loads for a 10yr

[kawie]

i asked this question on the huntsman an sidekick forum and got a few answers (thanks to those that helped)but i was hoping for more feedback.i just received my sidekick an want to let my 10yr use it to shoot a deer.what i need is some help figuring out some low power loads for him to use that will effectively dispatch a deer to no more than 50 yrds.will be hunting out of a hunting blind with a solid rest over a small clearing in the woods.i normally use 90 grains of 3f t7 or app with a 300 grain hornady sst.i dont think the sst would expand at the lower volocity that it will be shot at so i think that a pure lead conical would be better suited to the job.im thinking a load of 50-60 grains 3f is were i will start.i dont want to use a load that is going to scare him.thanks

[Semisane]

At 50 yards or less, a patched ball over 60 grains of T7 or Pyrodex would certainly do the job on any whitetail with a broadside heart/lung shot.

As an alternative, a 250 grain Speer Gold Dot over the same powder charge will penetrate and expand well and is a sure killer, but has a little more recoil.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

245 grain powerbelt copper series, over 60-70 grains triple 7 will be perfect. He'll even be able to reload it himself.

70 grains T7 would be great out to 125 yards or so.

[oneshotonekill]

I would look into some of the lighter weight HP pistol bullets like a 200 gr HP in .451 in a sabot of your choice.  I have some 200 gr HP's I 've played with and they shot very well even with lighter powder charges.  I've also shot some cast bullets that were pretty soft.  They were 225 gr designed for the 45 colt ans are soft enough they would probably expand with a 50-60 gr charge.  By reducing the bullet weight you can reduce recoil and increase velocity to a point that you may get some expansion.  I wouldn't go much lighter than 200 gr though.  I also wouldn't be overly concerned about getting a bullet to expand.  You are already shooting a bullet that is close to a half inch in diameter, and if you go to conicals it would be a half inch.   

[kawie]

thanks guys.what do you guys think should i scope it or should i let him use the iron sights.im leaning towards the iron sights but adding a Williams peep in back.i was thinking he should learn to be better shot first with the open sights first but then i was also thinking that a scope gives 100% better sight picture for better shot placement.i learned on open sights an i kind of think that it makes you pick better shots cause you a limited to the best possible shots that you can make.which i think would teach my son some patience an Waite for the best possible shot. an thanks an happy easter to all.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Let him learn how to use open sights.

Hey i forgot, but powerbelt makes the 223 grain aerotip in .50cal. Load that up with 60 or 70 grains and that bullet WILL mushroom perfectly and do major damage!

[vabowhntr]

In my sidekick I shot 85 gr of Pyrodex with a 240 gr T/C Cheapshot.  These are all lead HP's that expand well at lower velocities and are cheap to shoot.  I would look at about 70 gr of 3f t7 with the cheapshot for shooting deer.  Should be close to the same velocity (1650-1700 fps) I was getting with the pyro and I shot clean through deer up to 190 lbs at ranges out to 50 yards. No heavy bone hits, though. 

I might start him out with about 50 gr of t7, though and work him up to 70 gr as he gets used to it. No sense in developing a flinch.

[1187VX2]

I went through this last fall with my 10 year old.   He ended up with a .54 cal round ball with 60 grains 777.  While practicing/working up the load, his first shot was only 40 grains - I knew it'd be important for his 1st impression to be 'that didn't kick too bad - I can handle this'.  After that, getting him up to to 60 grains wasn't hard at all.  He took 2 nice little does with this load - 1 at 90 yards & the second at about 50 yards - both pass thrus.  A rest is a must.

I couldn't disagree more with making a beginner use iron sights.  You want him to succeed, right?  Why withhold the best tools?  Take him out shooting with an open sight .22 for practice, but give the kid a break when it comes to live targets!!  How are you going to feel if he wounds one with open sights, on a shot you know he coulda made with a scope?  

[kawie]

thanks again guys.as far as the power belts go i had 2 experiences with them one good one not good.i know the pros an cons of them have been discussed many times on here so im going to stay away from that battle.i ve been reading on the cheap shots an the kieth stile bullets an might give them a try.pure lead seems like the way to go at lower volocities.as far as the sights go i think im going to use the open sights cause i will be there to help guide him on the best shots.plus the shots are going to be under 50 yds probaly under 25.the plot we will be shoot to is only 15 yds away.another concern is i dont want a 10yr with scope eye.as far as making a bad shot ,we all have been there,maded me feel sick when it happen to me,but its something that happens.thats why im trying to find info now to help me out.so this summer we can practice as much as possible.plus if i feel that my sons not ready, it will not happen then.thanks again

[alsaqr]

A good low recoil load is 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 240 grain XTP bullet.  This is the load that I use for squirrel and rabbit head shots.   Have also killed quite a few hogs and deer with that load. 

[Chris Potts]

I would go for a flat nose lead bullet in the 255 gr range over 40-50 grs of powder.  The original 45 colt load was only 40 grs of powder over a 255 gr bullet.  I think that if you were getting 1100-1200 fps you would be fine at the ranges that you are looking about.  If you look at the handgun hunting forum you will find that alot of people have high regards for similar loads in a handgun.  You could definitely go higher if the recoil doesn't bother him, but if he puts the bullet where it counts you will have venision in the freezer.

Chris