Quote Originally Posted by jo191145
Barry

heres my opinion and worth exactly what you've paid for it.
Go with the 243. Its plenty gun for whitetails with the proper bullet in it.
The biggest problem young (and older) shooters have is a pshycological phenomonon called flinch.
Basically the brain tells the body to be afraid of the recoil right at the moment of trigger pull. Usually a fast jerk of the trigger and tightening of the body muscles (flinch) Very often the shooter does not even know its happening. Accuracy is bad and moral is low.
New shooters should work their way up the recoil chain.

As Mike said. Pay the subscription to this site and you'll see the classifieds. Northlander sells Sav factory tubes.
Custom barrels ready to screw on are available. A factory tube should be just fine for hunting and learning. A little more economical.

I'd also recommend you consider getting some basic equipment and begin reloading.
On these shooting forums we go on and on about the latest and greatest expensive reloading gear.
For hunting accuracy you need not break the bank to reload your own. With the price of factory ammo these days you should end up saving money by buying the equipment and rolling your own. As long as you don't get hung up on buying "the best" that is.

Reloading your own is just one more thing a Father and Son can do together for quality time.
I commend you for helping your son learn to shoot.

Hodgen has some recipes for Youth Loads with reduced recoil. If you ever take my advice and roll your own that would be a good place to start.
Very Sound Advice +1