Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Calibers for kids

the 6.5 is fine but I would hand load it on the light side. I was started early with a gun that I was not comfortable with and have spent the rest of my adult life working to get over a flinch. my ten year old is very comfortable with the 250 and my 13 year old (he is 5'10", 140 lbs) is ready for the 257 but my 8 year old is about 60 lbs, wants to hunt deer really badly but is not ready for the 250. I may work up some light hand loads and see how he does. my ruger 77 in 7.62x39 has a standard weight barrel and very little recoil. we may go that route this fall.

I agree with downloading even the 6.5x55 Swede.
The normal loads have a lot of muzzle blast for some small shooters, and heavier bullets than needed for deer inside 100 yards.

Download it with a 120-gr bullet to about 2,500 fps, like a Mannlicher 6.5x54mm carbine for much less recoil and noise, and deer just as dead.