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+1

Go .243 with a monolithic or partition bullet and go kill deer. Suggest a left action.
They are still working for me at 80.

Jack

I'd never recommend an AR for a young shooter. And, frankly, I'd never get another one for myself. Played that game once. They are crap, compared to a bolt action rifle half the price.
And a right handed AR would be even worse for a LH shooter.

Load a 120 gr bullet over 36 gr H4895. You'll get about 2400 fps and recoil in the .223 range.

Works just fine in my kid's 20" M700 ute gun.

GE

I have used both a .243 and a 7mm-08 to fill 9 big game tags in the last three seasons. I process all of my animals myself, so the quartering and butchering is also a chance for an autopsy: 5 mule deer (three bucks, 2 does), rocky mountain elk (2 spikes, 1 cow), and an antelope. With the evidence these animals provided, I don't think there's much difference between how dead they were. Inside 200 yards, the .308-parent-case cartridges all seem to be about the same when looking at the holes in the animals and the internal damage they cause.

If I were hunting mule deer or whitetails, I'd be confident with a .243 and a well-constructed bullet. Another option would be a heavier rifle, like a Ruger M77. I shoot .243 from a light(-ish) X-Bolt and 7mm-08 from an M77. The two rifles recoil about the same, in terms of felt/perceived recoil.

I would say go down to a 243. Not a ton you can do to modify recoil on the 7mm08. You could try the recoil pads etc.... but energy is energy. Its still gonna blast.

Some of you guys have funny opinions and lots of guesses.


A few points to consider about an AR for a young shooter:

- Easily adjustable to a very short length of pull.
- Light weight; under 6 lb is common, around 5 lb scoped is possible without going too crazy
- Mild recoil, and the 300 Blk, 6.5 Grendel, and 6.8 SPC are plenty potent enough for deer if you don't want to or can't use the 223
- The LH thing is a non issue with proper technique, but LH or ambi parts and even receivers are available.
- Relatively inexpensive right now; entry level AR rifles are selling for less than $400 new.

As I mentioned above my son is using a 300 Blk this year; it's a short AR that fits him like a full size rifle fits an adult. It's only 5.5 lb scoped, so he'll carry it all day without issue, and the recoil and blast are very mild.

He and I both shoot RH most of the time, but both of us practice shooting LH as well. As a lefty, he's better at being ambidextrous than I am, which I've learned is a common advantage for leftys.

As for shooting a RH rifle left handed, I do it myself on a regular basis and don't see the issue, especially with an AR. IMO it's more of an issue with a bolt gun just because that bolt and right hand comes back towards your face, but either one can be dealt with easily. For you guys who don't practice shooting from your "weak" side, either left or right, why not?

A .257 Roberts with 100 grain bullets, loaded lighter would be a possible choice. Remington's factory load is pretty mild too

No one mentioned it yet that I saw....

Just FYI... Legacy Sports offers Howas with two stocks...as a package...

one with a shorter length of pull for when the youth is younger...

and then one of regular length of pull for when they get older...

IIRC they had 20 inch barrels... Dont' recall if they have it available in Lefties tho...

another FYI, contact ShortactionSmoker from Whittaker Guns, who is a forum member and a great person to deal with....a Howa Mini Action, in say a 6.5 Grendal might be the ticket or a 7.62 x 39.

Access to a handloader, if you don't do so yourself, can load that 7/08 to something similar in velocity and bullet weight to the above two cartridges....of course some guys around here have a problem with that concept......

There is a young black boy in Sierra's Number 5 load manual, with a picture of a doe he took with his 7/08, and it was loaded below Remington's Managed Recoil specs.. His dad use to be a campfire member, under the name of Slim....He was a soldier IIRC,, but I am familiar with the load he used to take that deer... the following season, he was much bigger and could handle a regular 7/08 load.

Marvin Jr's Pic and deer from Sierra's Web site.

[img]https://www.sierrabullets.com/sierra-scrapbook/index.cfm/sid/188[/img]

I know a 10 year old who has cleanly taken three deer with an AR in the mere .223 caliber (with close supervision by an adult). The collapsible stock makes it very nearly perfect for the little guy, I'm sure he'll get another couple this year.

RH AR works just fine for this lefty, I liked my first so well I put together a second.

Legacy no longer sells the 2-n-1 Howa deal. Still might be some old inventory around though.

Practice, practice, practice. The more he shoots the more he will not even notice the recoil. A lefty gun would be beneficial though. As for loadings in 243 you can have someone load up with a powder called Trail Boss. Even with the case filled to capacity it will feel like shooting a 22 Mag. My friend started his little guy out with a recipe using Trail Boss and he loved it.