Kids hunting rifle?

[zr600]

What’s recommended for a rifle for kids for deer hunting now? My youngest is signed up for hunter safety and wants to hunt next year. She’s going to be 12. Has shot a 243, will try a 6.5creedmoor. I found her sister a nice youth model Remington 700 243 when she was this age and that rifle shoots very well and works great. Also what would you recommend for a scope? She is possibly interested in shooting prs and nrl hunter with me too. So I was thinking 6creedmoor. I do reload but wasn’t thinking a custom
Was the way to go since she will be new to hunting and I don’t know if she will like competing.

 

[stello1001]

If we're straight up talking hunting, I think the 243 is good. The 6.5 gredel, 6arc, 22arc, and even 300BO can be good deer killers if the distance is kept reasonable.

 

[hlee]

Do you still have the 243? If so, does it still have a scope? Why not use that?

She may not like hunting. She may not like competing. Maybe I’m just a terrible dad, but I wouldn’t invest heavily on the whims of a 12 yo.

My oldest son’s first deer rifle was an ar15 chambered in 223rem/5.56. He had short arms and the collapsible stock gives a very wide range of pull lengths. His brother shot his first deer with an ar15 chambered in 6.5 Grendel. Both rifles do their jobs at modest range.

 

[zr600]

Problem is her sister will be using that rifle during deer season. So she needs something to hunt with. I have a 6mm ar15 but I would prefer for her to shoot a bolt action as a new hunter. I also have a 6.5creedmoor but it’s very heavy not setup for hunting more of a prs/nrl hunter or target rifle she wouldn’t be able to carry it out hunting. I do have a savage 308, maybe putting a different barrel on that might be a good option I guess too.

 

[Partsunavailable]

243 historically has probably been the most popular youth deer cartridge. 6 creed is it's modern equivalent. A faster twist on the creed opens more possibilities for high bc prs games, while still having hunting options. Nothing wrong with 243, but if I'm buying a new rifle today, id go with 6 creed.

 

[gopherslayer]

Howa mini 6ARC?

My daughter uses an AR chambered in 5.56. She thinks a bolt gun is weird. She’s 16.

 

[John?]

my 12 year old son uses an AR in 5.56. My 14 year old son uses an AR in 6.5Grendel. Both do the job at ranges they’re capable of making the shot.

Collapsible stock makes it easy to fit the stock to them. Neither are at full adult height yet so standard stock LOP is too long.

Adjustable LOP is helpful with youth hunters.

 

[bohem]

We live in a state that requires manually operated firearms only, so no AR's are allowed for big game hunting.

I built a 6mm Creedmoor on a Rem 700 action with a 16.5" barrel for my older son. It's been extremely effective on whitetails from point blank out to 540yd so far; he's been using it for 5 seasons. My younger son used the same rifle to bag a nice buck at 370 yards this year as well.

ETA: I cut down an AG Composites stock to fit a 6 year old and put a pad on it at 11.5" LOP. My older son has since outgrown it and my younger one is going to be using it for a few years. Most chassis out there today will collapse down fairly short and they're better if you remove the butt pad on them. The shortest one that I've found is the ARC Xylo, without a pad on it my sons could both use it when they were 6. It's pretty heavy for a hunting rifle, though it sits well on top of a tripod in a blind.

 

[fdkay]

What’s recommended for a rifle for kids for deer hunting now? My youngest is signed up for hunter safety and wants to hunt next year. She’s going to be 12. Has shot a 243, will try a 6.5creedmoor. I found her sister a nice youth model Remington 700 243 when she was this age and that rifle shoots very well and works great. Also what would you recommend for a scope? She is possibly interested in shooting prs and nrl hunter with me too. So I was thinking 6creedmoor. I do reload but wasn’t thinking a custom
Was the way to go since she will be new to hunting and I don’t know if she will like competing.

I'd go for a 6mm creedmoor.
Very similar in performance to the .243, except has heavy for caliber factory loads and fast twist barrels standard.
Personally, I don't think most PRS scopes are suitable for hunting and vice versa, that said the delta stryker 3.5-21 and NF 2.5-20 could probably pull it off.

 

[tacoman69]

223, 6arc, .243 or 6cm shooting ELDMs or Eldx. Minesbstarting out on a 223

 

[TheJeanyus]

It doesn't take anything particularly exotic to kill deer. About 15 years ago my dad bought a Rossi single shot youth gun in 243 for "the grandkids". All of my step-mom's grandkids killed their first deer with it, and this year it's my 10 year old son's turn with it. They've all used factory loaded 100 grain Remington Core Lokts. Not one has been wounded or difficult to track to my knowledge.

 

[Benz1]

My son started at 8 years old with a 300BO AR with collapsible stock to fit him as he grew. Last year upgraded to a Springfield Waypoint all carbon in 6.5CM which is a damn fine gun he will keep forever

 

[waveslayer]

I'm running a 6.5 G for my daughter, she is 13 but small in stature. The collapsible stock makes it work for her. She's not taking 500 yard shots, if so she'll have to use Grandpa's 6.5 Creedmoor, lol.

 

[diggler1833]

I know that it is not legal in some states, but an AR with a carbine stock that will accommodate a wide range of LOP is one of the platforms I can't recommend enough. Even my daughters at 5 years old could get behind one comfortably (trigger finger reach is another topic).

Out to 250, I don't think that there is anything wrong with the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, and 6 ARC for deer. All will kill with ease and good shot placement. Bonus for suppressor use as it will cut down the concussion and recoil too.

For bolt action platforms, a stock/chassis with the adjustable LOP is still a great idea. I got my F-I-L a 'Salvage' Timberland with the Accu-Fit stock and took it down to 12.75" for him due to his smaller stature. It fits my wife well too.

 

[fdkay]

I see that a lot of the recommendations are not taking into the account that there may be some interest in shooting PRS style matches with the gun.

 

[diggler1833]

I see that a lot of the recommendations are not taking into the account that there may be some interest in shooting PRS style matches with the gun.

Very true. Although I don't put nearly as much weight into "possibly interested in shooting prs and nrl hunter" and " I don’t know if she will like competing" as I do taking the kid hunting and giving them something that doesn't hinder their chances at harvesting game. Just make sure you can use it too if they don't want to keep up with it.

I've put together a dozen guns for my younger daughters that vary from hunting to LR plinking. They still just like shooting .22s. My lesson learned is to see how they like it before you build it for them. Fortunately, I made 'their' guns manly enough that I wouldn't get sand kicked in my face for taking them out and shooting them too.

 

[hlee]

I see that a lot of the recommendations are not taking into the account that there may be some interest in shooting PRS style matches with the gun.

Well, combination hunting/comp guns almost universally are not terribly good at either. Even a gun built for the new Sportsman division will be too heavy for hunting (IMO) and too light for PRS (outside of sportsman division).

But, an AR in 6ARC or 6.5 Grendel will hold it’s own for both…

 

[fdkay]

Well, combination hunting/comp guns almost universally are not terribly good at either. Even a gun built for the new Sportsman division will be too heavy for hunting (IMO) and too light for PRS (outside of sportsman division).

But, an AR in 6ARC or 6.5 Grendel will hold it’s own for both…

Agree