Kids binoculars

[joefish]

Hey guys , seems it's time to start thinking about buying some binoculars for my 11 year old son who seems keen on hunting.

Anyone have any recommendations?

I'm thinking like a smallish pair in the 8x30 range but open to ideas.

Cheers 

[Duncs]

Cheap ones!  He’ll drop ‘em for sure

[samburstalker]

NL Pure 8x32,  will have them for life

[Dave9.3x62]

Cheap 8x30s ok I reckon. Or foldable 8x20's

Edited April 3 by Dave9.3x62

[ben338]

8x42's bushnell trophy or low end vortex.  they're not bad bino's so will be able to use them for years.  and a harness.

[samburstalker]

look at Maven, I think they do that size

[ben338]

On 02/04/2024 at 9:10 PM, joefish said:

Hey guys , seems it's time to start thinking about buying some binoculars for my 11 year old son who seems keen on hunting.

Anyone have any recommendations?

I'm thinking like a smallish pair in the 8x30 range but open to ideas.

Cheers 

are you planning on setting up a rifle for him too?

[joefish]

On 26/04/2024 at 7:37 AM, ben338 said:

are you planning on setting up a rifle for him too?

Down the track I will if he still has a keen interest.   He's nearly 12 now so not far off a jr license but I feel he's still to young.

I can't wait till he gets older and can hunt with me 😁

You reckon something like a super lite in a small sambar legal cal?

[ben338]

2 hours ago, joefish said:

Down the track I will if he still has a keen interest.   He's nearly 12 now so not far off a jr license but I feel he's still to young.

I can't wait till he gets older and can hunt with me 😁

You reckon something like a super lite in a small sambar legal cal?

i'm in a similar situation with 10yr old, he's a bit immature but showing some interest, he's not bad on the air rifle.

for me i just don't think you can beat the .308, reduced loads with 2206h (60% rule) and a soft 150-168gr bullet, increase velocity as they grow.

a super lite might be just that bit too light with recoil?  the new howa is only 2kg, but you might still want to shorten the stock a touch.

i thinking standard sporter weight howa, 20" barrel would be nice rather than the standard 22".  hogue do a compact stock if you can find one with a 12.5" length of pull.

other options for me are tikka t3x lite with a compact stock (most expensive option).  or ruger american compact, 18" barrel, 12.5" LOP stock.

[Dave9.3x62]

My sons nearly 17 and its great hunting with him and watching his develpoment and the thrill he gets from being outdoors, camping, shooting and butchering.

[joefish]

You're probably right about the idea of a 308 Ben, I hadn't thought about loading it down.

I still have my old Howa 1500 in the safe that never ever gets used so maybe I could find a lighter stock for it and he could try that when he's ready.    It's about 4kg standard!

 

I'm excited at the thought of doing all that with him Dave, it would be rewarding.

What did your young fella start hunting with Dave??

[ben338]

i think length of pull may be of more concern than just weight.  if you could find a light weight stock for a reasonable price that would be nice.

you probably have a 22" barrel, you could have it docked back to 20", save a bit of weight and should balance better with a youth stock.

i've been told from guys that have been down this path, keep them off the bench with this type of rifle, have them practice offhand and use the smaller cals on a bench. increase velocity as they grow.

168gr bullet loaded to 2200fps is pretty similar to 30-30 factory loads.

 

32 minutes ago, joefish said:

You're probably right about the idea of a 308 Ben, I hadn't thought about loading it down.

I still have my old Howa 1500 in the safe that never ever gets used so maybe I could find a lighter stock for it and he could try that when he's ready.    It's about 4kg standard!