7MM-08 for son

[muleyman]

My best friend and son Tanner will be using my buck tag this year that I drew under the "Oregon State Mentorship program". His great grandpa gave him his pre-64 winchester 30-30 on his 5th birthday in hopes he would use it to kill his first buck. I killed my first muley when I was 12yrs old with the same gun, it just wasn't passed to me Thats just fine though, the expression on my sons face that day was undescribable!

This will be taking place on our ranch in Joseph (NE Oregon). Most of the deer will be within 50-100yrds of our tree blinds so taking a shot with the 30-30 should be fine.

We also get 3 LOP cow elk tags. Most of the time the shots taken are 200+ yrds on the elk that are on the ranch and the 30-30 is open sites. He has been shooting the gun and isn't very comfortable shooting that far with open sites (I'm not either). In November he will be able to fill one of our LOP cow tags.

I looked at a 7MM-08 at Sportsman's and they recommended it for a young person. They said its a bit bigger than a .243 and you can get larger grain bullets. The reason I'm comparing it to the .243 is that is what I had my heart set on to purchase for him since it has little kick and the Weatherby's youth stock is a great size for him. Since I'm an archery hunter, I'm not the greatest about knowledge on gun calibers.

So my question is...what do you guys think of the 7MM-08 for elk? I know shot placement is the key but my main concern is what you think of the caliber for a child? Is this caliber pretty accurate? He is a small framed boy only about 65lbs so I want something that won't knock him over, and he won't be scared of. I'm also open to other suggestions!

Thanks guys...your always great to help!

muleyman

 

[elkliver]

Pretty good choice. Plenty of killing power and one of the better choices for limiting the kick. if he can shoot the 30-30 he should be fine.

 

[Teeb]

7mm-08 works fine for elk at reasonable ranges. Recoil is very manageable. I've been using one on elk for years.

Life is like riding bulls. You're never truly ready ..... it just gets to be your turn.

 

[NickW]

Yes! He'll love it!

 

[gunguy]

Great choice! also the 260 rem. both can be easy to shoot, and come in the Rem. model 7. put a 4x or 2x7 power scope on it and your ready to go.

 

[HoofsUp]

My son is 12 and is hunting this year for the first time on his tag. I bought him a 7mm-08 last summer and we have been shooting it for about a year. Remington makes reduced recoil loads if you are worried about the kick. I've also hand loaded reduced loads that shoot fine. He will enjoy the rifle and will be able to use it for many years. I am in Oregon also and if you want to shoot mine before purchasing just shoot me a PM.

 

[WapitiBob]

Bought my Daughter a Kimber Montana 7mm-08. Nice gun.
We're going to use it to fill the truck with Wy Antelope in a few months.

 

[oregonmuley]

7mm-08 is a great choice for about anything that you will hunt in Oregon. With a good 140 grain bullet its more than enough for a elk - its already been mentioned that this would be within limits as far as range but that can be said about any caliber. I shoot a Remington model 700 7mm08 and have killed a spike bull a few years back with it - no worries. Go for it - and good luck on your hunt, be sure to post the success pics
Be warned though - if you shoot it you may also need one, they are just a nice all around caliber.

 

[MTShasta]

My wife shoots a 7mm/08 and has taken several African plains game, a few deer and antelope, and a 5x5 bull elk with it. It is very effective, doesn't kick much at all, and is very flat shooting. She used 140 grain factory loads for years, but I started reloading 120 grain Barnes TSX and they are outstanding. In fact, I take her rifle as a back up on some of my hunts and I would have no problem putting it to use. It works great and is fun to shoot.

 

[schmalie79]

My sister has one.. forget the brand but I think its a Weatherby. It shoots great and she bought it for elk hunting. I hammered a digger squirrel with it the first time I shot it @ 150 yards... little sucker got obliterated!

Lil expensive for a squirrel gun though!

 

[RV]

I don't think you could wrong with a 7mm-08. It is very effective with little recoil. It would be a great rifle for your son.

 

[muleyman]

Thanks guys for all your help! Im going to sportsmans this weekend to pickup the 7MM-8 Weatherby they ordered for him! He is soo excited!

Thx again...

muleyman