The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: kc285b on April 18, 2009, 01:08:20 AM
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I am looking for a rifle for my 8 soon to be 9 year old son for the upcoming deer season. Well I've settled on the H&R youth in a .243. The gun has open sites and is drilled and tapped for a scope. I've had some hunters telling me to keep it open sites and not to use a scope with him for the first few years. I kinda scratched my head and thought, well that would be ok for 25 yrds. and maybe 50 yrds. But what about past that ? Well what do ypu guys think ?
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GET THE SCOPE!!!! Yes, a kid should learn to shoot open sights. That's what an inexpensive .22 target rifle is for, learning how to hit paper or coke cans. But take a young kid, his first hunt, low light, buck fever etc..... He needs all the help he can get Seriously, if he botches the job and its a bloody awful, hours long mess, you could sour him on hunting forever. At the least he'd feel bad. Thats not how any one's first hunt should go. Make it as easy for him as possible to do it right. Plus always teach the virtues of NOT pulling the trigger. Make sure he knows there's always tommorrow if things just don' feel right. I've been doing this for 28 years and I still always prefer a scope over iron with a rifle for deer, if the oportunity presents itself. Just my .04.
FQ13
PS it doesn't need to be a great scope, a Simmons or Bushnell will do just fine at .243 ranges, either 3xby9x or just fixed 4x.
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One other point. The H@R is a good gun. But if you're doing more than deer, Rossi used to offer a very reasonable three barrel package of .22, 20 gauge and .243 sized for kids. It might be worth checking out if you haven't already bought.
FQ13
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if he can hit a pie plate every time at that range, opens are fine. a redot is also a option.
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if he can hit a pie plate every time at that range, opens are fine. a redot is also a option.
I'll second the red dot option.....easier for a first-time hunter to put a bright dot on a deer's breadbasket than trying to align crosswires....and it will help him learn to judge responsible ranges to take game.....
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His eyes are a lot better than yours. Get him used to the basics of sight alignment and sight picture in the field before adding the complications of scope adjustments.
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I agree with Tom....with this added as well...
Kids tend to bang things around making any ranging you've done worthless when the time comes to put the crosshairs on the target.
Let him learn the scope with an air rifle on the local squirrel population before you take shots on deer at scope ranges. You don't mention where you live but where I've hunted, 100 yards is about as long a shot I've ever need to make and I've never used a scope on deer in my life.
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I agree with Tom....with this added as well...
Kids tend to bang things around making any ranging you've done worthless when the time comes to put the crosshairs on the target.
Let him learn the scope with an air rifle on the local squirrel population before you take shots on deer at scope ranges. You don't mention where you live but where I've hunted, 100 yards is about as long a shot I've ever need to make and I've never used a scope on deer in my life.
Again this all based on your terrain, where I am at, a 300 yd shot is not considered a long shot. All the same I wouldn't want to have to do it with open sights. However, I do agree with the Red Dot if you are not apt to see ranges beyond 100 yds.
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I used to be a traditionalist on the iron sights 1st, but going through instructors school, the instructors made a good point, new shooters get hooked, the quicker they make hits, and optics definitely help do that, whether they are young or older. Once they get used to hitting, then go to the irons. MY .02
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And I have a 15 year old that HATES optics. (real traditionalist)
I lean toward the start on iron sights. 100 yards for good eyes is no big deal. (we did 500 with open when I was in the service)
They need to learn the 'art of the rifle' (BRASS) and nothing will show that better than iron sights.
my .02
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I'd stay with open. Either way he needs practice to be a good hunter, and in the long run there will be more interest and feeling of accomplishment if he learns with open first. If he learns optics first it will be a tougher learning curve to go back to open.
My brains way of thinking and what I have seen in the youth I teach. They all want the fancy stuff they see on TV, but really do very well with the basics. I just tell them you can't handle what comes with the "extras" until you master the basics.
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Thanks much to everyone who replied. You've givin me a lot to think about. I've had the boy shooting a BB gun for about 2yrs. He's only got to shoot a .22 a couple of time but it was open sites. I have the time and access to a pellet gun with a little scope. I think i'm going to try him with that and see what he does. Wish us luck! KC