Economical Deer Rifle

He is getting everything ready to ship back to mossberg this week. its weird.

I would look for a Stevens/Savage Package gun or possible even a Savage package gun. I've seen em at Wal-Mart for 325.00 in Brandon. Just realized I didn't check the age of this request. Kid is probably in the Marines by now

Geaux68 wrote:A friend wants to buy a deer rifle for his 16 year old son. He does not have a lot to spend (~$300 to $350) but wants something his son can have and use the rest of his life. What make, model and caliber do you recommend?

jdunlap is correct,the 700's are threaded,my bad.Budlite and typing on the internet don't always mix well....Ya'll ain't gonna give me a ticket are ya???

7mm-08 Handi Rifle luv mine

Twas me, I would be looking used 30/30. But I wouldn't turn my nose up at an H&R single shot either.

With the son being 16 he now has to purchase hunting liscense. My suggestion would be a Handi Rifle in .44mag. He will be able to hunt with it during rifle and primitive weapon season. I know you don't have the range of some of the other calibers but he will learn to be patient and make the one shot count.

nonnieselman wrote:Dont buy a mossberg bolt action ha. My brother bought one for his wife and he has had more trouble out of it not fireing than anything ive seen.

I had one for my son in 30/06 and it shot great no problems at all and it really liked the cheap hunting ammo in 150gr. bullet weights.
The Marlins are a good value in a 30/30 or one of the XL-7 bolt guns! The package Savages are still a good value! The Handi Rifles are nice as well, but some kids want a bolt gun like dad. If you know what to look for a good used bolt gun and scope can be found after hunting season for good prices too. You have lots of options just take your time and look around. Sometimes you can find a deal at a garage, or yard sale.

My vote is for the H&R Handi Rifle in .308 Win. I don't agree with the others who are saying that 243s and 7mm-08s are the way to go. Shot placement has to be almost PERFECT with the 243 and a 308 will do everything that a 7mm-08 will do (only better). The ammo choices are near limitless for the 308 and availability should never be an issue (at least not in our lifetimes).

I always recommend single shots for younger shooters. Having only one round on hand teaches discipline. It's better to learn how to make your shots count early in life or you could grow up to be one of those guys you sends $12 worth of ammo toward a deer and never actually kills anything. I know a few adults who could stand to use a single shot for a few years.

he made the choice.
Marlin XL7 in 25-06' killer price for one at Academy in Gulfport.
$260 NIB last one they had. If yall haven't seen these rifles and i know some have, it's pretty nice. I wished they had one in 280,no go though. Oh yeah, it comes with accu-trigger type trigger, Remington type safety, and also has a one-piece scope base included. Nice rifle IMO Oh yeah, I found out the "boy" was 5'11" about 185lbs.

stevens 200 in 308 or 30=06

I like SAVAGE....especially now that they have good triggers. (Bills Gun Shop,in Utica can "fix" the older triggers) They have great barrels, you can get them in light weight or heavy, and they don't cost much...You can but new a new one already set up a scope. Personally,I have 2 Savages...300 Win Mag, and one in 308. Both are the light weight ones, plastic stocks, and very accurate. Don't forget, you can buy "reduced recoil" loads (Hornady), for those who aren't ready for regular loads.

30/30. I still have the one my Dad gave me and its a shooter.

I asked this question about 13 years ago for my 10 year old son. A friend suggested I get the boy a .308 and load it on the light side with 110 grain v-max. That's really close to a .243 isn't it? I could shoot these loads with one hand and they made clean kills on half dozen deer and two coyotes. It wasn't long until he was big enough to shoot the 168 grain bullets. Accuracy was acceptable out to 100 yds. We still have the rifle, a used Rem 700 I got for $350 with a bushnell scope.

nonnieselman wrote:

300 ATLAS wrote:Wal-Mart! Remington Model 700 ADL in .243 Win or 7mm-08. Waynesboro had them for $350 w/ a $50.00 mail in rebate. The action alone is worth $350! Hard to beat that.

Dang, i wish i was closer. Another gun never hurts.

No one lives close to Waynesboro unless you live in waynesboro. Ever seen it on a map? HAHAH.

If you get a 700 then atleast you have an action to do something with later on in life.

+1 Bolt actions...none of the rest come close accuracy wise or future customization wise

1st Rem 700 ...2nd choice Savage

msredneck wrote:+1 Bolt actions...none of the rest come close accuracy wise or future customization wise

1st Rem 700 ...2nd choice Savage

What he said........cept swap #1 and #2.

If they are new to hunting stay with a low cost rifle, until you see that they want to stay with it. I found an H&R 7-08 with tasco scope here at a local pawn shop for $250.00. IMOA it is the best performance vs recoil out there. I will own another 7-08 in the near future.

Savage just replaced the Stevens line of rifles with the Savage Edge. It now has a better stock, dual pillar bedding, and a box magazine all for under 300 bucks. This is an unbelievable deal and is getting rave reviews from everyone who has tried them.

What about a Remington 710 in .270... I believe big box stores often put it on sale for under $400 with a scope, sling, and case...