Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Older Hunter rifle

A model 7 with a 16” barrel in 7-08 or 308. Neither will have a kick and both can be bought as a reduced recoil load. I would top it with an illuminated leupold Red dot scope of your choice in Talley lightweight rings.

It will be a short, light, great handling gun with very manageable recoil.

Short barrel rifles tend to be louder, which can also induce a flinch. My 257 Roberts has a 22" barrel, and has significantly less muzzle blast compared to my other rifles, including my 7x57 and 308 with similar length barrel.

I would look at cartridges less than 7mm. Less recoil and blast due to less powder and lighter bullets. 6, 25 or 6.5 Creed, 243 Winchester or similar.

A suppressor would be a good idea as well.

When you're talking about short action cartridges with reduced loads, you're talking about the equivalent of 6.5 Grendel with standard loads. There are more loads available for the 6.5G than there are reduced loads for larger cartridges.

Several good options mentioned with the 357 mag, 223, etc.

If you can arranged a suppressed rig, I think that’s the route to go, and then you could even go up to slightly higher class of cartridge.

If he’s to the point of closing his eyes, I would go back down to a 22lr at the range for a while to remove the flinch. Then introduce the suppressed rifle or lower class cartridge.

I started my kids on a CVA .243. It doesn't kick much, shoot an 80 grain barnes TTSX out of it. Deer don't go far, and I have never found a bullet. It's not as heavy either. I am also a huge fan of a 7-08 shooting a 120 grain bullet.

.243, they hardly kick and will flat kill a deer. Or he can do what I've done as I age and have gone to a 25.06 and love it. I haven't shot my 30.06 in a couple of years now.

7.62 x 39 suppressed

Low recoil, close to 30/30 ballistics.

They sell it in a Ruger American. This is the way I’d go so he doesn’t have to deal with the blowback.

If he's comfortable with the AR platform, then any of the AR15 class cartridges will work. 350 Legend, 7.62x39, 6.5 Grendel, 300 BO, .223, 6 ARC would all get the job done. Easy to add a suppressor and by changing buffer weights/gas flow it can be tuned to function reliably with light recoil.

I’m having a hard time finding those managed recoil shells in 30-06. They still make them right?

Target Sports USA has them for about $25 per box. It's the Hornady Custom Lite 125 grain.

Other options also pulled up on Ammoseek.com That's my go-to website for ammo price and availability.

Has not been mentioned but if he has a flinch problem look into a good trigger. I realized I had a problem while sighting in my rifle years ago when I forgot to reload after a shot and pulled the trigger on a spent round. It was dang obvious. Put in a Timney set at 2.5 lbs and it is no longer a problem. When I put my finger on that trigger all I have to do is think hard about it going off and BOOM. No anticipation and no flinch.

They change the name for the reduced 30/06 loads. They're usually marked 30/30 or 300 HAM'R.

those CVA Scouts are short and light. I'd try one in 243 or 350 Legend.

I bid , .243, 257 Bob or 25-06 with a Sims Vibration recoil pad. He'll think it's a .22.

7-08 will do anything you need it to do and doesn't kick. Highly recommend it. I have a browning and it shoots the core lokts great.

You aint kidding. I love my 30/30, But I've always said it's the hardest kicking "little rifle" there is. Just something strange about it.

I have a compact Ruger 243 that I think is great for young or old. Very easy to handle with shorter stock.

Theres also the new ruger gen 2 predators in 22arc or 6mm arc. The 22 arc has 4 pounds or less in recoil and the 6mm arc has somewhere around 10 or less.

I'm interested to hear what you end up doing.

This article may be useful: https://www.chuckhawks.com/200_yard_deer_cartridge.html

Hornady reduced recoil did the trick. He shot a half of box of them at 75 yards and kept them all in a 3 in circle. It didn’t cycle a couple of times but some oil might cure that.