My daughters (8yo and 11yo) have spent a bunch of time with me in the woods hunting but this year I want to give them a chance to pull the trigger on a white tail. I am going to get them a compact rifle as they are not comfortable using my AR and bolt gun. I have read lots of articles about introducing young hunters with a 6.5cm as opposed to the old standard youth rifle in .243

What are your thoughts? Does anyone have any experience with a 6.5 youth sized rifle? I don't want the fear of kick to make them not want to shoot or to close their eyes and make bad shots anticipating the kick.

Welcome. You can private message Kyle about his youth sized 6.5.

Are you talking AR-15? With an adjustable stock, I'm not sure why it would be uncomfortable to them. If fear of recoil is an issue, get a compact .223 bolt gun and let them shoot it a bunch, then move them to the 6.5.

The difference in recoil between .243 and 6.5 will be negligible. Just start them with a lighter load 100/120gr on the 6.5 and it should be fine. With heavier loads like the 130-143 class, the 6.5 is a more versatile weapon going forward.

You can pick any rifle that you think they may be comfortable with and then a caliber. 6.5, .243, 7mm-08, etc all can have less recoil than the larger calibers. You can also look into a reduced recoil load that will make the recoil of(for example) a .270 feel like a .243. You can get the reduced recoil loads for .243 or 7mm-08 or a lot of other calibers. That way you have a caliber they can grow into.

Get them a 17 hmr to practice with then let them use your rifle to hunt. In the excitement they won't even notice the recoil of high power. My kids practiced with a 17 then hunting day they shot a 30.06. When they fired I asked if that hurt, they asked 'did what hurt?' Gave them a little more room for error with the big round.

I think the issue they have with the ar is really just the pistol grip. They are much more comfortable shooting their 10/22 with a regular stock so that is what was making me lean toward getting them a more traditional rifle to use. I thought about the 223 bolt gun as well and may head that route now that you can find 223 hunting loads and not just 55gr green tip in stores.

The potential versatility of the 6.5 was the big draw as I started thinking about getting them one. Given that this year all of their shots will be in the 120yd and under range on smaller east Texas deer that may not always be the case. So it would be nice to be able to put a heavier gr in and let them have a little more knock down power.

And all of this being said we may be limited by what is available in the stores next week when we go get the rifle so we will see I suppose.

Only issue with this is length of pull. They can't get around my bolt gun without just not shouldering it and it is a 300wm so even in an excited state I believe they would feel every bit of it.

Also thank you all for the welcomes. I am glad to be here and glad for the knowledge a community like this has to offer

The .260 is another option.

I do not think the 6.5 CM is some kind of wonder cartridge like alot of others, but the ones I have shot have been extremely mild in recoil and they hit harder than a .243. I honestly don't think there is any difference in recoil.



If i was going to outfit a young/new shooter with a whitetail rig they can use for the forseeable future, I would have no issues getting them a 6.5 CM. My kids all got 7mm-08's with reduced recoil loads starting out but the 6.5 kicks less than those and delivers close to the same performance.

6.5 would probably work well.
I still have my first deer rifle, a Savage 243 and prefer it over all my other hunting guns. The Winchester Silver Ballistic tips work very well.

In the times we are in, I would get them whatever rifle fit them well that was available in .243, 6.5, .260, 7mm-08, etc. My decision would be driven by the availability of the rifle and ammunition/components(depending upon whether you will shoot factory ammo or reloads). And if I already owned ammo or components for one of these calibers, that would most likely be my choice.

I prefer to start small and work up. Shot placement is much more important to me than the caliber or gun used. A 223 with correct shot placement is much better than a 30-06 gut shot.

I started hunting with a 270 had no reservations about it had shot it before many times etc.

My kids are smaller yet, but my nephews are about the same age I started and my brother started, they want nothing to do with a 270 and required some persuasion to shoot their 243. All kids are different. I would have taken a kick from a mule in the nuts and the recoil of a 458 to shoot my first deer, not all folks are the same.

Talked my wife into letting me get my daughter a Tikka CTR 6.5CM. Also have a Nomad can on the way. She hasn't shot it yet, but I have. I am sure she will like it once/if she gets a chance.

My daughter is 8 and is a hand with her moms creedmoor.

Spend money on great electronic ear muffs.

ChootEm, where are you located?

I had a howa mini bolt action 6.5 grendel. I liked it, but shot my creedmoor more. The 6.5 grendel might be a good option, and when ammo is available there is pretty good factory ammo.

Whatever rifle and caliber you choose, be sure the kids have the best available hearing protection. The noise, to them, can be worse than the recoil. I saw that with a neighbor’s daughters.

I think you all are on track with what I am thinking. I believe that 6.5 being the "it" cartridge right now can be discounted to some degree but I have seen more of it on the shelves of my local sporting goods and gun stores so the availability is a nice thing to have. I definitely want it all to be the best experience that it can be for them so they develop the love of the sport.




I am in Hunt county and have land right behind the house that the girls will probably spend most of their time this year hunting but I also have a lease in Cumby that I took a nice 9 point last year that we will hunt as well. Also we put in for a draw to hunt the Cooper public land with a rifle. I would be stoked if either of the girls get that draw as I bow hunt an area up there now and think they would have a great chance at a nice deer with a rifle.

WELCOME to our forum. It is great. Threads like this are a great example. Almost all good info on here so far so no need for me to get specific.
I would highly agree with you to do all you can to try and keep them from a bad experience with recoil. How to do that can vary, but its important to get them comfortable shooting without recoil worries.

Let's see what the numbers say...

Chuck Hawks lists the recoil energy for the .243 with a 100-grain bullet being 7.7 ft-lbs. The 6.5 Creedmoor firing a 140-grain bullet produces 11.6 ft-lbs of energy. Quite a difference with roughly 50% more "kick" with the Creedmoor. Just for sake of further comparison, a 130-grain bullet fired from a .270 rifle carries 12.3 ft-lbs of recoil energy.

Most folks agree it takes at least 1000 ft-lbs of energy to safely and ethically kill a whitetail.

A 100-grain .243 carries that much energy out to roughly 325 yards, while a 143-grain 6.5 Creedmoor carries that out to roughly 700 yards.

The choice of course is yours based on the expected shot distance and shooting comfort for your girls. Personally, I own two, .243 rifles and a 6.5 Creedmoor and consider the .243 a far more comfortable shooting rifle. Still plenty of energy for both hogs and deer within the accepted range.

Good luck this season to both you and your girls.

One if the bests investment i’ve made for my daughter is a tripod with a vise on it. Reduces recoil and really builds confidence. The aluminum bog pod death grip is what I got her

Ah, a little too far away. If you were close I was going to invite you and your kids to come shoot a 6.5 to get some real world insight before you went out and bought one.

.243 and a silencer.

I know that when ammo got hard to find, there was all kinds of 6.5 on the shelves at Academy and no .243, .270, 5.56. 7.62, etc.