3 daughters 10 and under, need advice on caliber

dan11589

New Member
To flesh out the title of the thread I have twin girls who turned 10 today. I also have another daughter who is 8. (I also have two boys 5 and 1, but thats a seperate thread.) They want to hog hunt, but I don't have anything that will put down a hog that they can handle. They have experience with guns, but its mostly with a 20 gauge and 22. The place that I'm taking them requires a centerfire rifle with a scope. I want their experience to be positive and I want them to have their own gun. They will most likely be shooting from a tripod/fixed position so weight isn't the issue as much as recoil and dimensions that fit them.
 

Ratdog68

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If they can manage a 20 ga, then why not an AR? A 6.8 is hardly more noticeable than a .223 in this platform. Collapsible stocked carbine gives you the LOP adjustment.
 

Galveston340

LSB Member
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I have to agree with Ratdog68. If they can handle the recoil of a 20ga shotgun then the 6.8 ought to be no problem for the young ladies.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
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6.8 is very low recoil and the Hornady 120SST will put the hogs down. Where are you, maybe one of us is close for you to try one of ours out?
 

theblakester

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
 

Drift

LSB Member
When my daughter learned, the cheek weld and length of pull was more of an issue then the recoil. She did not like ARs or AKs at all. She was good with a Mini thirty and .223 Remington 700 bolt action. So I would recommend a short carbine style rifle. Caliber suggestions are the .223, 7.62x39, 6.8 SPC 6.5 Grendel and maybe 30-30. I think there is some commercial .308 reduced recoil ammo that reduces the kick to 7.62x39 level.
 

rob072770

Lewisville NC
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My good friend with a real bad shoulder was amazed how light the recoil was on my 6.8. I would recommend it for them to try.
 

JPK

LSB Active Member
A 20ga shooting slugs or buckshot kicks like a mule compared to a 243 or so centerfire rifle. Stay away from the 20ga for your kids!

One of the youth rifles in 243 would be my suggestion -and Hornaday offers reduced recoil 243 loads which would be perfect. IIRC, 85grs @ about 2,650fps.

For my kids, the starter was a 243 shooting custom loaded ammo loaded with TSX's at about 2,700fps, and using a faster than typical powder to reduce muzzle blast.

A huge chunk of kid's perceived recoil comes from muzzle blast, so I made sure they were wearing both ear plugs and muffs to limit the noise to near nothing.

JPK
 
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