First, spend as much time as possible practicing with 22's and pellet rifles before "graduating" to a deer rifle. Get her a 22 first and let her learn how to shoot it very well.

Muzzle blast spooks young hunters as much as recoil. The 243 has a lot of blast, especially in short barrel rifles.

As for a deer rifle, my recommendation is to let the young lady try each cal. before you decide. For your test, try to borrow rifles with 22" barrels and stocks that have been cut to fit a woman (about 12.5" lop) and maybe someone will lend you an AR in 6.8mm. It might work out that your youngster will be fine with the 243. That will be good. Ammo is available everywhere and is often on sale. It is a great deer cartridge and she may never need anything else. The 6.8 mm is expensive to shoot.

Maybe she will love the 6.8mm. Who knows? You will know if she tries it before you buy it.

If she is more comfortable with the 22-250, there is no need for you to feel like she is under-gunned for deer and hogs. 22-250's have been cleanly harvesting deer in Texas for 50 years plus. Practice is the key. I would use reloads, the inexpensive PRVI or the lowest price stuff you can find to practice with and then before deer season buy a box of the Federal Premiums with 60 gr. Nosler Partitions or a box or two of the Winchesters with the 64 gr.Power Point. Check your sights at a practice before season and hunt with the good stuff.

We have also used a 223 to take youngsters hunting and have had good results. We are not talking anything more than short range shooting from a rest from a blind over a feeder. The 223 can be as much as 50% cheaper to shoot than the 22-250 when using factory ammo. There is a lot of good, cheap, American made 223 Remington marked ammo out there for inexpensive practice. Practice makes perfect. The same two deer bullets, Nosler and Winchester, are available in the 223.

The rest of the story is that dad should make sure that there is a high enough chair in the blind for his young hunter to shoot from. If possible, before season, practice from the blind at a target with a safe back stop. Practice passing the barrel through the window and resting it noislessly for your hunter. Practice handling the safety. Practice jacking or placing another round into the chamber for a follow-up shot. Cover safety rules and have her repeat them for you from time to time. Make sure that she will not be shooting directly into the sunlight, etc.. In short, you be the one that watches for all the thorns and keeps her covered. Watch for the shot. Mark exactly where the deer is standing when the shot is being made. Have some orange tape for flagging just in case the deer hits the brush. Chances are that it will DRT or be down quickly.

^This^
I shoot 22-250 and there is barely any recoil....and I've been shooting it since I was 7......the recoil shouldn't/won't be a problem with this cartridge

i would check into a 7mm-08 or something Remington produces reduced recoil loads now that greatly reduce felt recoil for younger shooters and as they get older you can go to a standard load. recoil management for young hunters is important but not as important as making sure that deer hits the ground when you shoot it i know lots of people that kill deer every year with 223 22-250 even 22 hornet but im a believer in at least a 100gr bullet i grew up hunting with a 6mm remington it always did the job and didnt hurt my shoulder either, these are my opinions and i am not judging anyone who uses the above calibers for hunting

The smallest bullet dia I feel is the min is .243 this is my opinion...

Small kids I lean toward these new hybrid small cal rounds like the 6.5 creedmore
6.8spc 300 AAC

243 and 6 mm work great..

22's I think are better left up to expert shots

I love these threads. Lots of very strong opinion.

They are so predictable.

I kill alot of deer and hogs with a 223 and handloaded 60 grain nosler partitions. Head, neck, behind or smack dab in the middle of the shoulder, it dont matter, I have always gotten a complete pass through and a dead deer either on the spot or with a trackable blood trail for about 20 yards.

Is it myr first choice, heck no, but it works I like it and it is good for young small and women who are not familiar with guns.

Is it a good idea to sit in the blind and just pass it off tho your 10 year old who has never shot it before and tell him to shoot a deer? Heck no it isnt, but if it was a 243 it would be an equaly bad idea in my opinion. Practice and get a poster with a deer so they know where to shoot.

I love posts like this too. Oh and dont tell all the deer that I shot a 223 aint big enough, im affraid they will start jumpin off my wall out of the freezer... and not sure what to do about the deer sausage I ate last night..