Hey is a 30-06 good for a twelve year old?

[Nayrkceb]

Hey is a 30-06 good for a twelve year old?

[Sage Sam]

I think that there are a number of variables in play here. 1. The size of the child 2. The prey in question 3. The anticipated size of the round. 4. The experience of the child.

Personally, I think shooting 180 grains in a lighter weight 30-06 can possibly make a kid recoil shy and cause some serious accuracy problems. I believe that most 30-06 loads push around 30 pounds of recoil which can be quite a bit on a small body. If the only prey is going to be deer, I would start at a 25-06 and stop at the 7mm Mag, of which the latter is a superior to a 30-06 in nearly every way (and that's coming from a 30-06 shooter).

[CPT BRAD]

No not at all. If the kid was 150 or above maybe. A 308 or a 25-06 would be a much better choice. Better yet a 243. I wouldn't give a kid a 30-06 until he was about 18.

[t_holinka]

It depends on how big your kid is. I was 150 pounds and a big kid, I could handle a 30-06 for deer, but I didn't like it. Although, I loved the .243, but If I had one at the time a 25-06 would be my choice.

[prairieghost]

yes, if you want to pick up the gun and kid from the ground separately. an .06 is way too much gun for a 12 year old. .22-.250 or .243 would be a lot smarter choice.

[Beekeeper]

Take a look at the 7mm-08. It is great round for small to medium big game and can be used in a pinch for something larger. It is ballistically just about the equal of the 7 X 57 Mauser round. The 7 X 57 was one of Jack O'Connor's favorites and the round which his wife Elanor bagged jsut about everything with except Elephant and Rhino!

The 7mm-08 is mild in recoil and fits into a rifle that a young man can handle well. Ammo is widely available and every gun company builds a small frame rifle for it. Remington the model 7, Savage the models 10,11 and 16. Marlin the XS7 and XS7Y (a great bargain) and Ruger the Hawkeye. One of my favorites for young hunters and the ladies is the Browning Micro Hunter. My wife loves hers in 7-08 and has taken deer and some very large feral pork with it!

[hunterkid94]

No. at 12 you would need to be a big kid to be able to handle any kick from the gun.

[timothyfaw]

yes it is because my brother as shot the gun.

[shane]

Yes, I would definitely shoot a 12 year old bear with a .30-06.

If we're talking about a 12 year old human shooting the gun, probably not.

[CavRecon]

I'd go more toward a .243 with an "average sized" 12 year old kid.

[blackdawgz]

Absolutely not. It will teach flinching. That is a very costly thing to attempt to overcome.

[rudyglove27]

Agreed with Beekeeper answer above and A + 1 for you sir!!!