Buckmasters Magazine

How I built my child’s confidence in heavy calibers.

In 2015, my son Luke and I traveled from Alabama to hunt whitetails with an outfitter in western Kentucky.

It was opening morning of the youth firearm season, as we sat in a ground blind over-looking a long food plot.

Luke, 11, waited quietly with his .300 Win Mag — that’s right, a .300 Magnum — atop a tripod shooting stick.

Daylight revealed a huge buck grazing 400 yards away. Since the distance was too great for an ethical shot, we watched in helpless anguish each time the monarch raised its head to show off its tall, dark antlers. We hoped it would come closer, but the buck remained at the far end of the plot until it had its fill.

The big 13-pointer did the exact same thing that evening, and again the next morning. With one hunt remaining, it was time to make a move. Since the buck wouldn’t come to us, we would go to it.

That afternoon found us 200 yards up the field edge from our original setup, quietly settling into a cane thicket. Once Luke was in place, I draped a camouflage jacket over his tripod. This served as a gun rest and a makeshift blind. I trimmed branches and then sat behind Luke to video the action.

The buck returned, just as we’d hoped. I focused the video camera over Luke’s shoulder as the muzzle of his magnum was pointed at the largest white-tailed buck either of us had ever seen.

This is really gonna happen, I thought as I hit the Record button.

Luke lowered his cheek to the gunstock, and I told him to shoot when ready. He hesitated and said, “Dad, I can’t see though the scope!”

Seconds seemed like hours as I offered possible solutions. “Move your cheek back and forth on the gunstock. Did that help? Turn the scope power all the way down. How’s that? Is it the sun’s glare? Put your hand over the end of the scope. Better?”

With each question, Luke’s response was, “No.”

Luke had used that gun-and-scope combination successfully for years. Then, a light bulb went on in my head: the ocular adjustment!

I whispered, “Luke, is the rubber ring on the back of the scope unscrewed?”

He checked quickly and replied, “Yes!” as he tightened the ring and settled in for a shot.

I gave Luke the okay to fire at will. “Not yet, Dad,” he whispered. “I want a broadside shot.”

Moments later, the buck turned. “Okay, son, take your time and squeeze.”

After a long exhale, Luke fired a round. The buck instantly dropped out of sight, then regained its feet and bolted.

It wasn’t long before our guide, Tad Ladd, arrived. The buck had gone just 50 yards, and it was a quick and easy recovery. We later measured the rack for Buckmasters Trophy Records at 167 2/8 inches (Composite) — a trophy that will be hard to top.

Luke had made a perfect heart shot with a rifle most hunters consider adult-sized. Even through adversity with the scope and the pressure of having a record book buck in sight, Luke’s ability to use the .300 Win Mag was never a concern. Our years of training and preparing for that a moment paid off.

Building Confidence

Not all kids are the same. Luke has hunted with a .300 Win Mag since he was 8 years old, which surprises many people. Some are even critical. But he didn’t start out with a .300.

I never forced that gun on Luke. The reason it’s his caliber of choice is because he has confidence in it, and because he got used to muzzle blast and recoil over a long period of time. It’s a process.

The first “gun” Luke ever fired was a Nerf gun, when he was 4. Before even placing a foam dart in the toy, I began versing him with the 10 commandments of firearms safety.

When he was 5, I felt it was safe for him to graduate to a lever-action BB gun. Along with more firearms safety came lessons about the basics of good shooting form, as well as how to shoulder and carry his BB gun safely. Since the gun had a safety, we practiced switching it off and on with every shot.

It wasn’t too early to teach proper trigger squeeze, breathing and how to use simple sights properly. He became surprisingly accurate.

At age 6, Luke moved up to plinking targets with a .22 rimfire rifle, and then to a single-shot .410 shotgun for hunting. We used hearing protection for both plinking and hunting.

He took a raccoon and his first turkey with that .410. He also sat with me in a shooting house numerous times as I shot deer. His interest in both shooting and hunting soared.

Later that same year, Luke asked to go deer hunting, not as an observer, but as the trig-ger man. But was my son ready for a high-powered rifle?

My first rifle was a lever-action .30-30. My father gave it to me before I began deer hunting at the age of 6. I was proud of the gift, but I couldn’t yet handle it.

My father had good intentions, but it took only one practice shot for me to become reluctant to shoot it again. Propped on a tailgate with no shoulder padding and no hearing protection, the more I shot, the more I prayed for the session to end. That rifle was LOUD — and PAINFUL!

Determined for Luke to have a better experience, I researched kid-friendly, low-recoil calibers and narrowed my search to the .243 and the 7mm-08.

I compared the benefits of a heavy wooden stock (less felt recoil) versus a lightweight synthetic stock (easier for a kid to carry). I settled on a Savage youth model .243 with a traditional wood stock.

Home on the Range

Before taking Luke to shoot his .243 for the first time, I invested in some quality ear-muffs and a recoil-reducing gun rest.

Noise and recoil are the two biggest causes of fear for a new shooter, especially a child. Either will make you flinch.

At the range, Luke and I wore earmuffs with speakers in the headsets, allowing us to communicate. We prefer electronic earmuffs, but inexpensive muffs or even foam earplugs will suffice.

With his .243 cradled in a Caldwell Lead Sled Plus, Luke prepared for his maiden shot.

Weighted with lead shot or barbell weights, a Lead Sled Plus reduces recoil up to 95%, even with magnum calibers. It also eliminates a lot of human error.

After Luke fired the first round, his grin told me the plan was working. He said, “Dad, can I shoot again?”

Because noise and recoil were not a distraction, he was comfortable behind the trigger.

Taking Confidence Afield

I became a big fan of recoil pads years ago when I found they greatly tamed my hard-kicking .300 Win Mag. So, before the 2010 rifle season, I purchased a slip-on pad for Luke’s .243. and we went to the range to see if it would change the fit of the gun.

Experienced hunters know recoil is rarely felt when firing at game, but I wanted my son to get used to the pad.

That season, Luke claimed his first buck and doe. I have no doubt the recoil pad helped his confidence and accuracy.

At age 8, Luke upped his carry to a bolt-action .7mm-08. Heading afield for the 2012 deer season, Luke was excited as ever.

But when his .7mm-08 misfired on an Alabama 8-pointer, I slid my .300 over to him. I prayed the scope didn’t cut him, leaving a scar like the one I received as a kid while hunting with my dad’s .30-06.

The recoil pad did its job as Luke made a perfect shot with the magnum. From that day forward, he requested my .300 for hunting, and I knew he could handle it.

The next two seasons, Luke took feral hogs and whitetails with the .300 Win Mag. And in turkey season, I slipped the LimbSaver pad on our 12-guage 31/2 magnum, and he used it to take a gobbler.

A Flinch on the Bench?

Luke might be an exception to the rule when it comes to handling heavy calibers at a young age. He had the luxury of developing confidence over time and gained more initial experience than most young hunters.

If a child or even an adult develops a flinch, consider backing off on the caliber, even if it means plinking with a .22 rimfire again. But don’t stop practicing.

With proper hearing protection, guidance and a good recoil pad, the flincher will regain confidence quickly. If flinching persists, consider sticking with a .243 or a similar caliber suited to the shooter’s comfort level.

Half the battle with accuracy is comfort behind the trigger. If a .25-06 is what your child is comfortable with, then stick with it.

A well-placed round from a light caliber is more deadly than an errant shot from a magnum. With patience and a gradual introduction to sound and recoil, even small-framed shooters can step up to a bigger caliber.

Just remember to build them up slowly, and cater the caliber to the kid.

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