get a Marlin Youth Model 7mm-08 (best bang for buck) and you can even add one of those slip on butt pads if you need some extra length to fit him. He can use this rifle for long time and its good out to 300 yards. I believe you can even get reduced recoil loads in the is caliber. Although my 9 yr old shot regular Core Lokts a few weeks ago and did not phase him one bit and he is only like 60 lbs. Not a lot of recoil.

Lots of choices, I killed my first deer at six years old with a 218 Bee, good bullets and shot placement are key. . Getting a rifle they can grow into is your best bet. A 243, 260, 7mm 08 are all good choices, get them to shoot it well and they can enjoy it for a lifetime. My kid was 7 when he got his first deer with a 243WSSM. It is a heavy bbl setup, and has practically no recoil. He is 13 now and has decided the 25-06 will be his choice this year. Start them out with something they are comfortable with, and they will enjoy it and end up being great shots.

My 10 and 8 yr old boys put cull bucks down with the 6.5 grendel this weekend. So far I am very impressed with this cartridge and this rifle. Both bullets passed through with quarter sized exit wounds and jellied organs. The XLR Element Chassis will grow with them and alway fit perfect.

Was wondering how the Grendel is working out for your boys Westtexhunt, sounds like it is doing well. Thinking the Howa barreled action in a LSS chassis would make for a light weight and light recoiling gun a kid could use for life.

Its a great cal.for kid or lady My wife shot one for 36y...Only problem is Ammo is rare to unavailable..We reload so its not a problem if you got Brass..Brass is easier to find than loaded shells..Hornady and Jamason Brass

6.8

You can't go wrong with a .243 rifle for kids. It gives them a little room to grow into it if they are still pretty young when they start shooting it. Smaller women can benefit from a .243, my wife is 5'4" and probably 115 pounds soaking wet, she's taken up target shooting lately and likes shooting my old savage model 99, lever action .243. If you can find one of those its heckuva a gun (not sure if they still make them, ours is probably 40 years old). And, with the lever action it can double as a good varmint gun, too.

With that said the family tradition for us is that every kid has to shoot their first deer with an old marlin 30-30. No exceptions, once you can shoulder one of those you're ready to shoot a deer but until there you aren't going be allowed to do so. I've the 4th generation to take his first deer with the same old marlin 30-30 and the fifth generation will be killing their first deer with the same rifle soon.

I bought a .243 for my boys but my oldest shot his first deer with my old .264 winmag.