7mm-08 reduced recoil loads

All three of my girls grew up shooting a .243. I chose it over the .22 caliber options because the heavier 100 pills provide just a little more oomph for big boar hogs.

My daughters shot their first deer with a 223 at ages 9 and 11, iirc.
That gun has become an issue of debate as to who will inherit it when I kick the bucket. I should have got two different rifles
They both moved to heavy barrels 243s after a few seasons, they wanted to get a little more range. I am an "anti-youth model" kind of guy. I bought a youth 243 for myself as a brush gun and that thing beat the heck out of my shoulder, I sold it. There is no way I would have let my small frame daughters shoot that thing.
The full sized heavy barrel is easy and very stable and really takes the shock out of recoil. After all Texas hunting in a blind is actually like shooting from a bench. I call it "bench rest hunting."
Truth be known, most of us only walk a few hundred yards at best to a blind. A light weight rifle just doesn't really make that much difference. My 100 pound girls would haul that heavy rifle 1/4 of a mile to a blind, and then knock a buck flat, with confidence.
A friend got his daughter a youth model 25-06 for a first gun; that was a big mistake. (Maybe he should have got some of them light recoil loads). He insisted that she was going to knock a deer down with it. She was so gun shy after getting the crap knocked out of her that she injured a few animals before she finally got one.
My daughters got their first deer on their first shot. I am a proud dad.
One still proudly hunts with that heavy 243. The other shoots a 223, both never lose an animal and have killed more animals than I could count. They are 22 and 26 years old now.

Totally agree with the above post..(simple searcher) ..i have a ruger american compact .243 i got it as a brush /truck gun...the thing recoils as much or more than my old .270 remmy and is just as loud or louder ...get a em the heaviest gun with the longest barrel you can find..lol

I'm certain this has been mentioned, but you can buy the reduced recoil ammo from Remington. My buddies kids have used it successfully to take deer.

THis^^^^

243 is what I bought for my grandson when he was 10 and it has worked out well. Before we got the 243 we tried the Rossi 223, it was a cheap gun which we eventually returned. That being said, I think he really preferred the 223 at the time.

IMHO, get a decent AR15 and a .22 conversion bolt/magazine kit.
This way they can train with .22lr
And switch to .223 to hunt. With some 70gr SP rounds and very little recoil after proper training they can double tap with ease.
Easy on the budget, adjustable to fit girls and boys of any age.
Just in case of a less than perfect shot, you should be a back up.

Thanks for all the input guys!!! My friend just told me he has a Remington 22-250 with a heavy barrel he would be willing to part with at a fair price. I am leaning in that direction. What is a good round to start with?

Remington core-lokt 55 grain.

Thanks Wil.

We took a 9 year old out shooting and he shot my .270 just fine, but he was much more into the 243 we let him shoot. He said it didn't kick as much so he was more comfortable with the shot. As for knock down I have seen plenty of deer taken with a 243.

300 blk out

Outstanding...Congrats and good luck to the young Lady Sir...

Grab a couple boxes of various makes and loads and see what feeds well..

Congrats again

I taught my daughters to shoot a .22 with a scope. We would then go hunting in a deer stand with a .308 deer rifle that they've never shot. I told them it shoots just like the .22. In both cases they got their deer and when asked how much it kicked. They said they didn't feel it kick at all. I am positive if I would have taken them target practicing with this gun they would be very jumpy and probably would not even want to go hunting at all. They were older than 9 at the time and they have enjoyed hunting ever since.

Was going to suggest something very similar. Very little kick. Plenty of knockdown.

My son has been shooting his Remington 700 .243 (youth stock) with 80 grain bullets since he was 6 years old. My daughter has been shooting the same gun since she was 8. I put a limbsaver recoil pad on it when they were younger "just in case."

The recoil is very minimal on his gun. When people say that youth stocks kick a lot, I think they are referring to those break-action single shot rifles. And yes, they do have a lot of recoil because they are so light and small.

Hope this helps!

No kidding! What a great firearm that grows with your kid!

While I mentioned the .243 above, I may actually start my daughter hunting with my M4 this year as I load 65 gr pills for more oomph. That and the collapsible stock will fit her better as well.

Your going to run into an issue with size. I had to go to an AR15 style weapon for my 8/9 year old. Traditional guns do not fit her including the youth models. She used a 223 last year and this year I built her a 6.8 to hunt with.

You can probably start them on a regular gun and make it work. But most likely the gun will not fit them and they will pick up bad form. An AR lets you set it up to fit the child up a little better which will help prevent bad habits. I work with a guy that has done just that. His daughter can shoot but its mediocre. The last trip to the range I let her shoot my daughters rig and she was able to do much better as she made the gun fit her instead of trying to make her fit the gun.

Just think about it. If your not comfortable with a gun and how it fits you most likely you don't shoot to the best of your abilities.

My 10yo daughter has taken multiple Wt and exotics since she was 8. She has tried several bolt guns,and AR. She is most comfortable with the AR in 6.8spc. Minimum recoil and plenty of factory ammo choices.

Good idea from Slow Drifter. You're gonna be close enough, so the accuracy of a semi-auto isn't a factor. 6mm or .243 definitely. Just be ready to explain that they don't always "bang-flop". And you too Dad, don't get excited when you don't see it right off, it's there, just keep looking and exude nothing but confidence.

This is what my 2 year-old granddaughter is getting as part of her birthday present in a little less than a month (rifle is a little ways off):

Collapsible stock AR will work for 9-90 years of age. 6.5 or 6.8 would be better than .223 without much recoil difference.

I bought one of these and put a Weatherby S2 243 in it.
http://www.amazon.com/Blackhawk-Knoxx-Axiom-Ultra-Light/dp/B004A01VWM
My son took his first deer at 7 with it and my daughter took her first the next year when she was 9. They also make the stocks for things other than Weatherby. Just make sure to get the limb saver pad that comes for it. The built in one is hard as a rock. Since it's adjustable, the three of us can shoot the same gun.

AR - any viable caliber.