunting deer first a bigger rifle will be needed. I think I will do like my dad did and start him with a .22 to learn on. Just my .02.

Did you consider maybe they have already started hunting, and that you just cant shoot a deer with a 22(legaly that is).

matt

Right now my son is 7 and I don't think he is mentally ready to begin hunting or shooting. I'll start him off with my .22 but when I feel he is ready to start hunting I'll get him a .243 and let him work his way up from there.