Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5 vs 243 for youngster

I would say depends on size and how young, but recoil and muzzleblast that is insignificant to experienced shooter can be significant to young and inexperienced. Personally, prefer to start with 243. Use the hornady lite loads if very new and move to full power loads once gets hang of it. Started my son that way and he has been slaying deer, pigs, pronghorn, whitetail, and recently mule deer with no problems.

Lou

7-08mm My girls first rifle at 12 Years old

Can you read?

After seeing Form's pictures of bullet wound channels, and then killing one myself with it, I'm pretty sold on the 77grain TMK in .223.

High RPM 223,with a scope that tracks...which means Fixed Fhuqker. Hint.

Tough to beat an M4 configuration there,though I obviously prefer turnbolt COAL latitudes and projectile advantages. Hint.

Kchuntis could almost afford the TG on her poor selection(pun be intended). ALMOST. Hint. Laughing!

Bless her heart for trying though!

Hint.

Laughing!.....................

there goes another thread

Kchuntis,

I'll feign my GREAT "surprise",that besides being a Brokedick CLUELESS Fhuqk,that you are also a Lying Piece Of Fhuqking Schit. Didja' yet again "forget" about your "heralded" Imaginary Pretend Ignore? Hint. Congratulations?!? LAUGHING!

Are you making payments on the TG? Hint.

Bless your heart for crying.

Hint.

Laughing!..................

Thus far I've started 4 grandkids off with a 223. After they each killed at least 1 whitetail I moved them to a 243. Today I watched my 10 year old grandson shoot a m70 super grade (in 270 win) which I gave him a few months ago. He said it didn't kick too bad. His 3 older sisters probably won't go larger than the 243. They have no problem killing deer with it and we 100gr blue box ammo. For me, the 243 is perfect for kids. I have 8 more grandkids coming up. Same story for them, 223 to 243 then larger if they want to continue hunting.

If you are a handloader, you have another way to control recoil other than caliber. This is what I have done with my grandkids. Hodgdon shows reduced recoil loads on their website. Their approach is that you can load as little as 60% of the maximum H4895 load listed for a given bullet. By using this reduction in the amount of H4895 used along with some of the lighter bullets for caliber listed, you can reduce recoil drastically. There's a world of fine cartridges between the 223 and the 6.5. Pick the cartridge you want and fix recoil with the load.
Phil

hence my suggestion of the 7mm-08

120 bt and h4895 was my girl's training load and she will never outgrow it.

The 6.5CM was not around when I started my kids. So around here, of the two the OP stated, it would be a .243 Win with a 95gr NPT. I also handload, so, one grand daughter got started with a .270 Win shooting 110gr Accubonds at an accurate middle of the road speed.

I started my son on a 243 Savage, and when he got older, switched the barrel to a 308.

No regrets, but if there had been a 6.5 Creedmoor back then, I would have started at 243 and ended at 6.5 Creedmoor.

Youngster starting out on deer? To be true to your original post inquiry, 243. Why? It is an excellent deer rifle, even for full grown men. It also recoils considerably less than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Having said that, since the intended use for the rifle is deer, I will go out of your criteria and choose a .223. Others above have given good specs and reasons. I think a lot of us make a potentially huge mistake when we buy youngsters (size dependent of course) a higher recoiling rifle as long as it's in a youth stock and then, when they "grow into it", we can just get an adult sized stock. In my opinion, this is a mistake. Get them the less-recoiling rifle. As they grow, feel free to sell that to another parent with a youngster and move up in caliber if needed, assuming the youngster, though older now, can actually tolerate the recoil. Many grown men still, at times, use 223s for deer.

100 gr bullets with minimum powder charge in a .260 Model 7 give very, very light recoil and keeeeulll. I witnessed such a load using a Hornady bullet break both shoulder bones just above the elbow of a 120 lbish doe whitetail and the 7 yr old in my lap was unaware of recoil, for good reason. I expect the 6.5CM would perform similarly. Want to use heavier bullets later, no problem. But can deer tell the difference between a 95 gr .243 and a 100 gr 6.5 at minimum powder charge? Doubt it.

There is nothing wrong with a 243. With decent bullets I have no doubt it's capable. But the 6.5 just doesn't recoil that much more and it opens up a lot more possibilities later on. If you think 6.5 recoil is too much,then pass over 243 for 223.

True. As I posted in my earlier post, I cannot tell any difference between a 243 and 6.5 CM recoil wise. I'll also add that if anyone is recoil conscious, it is me. I was a skinny, boney shouldered 15 year old kid when I started hunting deer with my daddy's Remington 760 in 30-06, shooting 180 grain bullets. It would leave my shoulder black and blue, and because I didn't know anything about ear protection, my ears would ring for week. As a result, I have never liked shooting any gun that kicked, and it has been very hard on me over the years to keep from flinching. Today, although I have a pair of classic deer rifles in my safe, a 270 and a 7X57, and for 25 years the 270 was my go-to deer rifle, I no longer hunt with either. I can shoot better with either a 243 or the 6.5, and either one will kill a deer just fine.........regardless of whether you're 12 or almost 70 as I am. By the way, although the 223 will work just fine for deer, I would pick a 243 over a 223 any day of the week. It is just a better choice.

You’re not leaving a lot on the table with a fast twist .223 and the right 75 gr bullet.

Deadly. About the most killing power with the least recoil and blast.

DF

I won't disagree, but it's just hard for me to want to go with anything below the 243.........and I've killed deer with a 223 and a 22LR. As a matter of fact, I'm probably going to carry a 223 some this season myself.

.243 Win.

Get a rifle that fits the youngster,along with a good recoil pad,a recoil shield (for shooting off the bench) and light loads would be a good start.

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/3566

6.5 CM in a Tikka that has a stock that has been properly fitted for the child, and a threaded barrel with a brake.




Recipe for success as follows:

Get a T3 Lite (plastic stock) in 6.5 CM. with a threaded barrel

Buy a wood "take-off" stock.

Thread on a muzzle brake.

Remove the full size plastic stock on the rifle, set it aside for when the child grows into it.

Take the wood stock and cut it to proper length (including a flip flop pad) for the child, when he/she is wearing hunting clothes.

Have the child practice shooting, wearing both earplugs and muffs.

Top it with a good scope like an SWFA, that matches the terrain and hunting style, in quality rings and they are good to go.

They will then have a nice quality rifle that they can use as an adult.



The recoil from such a setup will be minimal. I did this setup with a .308 for my (at the time) sub 100 pound daughter, and she could not tell the difference between a .308 shooting regular 155 Scenars and a custom 6mm Rem T3. The recoil was never an issue. She eventually grew into the full size plastic stock, and the short wood stock was set aside for her younger sibling.