So took my 6yr old boy to the range with his sisters 22 henry, and he was hitting small keg at 60yrds with open sights. Switched him to his big boy gun, his Henry lever 22mag Ive been saving for him, and he was on target at 100yrds with a scope. Blew my mind. Put him on my .308 and I was holding the back of the stock (for recoil management) while he peeked through the scope a called out adjustments, and was able to hit the kill zone (prob a 8 inch group haha) 3 times. I busted out his grandpa 25.06 and before he went to bed set him up to see if he could shoulder it see through the scope and he could, but the next am at the range I realized it had quite a kick to it, oldschool wood stock gun, no pad, no muzzle brake etc.

Need a small stature smaller caliber gun for his first deer rifle ASAP, he wont shut up about shooting his first deer next weekend and I cant let the moment pass. Doing research as we speak but let me know what you guys have done for your kids. Is a bolt action .223 reasonable for a whitetail doe? Trying not to have to buy another caliber of ammo....

Thanks!!

edit; dont wanna risk a 22mag not doing the job on a deer, otherwise that gun is the perfect size for him.

6mm Creed in a Ruger American, cut the stock to fit him, put a slip on pad on it, it will allow you to add weight to reduce recoil.

223 is reasonable for whitetail doe with decent bullets.

I started my boy out with a Ruger Mk2 in 22-250. Very low recoil and its velocities drop most deer in their tracks. Great thing about the Ruger it was s short LOP also which is good for kids.

Good to know the size fits, but .22 mag is not a legal deer caliber anyway.


To your other question, the .223 is acceptable in shorter ranges. Try to find a good bullet/cartridge in the 60-64gr range if you can.

22Mag or any other rimfire is NOT LEGAL for deer
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/general-regulations/means-and-methods

If the Henry fits him could he not shoot a 30-30?
An Encore should fit him well also

Savage Axis XP Compact .243

Hornady offers reduced recoil ammo for the .243 if you're looking for additional shooting comfort for a youngster.

Also, while this model does not come with the adjustable AccuTrigger, there are several YouTube videos that show how it can be adjusted quite easily if needed sometime down the road.

Good luck to you both.

30-30 in a lever kicks like a mule. Just saying

P102 has a 6.5Grendel for sale. I'm sure it has an adjustable stock to fit the smaller shooter.

That would work well.

A bolt gun in 300 black out or a hamr would be perfect for a kiddo for a first deer rifle.

I did creedmoors for my kids in a boyd’s at one stock so it grew with the kid..
Light loads eventually became full power. They handled them well at age 8 or so

At the same time I shot the 25.06, I also shot my nephews .243, savage, no extra pad, still pretty stout. 30-30 also pretty tough, as well as my Marlin 45-70 imagine that haha. Hes a little guy, most school group pics you see the top of his head or peeking out from between the other kids. But hes tough as they come too... I like the idea of 243 reduced recoil, as well as the other options here. I might just have him set up with an ar this go round, he can stand and use blind window rest, see how he does. And yes I knew there were restrictions on caliber, wasnt sure .223 was even legal but looks like it just rimfire thats a no-no.

In any event, pumped doesnt even begin to describe how cool its going to be to have my little dude hunting with me. Been drilling it in his head about how much patience youve got to have, which he def need to work on, being 6 and all haha.

A good muzzle break on any moderate caliber rifle will do wonders for recoil.

Food for thought, you can keep a rifle short and light without sacrificing barrel length, if it's a single shot (no action or magazine). An Encore, Contender, or the like can be great shooting guns and built to suit shooters of any size. Add a break to one, and nothing gets sacrificed. It keeps a lot of calibers on the table that would otherwise be swept aside. The plus in that being you won't be tied to a particular brand/type of ammo to keep it usable for him, and these days that can mean the difference in having ammo or not.

I started my daughter on a AR15 (.223), w a collapsible stock it fits perfect

She took 2 pigs, 1 doe and 1 buck with it over 2 years

All under 100 yards.

It’ll work fine

My waffle top Marlin will leave me with a blue shoulder after five rounds. Unless the OP loads his own like a lot of us .30-30 shooters, I think that's WAY too much recoil.

.243 My son has been shooting a Browning Abolt Medallion since he was 8 and was small for his age. Now he is almost as big as me and still shoots it.

Soak in what SpongeCop has to say.

Go with the .223!
No need buying another gun, since there have been a couple deer killed with the .223.
Him being able to shoot accurately is more important than him missing with a larger caliber because he was afraid of the recoil.

Just don’t go using a varmit bullet, and a 223 will do just fine

Not sure of your budget, My daughter shoots a Browning X-Bolt Micro. 7mm-08 shooting Hornady "Light" ammo but a .243 would be great

Budget gun would be anything you could find near Bandera which is COMPACT, short stock.

Oh Yea, EAR PROTECTION while hunting is a must. Howard Leight noise cancelling muffs. About $50. He will be able to hear but not the gunshot,

The problem now is ammo. You really have to shoot what cartridges you already have ammo for or reloading components for.

Getting a new round can be really expensive and frustrating in this market. I had a friend call me asking my advice about a Sako 6.5 PRC that was on sale. I told him make sure the store has ammo he can buy with the rifle or he should pass.

He's using his 308 again this year.

First thought was a Marlin 30/30, but he’s 6. Could be a problem.

My go to is a 6.8 AR. Plenty of power and not much recoil and kills hogs, coyotes and deer with no problem. 120sst.

30-30, iron sights.

I would say 243. My best friends wife hunts with a Browning BAR in 243. I have personally watched her drop a Mule deer "DRT" at 396 yards and she is 72 years old! Mild shooting in a semi but you could also buy reduced recoil for a bolt gun. One of the best, under rated, over looked, accurate cartridge available out there. Born in 1955 and still kicking!

My 9 year old shoots a Contender G2 in 300 Whisper (Blackout). It's small and has little recoil.