My son is 8 yrs. old and it will be his 1st year hunting. I found a Mossburg bolt action .243. for $350 new with scope. Is this a good model? What do you recommend?

Thanks

Is it a youth model? If not he may find it uncomfortable to hold up because he will have to strecth his arms way out while pulling his head way back which may increase the felt recoil. My little brother went through this for a couple of years.

The New England Firearms single shot rifles are very good (and safe) for youth. Priced pretty good as well. Also, the .25-06 is in my opinion a better caliber than a .243.

NEF

i agree i own one but in 270 win caliber great rifle it really is a rifle for any age im 16 and i asked my dad for that exact rifle you can also change barrels if you have them i also have a 20 gauge barrel for it

i own two newengland firearms rifles and shot guns and love them all my first was the newengland youth model 243 cal. which i killed many deer with. the small size of the rifle made it very easy for me i got the rifle when i was 9 and shot it until i was 15. my 12yrold brother now shoots it. i now have a newengland 308 that i shoot. i got shot gun barrels for both of them to use during turkey season. which is just a plus to have two guns in one. great guns, and the best starter guns for a youngster IMO...hope this helps

The Mossberg won't be a bad choice. I do like the New England so several reasons. First, they are affordable. They are accurate. And I like the idea that the gun is either fully loaded or fully empty.

I have a Remington model 7 in .243 that would make a good youth gun. I find I carry it beacause it shoots so well and is very easy to carry.

rossi makes a good youth guns. you can get one that is a 22 / 243 / and 20 ga all in one. lots of other combinations of calibers. they are very safe, easy to use, and cheap. you won't feel bad beating the heck out of them or if they outgrow them in a few years.

I bought the New England combo 243/22/20 for around $300. its a good deal, and my kids have taken a few deer with the 243,but it will not group shots very well at 100 yards. Im about to buy her a 7m-08, but a 243 is a good model. just remember cheap is not always the best. you get what you pay for.

Like as been mention the Rossi,is a good way too go. I bought my son the outfit and got the 243,the 50.cal muzzle loader and the 12 gauage shotgun barrel. Couple of years ago I tooked a big eight with the 243 and my son had taken several does. Checked them out. Got my son's at Wal-Mart.
LittleJohn

My boys shoot a Ruger M77 in .243, its a great youth gun, its short, for their short arms and the recoil is manageable. My oldest started hunting when he was 9 and is 12 now, he's killed a deer each of the last 3 seasons with this gun, he loves it. Little brother is trying it this year.

I have a little hessitation giveing a youth a 243, not much margin for error with that little caliber, and a .243 bullet tends to not leave a blood trail in my experaince. One thing you might look into is something like a Rem model 7 in like a 7mm-08, this is a 7mm bullet in a 308 case. This is a gun that you can find in a youth model and their is very little recoil out of it. I grew up shooting that gun, and killed a bunch of deer with it, and when I grew out of the youth stock I was able to up grade it to a full lenght adult stock.

im only 15 and new to this primos cabin chat stuff and my uncle taught me alot about rifles to suggestions i have are a 30-06 or a 30-30 lever action these guns i have hunted with and shoot really good and don't have alot of recoil.

My daughter got the Rossi Trifecta for Christmas a couple of years ago. It is the combo gun that was mentioned earlier (22, 243, 20g). I love the little gun as does Mary Morgan.

Safety- I like the idea of starting kids with a single shot...just my thing i guess. The gun is kid sized so she can handle it comfortably (and safely). And the Rossi also has a safety as well as a hammer...i don't think the NEF combo has this feature.

With the combo gun MM can practice cheaply enough through the summer with the 22 barrel and when we switch to the 243 the gun still feels the same (which improves her accuracy).

Like them or hate them...a 100gr ballistic tip is what she shoots. MM's 243 barrel loves this load and throws pretty tight groups at 75yds. It is also very effective on deer. The 2 deer she has killed didn't go far at all...one fell in its tracks the other ran 30yds. I try to keep her shots inside of 75yds which makes for easier shots, cleaner kills and builds her confidence. The 22 barrel is not as accurate with the cheaper bulk shells but does pretty well with the 62gr CCI's.

The only draw back to the gun is the shotgun barrel. Well actually its not the barrel so much as it is the recoil!! Even with light loads the recoil is pretty tough and with a turkey load...oh my. However, I will tell you she didn't seem to notice the recoil when she killed her turkey last season.

Good luck on your search.

See Jay thats my issue with those little single shot youth guns like that is they kick lick the dickens. But other than that they are pretty cool little guns. And one thing that I think it helps is that futher down the road you get a recoil resistance sort of where you just get used to it. I know for me I started shooting a H&R topper in a 20 ga and it kicked like a mule but one thing is that now I have learned to shoot guns with alot of recoil and not have it bother me.

Be fair, Hunter. We both will agree that most single shot, light weight shotguns have pretty heavy recoil. I never said the 243 barrel did. In fact, it's recoil rather light. The only reason I mentioned the 20g recoil is that I was surprised when i shot it.

I know that you prefer a larger caliber rifle as do many others. I have been shooting a 270 since I was 11. I was a little concerned initially about the 243 BUT I have been impressed with it so far. Bear in mind, I will not let her shoot beyond 75yds and the 2 she has killed have been inside 50. The 100gr ballistic tip has done very well at these ranges. Like I said the 1st deer flopped and last years buck ran about 30yds...lots of blood, didn't matter tho- could see him from the stand.

I will eventually upgrade MM to a bolt action one of these days probably 7mm-08 or 25-06, but then again she may decide that a 270 aint so bad...who knows.
But for right now I like her little single shot, when you consided you get an effective deer rifle, a decent 22 (with the right ammo) and a turkey gun for just under $300; plus the built in safety and user friendliness of a single shot, plus a safety...its hard to beat.

dont overlook the 243 cal its a deer slayer and runs with the best

Point taken...it has served her well so far

the 243 will do whatever needs to be done with proper bullet selection, and placement. i've got the rossi in .223- 20 guage combo. pretty good set up, my only complaint is the trigger, it feels like it belongs on a 20 guage. a pretty sluggish 8.5 lb trigger pull.but i can't really ask more when i basically got 2 guns for 200 bucks. i've probably shot 20 does and a 230 lb six point with this .223. no lost deer yet. i use a 55 gr. rem sp. just got to avoid the front shoulder on the big ones.

There are many companies making great youth models today. Also don't forget the possibility of re-stocking the weapon later as he gets older. Obviously buying a new weapon is a consideration. But sometime sentimental feelings for your first rifle is a consideration and improving it due to age might be a consideration.
The other thought I had with him being only eight and depending on stature. I do not believe I would go with a much larger caliber than the 243 range to start. We don't want to develop issues with recoil that might haunt him in later years. Being a professional LE and Government weapons trainer, I see this from time to time and it is hard to correct.
Thanks for introducing a great sport to your son and the youth of America.
If we do not get the youth involved it could well disappear in 10 years.
AR

Jay, you are right, something about single shot shotguns that kick like the dickens (but the good thng about those is that in the heat of the moment I have never met a person that feels recoil). And you are going about the right way with lettin her practice alot with the .22 barrel, and I am sure you let her burn a pretty good share of .243 ammo at the range also. And I can assure you I probaly wouldn't want her shooting at me inside 75yrds. In ever said the gun was a ba gun, my only issue was the recoil, and some kids can handle it different than other.

My thing with the larger Calibers is not so much that I love them it is just something about the 7mm-08 that I love. hardly any recoil and it is a great whitetail deer caliber. Killed a bunch of deer and yuknow how we get when we find someting that works.