I hope I dont get thrown out for asking a rifle question but here goes. My nephew wants to start deer hunting this year. I am going to buy him a rifle but am unsure of the caliber I should buy. Some say the .223 is fine but other say it isn't strong enough. I am not sure he could handle a .243 since it has about half the recoil energy of a .30-06. I am looking for something cheap that will last him a few years but take a deer down in a humane way. Academy sells a single shot .223 with a scope, sling, and case for $189.00. Does anybody have any suggestions? My nephew weighs about 50-60 lbs and is 4.5-5' tall.

see if some one has a 243 around you especialy if u reload... kid up the street from me his boy shoots a 243 an ther about the same size... if you get a ruger or a savage yes more money but savage has a youth model an you get a slip to get 50% off the full size stock.. an you can get a limsavers recoil pad it shouldent kick bad at all

a .223 loaner could work for a season or two. i think a 9 year old could handle a .243 just fine, and he could use it the rest of his life if he wanted. if he's too small to hold the rifle up for a shot.....a bipod or good rest setup will help.
my son took his first deer at 8 with a 22-250, but a .243 would be my preference for the chore.

I think a child at that age could handle a 243 with practice and some good mild loads. An 80 or 85 grain bullet loaded in the middle of the chart would be pleasent to shoot and still do a good job on deer. As far as choices H&R makes a handi-rifle in a youth modle, they are failry inexpensive and accuracy is OR. Should be minute of deer at 100 yards. Here is the link::

H&R Handi-rifle

If money is not a real issue I think the Ruger M77 MKII Compact is a great little rifle that would be good for young shooters. Here is the link:::


Ruger MKII Compact

my nephew has one of the h&r handi rifles in 243 youth model and shoots it just fine. he is 13 but is very small. about the size of a 10-11 yr old. i don't know if you could get your pkg in 243 as well but it would last him longer, i don't think he could feel the recoil esp. with a scope adding weight. plus the h&r is cheap, too. 223 will work ok if that's what he can handle, just be careful with shot placement. but if he can handle it, go with the 243. have fun and thanks for bringing a new one into the sport.

My 11 year old has a .243 handi rifle with a bull barrel. Recoil is very light and its a very accurate and simple gun for the money. Gun comes with scope base mounted, sling swivels, and a recoil pad. It was around $200 NIB. I've used a .223 to take a dozen or so deer. Its got enough power but its not a gun for a novice. The .243 gives a little more margin for error.

I bought my kids two 243s' I found an old model ruger77 rl that is a neat little tack driver and the stock and barrel on it are shorter than the standard 77 and I bought a rossi set that came with a 243,22lr, and 20ga barrel, I guess normally the sets come with two barrels but I found this one at a local gunstore, new for 190.00 so I couldn't pass it up. the gun shoots great and I like the fact they can practice with 22 ammo using the same action they will be hunting with.

i got the weather warror mkII mark 77 in 243 i could shoot the thing one handed..wish i would of got it 20 years ago it would be the only rifle i owned now lol
dave

Thanks for all of the input. It sounds like the .243 is the way to go. I took him this afternoon and let him shoot my first gun, the trusty New England Firearms .410 shotgun. I let him shoot it 5 or 6 times and he seemed to not have any problem with it. When I used to shoot it at 11-12 years old, I was terrified. I am proud of the little fellow for doing as good as he did. From what i have seen the recoil energy in almost exactly the same for a .243 as a .410, so he should be ok with it. Does any body have any experience with Braztech single shot rifles?

Just started looking at something for my daughter (10). I got her a 22mag bbl for one of my Contender frames to see if she wants to continue it. To get her hunting I'm going to get a 20" 6.5TCU Bbl. I think the low report from it will be less shocking to her that the sharp crack of the 243. After readinf up on these TCU's in carbine lengths I'm excited to see her reaction. Pluss I already have a 13" VVCG Bbl so loading for her would be a sinch.

howdy shawn......er i mean farfegnugen that sounds like a great idea. you could even go with a shorter length if that would be easier for her. a 16-17"er could even be used as a handgun also.

Given the relative size of 'bama deer I'd say a 243 would be great. 223 is just not my idea of a deer gun since most of the bullets are meant for varmints. I'd opt for the Savage with youth stock and Acu Trigger, if you can get it. That way he can not only use it effectively now but for some time with a stock change. Who kows, perhaps it'll be all the gun he'll ever need for deer.

I would go with a .243 Win. Let them practice ALOT with a .22 LR with or without a scope, depending on how the deer rifle will be equiped. Then let them shoot the deer rifle a few times, preferably with some extra padding on their shoulder. Someone suggested putting a tennis shoe over the end of the stock. With extra padding the length of pull may be too long. Also use good hearing protection so that they won't develop a flinch from shooting at a target. When they shoot at a deer, they won't even feel any recoil or hear any noise.

Mark