Looking @ getting my kinda petite 9 yo daughter a good wood stock, blued bbl deer/pig rifle. Not sure if I'm gonna go w/a .243 or a 7mm-08(might have too much recoil). She has an 11" LOP so that plays a big factor. I'm leaning towards a Tikka T3 Hunter or Winchester M70 but neither of these meet the LOP I need(can I cut the stock down myself???). Don't want a Savage. Who makes the best rifle that meets these criteria?
1) LOP
2)wood stock/blued bbl
3).243 or 7mm-08(input on this aspect appreciated!)
4)bolt action
Thanks!

My experience is that wood stock and blue barrel with a kid as they hunt more means one beat up rifle. But try the ruger 77 compact.

Other wise I would get a remington 700 and cut the stock down and fit with a slip on recoil pad.

People will start to hammer you about the .243 being the ultimate youth rifle; however from guiding hunts with lots of kids I do believe the 7mm-08 is a superior caliber for kids and will give you a rifle that is much more versitle in years to come.

I like(d) Remmy 700's but they just don't seem to be of the same quality as they were 10+ years ago! I had a 700 CDL made in 2006 that just didn't have the quality they used to have.

I think alot of the percieved lost quality is becase peopel are buying all the cheap synthetic stocked guns. When was the last time you saw a post about buying a new gun on here and it was a prety hi gloss rem bdl?.. its been a while!

I would get a rem model 7 or a wby vanguard youth(if they make a wood stocked one.

matt

My cousin just bought a brand new remmy sendero II its a nice gun! other than the stock its not much different than any other.

I bought a 2006 700 CDL & it had multiple problems. Had to take it to Shilen for them to fix the chamfering, which was almost non existent from Remmy. He also did something else, I can't remember, but spent almost 2 hours working on it. Taking the bbl apart from the action was a chore due to the massive amounts of lock-tight Remmy used. Luckily he did it all for free! Can't say enough good about those guys. I'd love to her a Sendero in .22-250 but that ain't happenin' on my salary.

Try to rent one or borrow before you buy it.
Petite girls have petite hands = some of them cannot grip properly the neck of the rifle stock. They cannot wrap fingers around and engage trigger properly.
Wood stock can be trimmed to remedy this issue.
Thumbhole stock or stock with built-in pistol grip maybe a good option.
Have your girl shoot it, see how she handles recoil after a full box. Practice makes big difference, and she is not supposed to flinch expecting recoil.
Other than that, probably any youth rifles would work fine. I'd prefer Remy700.
Different stocks are abundant for it, along with sissy pads, threading services and muzzle brakes. You always can buy a "take off" new Rem700 stock from somebody who started "project gun" to trim as needed and keep your original stock intact.
My $.02

Btw, I want this to be a firearm she uses her entire life & then can pass it down one day. I'm steering clear of the 700's due to my, & many others, bad experience w/the modern ones. Thanks.

As a kid in East Tx. we all learned to hunt with single shots..now that I'm an old man I can understand why..Rather than
try to fix her up w/a rifle you would own/or may want to keep if
she hits burn out..get her a relatively inexpensive single shot in a smaller cal. that doesn't kick much..She may surprise you if
you spend some time on the bench, most young ladies do not have to unlearn our cap pistol mentality we had as youngsters and the
single shot is much safer..DD

I don't see how a single shot is safer than a bolt action. You have to re-chamber a round in both before the next round can be fired. Don't care for single shots(if it wasn't obvious!)lol. I'm not looking to skimp out here. I'm looking for a gun that's dependable enough for her to use for many, many years & still be useable enough to pass on. If she decides in the future she doesn't like shooting anymore, so be it. But @ least I know I tried!!!

I would look at the remington model seven. I just got one yesterday in 260. Cant wait to take it out and shoot it this weekend. It is very lightweight and compact.I think it comes in 243 and 7 08 as well.

Just found a Rem. Model 7 CDL for $769. Looks like a great set-up but still worried about the quality. How much less does a .260 kick compared to 7mm-08?

should be very similar spitting out 140gr bullets. I have a rem mod 7 youth 243. It will shoot and I killed a lot of deer with it out of my climber later on.

Weatherby Vanguard S2 and a Blackhawk Axiom stock. Pick whatever caliber you see fit.

Gonna make left turn here. Have you thought about a contender carbine? Carbine stocks can be had in small sizes and in light calibers. My oldest son is a little guy and at 10 years old was little guy. A 30/30 contender if you handload is a super kids cartridge. Lite loads a a pistol bullet are a real 100 yard killer. Load a max charge over a 130gr bt and it works well out to beyound that. Hate to see kids with a243

Isn't the Contender synthetic? I don't handload & have zero intentions of doing it in the future. I'd probably blow myself up!!!

I don't think would be a lot of difference between the .260 and the 7-08 except that you can go down to 120 gr in the 260. Less bullet weight means less recoil. There is a managed recoil load in the 140 which might be the way to go. You could then go to the 120 gr and then full power 140's as your daughter matures.

I shoot 120's in 7/08 and 110's

$800 puts you in range for an AR. Get one in your desired caliber, (300 Blackout, 6.8 spc, or .223). PSA has them in that range. (personally, another few hundred lets you buy a colt or BCM. I'd get a lightweight barrel.

Low recoiling rounds, adjustable stock so the LOP can change with her. You can always limit the magazine capacity as you see fit as parent (some people worry about their kids pulling the trigger multiple times).

Just an idea. Not a beautiful wood stock with a blued barrel, but it has its own kind of beauty.

I have built quite a few custom Remington 700 for both tactical and benchrest shooting and they one of the best actions for the price if you can do your own work.

With that said if you want an great gun out of the box with a smooth action, the Weatherby Vanguard and Howa.

You should take a hard look at the 260. The 6.5/264 bullets are hard to beat for long range shooting and will kill most game she will want to hunt. But if you don't reload and want more options for factory ammo, the 243 might be a better choice.

lots of good brands of rifles named here, Savage or Ruger would be my recommendations and for caliber 7mm-08, managed recoil ammo to start with (and as someone said before) she will grow into a regular 7mm-08 140 grain, you can check out and compare recoil on Chuck Hawks recoil table. (just google it). all calibers are compared in reference to rifle wt. etc.

We already have an awesome 6.8. I'm looking for more of an heirloom type rifle. A black gun that ain't!

Model 7

Model 7, 788 and I have considered the Ruger Compact for my son. All 3 would give you some wiggle room for some decent glass.

.243, .260 or 7mm-08? Is there reduced recoil ammo for all 3 that still has enough velocity to kill deer out to 250 yds? Also, why is no one mentioning the FN made Winchester???