Low recoil deer caliber

[aebhunter]

I just skipped to the end, so I will contribute my .02. My daughter turned ten this June and eligible to hunt deer for the first time this year. She is on the smaller side, about 4'6" and 70lbs I would say. She has been shooting a .22 for about 2 years, and has quite a few gophers under her belt.

For her "deer gun", I had an older 6.5 Creed Tikka T3 Compact Tactical laying around in the old Tupperware stock. Believe it or not, people actually are looking for those stocks and the bottom metal and I was able to get a couple hundred bucks out of em. Where I "splurged" is I also had a few certs laying around from different competitions I had been at and got a proof 20" threaded and an MDT LSS chassis. I purchased a Luth AR adjustable stock that is compatible with that chassis. It is VERY adjustable and you can obtain a really short length of pull with it. I also took off the grip and just sort of made a custom job with a few wraps of tennis racket tape so she could achieve a good trigger pull. (Real small hands)

I originally had her shooting some 140's, that was a mistake. Too much recoil. I ended up landing on a 110g Hammer Hunter and utilized 37 grains of varget. This effectively turned the gun into a .243. It shoots those little bullets at about 2720 fps and is very mild recoiling. We practiced quite a bit and by the time deer season opened up she was pretty dang confident. The good thing is I can modify that rifle to grow as she grows and it will be good for pretty much everything roaming around the woods where we hunt.

 

[Blue Ridge Sean]

There are several good cartridges on the market now. I would look at what caliber is available at your local retailer. I started my boys out with 7mm-08 but that was a while ago and now it is hard to find.
I really like the 6.5 creedmoor for the wide range of bullet offerings and availability of ammunition in stores.

 

[loghome]

I'd go with the 223 or 6.5 creedmoor with a muzzle break being only 9 yrs old. You don't want him to be scared to shoot it or get hit by the scope.

 

[mjonesvet]

6.5 Grendal or maybe 7mm-08. A buddy of mine who is a gunsmith says about the Grendal, "that kicks is so light, you could shoot it off your nuts"

 

[hesse]

How much do you want to spend. First question

 

[COBrad]

I'm tossing the idea of getting my son a riffle for Christmas. he will be 9 in march. He has been shooting 22 for several years now and is doing really well with it. So I'm thinking of getting him a deer riffle that he Can practice with until He is of age to hunt. What are some options for low recoil deer calibres. Thanks for your input

I have a 7-08 I set up for my daughter when she started hunting. The stock has been shortened, has a muzzle brake and trigger was lightened a little. It is left handed. $400
Plus shipping.

 

[Gunter337]

I'm tossing the idea of getting my son a riffle for Christmas. he will be 9 in march. He has been shooting 22 for several years now and is doing really well with it. So I'm thinking of getting him a deer riffle that he Can practice with until He is of age to hunt. What are some options for low recoil deer calibres. Thanks for your input

I've see a couple other responses for the 6.5 grendel. That is my favorite deer cartridge at the moment. Running the 120 Grain Ballistic tips from Nosler in hand loads

 

[PRShooter]

300 blackout, 7.62x39 or 6.5 Grendel are all great choices. If I'm woods hunting and limited to 100yd shot or less I almost always go straight for my little 16" 300blk.

 

[lobo56]

I was started on a 243 and swear by it for low recoil. Depends on what kind of animal you are putting him on. It is also a good choice for smaller critters! Good luck and let us know what and how he does! Love seeing kids getting their hunt on!

 

[del2les]

After 13 pages of responses, I'll add mine. If your area allows for 22 cals, a 223 fast twist with any of the deer bullets will work. The 60gr NPT, 62gr TBBC (One of my favorites), 62gr Fusion or Gold Dot, most any of the Barnes TTSX, 65 Sierra BTGK or 63SMP, 70gr Speer RNSP, 75 AMAX/ELD, 75gr Gold Dot, etc, etc.

Next would be a 243 down loaded with Speer 85BTSP or the 80gr Barnes TTSX or similar loads.

We and many others have killed a lot of deer with 223's, 222's, 22-250's

 

[thomasbangs]

I might add that a. 223 Remington/ 5,56 with a 70 grain Speer semi Spitzer will whack a whitetail in a hurry with little or no recoil.

 

[Small Lady]

I raised four sons who all killed their first big game animals when they were ten years old, which is the minimum age here in Arizona. I built them a Remington Model 7 in 243 Winchester which worked well for them but I have since rebarreled that rifle to 6.5 Creedmoor. My Grand daughter then used it to take her first big game animal with it. Between myself, my sons, and grand kids that rifle has taken a couple hundred big game animals. If doing it all over again, I would go straight to the 6.5 Creedmoor, it is simply better for this purpose. I did not let them take any shots over 300 yards with either caliber but the Creedmoor was noticeably more decisive than the .243 and recoil is very little difference. I did download the Creedmoor for my grand daughter using a 90 grain Speer TNT at about 2400 fps and an aimpoint micro H red dot because she had trouble with eye relief. That worked like a charm.

Why so slow, especially only a 90 grain bullet.
A 243 will shoot a 90 gr at well over 3000 fps.

 

[Varmiter71]

I have only seen it mentioned a couple of times in 13 pages, but I think that a 250 savage checks all of the boxes.
The reason the 243 killed it is because it was more modern (loaded to higher pressure) than the 250 savage.
So in a modern rifle as they grow you can load it to higher pressures ( taking precautions of course). Or better yet build a 25 creedmoor and run the 250 savage to fire form cases tell they grow up.
And by then it might be saami.
I also thought that I heard once that the 250 savage was still popular up in Canada.
I can find hear in south west Nebraska and I heard that some of Texas is the same way.

 

[webitmuddy]

Admittedly, I didn't read every post to see if anyone else said this. The 'low recoil' rifle has so many factors. It still drives me insane that manufacturers release rifles in 243, 7mm-08, etc and they do so.in these pencil barrel, plastic stock 5.5-6.5 lb variety with 20-22" barrels. These are almost exactly what isn't best for the smallest of shooters. I fell for it once and bought a 243 youth model, and it was one of the snappiest recoiling rifles I ever had. Don't do it!
Knowing that it won't likely be the youngster actually carrying the rifle afield, take the opposite approach. Look for heavier and/or install a muzzlebrake. You can always get an inexpensive stock that is completely adjustable (stocks At-one or similar) to perfectly fit their small stature, and then put the factory stock back on when they grow up (which will happen fast). Or, it you are totally committed to buying a lightweight rifle in a mild cartridge, take the butt plate off of it and fill it full of BBs ($12 at tractor supply) and put the butt plate back on. This will add 2-4 lbs to the rifle which will make a huge difference in a 243 or 7mm-08, or.308. If you reload, the world is your playground for reduced loads. If not, Hornday reduced recoil line of ammo is awesome for small youth. Please don't make the mistake of putting a youngster or first time shooter behind a lightweight rifle under the pretense that it is 'just a little 243', as physics dictate the outcomes more than marketing hype.

Thanks for your info. It makes a lot of sense