My 11 year old daughter, Amy, has always loved coming hunting with me but I was starting to think she wouldn't end up being a hunter herself. She is the kind of kid who is happiest in the outdoors whether hunting with me, fishing (which she is very good at), long hikes or camping in remote areas.

This year she was with me bear hunting in the spring and she loved it. I even managed to take a nice sized black bear while she was with me. It was a great time but there was still no indication that she wanted to be a hunter herself. Then, pretty much out of the blue, she decided in September that she wanted to try grouse hunting. She's done well with that and now she is hooked. She definitely plans to do her hunter safety course soon. In November she was up at 5:15 with me for deer hunting and was an absolute trooper. We were in farm fields and I wanted her to have a meaningful role so she had the binoculars and I had the rifle. We got a buck that she spotted, which she was very proud of, and now she wants to hunt deer and black bear. Black bears would be over bait in the brush at 40 yards or so and deer would be at longer distance in farm fields.

Now I'm looking into a rifle for her use. I've got plenty but I'd like something ideal for her. She's a tall, strong kid for her age at about 5'5" and 110 lbs but she's still only that size and 11 years old. In terms of cartridge I'm thinking of either a .243 or a 6.5 Creedmoor. I like the lesser recoil and flatter trajectory of the .243 but the Creedmoor certainly has a lot going for it too. Whichever it is, she'd likely get handloaded Nosler Partitions. Both cartridges would work but do you see one as a better choice?

As for rifle, I'm seriously thinking about a Tikka T3X Hunter, Ruger 77 Hawkeye Hunter or a used Winchester 70 Super Grade. Right now I'm leaning towards the T3X simply because it's the lightest rifle. My own tastes lean towards one of the other two but the Tikka would surely be a great rifle. Which of these would you advise, or something else entirely?

The only other thing to mention is that she's a competent shooter. She shoots well with rimfire as well as my Ruger 77 Hawkeye .223. She's been shooting since getting her own Savage Rascal at five years old and done a few rimfire precision competitions out to 200 yards. Most importantly she's the kind of shooter who has the self-discipline to make a good shoot or not shoot at all.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

You can't go wrong with either. A 243 Tikka would be a great choice. People always shoot lighter recoiling rifles better. A 6mm Creed is another option, though they have somewhat limited hunting rifle offerings.

A Christensen Mesa FFT in 6 Creed would be really sweet.

On paper, assuming a 42ish grains of powder charge - the difference between a .243 with 100grn bullets at 3000 and the 6.5CM with 140grn bullets at 2700 is 3lbs more of recoil in a 6 pound rifle.

What I did for my 10 year old son was a Tikka T3x SS Lite in .308W cut to 20" and loaded to 2800 with 130 TTSX. That recoils the same as the aforementioned 6.5CM load. As he grows I can transition him to full power loads and a full size stock.

Just went through this debate looking for the right rifle for my oldest daughter. We have a Ruger American youth rifle in 243 but, She’s 5’3” and about 100lbs and is about to outgrow it. She got to try a few different rifles and see how they fit. After shouldering about a dozen different rifles she chose a Weatherby vanguard Camilla and I got it in 6.5creed and figured this will probably work for her for most everything we be hunting. Good luck! Having a daughter to hunt with is a special.

Don’t be in a hurry to make a bad decision.

Recommend you read this thread in it’s entirety:

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/223-for-bear-deer-elk-and-moose.130488/

I've actually read that thread before. There is some really interesting stuff there. Using the .223 has occurred to me. My concern is how much range she might have with it in a farm field. I hear some mixed things about the .223 as a deer round once distance starts to stretch. Do you have any experience with this one? All of my own deer have been taken with a .270 or .30-06 until I recently started using a 6.5x284.

What about a 6.5 Grendel? That would be an intermediate step between a 223 and a 243 or 6.5Creed. Barnes makes factory ammo with the 115 gr TTSX, and Howa makes their 1500 rifle in 6.5 Grendel.

Or since you handload, you can probably match (or be below) 6.5 Grendel recoil with a 6.5Creed or .243 with an appropriate weight Partition.

I’m in that thread on Rokslide. I killed a Mulie buck this year with one shot from my Tikka .223 at 475 yards, 75 gr ELDX. The buck went straight down and I mean right now, didn’t take a step.

That said, Tikka just came out with a 1-8” .243 that looks very interesting. I have a hard time thinking there’s much difference between a 75 grain .224 bullet and a 105 grain .243 bullet at distances most new hunters would shoot.

If you’re not comfortable with a .223 (it takes an open mind, believe me) look hard at the 1-8” Tikka.

Or buy them both and let her decide.





P

If she hasn't started at .22LR why not start there.

I would let her pick the rifle. Since you handload, cartridge is secondary.

I would lean towards the 6.5 loaded down a touch with an appropriate bullet. But a 243, or 223 would work also.

Do not overthink this, let her choose and shoot a bunch. The critters will fall.

I agree with CRS here. Let her look at several rifles that you know to be solid.

Since you are a handloader, I’d 100% go 6.5CM for maximum usefulness later. My kids shot downloaded 260 and 7-08 boltguns in youth stocks when they were 7 years old. I bumped up the loads as they grew. Powderfuff loads were like shooting a 223. Various 100gr hunting bullets at 2800 or so in the 6.5 would approximate the performance of a factory 243 load in a youth carbine, and those have killed a lot of game.

One of my granddaughters uses my Howa Mini 6.5 Grendel, with handloaded 123 SST's. Very capable cartridge with little, if any, recoil. The youngest granddaughter took her deer this year with a 223 using the Winchester 64 grain factory ammo. I was very impressed with the results.

My wife is 5’2” about 115# and loves her Winchester XPR Compact in 7mm08.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions so far.

I have considered the 6.5 Grendel but they aren't easy to find here in Canada and choices are limited. If I could find a CZ 527 American I would consider it. There wouldn't be too many other options due to availability and the fact that my girl like blued steel and walnut.

I'd like to let her try handling a lot of guns but we're in a small town with one store that has a small selection of guns and nothing else better nearby. That one shop has a T3X Hunter .30-06 that she could at least handle for feel and then something more suitable than a .30-06 could be ordered.

As for the moment I'm off to go grouse hunting with my girl.

Mule Deer has written some good stuff about stock fit, women, and recoil.

Very cool that she wants to go hunting with dad! Sounds like you're making the most of it. Good on you, my friend.

From Weatherby's website:

Camilla

My son is about to turn 10 and has taken 3 WT bucks so far. He has used a suppressed AR in 6.8 SPC with an illuminated Leupold 2-7 and it has been perfect. The collapsible stock makes the gun fit him perfectly, the suppressor allows me to talk him through the shot, the dot in the reticle makes a easy to understand aiming point, and the recoil is mild enough with 120gr bullets that he shoots it with confidence.

His first rifle will be a bolt 6mm of some flavor but the AR has been very effective to get him into hunting. We practice with other ARs in .223 so he is efficient with the rifle.

….just noticed Canada. My bad….

Savage makes a similar line as well, the Lady Hunter.

Since you mentioned using PT's, the 6.5 Creed in the rifle she likes, loaded with PT's, even on the light side will let you let her grow into whichever rifle she decides on. A 6.5 Creed load with 100 grain PT's at 2700 would be a pleasant shooting rifle. Either way, letting her get into the mix and picking the cartridge and rifle will make it seem like she has some skin in the game.

Good luck. My daughter used my 222 Rem for her first buck and has grown into a 7-08 these days.

I would pick 7mm-08 over all that have been mentioned. Properly loaded it will knock down elk, and recoil is not bad. I'd also lean toward the lightest Remington 700 I could find- older SPS maybe?

Solid advice here! Wayne York built a lightweight stock and aluminum bottom metal for mine. Scoped with a VX3i 3.5-10x40 scope and it weighs an ounce or two short of 6lbs. Wayne will build a stock at youth length then when the child grows out of it he'll lengthen and repaint it for only $50. It may be worth a call to him. I'm almost certain he has shipped to Canada before and would know the process.

6.5 cm, 7mm-08, 243win all good choices. As for rifles, my wife is similar size and has used weatherby Camilla, weatherby compact/youth, and a tikka superlite in a compact stock. The weatherby compact stock and Camilla stock fit her best, and the 20” barrel on those guns make them feel lighter than are to her. This past year she ended up using the tikka superlite in 6.5cm, barrel cut to 21.5” and I had to put a comb riser pad on it to make it fit her. All of these guns work well and may be good options for your daughter. In general, higher comb stock often fit better on the ladies.

My kids are 9-11 right now so I am living right in the middle of this dilemma.

I don't believe that the .223 is the best choice here. I've killed numerous deer and feral hogs with a .223 and, sure, it can be done. We can't assume, though, that a child is going to place a bullet perfectly every time. I like the 6.5 Grendel or even supersonic .300 BLK loads for this role.

As for rifles, I've basically gone three routes:

-Traditionalists may balk but I've found that AR-style rifles are a good starting point. Train them up on a .22LR style AR and the crossover to a centerfire gun is simple. The real benefit here is the adjustable length-of-pull. I put together a 6.5 Grendel AR for my kids to hunt with. I run the stock all of the way forward and, suppressed, recoil and muzzle blast are very tolerable. My oldest daughter is using this setup currently. She shoots it well on the range but, so far, hasn't been comfortable enough to pull the trigger on something live. I don't push it, she'll shoot when she's ready. If she doesn't, that's okay too.

-My son, who is my youngest, is very comfortable shooting just about anything. Shooting just comes naturally to him. He's killed deer and hogs with a variety of guns but his "go to" is my Fieldcraft in 6.5 CM. The LOP is a bit long but he shoots it well. With a suppressor, the recoil is very tolerable. He has killed two bucks, three does and three hogs with that rifle this year alone and our rut doesn't kick in for another few weeks. Ranges have been from 30 to 150 yards.

-I'm in the process of building my "perfect" kid gun and am hoping to get the time to finish it before our season ends in February. This will be a Mack Bros EVO II action with a DBM. Chambering will be 6 CM with an 8" twist #4 Brux cut to 16.25" and threaded-- that profile will give me plenty of meat at the muzzle. Weight isn't much of a factor since we are hunting from stands/blinds. For a stock, I chose a Grayboe Eagle-- I can manage the LOP using spacers and the adjustable comb is helpful as well. The rifle will be suppressed.

The real key is choosing a rifle that the kid will be comfortable with-- handing them a .30-06 that they're scared to death of is a recipe for disaster. Get them close to game (ground blinds are great to mask their inevitable movement) and help them find success. A solid rest is a huge advantage.

I agree on 243 with others. Great do it all round for lower 48. At 5’5” no need for youth size gun. Tikka is great choice, Bergara, Winchester, Ruger….lots of great choices

Going to amend my post by adding a 270 or 30-06. Both of which can be loaded down for a younger person, it thinking a gun she may own forever it might be a better long term choice

Much as I enjoy my CZ-527 American in 6.5 Grendel my recommendation is the Tikka T3x Compact in 6.5 Creedmoor with 20” barrel model # JRTXE382CSB as you can easily load it down to 6.5 Grendel velocities as well as loading it up to normal factory velocities. I am particularly pleased with the performance of the 129 gr. Nosler AccuBond Long Range in my 6.5 Grendel so would suggest using that as it performs well at modest velocities which also minimizes muzzle blast and report. I am NOT in any way a gun writer however hunt with both the 6.5 Grendel and 6.5 Creedmoor though by far use the 6.5 Grendel CZ-527 American the most as the 6.5 Grendel is more than sufficient at the short ranges I hunt in Mississippi.

Both good choices, plus there's plenty of factory ammo available once she moves away from home.



I just bought a Tikka T3x Compact. Mine is a 308 but they also come in 223, 22-250, 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 7mm-08. The 20" barrel will be easy to handle in a stand or box blind. The LOP is 12.5" but they come with a spacer to bring the stock to full length. You can swap it into a wood stock once she stops growing.

A word of caution: the website says they're 6.2 pounds, but mine is more like 5.9 pounds. Recoil with full-power 165-grain loads will get your attention. When chambered for other cartridges, it will be heavier.


Okie John

I think this is great advice. My son started with a 223 and did well with it on antelope.

Me, I'd start her with a 223 Tikka T3, and later on, when she gets used to recoil, add an identical rifle in 6.5CM.

Weight of a rifle should be a consideration. LA rifles are heavier than SA rifles. Mini action rifles are even lighter.

Fraser;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope that the winter in Deep River has been as mild as our Okanagan winter has been so far and that you and the family are well.

While it might be breaking with tradition, I did read all of the responses before answering and honestly in my experience you've had some good ones for sure.

Like your daughter, our girls very literally grew up in the mountains here and when they were old enough wanted to hunt on their own.

Photo of the beginning, middle and then first bucks for both just for fun.



Pro-D day at school that was spent with the old man



First buck for both, within 15yds and less than 15 seconds of each other.



To the choice of rifles now..

Both of them resolutely refused to shoot their Mom's little .308 carbine, despite me loading it down. They just thought it had too much muzzle blast and that was that as they say.

We didn't have a .223 in the safe then and honestly I should have had one as the little RAR I use for a training rifle at the Hunter Safety course we run at the gun club every spring is always a class favorite. Well the female students somehow seem to love shooting a little .38Spl 92 trapper clone, but that's different.

My initial search then centered on finding a decent .243, but when a buddy was dispersing an estate which had a .250AI that nobody seemed to want because there was no ammo in the Canadian Tire for it, I bought it. We reworked a 788 stock that was in the parts bins that had been shortened already, then loaded 100gr Hornady Interlocks and that worked fine on some fairly good sized Okanagan whitetail and mulie bucks.

Our eldest took a different route and when spotted her late Granddad's 96 Swede in the back of the safe, upon learning I'd built it for him back in the day, decided it would be hers.

She had a wee bit of an issue with the cock on closing part of it at first, so I installed a Dayton Traister cock on open kit which included their trigger.

If memory serves that first buck died with a 120gr Nosler Solid Base and then we switched to 130gr TSX which she's used since and still uses as an adult. We've never, ever caught one of them by the way. They all pass through and head off into the mountain behind the buck, even the bigger ones.

For a wee bit of a summary then sir, both rifles were reworked with their input to fit them and suit their inclinations as much as possible. I believe that was fairly important.

If one goes the route of say a RAR or something with a black plastic stock and she wants to customize it, I'd encourage you to head to the local Can Tire, spend what is now admittedly a small fortune on a few cans of paint and let her have at it. We did that on a couple stocks, they both enjoyed it immensely and it allowed it to be at least somewhat customized for them.

Here's a RAR that I did on my own, but I'm sure you take my meaning.



Anyways those are my experiences with setting up our daughters with what turned out to be effective choices for them when they were at your daughter's stage in life.

Hope that helped and made some sense.

All the best to you all this Christmas Season.

Dwayne

In stainless.

Do this.





P

My son in laws daughter has a couple nice bucks under her belt and a doe shes 13. 6.5cm with reduced recoil 120 BT's. A year or two bump her up to a 125 Partition then you two go elk hunting and load up some 140gr Partitions. Bang flop! Enjoy the hell outta that kid! My son has been by my side every year since he was 10 and his first buck. Hes 29yrs old now and still my hunting partner. Best huntin partner a guy could ever have. Started him with a 7mm-08 his first buck and his first elk one shot DRT. Happy hunting!

i'm not going into what gun to have. she will do that.

i will tell you the caliber. if you are not going to handload, factory ammo only, then the 6.5 Creedmoor. if you do handload, i'd go with 7-08, 7x57, 6.5 CM, 6.5x55, 260 Rem, 257 Roberts or anything above 25 caliber. 243 fans, sorry, i don't think that 243 or 6mm Remington is a starter caliber.

i started out my boys with a Remington m7 (18.5" barrel) in 7-08. my youngest son, who is 24yo, is only 5' 6" and 140lbs+/-. i gave him a '16 Spanish Mauser ('93 Mauser lookalike) in a Numrich sporter barrel in 6.5x55. i gave my oldest son a '98 Mauser in a 20" Douglas barrel in 7x57. i handload and it's been 30ish years since i fired factory ammo. and stay away from them "premium" bullets, a cup-n-core will do nicely.

Here's a T3X in .308 I put together for my granddaughter. I'm downloading 130TTSX to get her started. Very little recoil. Gonna ease her up to 168TTXS before I take her to Africa in a couple years.

Tikka Compact 12 ½" LOP
.308 Win
Barrel cut/crowned/threaded at 18"
Silencer Central Backcountry Suppressor
Murphy Precision Titanium Rail
Seekins Precision Rings.
6X FX3 Leupold w/ Leupold custom shop German #4 reticle
Factory stock painted by John_Boy here on the campfire (highly recommended)

You’ll get a lot of great advice from the guys here and whatever you choose for a rifle for her it’ll get the job done. Irregardless of the technical aspects and answers regarding rifles and exterior ballistics the most important thing out of everything is that you have the finest hunting partner any man could hope for. You’ve successfully introduced her to the wonders of the outdoors and you lit a fire in her that will very likely burn brightly throughout her life, the way nature gets into our souls there’s no other possible outcome.

Not only will you be blessed with the best hunting partner anyone could hope for but YOU gave your daughter a gift that nobody can take away. I wish you both a lifetime of outdoor memories created together and nothing but happiness and success on the trail!

Have been "gone hunting" for a few days.

I have usually found the most effective way to choose a rifle for a beginning hunter, whether a kid or adult or someone in between, is get together a small collection of various rifles, and have the beginner shoot them--to find out what THEY prefer to shoot in terms of recoil, stock shape, etc. etc.

Have known quite a few adult hunters who picked what they thought would be the perfect "kid's rifle," and have it not work out.

When my son started, Cabelas had a packge deal on Rem 700 that had both a youth stock and a full size stock. I got it in 30-06. The first couple of years he shot handloads equivalent to the 30-30. 150 gr spitzer and a starting load of a fast powder (Reloder7?) got about 2400 fps. Bumped him to 300 Savege level stuff for a couple of years. Worked very well. I figured 200 yds was about the limit for the 30-30 equivalent ammo but that was about his limit too.

Dale

I highly recommend the 7mm-08.

My wife has nearly zero recoil tolerance. She has only been hunting for 7 years and I load her a 140 grain Sierra Gameking at about 2600 fps and she shoots it extremely well due to the mild recoil of both rifle and load.

The 7mm has a very versatile range of useful hunting bullet weights from 120-175 grains that can all be utilized in a 7mm-08 of standard twist.

If I was going to take my daughter hunting, I'm obviously limited to the contents of my gun safe as to what I could offer to her. But fortunately that selection would be easy: My Ruger No. 1A in 6.5x55 Swede (which I've already taken two deer with this season) is small in size but has a good solid heft to it. It's super simple to operate (a lever, a breech load & a tang safety). It has mild recoil and so far every deer I've shot with it has expired within visual sight of where I shot it so tracking has been easy. A youth could hunt with it and I'm still putting deer in the freezer with it at 62 so it's something she'll never outgrow.

But this advice is based on my limited experience & since I have a fondness for ambidextrous single-shot falling-blocks, it reflects my personal bias too. Mule Deer's advice to let your daughter try a variety of rifles if possible is great advice and it would probably be a more enjoyable way of acquiring the rifle too. While there have been a lot of good suggestions in this thread, for the hunting I do, I find the 6.5mm projectile to be a really good size selection (i.e. not too small / not too big) for the majority of the hunting I do. YMMV

Another great choice, if you can find one, is the Browning A-Bolt Micro. My wife has one in 7mm08 and it’s light and very accurate.

When I originally read the OP's question, the Browning Micro Midas rifle was an option that popped into my head. I like my LH Browning T-Bolts but I've never shot one of their centerfires so I didn't suggest it based on a lack of actual experience. But if he can find one in Canada, it might be an option worth exploring. The current X-Bolt models in 243, 6.5CM & 7mm-08 are all recommended cartridges from this thread to consider.

The 7mm-08 would be a good option. Hornady makes low-recoil loads for sensitive shooters, using lighter 120 grain bullets and mild velocity. Others make low-recoil loads in other calibers with heavier bullets and very mild velocities to achieve those goals. You can replicate either with handloads and then step up to full-power loads as your young shooter gains experience. If she needs to slay a dragon anytime soon, she probably could do that pretty well with a 175 grain bullet at 1800-2000 fps or so. You have a wide variety of 7 mm bullets to work with.

I inherited a 30-06 from my grandfather when I was eight years old. I didn't have the choice of caliber; my options were to shoot it or not shoot at all. Dad had me shooting it at age ten with 110 gr. RN bullets and 15 gr of Unique. It wasn't long before I was ready to step up to factory ammo with 150 gr. bullets.

in my opinion the first thing to do is get a rifle of the correct dimensions length of pull and a weight manageable for the youngster. nowadays for getting lots of good choices. with all the different ARC , Grendel type cases out. if guys in the building something anything chambered in one of the 220 Russian type cases or a BR case can make killer youth guns with low recoil..

a friend of mine recently didn't quite know which route to take for his grandson we ended up putting together a 6.5 Grendel and the ranch style Ruger American but then came up with the youth stock to put on it so you have a youth length stock chambered in a 6.5 Grendel. that is an awesome youth gun in my book. without spending a fortune

6ARC is a pretty neat little low recoil round. Nearly .243Win ballistics but can shoot heavier bullets. A Howa Mini can be picked up for under $500.

HOWA mini in 6mm ARC. Find a take off youth stock you can cut to fit.

This is just my opinion, and there are many people who are smarter and have more knowledge than I do.
I have gone full circle on the 223, 6.8 spc and 300BO, never shot a grendel. I have taken the biggest deer of my life with a 223 and a 62 grain tsx at about 50 yards, it ran about 35 yards or so and dropped, a large sow with the 75 grain swift bullet, as well as a bunch of shoats, several with the 6.8 spc with the 95grain barnes bullet, one with a supersonic 110 grain barnes from a 300BO, I would not hesitate to shoot a deer under a hundred yards with any of them, as I am a pretty reasonable shot with a rifle. When your over 100 yards and you deliver a small hole to a larger deer, finding the deer becomes more problematic. Then my grandson's are doing the shooting now and unfortunately a lifetime of shooting cannot be condensed into a 12 or 13 year old with buck fever and a shoulder shot can wind up to far back as it has before. I don't know the numbers but based on more than a few years killing deer, the small calibers work in the hands of a good shot, at closer distances, while something with the ability to provide a a more significant wound channel and more blood is in my opinion a better ethical choice at distance. The big 10 whose heart I blew apart with a 62 grain tsx, left single drops of blood from where I shot him to where he collapsed, had I not heard him fall, it would have been hard to find him. Yes these small calibers work if you can shoot, don't get excited, don't have to track in thick brush, OTOH having killed a few deer and pigs with them, the more ethical choice for me and my grandsons is a bit more significant cartridge. This is of course not the case where the shooter can hit a deer in the head at 300 yards.

You'll see better performance by using bullets matched to the velocity window of the cartridge. That is to say, use faster opening/softer bullets, especially in fairly pokey rounds like those you mentioned.

lots of good choices but i went a little different because i am a Loony handloader and it might be the safer way to go ? we all use Ruger #1`s my 2 grandkids ,my wife ,my daughter all use 257 Roberts, this type rifle holds one cartridge , has a thumb safety ,loads and unloads so simple. i let my grandson pick what kind/type of rifle he wanted to use we started with a bolt action ,then a AR-15 and last a Ruger #1 . 11 yr. old Grandson Alex after shooting all 3 types of rifles shock me but i understand way it was easier and simple for him to use a Ruger #1 , the 257 Roberts recoil was light , that 75 gr. Hammer bullet was very accurate , he did shoot and kill this fall 2023 a button buck at about 80 yds one shot with his Ruger #1 257 Roberts ,he has school so he only got to hunt a day and half because its a 5 hour drive to deer camp one way , its special for me we sit together .

My daughter is shooting extremely well with soft loads in lightweight 6creedmoor w/can. I won’t let her shoot anything with more recoil, or even the 6cm without the can.

I think a BIG part of why she shoots so well is she’s never been exposed to even moderate recoil or muzzle blast while shooting. And similar to your kid, lots of years of rimfire. I’d have her shooting a 223 or 6arc for hunting, but NRL hunter and factory class is 6cm/243 win minimum.

Tikka T3x lite in 223, or 1-8 243win w/silencer is the easy button IMO.

I have to agree with that. I have six kids...five that shoot/hunt. I have several youth/ladies/compact model rifles around here in .243 and 7mm-08. Most of the kids have shot them all and end up gravitating to one they prefer.

Before my oldest boy went to a full size rifle, he did a lot of hunting with a Remington 700 youth in .243. Seemed to fit him well and he shot it great.




My youngest always requests the Ruger Compact in .243.



My oldest (who is now 20...yikes) will pretty much shoot whatever I put in her hands but seems to shoot youth models very well as she is fairly short and doesn't have particularly long arms.

My wife's Savage Axis youth/ladies seems to fit her very well.



My 14 YO started with the .243 but now seems really comfortable with the Frontier in 7mm-08.



When my youngest son turned 12 he received a full-size Tikka Superlite in 7-08 for his birthday. Thinking I was doing the right thing, I picked up an extra stock from the classifieds and cut it down to 12.75" or so. First trip to the range with reduced loads the scope bumped his forehead and he was hesitant to shoot it. We put the full-size stock on it and he has been shooting well ever since despite being of a size where the shortened LOP should have been about right. I did add a removable cheek riser to improved the fit.

My wife and my daughter-in-law are both lefties. I got my wife a left handed Tikka and a 30-30 lever. I cut the stock on the Tikka - she doesn’t like it. She likes the 30-30. I have been trying to find accurate Ruger #1 or maybe a 1885. But I guess they might/probably like a break open. I hate to buy something that they won’t want. Buy and sell usually means at least $100 gone.
If you get a chance like MD suggested do it.

9 Year old grandson, who is slightly small for his age, loves a Remington 600 in 6mm. Shot once at a deer and killed it at 90 yards. For some reason, he thinks it is his rifle. (It definitely is) Also have one in 308 for him, when he gets a little bigger.

My grandson shoots my CZ527 7.62x39 well.

I have a faux TI in 257Roberts with a spare stock cut to 12.5" that will work well for him. I hope he uses that for the rest of his life for hunting WT.

Savage Storm, you pick the caliber. Stock is adjustable for LOP and cheek piece. As she grows the stock can be adjusted to fit her. Accurate, reliable, and a good trigger. And reasonably priced at around $700-750. Will last till she dies.

My son has had no problem killing Whitetails with a 6mm Remington. A 243 will be fine (so would a 6.5 Creedmoor/Grendel/6.5x55). I think a 223 is too small, considering the chance for less than ideal bullet placement, and, though I started with a 30/06, wouldn’t consider a 30 cal if you have the funds to get something more appropriate for a small framed shooter (and you do).

Even with a 6 or 6.5, I wouldn’t make the mistake of going “ultralight” with a kid’s gun. A 7lb or up gun will soak up recoil better, and I doubt your going to have a kid taking offhand shots for their first few deer, so they’ll have a rest to put it on.

My nine year old (4'3" and 70 pounds) shoots a Howa Mini in 6.5 Grendel. I took the LOP down to 10 inches and the barrel is cut to 18 inches and it has a Banish 30 suppressor on it. The recoil is almost nothing, and the lack of muzzle blast has helped her avoid bad flinching habits. We're shooting 110 grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullets at 2500 fps. She took a bit white tail with it last fall, and a big red stag this fall. The deer made it about 100 yards, but the stag only made it about 30. That little cartidge punches way above its weight.

I am a traditionalist at my core and I love old fashioner classic firearms. It's obvious when you consider that fact I make flintlock rifles to earn about 85% of my living
However what I like is not always what's BEST for someone else. That said, in my opinion the absolute best beginners/small person's rifle is an AR15 or AR 10.

Why?

Several reasons;

#1, being a gas auto they kick less then other guns in the same calibers and/or power levels.

#2, in the carbine style with the telescoping stock they truly are a one-size-fits-all weapon.

#3, With a free floated handguard they can be very accurate. Not bench-rest accurate as a rule, but MOA and less is quite common.

#4 When fitted with a good match trigger you often have a more user friendly trigger pull then you get on many bolt actions as they come from the factory.

#5, Any objection that it encourages "shooting sloppily" is simply false, and to train the kids I always use a magazine block, turning the rifle into a singles shot to start them out. Spraying bullets is the fault of the trainer, not the trainee. I can (and I do) shoot my ARs, my AK and my M1Garand at the same rate of fire when hunting as I do my flintlocks. (One shot per animal) I teach them to do the same.

The AR15 that got the most use for deer and antelope hunting with the kids is the 6.8SPC. It shoots MOA and I personally can't tell the difference in it's kick from the same gun with a 223 upper on it. It's super effective on deer sized game too.

One little girl, the daughter my a friend of mine, started out shooting her dad's AR15 at rabbits and coyotes. Her older sister has a 30-06 Mauser, but the younger doesn't like the kick of the Mauser, She's slim and small but not weak, and had no problem packing the 30-06 around the mountains, but didn't like firing it.

So I made her an AR10 in 308. I cut weight as much as I could but it still came in at 9 pounds 10 oz. field ready, scoped and loaded with a 10 round mag. 1 ounce heavier then her sister's 30-06. But she LOVES it and has killed deer, antelope and elk with it in the last 4 years. She doesn't mind the weight at all, but hates the kick of other elk rifles she's tried. her AR has a very good break on it's muzzle so that took a lot of the bite out of it's kick. I had her over at my home in snow and some wind, and watched her flop down on her belly and make 10 out of 10 shots ring an 8" gong at 300 meters. This young gal can put bullet where she wants to with her AR, and so far she has killed 6 game animals with it and has used 7 shots. The one deer she fired at 2 times was hit 2 times too. So far she has not missed even 1 shot at any game animal.

Now dad and I am making a flintlock for her too, and she has become a lover of shooting, but her "go-to" rifle is her AR10