| Most of us remember our first rifle-good or bad.
Many of us have that rifle tucked away in the safe, and the details
tucked in a corner of our memories.
Still fresh in my mind is a Christmas morning just after my 10th
birthday. Conversations during the weeks before had often stopped
when I entered a room where Dad and Uncle Bill were discussing
"something." There had been some hints that this Christmas would
be special and offhand comments that my .22 was getting "a little
small." I was hoping that these were signs pointing to my first
real hunting rifle. But our wheat crop in northeastern Wyoming
had been bad, the cattle market was down, and money was tight.
On Christmas morning there were presents under the tree, but
no long, narrow box. Determined not to show anything, I was probably
pouting while my brothers and sister opened their presents with
delight. Then we were all invited into Dad's office. Uncle Bill
was there with a goofy grin on his face.  Everybody
watched as he handed a rifle to my father, who presented it to
me with a very solemn expression and some words about being ready
for a man's gun.
My eyes were locked on-MY rifle. It was perfect! Dad and Uncle
Bill had acquired a military surplus '03 Springfield in .30-06.
A gunsmith in Cheyenne had shortened the barrel and installed
a new front sight. Dad had put on a rear peep sight. Uncle Bill
had cut down and reshaped a sporter stock, which he had checkered
and Dad had finished. When I put it to my shoulder, it fit perfectly.
Well, it was a little long, but they had counted on that. In fact,
the gun fit a lot better as I grew into it. I still have that
rifle and the antlers from the first whitetail I shot with it.
 One
of my greatest pleasures is passing on to my children the things
I learned from my father about hunting, wildlife conservation
and the joy of the outdoors. Only when I went to buy a hunting
rifle for my two youngest boys, Alex and Alden, did I truly understand
and appreciate what had been done for me on that long-ago Christmas
day. It really is hard to buy a top-quality rifle for a young
hunter.
I have purchased small .22s from other manufacturers and had
very good gunsmiths like Bill Wiseman and Jim Brock adapt them
to my children. Although the results were excellent, I spent more
on the `smithing than on the guns. And, as they grew, the boys
needed real hunting rifles. I looked at many "youth" rifles. A
few were excellent but not quite appropriate for Africa; others
were simply not the quality I wanted.
Michael Allen, Dakota's VP of Manufacturing, has a son almost
the same age as my two youngest boys, and my business partner
has a son just a year older. With four young hunters who needed
real African rifles, Mike and I put our heads together. After
a number of tries, and building the first of these special rifles,
we felt we were on the right track. In the process, we developed
a number of criteria:
- The action, barrel and stock had to be scaled in proportion-we
did not want a big rifle with a few inches chopped off at
butt and muzzle.
- The caliber had to be at least .243 for whitetail deer and
the like.
- Recoil should not be enough to discourage a young hunter
from practicing with the rifle. This cut out traditional cartridges
like the 7mm Remington Magnum and .30-06, and added emphasis
to stock fit.
- The scope also had to be scaled to the rifle and of high
quality
- The rifle had to fit on Day #1, not after the youth had
grown into it. Fit is especially critical when learning to
shoot.
As word got out about our first youth rifle, which was used to
great success in Africa, Dakota customers started to ask for guns
for their children or grandchildren. We knew we were onto something.
It was time to turn our personal project into a new product the
Dakota Youth Hunter.
Everyone agreed that the first stock I had designed worked, but
they also agreed that my baby was ugly. Even I had to admit that
the proportions were not right. Instead, Glen Morovitz and the
crew in our wood shop worked up an 85% version of the Dakota Classic
stock, with a refined wrist, grip cap and forend. When you see
the rifle, you have no idea how small it is. Only after shouldering
it do you realize that it is not a full-size Dakota. We decided
to offer four stock sizes in AAA American Claro walnut, with a
choice of length of pull-10 1/2, 11, 11 1/2 and 12 inches-or about
80, 85, 90 and 95 percent of our traditional 13 5/8-inch length
of pull.
After many heated conversations about great calibers like the
.257 Roberts, .270 WCF, 6.5x55 and 7x64, we decided in favor of
the .308 family of cartridges plus the .250 Savage. The .243 Winchester
is one of the most popular rounds of all time, and quite easy
to shoot. The .308 is a great all-round cartridge, and inherently
accurate. In between is the 7mm-08, a popular hunting and target
caliber. To that list we added the .250 Savage, a favorite of
many white tail deer hunters.
So we had our Youth Hunter lineup: .243 Winchester, .250 Savage,
7mm08 Remington and .308 Winchester-or, expressed another way,
coyotes, whitetail deer and pronghorn antelope up through black
bear and maybe elk, with minimal recoil. These cartridges also
work well on many African plains game.
We then asked Dan Lilja at Lilja
Barrels, in Plains, Montana, for his advice on barrel contour,
length and weight. Dan has three boys and had gone through the
same process just a year earlier, so he knew exactly what to recommend:
his #1 or #2 contour in 20 or 22 inches, depending on caliber
and the specific goal for overall weight.
With the stock, chamberings and barrel specs confirmed, we turned
to the Dakota actions for their controlledround feed, the three-position
safety and the utterly reliable trigger. We selected the Model
97 for its slightly smaller profile and lesser weight.
Our initial choice was the lightweight Hunter introduced in 1998.
Even though this action is visibly smaller than the standard length
Model 97, we decided to push the envelope. Ideas and sketches
became a reality with a brandnew, sleeker, scaled-down short action
design expressly for cartridges in the .308 family.
Now we needed only factory ammo, a great scope, the best rings
and bases, top-notch swivels and an adjustable sling.
For ammunition we called Jeff Hoffman at Black Hills Ammunition
in Rapid City, South Dakota. We are very familiar with his outstanding
Black Hills Gold hunting loads in .243 and .308, as we already
use them for accuracy testing in our underground test tunnel.
After several conversations, Jeff agreed to expand his line of
Black Hills Gold ammo with new loads for the 7mm-08 Remington.
The only chambering for which we will not have premium Black Hills
Gold ammo is the .250 Savage, but we will use factory loadings
from Winchester and Remington. As part of the program, Dakota
does a complete barrel break-in for each Youth rifle with that
factory ammunition and provides a signed test target with every
rifle. The young owner will know exactly what groups his or her
rifle can achieve with the best factory ammo.
A number of top scope makers expressed interest in the Youth
Program, but Leupold came up with an irresistible package: the
VX-II in the popular 2-7X variable version. Only 11 inches long,
it's a great match for the lines of the Youth Hunter, and it weighs
just 10.5 ounces. It also has a comfortable four to five inches
of eye relief and positive ¼ , minute click adjustments for windage
and elevation.
Next we turned to Gary Turner, the young CEO at Talley Manufacturing,
of Santee, South Carolina, makers of lightweight, high-quality
rings and bases. Gary listened carefully, then created a special
low-profile, fixed-mount version of his rings for the Youth Hunter.
After considering a number of alternatives, we opted for Pachmayr
QD flush-mount swivels in order to keep the smallest profile on
the stock. The sling and swivels release with just a push and
a quarter-turn leaving the front of the stock smooth for ease
of shooting over a rest. Also included is a leather cobra style
sling with a wide range of adjustments to fit youths of different
sizes. For the best in eye and ear protection, the youth package
includes a pair of Silencio low-profile ear muffs with the Dakota
logo plus shooting glasses and additional ear plugs.
The final element in this program, and maybe the biggest thing
of all, is our Dakota Youth Guarantee. Until the young hunter
turns 19, Dakota will restock the rifle at no charge as he or
she grows. We will even pay the shipping both ways, and give the
rifle a comprehensive check-up plus a new stock or a new recoil
pad for small adjustments. AND, when the time comes for a full-size
rifle or a magnum caliber, Dakota will take back the Youth Hunter
as a 100% trade-in against the purchase of any adult Dakota rifle.
As far as we know, no other firearms manufacturer has ever made
this commitment to youth hunting.
Boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 19 are eligible for
the Youth Hunter Program. Only three things are required to qualify:
1) a copy of the youth's hunter safety card clearly showing the
date and name; 2) a recent school report card; and 3) a signed
statement from a parent, grandparent or guardian, which can be
mailed upon request.
We want to make it possible for a young person to shoot a high-quality
rifle that is comfortable, fits properly and provides years of
pleasure and value. And we want to make it affordable for their
parents, too. If more young people are introduced to hunting and
shooting with a truly fine firearm, tailored to their proportions,
chances are good that they will stay with the sport for the rest
of their lives.
More elements of the Dakota Arms Youth Heritage Program will
be unveiled in the months to come, including special hunting trips,
conservation and education programs, incentive and award opportunities
and additional Dakota products for young people. We're very pleased
to be able to offer this unique program, dedicated to the American
conservation ethic and to the family. |
