Is a Winchester .30-30 rifle a good starting gun for a 13 year old?

Question

He has a 4-10. Its for my nephew

Answer 1

Go ahead and get the .30-.30. Even if all these other answers say something different. The .30-.30 is as good a place to start as any and better than some(.270/30.06). Make sure you take him with you when you buy it and have it fitted to his size with a decent kick pad. .30-.30 ammo is some of the cheapest around. you sight it in and let him shoot it a couple of times to get the feel but not so much he gets a soar arm. then unload it a nd let him play with it, yes I said play with it. He can't learn to cock and uncock it while it is loaded and with supervision he will learn how to handle it safely. You can't learn to handle a gun without handling one. Look at the military, you practically sleep with your weapon when you are in boot.

Answer 2

A good starting rifle "for what"?

If the rifle is strictly for deer hunting then the 30-30 would be a good choice, if the area you hunt in is heavily wooded and the longest shots would generally not be over 150yds.

I would prefer the Marlin 336 over the Winchester 94 myself.

If the rifle is for target shooting/plinking then a .22 would be better. >Ruger 10/22 or the like

Answer 3

No, just as the 410 is the wrong guage shotgun for beginners. But you use what you have, and it'll teach him some good lessons about hunting if that's your choice.
I'm a big fan of leverguns, and hunt with them routinely. I also shot my first few deer with a Winchester 92 (in 38-40!) but nobody's ever accused them of being great all-around rifles. When my boys got that age, I picked deer rifles for them that will be more versatile. Bolt-guns in 7mm08 caliber.
It's also a good idea to start them on 28 or 20 bore shotguns, but that's another story.

Answer 4

Well, it depends on alot of things. First, your and his buget. A 30-30 has some expensive cartreges and if he is planning to shoot alot, the cost can add up to about $40 per outing.

Second, when you hunt a 30-30 can shoot to about 300 yards with enough power to down a deer sized animal. I would stick with the 270 or 30-06 sized calibers.

Third, if this is your kids first gun, then be sure you know how to shoot it. You should start with a .22 or a 20 guage shotgun but a 30-30 is fine if YOU KNOW HOW TO SHOOT.

If you have any other questions email me!

Answer 5

Is that Winchester a top eject one? I would recommend against top ejects. The .30-30 is a great gun for starting out. Just remind him that if the recoil is too much now, he won't feel a thing if he's shooting at a deer. I started on a Marlin .30-30 side eject at age 12. As one poster stated, the Marlins are deadly accurate fresh out of the box.

Answer 6

There is quite a leap from a 4 -10 shotgun to a 30-30.

Now were talking serious knockdown power. From a safety point of veiw I'd prefer a single shot bolt action rifle such as a .243

I dont like the idea of kids that age having the ability to lever off another round in hurry. A bolt action reduces accidents in my mind.

A single shot bolt teaches them to make the first shot count.

Answer 7

My first center fire rifle was a Win. Mod. 94 in 30-30.

Frankly, you have to be careful, as one of the things about those lever guns is that when you load them, the hammer is in the fire position. So, you have to teach the kid to gently ease it forward to the half-cock position. Not a big deal, I never had a problem, but it's still something to be thinking about.

Of course, for more money, a nice bolt Action like a Ruger 77 or Remington 700 in .308 Win. also does the trick.

Answer 8

a .410 is kinda small.
for just deer a .30-30 is good for up to 150 yard shots. Ive heard people say that its good up to 300 yards, but i don't believe it. have him shoot a .22 LR to get used to a rifle in his hands. buy a lot of ammo for it and tell him he can shoot as much as what he wants so he knows how to handle a rifle and respects it. start with just open sights, then you can go for a scope.

a .30-30 is a great beginner gun. my pap started on a .30-30 when he was 13 and is still using it today at 60 years old.

live in western PA, and damn proud of it <((((><

Answer 9

I am guessing it is a model 94. If you are going to use it for deer, then yes. But if you will be hunting game bigger than deer, go with something larger in caliber. When I was 12 ( now 14), in the 2005 PA deer season, I used a 30-30, I borrowed it from my uncle. But, then my dad bought me a 30-06 Springfield to hunt deer with, which is what I use now, I also use the 7mm Remington Magnum. Good luck.

Answer 10

Simce he has a shotgun then perhaps, but you might want to consider something that shoots a more versatile cartridge than the 30-30, even with the newer polymer tip bullets. A 223 or a 243 will have a longer carry and still have enough punch to take medium sized game with the correct ammo without impact his shoulder. They will also make practicing more enjoyable.