Jan 20, 2023 5 min read

This week, I’m going to take a very scientific subject and make it as unscientific as possible. In the words of Forrest Gump, “I am not a smart mam.” But here goes.

Mr. Voight reaches out, saying, “Dave, I am looking for a rifle for my grandson and I want to buy the right weapon for a beginner. I am a bit overwhelmed. I don’t want a caliber that ‘kicks’ too much and makes him afraid. Where do I begin?”

Great question, Mr. Voight. The answer could contain volumes but I will attempt to answer your question in a few lines. Let me state that from the get go that everything I am writing contains varying degrees of my personal opinion. The moment some gun expert reads this I guarantee their blood pressure will elevate, taking exception to the opinions expressed, herein. Be advised that this is only one man’s opinion.

Kick is a product of caliber, charge weight, action design, rifle weight, shooter body mass, proper fit, etc. Myriad factors affect recoil. A working definition of (felt) transitional kinetic recoil energy or simply, “kick” is the energy transferred to the shooter when firing a weapon. Recoil is measured in foot/pounds. For our purposes, I will refer to this as recoil from here on out.

A .22 long rifle produces about 0.2 ft./lbs. of recoil, almost negligible. An African big game rifle might produce as much as 83 ft./lbs. of recoil, a hugely uncomfortable rifle to shoot. Traditional deer rifles fall roughly between 10-20 ft./lbs. Suffice to say, rifles that kick more are less pleasant to shoot, less accurate in the hands of a novice shooter and might cause flinching or fear of excessive recoil. Now for the important part: What can we do about it?

First things first. Introducing new shooters to the sport with a .22 caliber (short/long/long rifle) weapon can often be a productive first step. The .22 long rifle is, by far, the most popular starter round in today’s market. It is also the cheapest alternative. There are other more exotic offerings. The minute recoil produced by a .22 is almost non-existent. Kids learn to shoot better with less recoil and learn to handle a bit more recoil as they progress. Don’t forget the ear and eye protection. Novices tend to have fun shooting .22’s and progress from the bench to shooting off hand to plinking, developing marksmanship skills along the way. Check out the Appleseed Project (https://appleseedinfo.org) if you are interested in developing marksmanship skills.

Once properly introduced to the rifle, larger caliber offerings can be experimented with. Often, rifles are selected for kids out of necessity. This rifle is available and it is what our family has on hand. I get it. Under these circumstances, Johnny must learn to shoot whatever is on hand. On the other hand, tradition largely takes over. I know of a family that was solely dedicated to the .30-06. That’s what they shot because grandpa shot it in WWI and their family shoots the 06. Period.

George Block was a .270 fan and a dedicated disciple of Jack O’Connor. I happen to be a .308 guy. There is no hard and fast rule, simply a matter of personal preference. For those with a bit more disposable income, there are other options to experiment with. Let’s start by examining a recoil table. The one that I am using for this comes from Sportsman’s Warehouse. There are many good reference sources available. I wish I had access to these figures when I was picking a caliber for my first rifle.

Here’s where I am likely to cause the villagers to reach for their pitchforks and torches and alight on my castle steps. I am simply recommending a few calibers and their accompanying levels of approximate recoil with which to start your search. The accompanied chart is by no means exhaustive. All listings are in reference to foot/pounds of energy, or fp.

Most of what I am putting out there can be run through the filter: Do I own it? Can I borrow it at least for a season or two? Is it the lowest recoil option available? Can I reload it? Can I reduce the load for less recoil? Can I find factory ammo at the store? Is my caliber selection cheap or expensive? Is it an adequate deer stopper? Is it cool? Will my family disown me? These and other questions we will debate in future articles but I hope this starts you off on the right foot.

Whatever you choose, try to shoot that caliber before you buy.

Good luck and good shooting.

Caliber;Ft./Lbs.;Comments

.22-250;4;Not legal for deer in PA but good starter caliber.

.30-30;9.5;Can be difficult to operate in lever action for a youngster.

.243; 11;Readily available.

.257 Roberts;11 Can be difficult to locate ammunition.

6.5 Creedmoor;11.5;Relatively new cartridge, not always available.

7mm-08;12.5;Can be difficult to locate ammo; a bit on the exotic side.

.308;16;Readily available.

.30-06′ ;18;Readily available.

.270;17;Readily available.