Caliber for Daughter??

[black dawg]

Having a few 10 year old girls learning to shoot a hunting rifle in the last 5 years, I have learned that 243 unless it is heavy or light bullets or both, is too much. Have only tried 80-100 grn stuff, but between 60-70lbs10 year olds, they just get hammered by it.

 

[codybrown]

Another vote for the 7-08. My small wife uses one for MI deer, and both my daughters have one each I've built for them when they get a little bigger

 

[thebobcat]

Don't worry about growing into a gun. Get her something she can handle now and sell it off if and when she out grows it. My first rifle was a 270 and quite frankly I wasn't ready for it and I developed a terrible flinch I had to work hard to overcome as I grew older.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My wife is like 5 foot 2 and recoil shy. I’m getting her one of those savage muddy girl compact rifles in 6.5creed. Going with the creed because I’m already set up well to load for it.

 

[Macro]

7mm 08

 

[Pharmseller]

Don't worry about growing into a gun. Get her something she can handle now and sell it off if and when she out grows it. My first rifle was a 270 and quite frankly I wasn't ready for it and I developed a terrible flinch I had to work hard to overcome as I grew older.

You and me both. Skinny 15-year-old, .30-06 with no butt pad shooting 180 Core-Lokts.

My dad didn’t know any better, that’s how he learned, too. You shot whatever rifle was extra.



P

 

[Preston]

I bought a .260 Remington in a Model 7 from a member on here and it should last her a lifetime. I’m confident we can take elk, pronghorn, and deer with it. I personally think kids shouldn’t really be hunting big game until about 12-13 Waiting until their a little bigger doesn’t hurt anything and they can always hunt small game and turkeys with a 22/.22 mag. Best of luck.

 

[Clownbuster]

I'd start with a 6mm Creedmoor. Competition-accurate, 105 Hybrids kill what it touches, and almost no recoil, especially with a very small 2-port muzzle brake. Little kids pick up quick. My 90 lb son went from developing shooting skills on the side of the house with a .22 pellet gun for a month, directly to shooting steel at 640 yards with my 6CM, to killing his first deer at 750 yards with a Ti Pro 3 muzzle brake'd 300 SS shooting Berger 200gr pills within a year.

 

[Raghornjp]

My daughter will be turning 10 in June so she will be old enough for Montana's hunter apprentice program. She is pretty small in stature so I don't want to overwhelm her with too big of a caliber, but was hoping to get something large enough for elk as she gets older. I'm thinking a .308, .270, or a 7mm-08. Anyone here have any experience with these for a young kiddo and how they handled the recoil?

I would recommend getting a light short .223 with a stock that fits her and twisted fast enough to shoot heavies
I started my youngest out with a Kimber Montana rechambered to .223AI
Chopped the barrel to 19” and cut the stock down for her
Works great

 

[MrTim]

7mm-08 for my 11 year old Montana girl.
Plenty of range time with the .22.
Then 2-5 shots each range session with reduced 100 grain hand loads in the 7mm-08.
Full house 120grain hand loads for the hunting season.
Noise is as big a component as felt recoil. I started her with a compact .243 with an 18” barrel. That thing would BARK! The compact 7mm-08 with 20” barrel seems quieter to us.

Probably aware of this already but…Even a compact gun is cumbersome for most kids under 12. You’ll need sticks or a bipod for the field. This means you’ll need to practice with them too.

Lastly, enjoy the whole process. Shooting and hunting with a kid is the best.
Tim

 

[Camo out]

223, 22-250. If you ever hear a kid ask does it kick? Someone has handed them to big a gun,and its in there head and you dont want that!! when your teaching kids to shoot put a spent case 2nd round out of the mag and watch them ive seen alot of kids flinch and freeze up when the trigger was tripped on it

 

[bsoliday]

I take a number of 1st time youth hunters out each year (24 in 2022) for pronghorn and elk. They are from 12-16 yrs old. Historically, the 7mm-08 has been the caliber of choice. However, the last 2 years we have been using the 6.5 PRC (Using Hornady 143gr ELD-X) and the results have been outstanding. We use a suppressor and the Bog DeathGrip tripod, so recoil is minimal. Out of our 10 youth elk hunters, 6 of the 10 were taken with a single shot, including all 3 girls.

 

[EdP]

Find a used Rem model 7 in 7mm-08 and you will have exactly what you need, although you probably should put a Timney trigger in it.

 

[Acidbraker]

My daughter is slight of stature, but she's always been an excellent shot. I made her a deal when she was little I'd never give her a firearm to use if I thought there was a chance of it hurting her. She's 17 now and has been putting furry critters in the dirt since she was legally allowed to pull the trigger. Ruger Hawkeye Compact stainless in 243. She's big enough to use a larger rifle now, but she has no desire. She loves that Ruger.

 

[EdP]

Another good option is the 6.5 Grendel. In the HOWA 1500 Oryx at 8.8 lbs the recoil would be very light and the adjustable for pull stock could be just what she needs. HOWA makes other configurations in 6.5 Grendel also.

HOWA Oryx

 

[Huntinherrington]

My 9yr old daughter has a few guns. She is small. I have trouble getting a gun with a short enough LOP. I had to go with adjustable stocks as the factory compact stocks are still to big.

Wilson Combat 300 HAM’R

CVA Scout V2 350 Legend with buffer tube adapter and adjustable stock.

Last month rebarreled a 7mm-08 to 6 Dasher for her. Manners MCS-CS stock.

R700P .223 with Manners MCS-CS stock.

All guns are shot suppressed.

 

[Wildone]

I bought a .260 Remington in a Model 7 from a member on here and it should last her a lifetime. I’m confident we can take elk, pronghorn, and deer with it. I personally think kids shouldn’t really be hunting big game until about 12-13 Waiting until their a little bigger doesn’t hurt anything and they can always hunt small game and turkeys with a 22/.22 mag. Best of luck.

Just read this thread. This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Load her up some 100 gr partitions or TTSX Barnes and have at it. move up ingrains as she grows. Perfect gun and caliber Good choice.

 

[House21]

Another vote for the 7mm-08, I’ve taken everything from yotes to moose and although it’s not my main choice for moose or elk I never once felt undergunned.

 

[taba]

I’ll never be a fan of a 223 for deer and bigger game.

I personally would NOT go the .243 route. But, that's just me and my opinion again.

223 , 22cm , 22-250 = deer & antelope not elk

You've read the referenced thread, yeah?

What was unconvincing? The killing evidence?

Or don't you believe recoil impairs performance?

I'm honestly curious.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

You've read the referenced thread, yeah?

What was unconvincing? The killing evidence?

Or don't you believe recoil impairs performance?

I'm honestly curious.

Yes I’ve read thru it. I’ll stand by my statement. When I shot a small buck 3 times, twice in the neck, basically decapitating it, and it was still trying to run off, I’ll pass. And it’s not like I used a poor bullet. 62 grain fusion. Used to have pictures of one expanded like a perfect mushroom. I may revisit a hunt with a 223, but I’d have to buy another, which isn’t really on the radar. Do I believe recoil impairs performance, sure. I think the noise is worse. As a reloader, I can do a lot of things to minimize recoil. When my oldest daughter was learning to shoot I’d load her up some 75 gr hollow points at minimum powder charge in a 243, and they shot surprisingly well. I’d let her build confidence with them and slip a 100gr sp in there when we hunted, obviously sighted in with them. She never knew the difference. My youngest child will learn on a Grendel.