17HMR and my boy

[SJB358]

Well, my son has a Savage 17HMR that shoots really well. Just wanted to throw some groups up he shot this afternoon with it. I was very impressed. He shot ALL his shooting from the prone, kneeling or sitting (see a theme)! He also shot his 243 from the same positions and a few rounds out of the 30-30. Overall, he was hammering with that little 17HMR.

We had a friendly competition at the end of the day, we shot for group size, from the prone, with a ruck sack as friend end support. I used his 243 Winchester with 95gr BT's and he used his Savage 17HMR. I won two rounds and he won the third. All the groups were pretty awesome and he had some awesome shooting. I was very proud of him, cause it was all field positions today.

On a side note, for some reason, the little 30-30 with 170's was too much for him. After he shot the first round, he turned and looked at me like was shooting a 5lb 300WBY! He continued to put two more rounds into a 2" group from the kneeling at 50 and said he would rather shoot his 17! Great day! Scotty

 

[DrMike]

Congrats to your son. He did pretty well, I'd say.

 

[JD338]

Scotty

Your son did great! You are going to have some serious competition real soon. :grin:

JD338

 

[Guest]

Scotty, it's great to hear stories about sons at the range. Reminds me of all the times mine's been with me.

I'm not sure how old he is, but when I was 13 I bought a Win94 30-30, and for whatever reason, it felt like it kicked like a mule. I managed to shoot 1.5-2" 100yd groups with the open sights and with the scope after I added a 4x to it. But it really hammered me. I don't know if it was form, stock fit, or what, but it did. The good news is, I never felt the recoil when I shot my first deer, and I don't have recoil trouble today - at least not up through 300Wby on a regular basis from the bench. I really think it's stock fit, but I can't be sure, because when it was happening to me, I knew exactly bupkus about stock fit. But I know the first time I shot a bolt gun, I was surprised at the difference between the bolt gun and what I was used to from the 94.

 

[Guy Miner]

That's great, getting your son out shooting. And he's doing well.

Consider loading up some 150's or even 130's in the .30-30 for him. They seem to have quite a bit less recoil. Otherwise, heck, just stick with the .243 for him. Why not?

 

[SJB358]

He is a heckuva shooter with his 243! I mean, he is very dialed in with it. I imagine he will be ready for a full sized stock for it shortly. The youth stock is getting almost too short for him. I will mess with the 30-30 some more as time goes on.

I want to make up some 243 100gr PT load for him soon. Need to get some 4350 and give it a whirl. Still want to get the trigger tuned up on the rifle. It is a little heavy and needs to be cleaned up. After that, it should really be an excellent shooting rifle. Scotty

 

[JD338]

Scotty,

I think the M94 30-30 stock is just not quite fitting your son yet so the perceived recoil will be more than his Youth model 243 Win. Guy has a good suggestion to go with lighter 130 gr-150 gr bullets.

When he starts hunting, loading his 243 Win with a 100 gr PT and a charge of IMR 4350 will get the job done.

JD338

 

[6mm Remington]

Thats great shooting Scotty. How old is your son now? That 243 is a great deer cartridge and if it doesn't like the 100 gr. Partitions for some reason, try the 95 gr. Partitions, or maybe even the 90 gr. Accubonds if they are on the shelves by then. They have a higher ballistic coefficient than the 100 gr. Partions if you can believe it :!: :shock:

Sure fun with the kids isn't it! I cannot wait for Jeff to get scoped up so we can get his new rifle out for the big test.

 

[DrMike]

Now, David, you know that those 6mm bullets won't kill game. They just bounce off of elk and deer. :shock: Seems the 6mm worked pretty well for Jeff last season. :grin:

 

[Mountain Goat]

What's not to like about the 17HMR? I would hate to be a squirrel in your son's cross-hairs! Personally, I can't stand the 30-30 or the feel of the '94. I'm more confident with my bow than a marshmallow tossing 2x4, aka 30-30. If your son doesn't like the '94, then don't force-feed it to him. There's too much technology in the genes of the modern generation which makes the 30-30 feel like a cancer. :mrgreen:

That 95gr NBT is one tough bullet and flat puts a channel through deer. I've seen too many deer killed with a .243 to call it anything near marginal. I enjoyed reading about your and your son's competiton. One situation that I like to do at the range is to shoot 3 shots within 5 seconds from various field positions. I shoot the first shot at one target and the next 2 at another. This allows me to confirm which is my first shot, the one that really counts. It's a lot of fun and will humble you at times and will surprise you at times.

 

[SJB358]

Your right MG. The boy is a killer with his 243 and 17. He wanted to shoot the 30-30. I will let him stick with the 243. I got the 30-30 for me! HA. I imagine he will come back to it later on in life. Scotty