I would move to 243. Shoot an 80grn Barnes TTSX, it will kill deer sized stuff no problem. My friends 12 year old son shot a cow elk two weeks ago at 160 yards with a Ruger American compact in 243 with that bullet, complete pass through and a dead elk. Probably was not the best choice but he was not comfortable with the 7-08 and could drive nails with his Ruger, they kept their shots under 200 yards, picked out a reasonable sized animal and filled their tag. For a 12 year old you could even consider a 25-06, it will REALLY launch out 80 and 100grn TTSX's.
Last edited by bmoney; 10/30/18.
