What rife caliber for a 10 yr girl for elk

[rajimenez73]

What rifle caliber for a 10yr girl hunting elk

 

[crich]

7mm08 is a versatile under-rated (IMO) caliber that is adequate for elk with the right well placed bullet. Easy on the shoulder too. Could always add weights to a synthetic atock pretty easy if its a bit much for her.

 

[rajimenez73]

I was thinking 243 but 7mm08 sound better

 

[rajimenez73]

What brand of rifle im thinking savage xp youth

 

[Laramie]

Ruger American Compact in 7mm-08 is my youth/women's rifle in our household. It is plenty of gun for elk if paired with good bullets and reasonable ranges. .243 will kill an elk but it doesn't leave a lot of room for error and it's difficult to find factory bonded bullets for them.

This is a good resource when comparing calibers and the felt recoil of each- https://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

There are other options and just about any caliber can be tamed down with brakes/suppressors. Biggest consideration, imo, is to get a gun that fits in a caliber she can handle. Shooting a gun with too long of LOP is uncomfortable and will lead to bad habits. Google length of pull for more info.

Hope this helps - good luck!

 

[Zslayer]

I have 4 girls! Lol. Their ages are 12,10,9,6. All but the 6 year old are shooting a 6.5 creedmoor. They have not shot an elk with it yet but I’ve seen several elk killed with the creedmoor. Recoil and accuracy is hard to beat out of that caliber for kids.

 

[rajimenez73]

I have 4 girls! Lol. Their ages are 12,10,9,6. All but the 6 year old are shooting a 6.5 creedmoor. They have not shot an elk with it yet but I’ve seen several elk killed with the creedmoor. Recoil and accuracy is hard to beat out of that caliber for kids.

I was looking at that caliber too

 

[03mossy]

One of my girls is 12 and shes been shooting our 6.5 Savage lightweight hunter so a couple of years and handles it fine. She killed a doe at 125 yards with it last year.

 

[nphunter]

Biggest thing IMO is getting a rifle they can handle in a caliber that doesn’t make them flinch and scared to shoot. I bought both of my boys Kimber hunters in 6.5cm when they were 9 & 12. I loaded up a bunch of reduced recoil rounds for the rifles and they’ve been shooting them since. My oldest is shooting full loads now and my youngest still shoots reduced loads at 11 out of his. Both boys shoot very accurately and are not afraid to jump behind any rifle now after building confidence in shooting. My youngest has killed 3 deer already and my oldest 2 deer and an elk.


A .243 is also a great choice and will kick less than the 6.5 or 7-08 since it’s the same case with a smaller lighter bullet. My mom shoots a .243 and I started with one as well, between us we’ve probably killed a dozen elk with them.

Those light rifles really do jump a lot when shooting factory 6.5 ammo with 143gr bullets, 7-08 will be worse. Personally I would rather see a kid shooting a smaller bullet than making up for a large one with a brake. Reduced loads can be made for any or bought for most cartridges. I’m big on accuracy and shot placement and feel the 6.5 is probably the best all around which is why I bought them.

Brakes are horribly loud and as someone who has hearing loss and tinnitus in one ear I’m a huge advocate of hearing protecting whenever possible and even a couple shooting sessions with a brake with none can cause permanent damage to the shooter and bystanders. It really isn’t practical walk around with ear protection in and it’s hard to remember in the heat of the moment.

If you feel like your daughter will be recoil sensitive and you don’t reload I would get a .243. Most factory ammo for a 6.5 or 7mm are going to be 140gr + and a 40gr larger projectile being pushed by the same case and powder charge will kick more.

 

[Sadler]

My buddies 12 year old son and 10 year old daughter both killed cow elk and some white tails this year with 6.5 creedmoor loaded with 143eldx. All under 100 yards and all one shot kills. I bought my 10 year old nephew one this year and he took a couple deer too. Great low recoiling round and the kids arnt scared to shoot it.

 

[Deere83]

my Daughter killed a good bull elk a few days after her 12th birthday with a Christensen arms Mesa in 6.5 creedmoor. I really think the muzzle break and lower recoil made her more comfortable practicing and she made a perfect shot at 300 yards.

 

[Aaron Warpony]

Hard to beat a 270 win. for an all around gun she can use the rest of her life

 

[CMF]

Hard to beat a 270 win. for an all around gun she can use the rest of her life

I agree, my 12yo girl and 10 yo son are both shooting .270 for the past two seasons, they haven't been out for Elk, but have both taken whitetail with it. With a 120gr. hornady lite, It kicks less than my buddy's 7mm08.
You can go up to higher bullet weights as they grow and can handle the recoil.

My youngest is shooting a .243, but I can't imagine taking it for Elk, the wife shot two deer with it last year and it killed fine, but neither got a pass through or blood trail.

 

[Aaron Warpony]

I've killed a "few" elk with my .270 and never had any trouble. Flat shooting, good energy at reasonable range. a 12 year old kid shouldn't be shooting over 350 in my opinion. I think it has the wrong mindset and makes them think they need all the great gear and for kids i don't think that's what hunting is about. For years i killed things with a lever action 30-30 from the 60s and when i have kids, would like to start them the same way. I think hunting with kids is about getting them muddy and bloody, not dialing for them and throwing lead at a big buck 800 yards away. Does, cows, calves, don't need a fancy round that will shoot a mile

 

[AK Troutbum]

What rifle caliber for a 10yr girl hunting elk

I bought a 7-08 for my “little” boy when he was about that age and he killed a moose with it the following year. Now 7 years later, he continues to hunt with it and just this past spring he killed his first bear with it. All that said, I also agree with the above comments regarding the .270 win.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Oregonboy]

My first thought was 7mm-08, but .270 seems like a great option as well.

 

[rajimenez73]

I have a 270 wsm is that to big

 

[WeiserBucks]

I have a 270 wsm is that to big

Probably, do you have a .223 or something similar that she can shoot a bunch and get used to a little recoil, noise, using a scope ect? After she's doing great with a little round, move her up to a big game rifle and see how she does.

 

[rajimenez73]

Probably, do you have a .223 or something similar that she can shoot a bunch and get used to a little recoil, noise, using a scope ect? After she's doing great with a little round, move her up to a big game rifle and see how she does.

I have a 30-30

 

[rajimenez73]

Wich kicks harder a 270 win or 270 wsm