This thread has now been hijacked but this ^^^^^ is hilarious!!!

250 Savage in an old Ruger M77 compact would be perfect

I am not a wealthy man. But when it comes to suppressors, they are the one thing that price is not a factor.

Buy the smallest, lightest, best decibel reduction made. And it does not matter if it is $100 or $200 more than the next "decent" option. Because 20, 30, 40 years from now, who gives a chit that you spent $100 or $200 more on the BEST? Suppressors will last a person a lifetime.

I shouldn’t even comment on this topic with all you experts bc I am definitely not a ballistics expert. But just from experience I know I started on a rem 700 .243 at 10 years old. I still to this day shoot that gun. I’ve only started shooting my .270 lately bc my son is shooting my .243. For the first 25 years of shooting it, I never even thought twice about what ammo I even shot. Just bought a cheap box and hunted. Killed countless deer with it with no problems and never thought about all the details that we discuss now. I’m a .243 fan. I even shot it with a 4 power Weaver scope until 10 years ago. Go with the .243

You buy yours from Twisted Precision in CP?

.223's and 22-250's are more than sufficient to harvest deer, ethically. To me - shot placement is more critical than caliber size. Typically, less recoil equates to a more accurate shot - especially with kids. If a new shooter (whether a kid or just a new shooter in general), is taught proper shot placement and proper shooting techniques - larger calibers are not needed. With all that said, I am talking about a typical Texas whitetail at a reasonable distance. I shoot a 22-250, 50 gr Hornady Varmint Express and take nothing but neck shots on deer and ear hole shots on pigs. I have had neither take a step after impact and have very little to no loss of meat. My opinion - those calibers are great teaching tools and extremely lethal.

Yep. My first suppressor is a 9mm suppressor that I use on my 357 mag rifle and 300blk. My next purchase will be a full power short action rifle (308 or 7mm08) threaded and ready to go for a direct thread suppressor that will live on that rifle. Go with a short barrel. Even a 20" barrel seems a bit unwieldy once you add a suppressor. You won't regret having a suppressor.

Worth noting.

Big fan of 7MM-08 and .25-.06, would probably start a younger person there. .25-.06 with a 117 or even 100 gr. bullet is a laser with plenty of knockdown and more than manageable recoil. 7MM-08 creeps up closer to a
.270 in terms of recoil and .30 cal from there and upward. Candidly I don't know much about the newer popular calibers, 6.5 Creedmore, 350 Legend, etc. Have heard that the 350 Legend is best when kept under 200 yard shots due to lost velocity and droppage though.

Send em on home with the trusty 270 win

I grew up killing lots of stiff with 22-250, but the twist rate always kept me away from bigger bullets,

I been culling with 223 1/8 and 77gr TMK’s all high shoulder and shoulder shots from 75 to 242yard. So far nothings went more the 2 feet

Hornady makes a reduced recoil round that isn't much different than recoil on the .223. I use this in my daughters and it shoots great.

You won't regret this decision.

Wilkersons in Boerne

Nailed it. lol
But I’d rather get them their first rifle anyways

I have an inkling you're referring to my comment. I'm an expert on the "other" grandparents. You go Grandpa. I'm behind you 100%.

Very kind of you. I’ll keep you in mind

100%

.243 is a better round for those longer shots. It’s basically a necked down .308; giving similar accuracy. I started at age 10 with a Remington bolt action in that caliber. Still my favorite caliber for deer. A walnut stock takes up what little kick it has a little better than synthetic; however, synthetic better for girls if they need to walk or spot n stalk with it.
IMO: .243 is best. Be sure to have them measured; have stock cut down by professional. Its like learning to ride a bicycle that is too tall. Not comfortable.

12 year old little girls. .223 with a fast twist (anywhere from 9-7) to shoot heavier bullets or .243. If you teach them to shoot they won’t have any trouble. If you don’t teach them to shoot they will experience erratic results regardless of caliber. Learning to shoot requires a lot of practice and should be fun. Light recoil during practice is the reason I chose the .223 or .243. For a young child and practice a .223 is going to be easiest to master during practice without them getting twitchy. (How I started my own son). I’m 63 and the .243 has been referred to as a woman’s and children’s rifle for as long as I remember. .243 is a solid choice to learn with. Heavy rifle makes absolutely no sense for a small framed child’s hunting rifle if you want them to learn to handle it in any setting other than a bench rest. A light weight, small caliber, compact bolt gun is the ticket for your granddaughters in my opinion.
These caliber for kids threads are great but the discussions are always all over the place.
Enjoy the time you get to spend with them!

If she’s a big girl I wouldn’t avoid the bigger calibers (especially if suppressed)

A 223 with a 60 grain partition will absolutely hammer a deer.

You really want her to feel comfortable behind the gun and not develop any bad flinching habits (like me)

Started my daughter at age 7 with .17HMR to get used to shooting, then she graduated to a .243 with reduced recoil loads to hunt deer (she did drop a big hog with a headshot with the .17). In the field, I'd quietly replace the .243 reduced recoil loads with a 100 grain shell and she never knew the difference, and regularly shoots deer with the same gun at age 13. I did get her barrel threaded for a suppressor, and that really helps her--at least psychologically--with recoil and sound. I think there's a lot to recovering deer, and if she's shooting something on the lighter side like a .223, there's a chance the deer might be lost with a less than perfect shot, which might adversely affect her desire to hunt in the future. A .243 could be the rifle she carries for the rest of her life.

kids grow quickly-----

I own both .243 (my first rifle at 11 years old) and 7mm-08 (a good choice as they grow older)

I would start with a 243 and shoot with a Caldwell rest (at the range) Once they actually hunt, they won't feel any recoil with their adrenaline flowing

GOOD LUCK!!!

I found myself in the same situation last year with my 11 year old granddaughter. I went with the 243 and all went great! We practiced several times at the range with a life size deer target prior to season. Once season was here she felt confident. Two shots =2 bucks. I was a proud grandfather.

Awesome!