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There is no greater joy for an outdoorsman than sharing their passion with younger generations. Teaching your children or young people in your circle how to safely operate a firearm and harvest an animal is a very enriching experience. Seeing their eyes light up when they hear a twig break is something I will never forget with my son. Will every child want to hunt? I’m afraid not. For those that do, here is a list of rifles I think would be great to get your little one their hunting fix for the year:
The Tikka T3x Compact is a great example of a rifle that is built specifically for smaller statured people. It’s length of pull is just 12.5” and can be adjusted out another inch as your young hunter grows. The T3x Compact features a synthetic stock, 20” barrel and is available in calibers such as .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .22-250 Remington.
Ruger’s most popular offering to youth hunting (excluding everyone’s favorite 10/22 of course) is a compact version of their most popular bolt action rifle, the Ruger American. The Compact features a 12.5” LOP like the Tikka T3x Compact, but Ruger went with an 18” barrel for a little more maneuverability in the thick stuff and cutting a few ounces. Weighing in at just 6 lbs., you can get this great rifle in .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Rem, and .308 if you are ready for a little more recoil.
Mossberg has scaled down their Patriot Hunting Rifle to create the “Super Bantam” for youth shooters. Much like the previous two rifles, the LOP is between 12”-13” and adjustable for growth. The 20” barrel returns for the rest of my picks, but Mossberg flutes their barrels as well as their bolts standard on the Patriot. Weighing in at 7.5 lbs with a scope, this rifle is right in line with weights of its competitors but at a very competitive price point.
Savage Arms continues to stay competitive with its newest offering into the compact hunting rifle market, the Apex Hunter XP. This rifle pairs the rifle with a “bore-sighted” Vortex Crossfire II scope right out of the box but includes an EGW 0 MOA Rail if you want to change it up. The length of pull is adjustable for growth and the Apex includes Savages Accu-Trigger which is fully adjustable. This is the only rifle listed with a left-handed version for those Southpaws out there. With several calibers available, this rifle is packed with features.
My last entry into this arena is Winchester’s XPR Compact rifle. Modeled with features from the timeless Model 70, the XPR is a more efficient, more compact rifle than it’s Grandaddy.
Winchester boasts the toughness of their rifle, proclaiming it will “stand up to the abuse you put yourself through.” Features include a bolt unlock button, the M.O.A. adjustable trigger system, button-rifled free-floating barrel and solid machined steel receiver. Once again, the 20” barrel is the preferred choice of compact rifle manufacturing and this one weighs in at just 6lbs 8oz. With several calibers offered including the standards as well as the new hotter 350 Legend, the XPR compact will get the job done for your young hunter.
~Nick
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