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bamaranger · May 16, 2013, 01:59 PM

My experience mirrors Taylorce. I spent a bunch of time w/ bamaboy on .22 lr, then moved up to .223 Mini Mauser. He took his first two with .223 bonded slugs and me coaching in his ear. Very controlled conditions, green fields and shooting houses. We moved up to 7.62x39mm bolt gun pretty quickly after that, but he did not stay with that rifle long, and moved on to the .243 which shot much flatter and had more reach. We needed that on our ROW club, the x39 was a bit out of its league. But if ranges will always be pretty close, a 7.62x39 bolt is a great kids gun.

I am much opposed to 30-30 levers for kids or beginners If not equipped with a safety, lowering the hammer on a live round is a challenge for cold small hesitant hands. Loading and unloading ammo from the tube is always tedious, regardless if equipped with a lawyer safety or not. And I always felt some 30-30 loads in carbines kicked a whole lot more than they should. Remember felt recoil to a hundred pound person is a good bit more than what us beefy shooters feel. Now a 30-30 bolt like the old Savage 340 is another story. Practical safey, easy load and unload, etc.

May 16, 2013, 01:59 PM	#19
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,312	same My experience mirrors Taylorce. I spent a bunch of time w/ bamaboy on .22 lr, then moved up to .223 Mini Mauser. He took his first two with .223 bonded slugs and me coaching in his ear. Very controlled conditions, green fields and shooting houses. We moved up to 7.62x39mm bolt gun pretty quickly after that, but he did not stay with that rifle long, and moved on to the .243 which shot much flatter and had more reach. We needed that on our ROW club, the x39 was a bit out of its league. But if ranges will always be pretty close, a 7.62x39 bolt is a great kids gun. I am much opposed to 30-30 levers for kids or beginners If not equipped with a safety, lowering the hammer on a live round is a challenge for cold small hesitant hands. Loading and unloading ammo from the tube is always tedious, regardless if equipped with a lawyer safety or not. And I always felt some 30-30 loads in carbines kicked a whole lot more than they should. Remember felt recoil to a hundred pound person is a good bit more than what us beefy shooters feel. Now a 30-30 bolt like the old Savage 340 is another story. Practical safey, easy load and unload, etc.