I'm not going to tell you what I think you should do, but I will tell you what I know. When my girls were little we were in a deer club in South Arkansas with 15 other families. Most of the wives and all of the kids hunted. Most of the kids went from observer to shooter in the 5-7 range. Usually on any given morning there were 4-6 kids hunting. The weapon of choice at the time was a .243. We had a lot of deer and most mornings a couple would get a shot, so we got a lot of experience. Here's what we learned, and no one really wants to admit or face it, but it is fact. These kids are going to get some bad hits. No matter how much you practice with them it is the same. They will shake, jerk the trigger, and just aim in the wrong place. It will happen. Every morning we would come in, eat breakfast, form a posse, get the dogs and go look for the kids deer. We found with a .243 and 100gr bullets the actual kill/retrieve rate was around 50%. This is with good hunters and dogs. I did find a way to make it much more effective, and it sounds nuts. My girls were shooting a .243 with a MB. I loaded some 55gr Ballistic tips over 4K. Recoil similar to a .22LR. Most shots were under 50yds. Wait until the deer is perfectly broadside and let it rip. The result on a lungshot was almost always DRT. Gutshot they would usually go less than 100 yards and lay down. If they shot a deer and it ran off, we would just slip out of there and come back in 3-4 hours. Usually would find him dead nearby. Got everyone shooting that load. Retrieval rate ran up to over 90%. Then I took a 700 VSF in .308. Cut the barrel to 22" and added a break. Restocked it in ADL style to fit the girls. Seems like they were about 10 at the time. Loaded 165 Gamekings and SST's. Recoil less than an unbraked .243. Never need the dogs again and never lost another. To me the ridicule from Mama for being "Too Stupid" to find the kid's deer, and the disapointment on the kids face just isn't worth it with the little guns. We got rid of them as soon as they could possibly handle more. Meanwhile, consider the very high velocity approach. It works very well on deer as long as you never let them take a shot other than broadside. To me the little rifles are just like a .410 shotgun. Deadly and fun in a great shooter's hands. They can both be a source of frustration to a beginner. Success breeds lifelong hunters.
