I have a 12 year old girl who is hunting with me this year. I want the right rifle for her on blacktail deer. I am looking at:

Weatherby Vanguard Youth
Ruger Hawkeye Carbine
CZ 527 Carbine

or

Savage
Marlin

I am starting to look for the same thing now. I was thinking a Model 7 in 243 or 260. But I would like to hear from others.

Model 7 is a great option. I actually thought of managed recoil rounds for the 7mm-08

I need to look more at the reduced loads. Will your daughter be able to handle the rifle in the standing position? I have concerns about this and plan on limiting all shots from a rest in a blind.

Which one fits her best?

That is the one to go with, cartridge and caliber are secondary IMO.

A good fitting comfortable rifle will allow her to put the bullet where it belongs. And it will also make her practice sessions much more enjoyable.

The Weatherby is a good rifle, but a bit heavy for a "youth" model. I have one, and it's a good shooter, it's just heavy.

Don't have a Ruger to comment on. Nor do I have a CZ, but they sure are neat rifles.

I would say a moderate caliber, in a platform that's not too heavy, and make sure the stock is cut down to fit her, and you'll be good.

My daughter's rifle is a Savage with a custom 257 Roberts barrel on it. It's short, light, and a reasonable amount of punch. I consider it ideal for the task.

quote:

Originally posted by 333_OKH:
Model 7 is a great option. I actually thought of managed recoil rounds for the 7mm-08

I think the .260 in a Model 7 would be sweet. Less recoil but all the harvesting power you/she needs.

My nephew bought his son a cz in .223--got a deer the day we sighted it in. That same great nephew got one with my Rem 600 in .222. My grandson always liked my Rem 600 when he was smaller.

I think the straight road to Jeruselem with a kid's rifle is to buy a model 7 in .260 or 7-08 and then buy an after market cadet (kid's stock with short lop)stock for the interim. When the kid grows into the full sized stock, sell the cadet stock.

I have a pristine Rem 600 in .243 that I can be talked out of....PM me if you're seriously interested.

is that the old mohawk?


Also what about the 6.8 for deer hunting?

CZ.

quote:

Originally posted by 333_OKH:
is that the old mohawk?

Nope....it's the original Rem 600 with the plastic rib.

My choice would be a Marlin XS 7 in 243 or 7/08

The Tikka T3 was what I chose for my son, in .243. 10 years old and he seemed to handle it as well as a model 7 in the same caliber. Several of his classmates were shooting .270's and 06's for deer hunting.

For a youth gun, I think you should take a look at H&R (or whatever they call them selves) they offer a short youth stock in 243 with light barrel that is about ideal. I have some old codger adult friends who use that gun restocked in plastic. The 243 works and this is a light short gun. Easy-easy carry and aiming gun.

Not a beauty contest, or who has biggest (ego) gun contest. This is about a 12 yr old girl carring and holding a gun to kill deer. This one will satisfy. Safe and simple too. The two I am familiar with are 1 moa guns!

I think the Remington Model 7 is a great choice for a youth gun. It balances well for a small gun. The .260 is a great choice. I bought a used Model 7 in .243 and rebarreled it to 250 Savage.

You also have to think about the distances that you would let a youth hunter shoot at as well. No need to have a 300yrd capable rifle when the shooter is only capable or allowed to shoot to 125yrds +/-.

I would think the CZ carbine with 7.62X39 cartridge would be about ideal for deer at those ranges, muzzle blast shouldn't be to offensive with the 18" barrel.

One that folks don't talk about is the .44 mag. In a carbine it is a 125yrd capable gun, and is slinging a good chunk of lead. Not a lot of recoil.

With that said, my buddies daughter has a string of 8 one shot kills with a savage .223.

If it were me, I'd let her handle a few different rifles and buy what she likes best, and worry about caliber later. With sane bullet choice, there are a ton of calibers that will work for deer.

+1 on getting the one she likes best and our opinions are really subjective to that fact.

My situation is different as I build and load for them. One has a Zestava 270PPC, one has a Mod 7 in 30BR, and the third is a 600 in. 6x47 Lapua.
Butch

I have taken many young kids hunting for their first deer and have used many different guns. The NEF Handi rifle with a AR-15 adjustable stock works well but the gun is heavy. I use one in 44mag and it has accounted for many deer even with 44 Special ammo. I like the CZ carbine but hate the backwards safety. The Rem 600 is also a very light short gun. I have used a 350 Rem Mag with light loads and the kids loved it. It would drop deer in their track even with a 180 Gr at 1600 fps. Use a gun that fits the kid and when practicing make sure they have fun and are not scared of the gun. If you like use powder puff loads for practice and slip in a full load when hunting. They never notice the difference.

Sam

My oldest daughter is 8 so it will be a few years. My current plan is to hunt up an extra stock for my CZ 6.5 x 55 so I can cut it down for her, and she can have the other stock made to fit when she reaches adulthood. I have a buddy who started his 9 year old son last year with one of the youth Handi-Rifles in .243. He asked me to zero it in at the range, and that thing was not pleasant to shoot at all. The trigger was about 40 lbs, it kicked like a mule, was louder than any of my rifles, and I could feel the muzzle blast with every shot. I named it the Headache Gun. The boy just basically closed his eyes and jerked on the trigger. I told my friend he better do something or his son would be a one-and-done hunter. My friend dug his old Marlin .30-30 out of the closet for this season and son has taken a doe and a hog with the open sights.

My grandson shot .22 cal centerfires from age 7. Took his first deer at 9. Moved up to .243 at age 11. I do think that not exposing him to too much recoil for his age/size made him a much better hunter.

Had a friend last week say his 7 year old granddaughter would not shoot a big 8 point because she did not want to be kicked by the rifle. The rifle was a Ruger youth in 243 Win. He had let her shoot full power loads for practice, she only shot it once. I loaded him some ammo with a 100 grain bullet at 1800 fps for her to shoot. She killed her first deer with one shot through the shoulders and loves the gun now. Make it fun for them is the main thing!

SAm

The TC Contender with a 7-30 or even .30/30 barrel would be a great youth rifle. They make short LOP stocks, and starting with an exposed hammer single shot is still a good idea IMO.

A couple of years ago I picked up a Weatherby Vanguard "package" in 7mm08 that came with both a youth stock and an adult stock. Not a bad idea....when the kid outgrows the youth just swap it out for the larger one.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
My choice would be a Marlin XS 7 in 243 or 7/08

Who has experience with the Marlin XS7?

Every kid is different, that is why you need to pick a rifle that fits her the best. What feels the best to her will make all the difference in the world.

For example, my oldest son who is now 12, started with a Remington 22-250 LVSF at the range with mild 50 gr loads. The rifle was too big to actually hunt with and I found a take off youth tupperware stock and opened the barrel channel. The short length of pull was perfect and he actually benefited from the heavier barrel as he is strong for his age. It helped steady his shot.

He did very well with it shooting deer, antelope and turkeys. But he went to a rem 700 XCR in 270 Win this year. His choice, and he proved to me at the range he could shoot the bigger cartridge just as good as the 22-250. He used 110gr TSX's and shot deer and antelope this year.

My youngest son is 9. We have gone to the range with the aforementioned LVSF 22-250. The rifle is just too big and heavy for him. Works great at the range, off the bench. But when we got off the bench, he struggled no matter the position or shooting aids.

So I ended up have him try some different rifles and we ended up with a Model 7 predator in 22-250. He handles this rifle very well and there is no doubt that come next year during the mentor season he will do just fine with this rifle.

So that is my reasoning for picking the rifle that fits her. You can always load lighter bullets with mild (not reduced) powder charges and the recoil can become very manageable. I have had great success just using the starting loads listed in the manuals.

As much as we like to debate the minutia of this cartridge vs that. There is a whole host of cartridges that will do the job as long as the bullet is put where it is supposed to go.

Pick the rifle, then pick the cartridge that you feel is best for the situation.

I still like the Browning BAR Short-trac in .7mm-08 for this described youth sitution. Light recoil caliber in a gas operated rifle, virtully no recoil. The DPMS LR308-L is also a great choice. It's on an AR style action, gas operated, and a little heavy. Got one, recoil is virtually un-noticeable. Mike

Tc1--Great looking girl. If that's the entrance hole, looks like she nailed it just about right. When there is no rack, you can still make the kids a trophy. Soak the lower legs in a mixture of cup to cup and half 20 Mule Team Borax to gallon of water. Soak 3 days. Then rinse real good. This will keep it from stinking. While soaking have the ankles bent 90 degrees and tie off in that posistion--they will dry that way and be about like welded in that posistion. Mount these on a board with hooves up and there you have a rack--good for baseball bat, gun, bow whatever. The hooves can be shined with black shoe polish. To mount from the backside of the board put a lag bolt through the board and screw it into the hollow of the leg bone. This same borax mixture will keep snakeskins and other things from stinking. (For this you are just using a short piece of the leg---enough to turn up and stick out 3-4 inches from the board)

quote:

Originally posted by TC1:
I started both of my kids out with a H&R .243 Handi rifle (youth model.) It's simple to understand, easy to handle, accurate and dad controls the ammo distribution.

My boy has now graduated to my .264WM and my girl likes a longer LOP so we changed stocks on the .243.

Taking my kids hunting has been one of the great joys of my life.


Terry

Interestingly I have one of these in the Ultra model caliber 308 Winchester...I could always get H&R to put a new barrel on it. My girl is 5'3" at almost 12 years old....I will check the LOP and her's to see how it fits.

Great picture Terry! Aren't you lucky to have a beautiful wife to help you have a very beautiful daughter.
Merry Christmas to all.
Butch

Yeah, lucky for her she favors her mom.

Merry Christmas everyone
Terry

I started my little guy when he was 9 shooting with an old 30-30 winchester, it's short, light and low recoil.

If you have one give it a try before you spend the $ it works great.

Now he's 15 and hunts exclusively with the 243.

He also wants a 30-06 for Christmas.

He wants a gun of his own not one of my hand me downs, I'm trying to talk him into a 7mm-08 or more over a 308.

Good luck, just keep it fun for the kids and you will reap the benefits for many years to come. Try to teach open sights before scoping.

quote:

Interestingly I have one of these in the Ultra model caliber 308 Winchester...I could always get H&R to put a new barrel on it. My girl is 5'3" at almost 12 years old....I will check the LOP and her's to see how it fits.

To be quite honest, I would simply see if the Ultra will fit her and go with it. Load up some of the Hornady Youth Loads using the 130rg Barnes TTSX and get her on the range.

Several years ago around the first couple of weeks of Jan. my oldest grandson, then not far past thre expressed to me his desire to shoot him a hog as he put it. I said sure when your big enough, and he insisted that he was ready. Being the toe headed red haired rabble rouser that he was he didn't back off me one iota.

So the deal was struck that HE would have to be able to hold the rifle, and HE would have to be able to make the shot himself or no dice. To which he replied "when are we startin". Well knowing he would need a light rifle a light but effective load, and most importantly not a lot of recoil, somewhat put me over a barrel. Since at the time there was no way we could afford to just go out and pick up something for him I had to work with what I had.

I had purchased a Ruger Compact several years prior to this and he had been with me many times when I shot hogs with it and that was what he had his heart set on using. I tried several other rifles of lesser caliber but their weight was simply too much for him. I didn't want him to loose control of it and have it become a tomato stake out of the deer stand. So we checked him out for fit on the Compact. As luck would have it he was a bit short for it but he said it will work fine.

So now to find a load that a 6.5# rifle will shoot effectively out to 75yds and have enough whoomp to drop a hog as stubborn as the grandson. A friend and I worked through several bullets and powders before I was told about the Hodgdon loads. Once there I loaded up the 125gr BT with the lowest H4895 charge listed and gave it a try. IT shot lights out to 100yds easily being one of the most accurate loads I have ever shot from the rifle. The next test was on live hogs to see how reliable it would be on them. Well here is where it came up a bit short. Yes it dropped them, but with the ones I was using it was not reliable enough for me in penetration. Some would hit and drive on through, and some would simply blow a gaping hole and only penetrate a couple of inches almost loosing their jackets. They were however so accurate I decided to go ahead with him practicing with them until we found something better.

He shot all summer long even though the first three rounds were literally tear jerkers to him. He manned up and kept to his stubbornness to get him a hog. Two weeks before his 4th birthday he dropped his hog using one of the BT's. After that he got him a yote which the bullet failed to pass through on and that was the last straw, we shucked them in favor of the TTSX and never looked back. We managed to get the loads up to the top end of the recommended data before he decided to shoot a 6.5x55 of his mom's to take his first deer last year a nice sized doe. This year he switched over to his mom's 25-06, (well it used to be anyway), and a day after his 9th birthday, took his first buck. When I picked him up he proudly carried what used to once be my 25-06 to the truck and as he passed her he said you can have that 6.5 back I'm sticking with this from now on.

First hog age almost 4,


First yote age 5


First doe and buck age 8 and 9,

Mke / Tx, those are some precious pictures you must be very proud.

Here's Billy's first deer.

quote:

Originally posted by thirtycal:


He wants a gun of his own not one of my hand me downs, I wished I had it that easy, heck the daughter and grandkids all want what ever I have. LOL

Good luck, just keep it fun for the kids and you will reap the benefits for many years to come. Try to teach open sights before scoping.

Absolutely great advice. I used full sized paper archery targets stapled to plywood and numbered, I then set them out at different ranges. I had the grandson shoot which ever one I called out. He also like to ring the gong once in a while as well, so we made him one up just for his shooting.

quote:

those are some precious pictures you must be very proud.

Here's Billy's first deer.

Thanks, I am very proud of both him and his mom. They both have what it takes to get the job done. Thats also great deer there your young one got as well.

Winchester or Marlin Lever guns in 30-30 have worked for youth rifles for many years.

If you go with the 260 Rem or 7mm-08 or even a 308 or 270 or 30-06, don't overlook the "MANAGED RECOIL" loadings from Remington. From putting together rifle/scope combos for customers and shooting the rifles in for them, I have been more than impressed with the accuracy of the loadings and the very definite reduction in recoil! Do they kill effectively? YES!! Judging from the smiles on kid's faces as well as their dad's after successfully hunting with the combinations. 260 and 7-08 would definitely get my first nominations as very user friendly chamberings. GHD

Lipseys will be doing a run of Ruger Compact Magnums in 6.5 Swede soon (250 RH units).

6 3/4 lbs. 20" barrel. Excellent irons. 13" LOP. Rings included. The Swede is an exceptional classic caliber that provides low recoil but good penetration. It ought to be a great Youth rifle that will likely not get outgrown due to caliber concerns like .223 and .243's often do in North America.

AR member "Vol717" will have a few LH units available. Check the Lefties forum if interested.