Hello All. I've got a question for you. In southern MN where I hunt we are limited to shotgun with slugs or a pistol of any center fire caliber for deer hunting. I've also got a 4 year old son who has already asked to go deer hunting with me (we use tower blind setups that will fit multiple people). It will be a good bit before he is hunting himself, but the winter has been long and my mind is wandering.
What would you folks recommend as potential starter setups for him (to hunt with others in the blind with him).

There are a couple 20gage shotgun options (even a youth model) that I could work with, but I was thinking about a pistol option. That got me thinking about the geometry from the grip to the trigger and how that would work with small hands. If I could figure out a modified pistol grip, I think that there are a lot of lighter cartridges that would work well for close range. If possible I would like to do it with a contender but am open to suggestions.

I know some folks here have had their children out hunting and shooting. Any thoughts?

.223 is as about as light as you can go with enough power to reliably take a deer.
Hopefully, you're a handloader so you can start him with low power/recoil loads then gradually increase as the summer goes on. The Rynite grip is probably the smallest one you can use which may fit his had. If not you can work on the grip to make it smaller.
A 2-6 scope would be a good starter. 2X for a good while and gradually increase as he improves.
.223 subsonics would be a starter, too. I have load data for that.
Other factory possibilities would be .218 Bee, .219 Zipper. I still think the .223 would be the most versatile so you're not buying a new gun every year or so.
Good luck.
By the way, my Dad started me with a .30-30 Marlin rifle when I was 5 Held the stock between my chest and upper arm. I was a gun nut. Took right to it.

I've got a factory 223 bull barrel and reload for it so that was the direction my thoughts were heading. The drawback is the slow twist rate won't work on heavier bullets. I think a heavy 14" 325 or 357 barrel would also be options, but the 223 is a place to start.

At 4 years old? He must be awfully mature. I would say try a BB pistol to start with. There are models that look like semi-auto and 1911 type examples. He can learn how to aim and shoot at targets and aluminum cans to make shooting an enjoyable activity.
Hunting would come later. When my dad went quail hunting I was allowed to take my Crosman pellet gun for rabbits and such. I also shot a quail on the ground right in front of our bird dogs nose that she was pointing. It started to wiggle and move like it was going to take off so I swiftly aimed at him and pulled the trigger. The bird dog simply bent forward a short distance and picked up the quail. She then pivoted and placed it in my hand.

The 223 Contender with a 62 SP should work in the slow twist barrel with luck. You can find an extra grip to cut down until he gets larger hands.
Another thought might be a 357 Magnum / 357 Maximum Contender barrel. Use 38 Special load data to start with, and wind it up as he can handle it.

Probably the BEST Option however would be to get him a CVA single shot rifle with the Youth Stock, or the one with a spacer that can be removed for youth shooting, then added back on as he grows. Probably in 243 and reduce loads until he can handle recoil better. Get a low power scope so that he can find the deer in it easily.

I started our youngest, Joe out with a 223 Remington 788 with the stock cut down when he was around 10. I later got him a Winchester Featherweight in 7x57 Mauser that he still has 30 years later.

Bob

Thanks for the feed back guys. It will be several years before any of this takes place and as Jeff pointed out, depends on his maturity. Asking now gives me several years to ponder over and setup possible solutions. I am limited to SHOTGUN or PISTOL in the area where I own land and hunt (ie. no rifle). That means a ~8-12 yo kid will be using either a shotgun (likely 20 ga, as 410 options are pretty sparse) or a pistol of some type. I really don't like shooting slugs and don't think it is a good way to help foster a youngster's developing joy of shooting by practicing for deer hunting. Personally, I've had much more luck with my nephew shooting my contender in 17hmr (and connecting with pdogs ) then him shooting a 20g slug gun and connecting with a target.

I would really love to hear if anyone here has modified the grips on a contender so it will fit a smaller hand so they can hold it secure and stable and deliver a controlled trigger squeeze when the time comes. I would also be interested in hearing about other platforms that may work better because it is easier to change the grip to trigger distance.

At this point, I am thinking that picking up a used grip to modify or making my own wood grip might be the best starting point.

I'd also advocate more towards the 357 Magnum/38 Special option because you could start him off on low-powered 38 Special loads then work him up to 357 Magnum loads. I just think a 357 is a better option than a 223, but that's just me. You can also swap out for a rimfire barrel as needed.

The Contender is probably your best bet due to the abundance of aftermarket grips and the ability to create a custom barrel.

300 Blkout in a TC....probably the best round for deer and the least recoiling choice that I can think of

I like what Franchise said.

I started my son out handgun hunting at 9 years old with a Ruger Charger 22. I wanted him to learn handgun safety, handgun hunting techniques, and shooting positions by hunting small game. He was very small at his age and I knew he wasn?t ready for centerfire handguns. He hunted two squirrel seasons, killed a lot of squirrels and practiced a lot during the off season. I figured he was ready at age 10 to start deer hunting with a handgun. I thought about going the 223 route, but I decided to do something different. I sent my 14? contender 30/30 win barrel to magnaport and had the four ports installed. Then I loaded some 125gr Sierra spire points over the minimum load of varget. This load fired from the ported 14? barrel with 2x Nikon scope and pacmyer grips and forearm had almost no recoil. The load was more than enough for broad side shots on whitetail and he killed three or four deer the first season with that combo. All shots were within 50 yards and all were complete pass thoughs through the shoulders. I do not regret going with the 30/30. I believe it?s a much more versatile caliber than the 223 and he can grow with it to adulthood. It can be loaded with 110gr-220gr bullets; not so much with the 223. That?s my 2 pennies worth.

Thanks everyone. More to think about. I like the 300BO/30-30 idea as they are close in performance. Setting up a trailboss (or equivalent) load in 30-30 with with the 110gn barnes black tipped BO bullet should get me down to the little/no recoil range and require only a new powder.