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rifle PROJECT with my teenager, suggestions?

hillbillydruggist

I am wanting to build (or put together) a rifle with my young deer hunting daughter, something that she could look back at in 40 yrs and say "I built that with my daddy".

I was thinking of the following,

Savage rifle
barrel swap(just for the experience)
light recoiling caliber
aftermarket trigger
Boyds stock
lapping of scope rings

any suggestions or tips would be appreciated, oh yes, low cost is good
 
A .243 Winchester cartridge would fit the bill or if she is really young some states allow the .223 rem but I feel the .243 win is better. You are going to need a barrel vice, barrel nut wrench and head space gages. Get a criterion barrel at least if you want a real shooter. Northland shooters supply has everything you will need. There are other companys making pre fits to save some money but you kinda get what you pay for. The trigger I would pick for a beginner is savage's own accu trigger. Try to find one with the trigger in it and go from there. Savage shooters forum if you join always has some decent pricing on savage parts as well as this forum. Put out a Wanted ad for what you need. Many times people have stuff laying around they don't need and you can also save money. Midway sells er shaw kits that come with headspace gages, they are not the greatest but certainly a bit better than real savage barrels. I hope this helps.
 
Sounds like a good plan. I'd start with a cheap used donor rifle or a Cabelas 12fv. If it's an Accutrigger gun I wouldn't bother with the trigger swap. A barrel swap is easy with a few tools, James at NSS is a great source here. Boyds is a pretty good source for stocks.

With the Remage pre fit barrels a Remington build is easier than ever with more trigger and stock options.
 
jonbearman said:
A .243 Winchester cartridge would fit the bill or if she is really young some states allow the .223 rem but I feel the .243 win is better. You are going to need a barrel vice, barrel nut wrench and head space gages. Get a criterion barrel at least if you want a real shooter. Northland shooters supply has everything you will need. There are other companys making pre fits to save some money but you kinda get what you pay for. The trigger I would pick for a beginner is savage's own accu trigger. Try to find one with the trigger in it and go from there. Savage shooters forum if you join always has some decent pricing on savage parts as well as this forum. Put out a Wanted ad for what you need. Many times people have stuff laying around they don't need and you can also save money. Midway sells er shaw kits that come with headspace gages, they are not the greatest but certainly a bit better than real savage barrels. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks that does help!
 
DHuffman said:
Sounds like a good plan. I'd start with a cheap used donor rifle or a Cabelas 12fv. If it's an Accutrigger gun I wouldn't bother with the trigger swap. A barrel swap is easy with a few tools, James at NSS is a great source here. Boyds is a pretty good source for stocks.

With the Remage pre fit barrels a Remington build is easier than ever with more trigger and stock options.
Click to expand...
Im unfamiliar with Remage, is that a brand?
 
If lost cost is important, start at pawn shops and look for a Savage 10, 11, 12 maybe even in .243. You can shop together ( I hear girls really like shopping) and spend some quality time together just looking for a good doner. Might even find one with a hardwood stock that fits her and would be very light weight.

A good used Savage sporter weight barrel could be had for under a $100 and would likely shoot very well, especially with hand loads.

I had a model 11 BGL in .243 that shot very well, and my son took his first deer, a nice buck with it.

Memories like that simply can't be purchased.
 
In recent years I have changed my view on what is right-sized rifle. When I was a kid a .243 was rifle for women and children...I guess that makes sense at the time when everyone was using a 30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag or even a 270. The 308 became the new standard, and a 243 is the same case and powder charge. Honestly, 6.5 Creedmoor is the better round...more accurate than 308 and longer barrel life than 243. Not a 6.5 Creedmoor fanboy, but its hard to argue with the facts.

My daughter is petite (100lbs) so I built her a rifle that was the right size and recoil for Her, and not what I would wanted for me. Realistically, I needed a round that would work within 200 yards (more like 50-100 yards). I settled on a 300 Blackout... it was a caliber that I reloaded for AR15. If I were to build a second rifle I would look at something similar, maybe a 6.5 Grendel, which is arguably good out to 600 yards with only an 18"-20" barrel. The recoil is not much more than a .223, but its throwing a +120gr bullet at 2600fps. My daughter didn't need a cartridge that required 45 gr of powder. The bigger the cartridge the less likely she is to want to shoot the rifle.

What I have come to realize is that a more efficient, smaller case volume cartridge will get the job done and also increase a young shooter's willingness to go to the range and use the rifle.
 
Congratulations on spending some great quality time with your daughter!

I accidentally won a 8mm (i think Spanish) Mauser at an auction last spring for $65.
Stock & barrel are junk. Action in really good condition.
Perfect for a build!
Daughter has been wanting a hunting rifle, and applies for elk tag every year. PA requires at least 27 caliber.
7X57 Mauser seemed just the ticket.
Dakota 3 position safety, so i can mount a scope. $155
Timney Featherweight 1.5-4lb trigger. $99
Parker Hale aluminium floorplate $79
EGW one piece scope base $40
Vortex Viper low rings $40
(I already have a spare Vortex Diamondback 4-12X40)
Boyds AT-One purple stock with accessory kit $232
E.R. Shaw 22" lightweight sporter contour barrel with 11° recessed crown, polished & blued $231

Price of finished rifle over $900...
Look on my daughters face.. Priceless!!

Whatever you get, figure on at least a stock.
Weman are built differently.
More drop, more cast off, and a higher comb.
 
Did the same with my brother and his two daughters recently. Ended up with the 6.5x47 because of the heavier bullets. Cow elk are an option down the road. But the 6br was the clear second place round....would be a great choice too

we went remage. Bought a 300 dollar Remington 700. Think about 200 in it after selling parts. Northland for the barrel.
 
I'm watching this thread. My wife has a few custom fitted rifles & shotguns. If you can handload the ammo to reduce the recoil effect. Almost any rifle you find that she likes can be made to work for deer hunting. Good Luck . Mikeinct
 
[QUOTE="Texas10, post: 37702927, member: You can shop together ( I hear girls really like shopping).[/QUOTE]

Yeah, till it's going in & out of a bunch of pawn shops, or outdoors shops looking at guns... Lol

My daughter is recoil sensitive also, but doesn't mind shooting my Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts (she can have it AFTER i pass, till then it's mine! Lol), hence why i thought 7X57 Mauser.
Load up with some 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips should be just the ticket for white tail.
 
Don't forget to factor in the cost of a scope.
If 223 is legal in your state a fast twist 223, shooting heavy bullets, is ok for deer, hogs, and such. That opens up a whole bunch of possibilities building an AR. Lots more options and lots more building involved. Plus they are a hoot to shoot.
 
I would build a Savage, first it has a longer magazine box and I would go for a 7mm08 and use the 120 hollow points for deer and you can load them down a little to ease the recoil. Then you can go up to the 140 partition for elk if you get the chance. I had one I restocked and bedded and with a recrowned factory barrel shot in .4 with 140's so why rebarrel. It was a stainless steel one and with a good recoil pad it is a great gun and my buds grandson is doing well with it, he just got his second deer with it.... jim
 
johara1 said:
I would build a Savage, first it has a longer magazine box and I would go for a 7mm08 and use the 120 hollow points for deer and you can load them down a little to ease the recoil. Then you can go up to the 140 partition for elk if you get the chance. I had one I restocked and bedded and with a recrowned factory barrel shot in .4 with 140's so why rebarrel. It was a stainless steel one and with a good recoil pad it is a great gun and my buds grandson is doing well with it, he just got his second deer with it.... jim
Click to expand...
would the cheap Axis work?
 
First .... ask her what she wants. Might be an AR or maybe a larger caliber than you think. When looking for a paper shooting rifle for my wife, she chose a Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. She has a Ruger 10/22 and an AR15 but those don’t get shot much anymore. She says they don’t feel like real guns compared to the RPR. She loves the sights and sounds associated with the RPR.
 
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