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Build a kids rifle - poll added for caliber, scope input requested

Caliber choice

  • 223 rem

    Votes: 12 52.2%

  • 223 ai

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 224 valk

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 6BR

    Votes: 7 30.4%

  • 6GT

    Votes: 1 4.3%

  • 6arc

    Votes: 3 13.0%
  • Total voters
    23
z7.jled

z7.jled

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 22, 2014
346
199
Tampa, FL
9yr old daughter, going on 10. Enjoys the 22 RPRimfire and ar15 and is a pretty darn good shot with the 22. Post edited to get some specific feedback on caliber and scopes

Caliber choice - I reload, so easy to add a new caliber, poll added. I want to maximize fun and minimize recoil, don’t want to hamstring her learning over the years with a poor choice

action - ARC nucleus, I have a mausingfield, im a fanboy and appreciate the material selection and thought process Ted goes through

stock - likely xlr element

barrel - Rem varmint or similar contour, between 20 and 24” so as not to be too long with a suppressor

trigger - not picky, 1 or 2 with a safety, safe and reliable and primary goals,

scope - considering 4. Burris xtriii, bushnell xrsiii, mk5 had 3-18 or nx8 2-20. Weight and price are important. I’m Military so I can get a discount on some. AMG is too rich for me, nx8/mk5 are pushing the budget
I want to keep the weight down so she can maneuver it, but I want it to handle and shoot nicely, will also get a tbac dominus when the atf is gracious enough to review my paperwork and approve it

She is a good shooter for her age, shows great patience and discipline, so I want to capitalize on that, as of now my krg chassis and 16lb rifle is too much for her to maneuver and she hasn’t tried it yet (308 win) I’m thinking a 12-15lb rifle, 223 might be a good way to start but I’m considering a 6mm gt or br for a bit more distance and energy on target (deer hunting, supported positions only)
 
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Built my son's first 'real' rifle last year when he turned 10 as well. Bought a Howa 1500 heavy barrel in .223 and put it in a KRG Bravo. Threw a Vortex scope on it that I'm not happy with (will replace it at some point in the future). Trigger is stock, I threw on a Magpul bipod (very happy with that).
 
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z7.jled said:
Caliber thinking of a 223, or maybe 6gt - what are your thoughts? I reload, but don’t have a 6mm yet

action - ARC nucleus, I have a mausingfield, im a fanboy and appreciate the material selection and thought process Ted goes through

barrel - I’ll have LRI spin one up, balance weight and length with caliber chosen,

I’m considering a 6mm gt or br for a bit more distance and energy on target (deer hunting, supported positions only)
Click to expand...

With the Nuke having swapable bolt heads, you could consider running a 223 most of the time and swapping the barrel to something like a 243/6mm a bit before deer season.

z7.jled said:
stock - likely xlr element (not heavy, 12” LOP) possibly MPA hybrid youth or McMillan a-10, advice needed
Click to expand...

Another lightweight option is the MDT HTN26. They come in around 2lbs and have a 12.5" LOP according to their website

z7.jled said:
scope - love my razor gen ii. But it is a pig, thinking mk5 3-18 or any number of available ~30oz scopes (Burris, bushnell, NX8 series). Advice needed
Click to expand...

Assuming you go with a light enough chassis and barrel, ~12lbs could be doable with a Razor gen II. I probably wouldn't go NX8 because you are trying to fit the rifle to a child and the eyebox is noticeably tighter on that optic. Could be frustrating for a child, but I've never taught one to shoot, so simply brainstorming here.

z7.jled said:
trigger - not picky, 1 or 2 with a safety, safe and reliable and primary goals,
Click to expand...

Trigger tech has a pretty solid rep and usually has steep discounts for Black Friday. So does ARC and MDT if you end up taking that path.


If it helps at all, the rifle pictured here is an ARC Nucleus 1.0 with a 20" IBI 223 rem Savage prefit barrel finished at 0.86" at the muzzle. It comes in at around 13-13.5lbs without the bipod and a few things added to the ZC420 (caps, level. sunshade). Iirc, the KRG W3 is around 4.75lbs with the arca rail and spigot on it. This same rifle with a Gen II on top comes in at 14.8lbs. Could easily chop 2-3lbs off with a slightly thinner barrel and lighter chassis.

20210208_121012.jpg
 
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BillyNg said:
Built my son's first 'real' rifle last year when he turned 10 as well. Bought a Howa 1500 heavy barrel in .223 and put it in a KRG Bravo. Threw a Vortex scope on it that I'm not happy with (will replace it at some point in the future). Trigger is stock, I threw on a Magpul bipod (very happy with that).
Click to expand...
How does he handle the krg bravo?
Im looking for a shorter LOP and the best hand placement I can get so she can work on fundamentals
 
I'm not a Vortex fanboy but I am a AMG fanboy, but the AMG would be a great fit for what you are wanting. Great reticle and a light package with locking turrets, glass is very good.
 
.223 should be great, mine will hang with my 6.5CM out to 600 with 77 SMK's. Changeable bolt head means you can change to another caliber if you'd like to do so in the future. My 10 year old nephew was shooting my 6.5 prone when he was 10 and watching the steel rams fall in he scope at 550 yards his first time shooting it. The noise from the brake bothered he and his brother more than the recoil.
 
I built my daughters their first rifle from mostly left over ar15 parts. Had to buy a side charging upper receiver. Turn the gas off or just enough to unlock the bolt, and you have a simple bolt action. Easy to fit a kiddo to a Ubr stock, and slim vertical grip. They will never outgrow it.
 
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pdd614 said:
I built my daughter’s their first rifle from mostly left over ar15 parts. Had to buy a side charging upper receiver. Turn the gas off or just enough to unlock the bolt, and you have a simple bolt action. Easy to fit a kiddo to a Ubr stock, and slim vertical grip. They will never outgrow it.
Click to expand...
She likes the ar15, but I’ve noticed point of impact shifts depending on how the hand guard is pressured (bipod vs tripod vs bags)
I’m leaning xlr element and a nucleus barreled action, I can add a bold head and new barrel later (next fall I’ll be deployed so we won’t be hunting or shooting)
 
z7.jled said:
She likes the ar15, but I’ve noticed point of impact shifts depending on how the hand guard is pressured (bipod vs tripod vs bags)
I’m leaning xlr element and a nucleus barreled action, I can add a bold head and new barrel later (next fall I’ll be deployed so we won’t be hunting or shooting)
Click to expand...
I love my Origin and then whatever bolt head and barrel later is pretty cheap, plus it's easy to find a pre fit for the origin used, but of course the nuke is great too I'm sure.
 
Definitely following. I’ve got time.

I’ve got a Terminus Zeus with the hand tight barrels. If thought of buying her the same thing so we could swap barrels.

A scope that could start a kid out is the Bushnell LRHSi/LRTSi. That’s what I was thinking.

The stock is something I can’t figure out.

Or I could just buy a Tikka, swap bolts, and barrels as she grows. So there’s always that.
 
When my son was 12 or 13. I got him started shooting precision rifle matches using a Tikka T3 in 223 with a 1/8 twist barrel. It was a pretty low cost way to get him started and see how he liked it. I didnt want to invest a heap of money into a new build until I knew he was going to like it and stick with it.

When he was 14, the PRS came to Australia. He shot his first match doubling up on my 6XC, and we built him his own rifle in 6 Creed after shooting that first match. He loves the 6 Creed.

He started off using my rifles which all run stocks, but pretty quickly he tried a chassis and liked that better.
 
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shax2lex said:
Definitely following. I’ve got time.

I’ve got a Terminus Zeus with the hand tight barrels. If thought of buying her the same thing so we could swap barrels.

A scope that could start a kid out is the Bushnell LRHSi/LRTSi. That’s what I was thinking.

The stock is something I can’t figure out.

Or I could just buy a Tikka, swap bolts, and barrels as she grows. So there’s always
Click to expand...
Xlr seems to be pretty short ~12” and then mdt lss with a carbine stock is about the same, but I think the xlr is a better setup and can grow with a kid more

there are a lot of scopes between 26 and 32oz, i think it’s a price and reticle game at that point
 
z7.jled said:
How does he handle the krg bravo?
Im looking for a shorter LOP and the best hand placement I can get so she can work on fundamentals
Click to expand...

We both really like the Bravo, it's great looking, comes with a lot of accessories to make life easy, and is a comfortable stock in my opinion (I know some hate the plastic cheek piece, but I find it comfortable).
 
My daughter (11yr in pic) is pretty petite and has all but stolen my 223ai/22 creed setup. It is in a mcmillan a3/5 and with all the spacers pulled its just right for her. 21" tube with a 7" can.
 

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I saw someone above posting about just getting a Howa barreled action and tossing it in a KRG, that’s the best plan I have seen. I have a vanguard HB in an MDT XRS, I love mine and it shoots way better than it theoretically should. The XRS is a great chassis, however with weight in mind it may be a little heavy for a ten year old. This particular rig in 223 would be spot on, and there is a lot of 223 available on the shelf even in these crappy times. Even if it’s crap ammo it means that you don’t have to reload every single round and there is something to be said for having the ability to pick up a few $10-15 boxes of plinking ammo and popping clay birds at range.
scopewise, if you don’t need a variable look at the SWFA Supersniper series. Their HD fixed powers are great, even the standard one are very good too.
 
If you're going to build something, IMHO I'd build something like 6.5 Grendel or 6mm ARC.
Either one of those, loaded to 62,000 psi would make an excellent, low recoil, long range setup.

Pressures in factory ammo are kept to 52000 because of the limitations of the AR15 bolt with so much material removed.
 
For guys looking into this.
Lop with folder 11.5” And 35.5” OAL
About 10” without folder
OAL seen here Folded is 27.5”
Muzzle device is 2 1/8”



D646B49E-6DC3-4BC5-AF91-81A6506D50BA.jpeg
 
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I just did a father/son gun for my oldest (7). It scales at around 9.5 lbs, so it's a heavyweight for him and a middle weight for me.

ARC Nuc G2
Manners CS-2 CF (elite) - this right here is money; adjustable LOP all the way down to like 10" or AR length gets my son comfortably behind the gun
Proof CF 6.5 CM @ 20", PBB Steel (chambered/threaded by DST) .223 Rem @ 18"
Trigger Tech Special, 2-stage

The stock is back at Manners right now to have a mini-chassis put in. I had some issues with the bedding, decided "to hell with it" and changed directions entirely on that. Whether on bags or off the bipod, the CS-2 (really just a T2 with adjustable LOP) is great to work with. Plenty of real estate up front, weighs "only" about 2.75 lbs. Only grip is that a CS-2 and CF barrel leave it a little rear heavy for me. That does, however, make it easier for my son to maneuver. A steel tube likely puts you in around 11.5 - 12 lbs for the same gun (assuming you've got around 34 ounces into the optic and rings, which is the same direction I went).
z7.jled said:
In discussion with the boss, but my daughter turns 10 this year, she loves shooting and there is not a clay pigeon inside of 200yds safe from her 22 (Ruger precision rimfire)

Caliber thinking of a 223, or maybe 6gt - what are your thoughts? I reload, but don’t have a 6mm yet

action - ARC nucleus, I have a mausingfield, im a fanboy and appreciate the material selection and thought process Ted goes through

stock - likely xlr element (not heavy, 12” LOP) possibly MPA hybrid youth or McMillan a-10, advice needed

barrel - I’ll have LRI spin one up, balance weight and length with caliber chosen,

trigger - not picky, 1 or 2 with a safety, safe and reliable and primary goals,

scope - love my razor gen ii. But it is a pig, thinking mk5 3-18 or any number of available ~30oz scopes (Burris, bushnell, NX8 series). Advice needed

gun will get an atlas cal and will share my original cyke-pod, also will spend time on the anvil 30,

I want to keep the weight down so she can maneuver it, but I want it to handle and shoot nicely, will also get a tbac dominus when the atf is gracious enough to review my paperwork and approve it

She is a good shooter for her age, shows great patience and discipline, so I want to capitalize on that, as of now my krg chassis and 16lb rifle is too much for her to maneuver and she hasn’t tried it yet (308 win) I’m thinking a 12lb, 223 might be a good way to start but I’m considering a 6mm gt or br for a bit more distance and energy on target (deer hunting, supported positions only)
Click to expand...
 
11.5” with the folding adapter. It comes with the shorter buffer tube. You can order the chassis with the standard or shorter buffer tube. The 10” Lop measurement would be the short buffer tube and no folding adapter if that makes sense.
 
408w said:
11.5” with the folding adapter. It comes with the shorter buffer tube. You can order the chassis with the standard or shorter buffer tube. The 10” Lop measurement would be the short buffer tube and no folding adapter if that makes sense.
Click to expand...
Yes it does, thank you, I think I figured out the chassis!
 
Edited the original post, could use advice on caliber and scope choice, I’ve narrowed a few things down for sure
 
Fits really well. Got everything adjusted and has done some dry fire. Weather and timing hasn’t cooperated to get to the range yet
 
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