Tikka T3X 7mm-08 Youth Build

[cooshunter]

Hi All,

I'm building a hunting rifle for my 10 y.o. Son, who's small for his age (shy of 70 lbs.). I'm hoping to document the build here, and get some advice from all of you on how to set it up. The rifle will be a Tikka T3X in 7mm-08, fitted with a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm with a duplex reticle. I have a second take-off stock from a T3 that I plan to cut down. When he's older he can put the original stock back on and use the rifle into adulthood. We're in SW Oregon, and most of our hunting is done in the steep and brushy coast range. He'll be using the rifle for blacktail deer, black bear, and elk.

A few questions to start out with:

1) His LOP is very short - about 10". I'd like to cut the stock down and put a recoil pad on that I can add spacers to later. Does anyone have advice on a good pad/spacer kit?

2) He won't be able to shoot off-hand for a while. I'm hoping to get some sort of a bipod/sticks setup that's easy to get set up and use, but also light enough to backpack with. Any suggestions?

3) I'm looking at the 120-grain Hornady Custom Lite reduced recoil ammo. Does anyone have experience with these? Will the recoil be manageable?

Thanks in advance and I'll keep you updated!

 

[270quest]

Not sure how much help this will be, but my son who just turned 12, I built him his first rifle when he was 10. He was about 75 pounds at that time. I built him a 6.5 creed on a Remington SA and a 23" bartilien 2b barrel. It has a cooper synthetic stock that we cut down to 12.5" lop. My thought is I want him to have a lifetime type rifle that as he gets older 16-18, we can swap out the stock for a full size option and keep moving forward. I had him practicing with reduced handloads that had no recoil at all. Then prior to his first hunt, developed a hunting load and made sure it was sighted in - but didn't say anything to him about the more powerful loads - didn't want him thinking about it.

 

[Apollo117]

My dad put together a similar setup for me and my siblings when we were younger. It was a Savage youth model 11 in 7-08 (good choice). I can't remember the LOP, but I fit the rifle well enough to reach the trigger. We reload, so Dad made his own 120gr low recoil ammo. We all shot our first whitetails and hogs with that rifle. And 20 years later I still use it as a truck gun for it's compactness.

Sorry for the trip down nostalgia lane. I've got a lot of good memories with a rifle very similar to what you're putting together.

For shooting sticks, we've always used a pair of garden stakes from Walmart or a hardware store. They come in 4' or 6' lengths and cost maybe a dollar each. It's just a piece of lightweight steel coated in plastic. I think Scott's Lawn and Garden makes some. We usually get the 4' length or cut to size. Take a thick rubber band or surgical tubing and wrap it around the stakes until tight. Then move the band 1/3 of the way down the stakes. Leave it there for easy carrying. Spread the stakes apart to create a V for resting a rifle. The band can be difficult to adjust for proper height when aiming, but once it's in place it won't move.

Hope this helps and I hope y'all make some great memories.

 

[cooshunter]

Apollo - Thanks for the trip. I'm also hoping to make this a rifle that he'll pass onto his own kids some day. I was thinking about a cheaper youth-specific model, but decided to spend the extra $ and get him something that will last. Great idea on the garden stakes - I'll give that a shot. I may actually do something similar with trekking poles.

270- I like the idea having him practice with no-recoil handloads. My issue is that I don't have the time or money to get into that hobby. Does anyone know if there are any services or gun shops that can make be a batch of custom loads for a reasonable price?

 

[Sevens]

NECG has a quicklock system that allows you to slide on different recoil pads. You still need to grind them to fit, but you could have different length pads for when he grows (or just wears more clothing due to weather).

NECG Recoil Pads | New England Custom Gun Service, Ltd. - Page 1

 

[bonepoint]

I did something similar for my boys, but a 6.5 Creedmoor Howa in a youth stock (12.5" LOP). I added a cheap bipod to the gun because I knew they couldn't shoot offhand. It isn't a light setup, but I figured I would be packing it for them most of the time while they are in the 9-11 year old range anyway since they will be filling my tag under the Oregon mentor program. Your Tikka should be lighter.

My 10 year old is about 65 lbs and shoots the 12.5" LOP just fine. I had him shooting reduced 100g and 120g loads for practice, then moved him up to full velocity 130g loads the week before hunting and he handled it fine. That doesn't mean he has the same LOP as your son, but I would be worried about going too much below 12.0" and him growing out of it quickly. I bet Tikka has a youth stock that comes with spacers.

 

[16Bore]

Lots of eye relief.

 

[davescarp]

I'm eyeing a tikka compact in 223. It has a 20' barrel, 1:8 twist, 12.5" lop with spacers to grow with the kid. I want to use it for hunting and range practice, but think it'll make a great starter gun for my kid. Smooth reliable action, feeding, extraction etc. Gonna put a SWFA 6x on it and shoot the crap out of it. Eurooptic has them for $580. Best price I've found.

 

[16Bore]

That be a great adult rifle too...

 

[bluetick78]

If you can find someone to thread the barrel for a muzzle brake, it'll help with recoil a ton. My son's rifle wears a brake except when we're big game hunting.

 

[270quest]

A 3-9X40 Ziess Conquest with its 4" of eye relief at all powers is an excellent scope for a youth rifle that needs it.

 

[Packin_packout]

Thread / ( Suppress or brake ). Kickeez pad on a youth stock. Get some kerlix and foam sleeping pad and build him up a cheek rest. The biggest problem at that age is finding the target in the scope. If hunting on the ground get a tripod and a hog saddle. Reduced recoil loads for starting him shooting. Youngest is 15 now and he can tell difference between suppressed and un-suppressed for recoil absolutely.

My kid outgrew his stock. PM me if you want it.

 

[Packin_packout]

I dug through my notes, I'd chrono'd the hornady reduced recoil stuff when I built my kids loads...It is lighter 120 grain @ 2575. He has a shorter barrel because I had to pull it back some to get enough barrel to have the shoulder for the suppressor. It's running 2750 with 140 accubonds right now so definitely lighter than what they use now.

 

[Capra]

I'm no expert but I asked the question on here a few months ago for my wife.

We settled on a T3X 7mm-08 lite compact. It has a 20" barrel and 12" LOP out of the box and includes spacers to add LOP. It might be close to what you want right out of the box

 

[BAKPAKR]

If you reload, check out the Hodgdon site for info on reduced loads with H4895. I used a reduced charge of H4895 behind a 90 gr ELD-X in a 243 Win for my daughter last fall and it worked great on a whitetail. You should be able to do the same thing with a 7mm-08.

 

[cooshunter]

BAKPAKR, that’s basically what I wanted but the compact model doesn’t come in stainless. We live on the coast about a block from the water, and corrosion is a major issue so stainless was a must.

 

[K-Hill]

Find the compact model in the caliber you want then get it Cerakoted . Will be cheaper than stainless.
With a full sized stock simply cut down chances are he will have problems reaching the trigger and being able to hold onto the rifle .

 

[cooshunter]

The stainless T3x is already on its way. Should be here middle of next week.

My girlfriend has a Cerakoted 12ga., which was her Dad’s. It’s a pretty cool system. I have an old Remington 78 Sportsman in .270 that looks like crap but shoots really well. I’m going to have it coated at some point in the near future. Rust will still be an issue in the action and inside the barrel. Living on the coast has advantages and disadvantages - having surface rust (or worse) on everything you own is definitely not one of the advantages.

 

[Tmac]

We had good success with the Rem 140 grain reduced recoil loads to 200 yards or so. Recoil was a gentle push. Gun did not like the Hornady load, can’t recall its recoil, but think it was very close.

 

[Rickchuck]

My son started out with this same rifle/ caliber combination. We had great results with the Hornady custom lite 120 sst. The reduced recoil made it fun to go out and practice and focus on the fundamentals. He was able to take a couple of deer, an elk and bear with this round without any issues. Good luck!


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