Mark, I wouldn't hesitate to get the .243. It's a good one and plenty capable deer getter with decent shot placement and the right bullets.

The .243 gets a bad rap as "marginal" only because a lot of people using it are women/kids and "marginal hunters."

Use the right bullet and it will take care of you.

However, Con makes a good point about the NOISE of a .243. They have a pitch all their own that hurts sensitive ears. But I guess that's what God made ear plugs for.

Since you are a reloader, the most pleasant and sweetest of cartridges mentioned (IMHO) is the 250/3000. The trick would be finding it in a nice bolt action. I'm not a Sav. 99 fan although I know they are a strong/accurate action. I just don't personally like the "feel" of them.

I remember starting off rough, when I was 12 I was shooting a .30-30, a .308, and a .30-06 with factory loads. Let me tell you, when you weigh maybe 120lbs wet, a 165gr from a light '06 feels like a magnum. I must be a glutton for punishment though, by the end of the day I was shooting a 12ga off a bench at 4'x4' pieces of plywood at 30 yards. THEN, they brought our a .22LR and a .243 and I was thinking "where the hell were these things the whole time". They were a blast and didn't hurt in the least. I remember the next week I went with a different group, and shot a 7x57 and a 6.5x55 and was in shooting heaven, it was very tolerable and I shot them well. Of course followed up by a 7mm Mag and the ol' '06 again. Ouch.

It's common knowledge that the .243 is an "entry-level" deer round, but that is to the advantage of the shooter, because where you hit them is more important than how hard. I've seen with my own two eyes something which some said is not possible, a texas heart shot from a .243 at almost 300 yards and the 100gr partition acheived complete penetration, leaving a nice but unnecessary blood trail. The deer was weighed at 250 pounds.

Needless to say, that made a believer out of me, even though I didn't really approve of the shot, I was impressed with the performance. In the hands of a patient, smart hunter, it's death on deer and smaller game.

.243 praises aside, the 6.5x55 would be my next choice. From the factory it is loaded for old, surplus military rifles, resulting in moderate velocites and recoil levels with little noise and flash. As he gets older, some hot handloads can have the old Swede screaming no problem, and will help to increase the recoil tolerance further, making a good stepping stone for bigger calibers in the '06 range in a few years.

But, as stated, there is no lack of options. The .243, 6mm rem, .250-3000, .257 bob, 6.5x55, and .260 rem would probably all do just fine for your purposes, and be a great lead-in to the .270, .280, 7mm mag, and .30'06.

I would also vote for the .260rem. A better deer cart. than any .243 & good for varmints as far as you can hit.

When my daughter was 12, I bought her a 7-08, had the stock shortened to fit her, Pachmeyer Decelerator pad installed, muzzle brake installed, and trigger adjusted down to 2.5 lbs. She is now 15 and last week killed her 4th elk, a 5 point. She can shoot the rifle well because she isn't afraid of it. For your use I would not hesitate to get your son a .243. For deer, I think the 85 gr Barnes TXS would provide great performance and relatively low recoil. My daughters' Savage rifle weighs around 7.5-8 lbs scoped. She shoots 140 gr bullets. I have been shooting a Kimber Montana in .243 that weighs 6.75 lbs scoped. The Kimber shooting 87 gr bullets recoils noticable less than my daughters 7-08. It's only my opinion, but I think a person is better off with a less powerful rifle they can shoot well, than a boomer that makes them flinch.