Looking for a deer rifle for 11 year old daughter in 243. Not looking to spend too much. I'm looking at savage axis, ruger American, and the tikka (I have a tikka and absolutely love it, but is the most $ of the three). Anyone have first hand experience shooting these? Pros/cons?
On a side not she shot her first doe with a 22-250 this season. She handled the minimal recoil well. How does felt recoil of 22-250 compare to 243 generally speaking. Thanks

Ruger American in 243 will last her a lifetime.

go for the ruger american predator in 6.5 creed, not much more recoil over the 243 and you could even put a muzzle break on it as the barrel is already threaded. much better performance over the 243

I e had both cqlibers and while there is a difference shooting them side by side, I'd say they're close enough that I bet she can handle the 243 if the 22-250 was not a big deal. But then again I'm 6'0" 210lbs man so I have no idea what it's like to be an 11yo girl.

I have the Ruger American in .243 and it's been a great gun. My daughters and son in laws use the gun, but I break it out a few times a year. Paired with 100 grain Hornady American Whitetail ammo. Plenty accurate, soft recoil and action is pretty smooth.

can we get one thread without someone pimping the Creedmoor?

The Weatherby S2's are nice and will probably land pricewise between the Savage and the Tikka. I would also pick up some of the Remington Managed Recoil ammo (Academy carries it). My 10 year old son has been shooting those for the past two years and you can definitely feel the difference between those and the plain old 100gr Corelocts.

I would have her handle two or three of the suggested rifles and let her pick the one she likes best, assuming it fits her well. There's no rush; let her have fun making the choice.

Yea really that's all you hear these days ....... says the guy who is on his third 6.5 CM and has the 6mm and 22 cal versions

I would recommend a Tikka T3, great shooting and accurate rifles. I would think that a 243 Win would be a great choice, especially with some lighter weight bullets like an 80 grain barnes TTS for less recoil. Eurooptic.com has them in the T3 Hunter version (wood stock/blued barrel) for $498. Not too bad in regard to price, but may be more than you want to spend for a first rifle.

Tikka no doubt out of those 3. They're clearancing out the T3 lite models right now for around $450. Can't go wrong at that price.

I've been pondering the same thing with my daughter. I'm leaning wood stock 243 and a Tikka Hunter or Browning Xbolt. I think a child's first gun should be wood. Every scratch and ding has a story.

If it's hers and hers only, look at the Savage Lady guns,

My 11yo daughter last year was shooting a CVA .243 compact single shot with 100gr handloads. No complaints about recoil. I would suggest taking her to Cabelas, Gander Mountain,etc and letting her hold different ones. I've learned that what I think they'll like usually ain't what they really like.

Edit. Look up the hows and why's Savage put into the Lady Hunter - I think it was a Guns and Ammo or American Rifleman article a few years ago. Kind of an eye opener about how women are built different and why they need different built guns.

Bought my 11 year old a howa 1500 in 7mm-08

Loaded it up with hornady custom lite ammo and it's a deer killing machine.


I cannot say enough good things about that howa. I bought it because it lacked the "cheap" feel that the tiger Americans, savage axis, Tikkas, Rem 770's have. This gun is steel and stock....no plastic b.s


It came with a scope that isn't great but it's serviceable.

My choices in order of preference would be:
Lady Savage
Vanguard Camilla
Vanguard S2 Compact

.243 and I believe the 6.5 Creedmoor has noticeably more recoil than a .243.

My daughter has the Vanguard S2 Compact but I would have gotten her the Lady Savage if they would have been around then. I think the Camilla is nicer than the Savage but the Savage has a faster twist which I like.

Good tips on the tikka being on sale...I showed her a "lady/girl" gun and she wouldn't have it! She said it looked like a toy!

I was pimping the 6.5x55 before I was pimping the 260,then I was pimping the 6.5-284 I shoot now...the creedmoor is a very good round for what you asked. I shot with two ladies at SAAM shooting program, about 2 weeks ago. They both shot creedmoor. It's a great little round...

The savage lady hunters are really nice...my wife shoots one in a 308 and really like it...

Ed

CDNN still has a few 243 Marlin XS7's @ $279 available when I looked the other day. You buy it On Line, have it shipped to the FFL of your choice and go thru the ATF transfer cycle from there. IMO the Marlins are the very best of the so called "Budget" category guns and were discontinued when Remmy took back the design franchise to make one of their budget guns when the Parent Holding Company was dissolved , and not have to meet the same quality criteria that Marlin had.

+1 on the Howa's quality and Whittakers in Ownensboro KY was offering Howa 1500 Lightnings in 243 & 270 last week at $299. My only knock on the Howa & Weatherby's (which is the same basic gun with some upgraded cosmetics)...is that they are heavier than I like @ 7 1/4+lbs bare nekkid, which makes for a 8 1/2+ lb all up rifle which is OK in bigger calibers... but MY Sweet Spot in Handling for a doall Hunting Rifle is 6 1/2-7 1/4lbs & no more than a 1/2lbs heavier than that All Up, aka scoped, slinged & loaded.
Merry Christmas All Ya'll
Ron

Those are nice rifles!

Something to think about, get a heavy barrel rifle
I know there are guys on here that get all excited about their gun being too heavy and want something lighter to carry the 100 grueling yards to a blind.
My daughter used my heavy 243 for her first deer. She was 9 and carried it 1/4 mile to the blind. My second daughter followed her sisters example. Texas hunting is bench rest hunting and my girls like the stability and reduced recoil of heavy rifle.
Now my wife has a heavy 243 and loves it.
I have seen way too many guys get light weight youth models for their wife or kid and create a recoil shy shooter. The worse kicking 243 I ever shot was a youth model a friend had got for his daughter, it kicked like a mule. He thought there was something wrong with the gun because she could hardly keep it in on paper. I cringed when pulling the trigger after only a few shots, no one should do that to a kid.

Truer words could not be said. Invest in a quality heavy gun. A brush gun, ladies model, youth model is the most useless gun I've ever shot. Worse than a single shot 12 gauge, any caliber between a 223 and a 25-06 feels like you're gonna blow your shoulder off. Give me a heavy barrel any day. My 6.5 creedmore weighs about 15 lbs. But kicks less than a B.B. Gun. My go too hunting gun has always been an old wood Ruger md 77 with a tang safety. Heavy barrel. I've owed that gun in every caliber between 22-250 and 255-06. Amazing gun. You can find them at gun shows for about 300-400

I shoot a Weatherby Vanguard (S1) .22-250. My friend, when he goes hunting, shoots a Savage Trophy 11/111 .243. I've shot both and the recoil is equal (my gun is heavier than his, that's probably why). The bullet of the .243 isn't that much bigger than the .224, but you've got better variety of "deer bullets" in the former than the latter, as the .22-250 is a "varmint gun."

In September, my gun was used to kill a ~110lb aoudad ewe and a ~130lb fallow buck. Both shots were 100-150yd. Both shots were body shots with 55gr factory loaded Hornady VMAX bullets. Both dropped within 20yd of being shot. Impatience led to us push the animals instead of waiting for them to expire, and follow-up shots to the jaw/neck/head and boiler room, respectively, ended their lives.

I've killed nilgai and oryx cows with this rifle shooting 64gr Power Points. If she's comfortable with the 22-250, practice makes perfect (my last kill with this rifle was a 111lb WT doe 108yd. Considering her brain was splattered on the hill country ground, I'd say it was a short tracking job of gravitational nature ). If you want her shooting game "behind the shoulder," then get her a .243.

Hope I don't come off as cocky, that is not my intent; only to tell you my experience with both calibers. Best of luck

Unlikely.