Youth gun, questions???

[NYBowhunter]

My 12 yr. old just passed his hunter ed and I'm looking into rifles for him so he can'start shooting now until he's able to gun hunt at 14. My questions are, he does everything lefty but is right eye dominant, I would assume I need to purchase a rifle based upon his eye dominance and not his dexterity?? My second question, im leaning towards a 243 or 257 roberts for thier mild recoil, your thoughts or any other mild recoil caliber suggestions? Hes average height but thin.

[Splitear]

10 minutes ago, NYBowhunter said:

My 12 yr. old just passed his hunter ed and I'm looking into rifles for him so he can'start shooting now until he's able to gun hunt at 14. My questions are, he does everything lefty but is right eye dominant, I would assume I need to purchase a rifle based upon his eye dominance and not his dexterity?? My second question, im leaning towards a 243 or 257 roberts for thier mild recoil, your thoughts or any other mild recoil caliber suggestions? Hes average height but thin.

Not a lot I can provide on caliber, but you definitely need to have him shoot according to eye dominance. It may be a bit uncomfortable for him to begin with, but well worth getting used to, he will be a much more successful shooter. 

As a youth shooting sports instructor, this is one of the biggest fights we have with parents.

[Nomad]

My daughter , has a 7mm08 ,that is fine for her, easy shooting gun and they all drop with one shot ( I use the same caliber) . There’s a reduced recoil load for it that is still a deer killer , if you want an even milder shooting load .

Im right handed and my right eye got very weak , so I switched to shooting the same shotgun lefty ( deer shotgun ) no issue . Then when rifle came about here I bought a lefty .270 and killed a bunch lefty, after my LASIK both eyes went to 20/20 ( left eye dominant)  I then won a righty 7mm08 and use that right handed again , except last year I shot my buck with that gun but shot left handed due to having to lean way out to the left for my only shot ...

So as for eye dominance most will say go, with that , although currently I shoot right and close left eye .

[airedale]

The calibers you listed are both great mild recoiling cartridges but the 257 Roberts may be a bit hard to find. Almost all of the common Deer cartridges are tolerable recoil wise, ammunition companies also load light kicking ammo especially for anyone recoil shy. The 7mm 08 and the 6.5 Creedmoor are a couple of more chamberings that warrant consideration.

Sounds like a good excuse to hit the Gun Shops in your area and look over and handle what is available with hopefully good advice from the shop owners. Buy something of good quality and a model he likes because it is something that will last him a lifetime and create many memories through many hunting seasons.

Al

[Foggy Mountain]

Dominant eye side is the correct side. As stated out of the 2 choices I would recommend .243 simply because of availability. The Roberts is a great round. The 7-08 is another  great consideration as stated too 

[ny hunter]

243 is great as far as recoil but do not over look the 7mm 08 also..as far as lefty or righty let him decide on how to fire his rifle....He well figure it out in no time...

[turkeyfeathers]

Not positive for eye dominance part but another vote for 7mm08. My daughter who weighs 100 pounds wearing gear has no problem handling the recoil. .243 is great but the 7mm08 may allow for a tiny bit more human error. Nobody wants to see a young hunter deflated on deer they shot with no retrieve. Like nomad said reduced recoil loads are available and ballistics are darn near the same as a full load. Food for thought. Savage Axis 2 . For under $300. Absolute tack driver. I did change out the trigger spring by ordering it for $11 delivered. Dropped pull poundage from 8’ish to less than 4 pounds . I also threw a better scope on it but the included in package isn’t terrible by any means. 

[NYBowhunter]

Thanks all, will take everything  suggested into consideration.