My sone is turning 14 this week and the only thing he has asked for is a rifle. He wants something he can use for hog and deer hunting. I currently have 2 AR-15's, one in 5.56 and one in 7.62x39. I could give him the 5.56, but thought about buying him a bigger caliber. Any suggestions, open to type of gun also, not just AR's.

Maybe a Weatherby Vanguard in .25-06.

That and 270's are good starters.

remington 700 7-08, or ruger or whatever in 7-08, 260, or 308

Personally, I m a BIG fan of AR's. I think everyone should have at least one (or three).

5.56 is a perfectly adequate round for deer, with the qualifier that you use bullets made for deer. Cheap ammo is actually cheap. The guns are completely customizable. adjustable stocks will fit him now, and when he gets bigger. The controls are easier to master than other rifles (IMO). Changing calibers is simple. . . .ect.

That being said, I am also aware of the shortcommings of the rifle. You might ruffle feathers of cerain people when you bring your black rifle into the campfire. They might think you are trying to be Rambo or something. The person whom you are ruffling could be your host. . . you never know. The short action limits what calibers (though there are TONS of calibers).

A .223 remington is never going to be a magnum caliber. It isn't even legal in many states (granted it is in Texas and you can always just have another upper in a caliber that is legal).

If you wanted a bolt action, i'd get something like a compact Ruger hawkeye in .243 winchester or a featherweight model 70 in .243.

Light and handy are my choice in a hunting rifle.

I'll second the 7-08. It'll do just about anything you need it to do at normal East Texas ranges (out to about 150 yards easily). Next to that I'd lean towards the .308.

I love my .204 upper. "0" at 300 yards, 1.5" @ 400 yards, 4" @ 500 yards

As for light and handy... how's about a model 7 with a slim barrel in 7-08. It's a perfect woods gun for stalking with the Leupold VX 3 1.5-5x30mm added to the top of it.

A 243 works just fine.

X2 243's are good choices, readily available in the used market for decent prices. Ammo isn't hard to find and reasonably priced.

`give him the 5.56 and a 6.8 upper so he can plink with the 5.56 and hunt with the 6.8. two guns in one.

25-06 or 7mm-08

I got my first deer rifle at 14 or 15. It was a .243. It's still my deer rifle. I've had 30-06's and have hunted with other guns but I still go back to it. IMO it's a great deer caliber and it doesn't have a lot of recoil that will make your kid not want to practice with it.

Thanks for the responses. Since I posted yesterday, I am leaning towards an AR for various reasons, at this point really trying to decide caliber. He killed his first 2 deer this year with my AR15 7.62, the first ran 15 yards, the second ran 10 with an exploded heart. Probably look at the 6.8 in lieu of the 5.56. In regards to deer camp etiquette, the guys we would be deer hunting with really don't care, besides, I've got enough pictures to keep them quiet a while.

Someone posted to get a 5.56 upper also for plinking, I've got one he can use for that.

Thanks again guys.

I have been thinking about what to get my kid when she is old enough. I am shying away from autoloaders, bolt actions and single shots take deliberate action to chamber a second round and that is a built in safety measure.

When my son starting hunting, the first time he used a semi-auto shotgun I would only allow 1 shell for the same safety issues. As he got older and showed responsibility I let him have 2. Now he's up to 3. He's also 5'6"/160#'s at 14 (today) so physically size is not an option and he has been hunting now for 4-5 years.

AR's with kids (and yes a 14 year old is a kid) is always a little problematic since they immediately chamber another round when they are fired AND the kid may not understand that they are not "unloaded" and "safe" when the magazine is removed (still have a cartridge in the chamber). They are just more complicated safety-wise than a good old bolt action "traditional" deer rifle.

I have a 14 year old that I let hunt in a stand by himself either with his bow OR with my .270 Kimber bolt action. If he wants to use my Remington AR25 then I go with him.

Paranoid? Yes, but I can tell you (or remind you) that boys only get dumber and more risk taking as they get older until they are about 21 years old.

AR's are fun to hunt with but they can be confusing to youngsters. Confusing is not a good thing when it comes to a gun.

A good choice is a lever gun in 30-30 or a handgun caliber.A 30-30 will drop a Hog or Deer without any problems and the gun is tough and reliable.Not to mention a little smaller for the youngster to handle.He will never out grow a lever gun!!!

Started my daughter out with a bolt action. I like the idea of a young hunter having to take deliberate action to chamber a shell. It also reinforces the importance making that one shot the good shot. No temptation to do the "pow,pow,pow" thing.

My buddy's nephew shot his first deer this year with a CVA single shot in 243. I believe it's the stainless/camo style and he only gave around $250 for it and it's deadly accurate. I personally love the Remington model 7's......243, 260, 7mm-08 would be killer to start out with and you'll never outgrow it!

243 is one of the finest Texas whitetail calibers out there in my opinion. 223 will work fine just make sure he is confident with it before letting him hunt deer sized game with it.

I'm loving the AR for deer hunting more and more these days. I'd just make sure he knows how it works 100% before turning him loose with it. But that's any gun I suppose.

i agree a kid that has never used a semiautomatic rifle could be confused, intimidated, reckless. my son 13 going on 14 started out with my marlin semi 22 then moved up to my M1 30 carbine and i feel comfortable with him with my AR 6.8. true, he has friends his same age, i don't feel comfortable with letting them use my bb gun or fishing pole let alone one of my semi's.

what i original posted was if you thought about giving him your 5.56 (in your first post) then you could buy a 6.8 upper that he put on the 5.56 lower when he needed more gun and use the 5.56 (cheaper ammo) for plinking.

will he be really happy with a single shot or bolt action when you are sitting next to him with a AR? it will give you a new caliber to play with too. you know your kid, is he ready for a AR? i spent hours of range practice and gun safety with my son and he can break it down just as good as me and knows when something is not right with it.

I also go with the .243 or .25-06

There is also the 25wssm and 243wssm from olympic arms or their 30ossm.

Again, thanks for the responses. He is very comfortable and well adapted to using an AR. He understands the mechanics and is very safety conscious. With that said, I did a little more asking last night and to my surprise he wants a bolt action. So probably looking at a 243 or 270.