Yute Rifles

elec1675 , a new member at 24HourCampfire wanted to know what we all thought about a Mini-30 as a Yute rifle:

Reged: 02/13/05
Posts: 4
Loc: Wisconsin Anyone use a mini-30 for whitetail?
#429900 – 02/13/05 01:56 PM Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply

I’m looking at a deal on a used 7.62×39 ruger as a deer

I’m looking at a deal on a used 7.62×39 ruger as a deer rifle for my son (1st season ’05) We hunt in a mix of heavy woods and cornfields where a heavy bullet is better. Any opinions? My other option is I give him my 99 savage in .300 and use my 99EG in .250 savage (100gr. ). I trust my son, but I really like these 99’s. What to do, what to do?

My Opinion

I am not going to try and talk you out of a Mini-30 or a 7.62X39. It is roughly equivalent to a semi-auto 30-30. Use good ammo for deer and save the nasty steel-case surplus stuff for the plinking range. You probably won’t go too wrong. I’ve shot Mini-30’s; they’re not the most accurate, but they are fine for close-in hunting. There’re certainly lighter than an SKS.

The one thing I can say against a Mini-30 is that I was glad I had a fairly accurate rifle for starting out my son. I doubt you’ll get much better than 4″ groups at 100 yards from a Mini-30. The fact that I was able to shoot tight groups helped me isolate his accuracy problems from the rifle’s. It also is inspirational for a young boy to see what kind of group can come from a rifle when Dad does it right. Make sure that whatever you choose, it’s a rifle that doesn’t have you second guessing.

On the other hand, if you’re a Savage 99 fan, why not think about a Savage 99 in 308? Either for you or him. It will be a better all-around rifle. I load mine light for deer (down around 300 Savage levels) and it’s an awesome deerslayer with minimal recoil.

My #2 started with a full-sized 30-30 lever as his Yute rifle. #3 is still too small to shoulder anything serious, but claims he wants a Ruger Deerfield.

Another good Yute rifle in my mind are those old Savage 30-30 bolt-actions. They’re just about everywhere in the used bin. They’re just fine for those first few hunts, and then you stick them in the back of the closet for the grandkids. I was shopping for one when I discovered that Mooseboy could shoulder a Marlin 336 without modification.

BTW: one other tip. If you go shopping for a Yute rifle, double-check places like Brownells and Boyds to see if you can pick up a full-sized replacement stock as he grows. You’ll be surprised how soon you will be wanting one.

This post has already been read 185 times!