Youth Deer Rifle Suggestions

[pens87pgh]

I know I can count on poofa for some help here. My son is 6 and he's showing interesting in going deer hunting with me. Already been taking him to the range already to get him accustomed to all the usual stuff, but I'm looking for advice on a good caliber for a deer rifle that won't beat him up too much but still get the job done. .243 winchester seems like a pretty good place to start, but was curious what the consensus was here. Appreciate the input!

[JDA58]

I haven't hunted in well over 25 years now.. But started out at 11or12 years old with a sporterized 6.5 jap then moved into a Remington 243 win. a few years later and NEVER shot a deer with it so they SUCK!!... Really it was a nice shooting rifle.. not hard on the shoulder at all as far as most deer rifles go.. BTW my dad got a number of deer with it

[Grizzlytrap]

Get whatever one that has ammo easy to obtain.

as far guns 30/30 does it all. not a hard kick

[Qtrborecrazy]

Look for a youth model with 2 stocks that he can grow into. 243, 7mm08, 6.5 Creedmoor are good options. Lots of rifles nowadays come with treaded barrels for muzzle brakes and suppressors.

[rensdd]

My first deer rifle was a .243 Remington, I shot a lot of deer with it, I still have it, but I use it more for coyotes and ground hogs now.

[ar15jules]

I find myself carrying my daughter's youth .243 more than my other rifles. It is great for all day sits wearing extra heavy clothing. The short length of pull is about perfect in that situation. I paid under $350 dollars for it and have shot a confirmed center to center three shot group with it under 1.75 inches at 300 yards using factory ammunition. I also killed my largest buck to date with it using Nosler 90 grain balistic tips. A little light for bear, but great for deer.

[Hoppy]

If it definitely needs to be a rifle cartridge disregard this...

Yesterday I was carrying my Marlin 1894cs .357 in the woods. I’ve owned it for over twenty years, one of my favorite rifles. It was loaded with Buffalo Bore 180 grain hard cast flat nose. Their website says 1850 FPS out of my barrel. Should be plenty for deer out to 100 yards, although I’ve never taken one with it.

.38 special makes for great cheaper practice as well.

[Hoppy]

Don't buy a lever action with a hammer you have to decock for a kid. It's a terrible idea. Their fingers aren't strong enough and it becomesa safety issue. I got a Marlin youth model bolt action in .243. It was under $300 bucks on Buds guns. Nice trigger and accurate. Throw a slip on recoil pad and I can shoot it.

Good point. My son could run his savage rascal bolt action when he was 7. A hammer would’ve been tough.

[Marcus99]

Nothing at all wrong with a .243, or even a 6.5 Creedmoor. For what it's worth, my wife shoots a Browning Micro Midas. It's a sweet little rifle for a kid or smaller adult. Browning offers a deal where you can get a full sized stock for 50% off or something like that.