Deer rifle for daughter?

Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett

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No it's not a trade, she's only 12 :D

My daughter plans to write her CORE this spring and I will need to find her a rifle she can handle.

She is tall but like most girls her age she lacks arm/upper body strength. I'd like to find her a relatively light bolt action in .243 or maybe .260 that has a good balance and if possible iron sights.

I'd like to keep the cost reasonable in case this turns out to be a short lived interest. Any suggestions as to what to look for?
 
My gf picked up a Tikka T3 lite in .243 and its a great gun and I like to shoot it myself lol. The biggest problem we had when we were looking for a gun to fit her was mostly the weight of the gun. She is about 5'3 and 100lbs soaking wet so she needed something that she could carry and hold up to her shoulder easily. The Tikka T3 was by far the best fit for her. Even if your daughters shooting is short lived at least you get another gun to play with :D
 
Davy Crockett said:
No it's not a trade, she's only 12 :D

My daughter plans to write her CORE this spring and I will need to find her a rifle she can handle.

She is tall but like most girls her age she lacks arm/upper body strength. I'd like to find her a relatively light bolt action in .243 or maybe .260 that has a good balance and if possible iron sights.

I'd like to keep the cost reasonable in case this turns out to be a short lived interest. Any suggestions as to what to look for?
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I'm kind of in the same situation but with my 10yr old son. He can't off hand a full size rifle with any consistency but he did manage to take down his first mule deer this year, I should brag for him a little as it was a 160 class deer! and he took it at 458 yds! But here is the key, get her a bipod or good shooting stick with what ever rifle you decide on ( both cartriges you mentioned will be perfect.) get her practiced up with a set up she can shoot and get her into hunting situations she can capitalize on. Also if you two get good quality time with each other outdoors shooting and hunting I really dont know how this interest will end up being short lived;) Keep it fun and best of luck.
 
I got my 12 year old daughter a tupperware T3 in 7/08, seems to work alright.The trick with her wasn't so much dealing with recoil as finding something light enough, I was looking for a KimberMontana in 7/08 and couldn't find one.When asked about the recoil she describes it as twisty, the torque being more noticeable to her than the little bump on her shoulder.

She got her first buck with it this year, offhand. 4th deer.
 
For deer hunting a nice 77-44 great for deer, light with scope 6.5 pounds, recoil is easy and the rifle is real accurate up to 125 metres, when she get older and maybe want something like a 7-08, you will always have this 77-44 , in my book the best caliber for whitetail... Cheers. JP.
 
My wife harvested her deer this year with her Savage Stevens 200 in 243, bang flop! Price point is right & it works!

Cheers
Jay
 
Try a ruger compact or rem model7 in a 260.
260 has better selection of bullets from
85 to 160 that is if she wants to hunt
Larger game change to heavier bullets
 
keith mokry said:
Try a ruger compact or rem model7 in a 260.
260 has better selection of bullets from
85 to 160 that is if she wants to hunt
Larger game change to heavier bullets
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+1 on that. While a 243 is a great caliber, the flexibility of the 260 for minimal increase in recoil is a good trade off. Just think of all the moose that have expired at the hands of a 6.5x55.

When My son was 9, I started him shooting a 222 till he was comfortable, then moved him onto a 220 swift (all at the range) and then took him gopher shooting with them. THen as he got used to the recoil, moved him to a heavy barrel 6mm. It allowed him to get used to increasing blast and recoil. Nothing turns youngsters off of shooting than starting out with too much recoil.

Good luck with the training! There is nothing more satisfying that having one of your children as a hunting partner.
 
My daughter struggled with the bolt operation on a bolt gun, but had no trouble with her pump shotgun. We got her a Remington 7600 carbine in .243 and problem solved. It too is an upper body strength thing. Don't rule out a pump action...
 
I believe you are on the right track with the Rem model 7 (I have one in a 223). Its nice and short and easy to swing...I draw back is the internal mag (Z-Spring)....not the best for small hands.

Another option to consider is the BLR...light, short, detchable mag.

If you hand load, you can take the recoil out of most cartriges and then taylor them later for the task at hand...I started my son out with a 308 BLR, but he was about 14 at the time. I relize there is a big diff between 9 & 10 year olds and a 14 year old.

Good luck and keep us posted....great to hear the youngsters are interested in the sport and have our support.
 
Savage has a Model 11/111 Lightweight Hunter that's 5.5lbs and it is available in a variety of calibers.

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I had a remington 7600 6mm when I first started and it was an awesome rifle and I shot quite a few deer without a problem (wish I still had it).243,6mm,260 would all be a great choice.I just bought a savage edge in .243 for coyotes back in the spring and I know they are not the nicest looking rifle out there but are extremly accurate for the price.Mine will shoot 1 inch 5 shot groups all day long
 
take a look at a savage axis youth in .243 that would be perfect, accurate as can be and cheap so if she doesn't like hunting its not a big deal
 
Davy Crockett said:
Thanks guys. Thats a ton of good advice.

I think I'll give the Savage Axis a look. $329 new at Cabelas. Unfortunately no irons but not a huge deal to add them.
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you won't regret it, nothing else in that price range even comes close.
 
youth rifle

I started my 8 year old boy with a mod 7 in 260. Not low end price wise but great resale value in good shape. Loaded a 100 gn to 2800 fps to start, less recoil than .243. Nice short light rifle that can be loaded to full potential for a lifetime of shooting even as an adult. He loves it and shoots quite well with it after 4-500 rds at the range and a couple critters in SA. I whole heartedly recommend this combo as a starter.
 
There are a few options and I will suggest what I think are good calibers for starters and what they can be used for.
1. In some provinces a 223 centre fire is an accepted caliber for deer. And if it's going to be used for deer, it should be set-up for a minimum of a 60 grain bullets. And the Nosler partition would be the starting point. Then there is the federal 223 Power Shock 64 grain softpoint or the fusion 64 grain. Winchester makes a 64 grain power point. You could go up to a 70 grain bullet semi spitzer from Speer or with a 70 grain interlock. The last two would likely have to be hand loaded though.
2. Next would be a 243 using either a 95 or 100 grain hunting bullet. A good variety to choose from.
3. Stepping up a bit would be a 260 remington in a 120 - 140 grain bullet. Nice ballistics, but harder to find.
4. Last would be a 7mm08 in either a 140 or 150 grain bullet. With the right bullet this could be used for larger then whitetail deer.
5. Another round could be a 30-30 with 150 grain, 160 grain lever evolution or 170 grain.
With the exception of the 30-30 (mostly lever action) all of the calibers listed above are more readily available as bolt action rifles. Some are available in semi automatic.
Overall the best firearm to get a young person to shot well is a 22 LR.
 
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