Low recoil deer caliber

[BigNate]

We don't know your boy or his size & capability.
I started my boys shooting coyotes at about 6 or 7 maybe, using a 22mag or mini14. They progressed from there quickly. By nine the heavier. 22-250 was my youngest boys favorite and his brother was using a .257 Roberts.
Point is starting them with something they can shoot well will be better than something to big that builds bad habits, flinching, etc.
We're it me, starting my boys over with today's choices, first a .223, second 22 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, or 300 BO.

There's plenty of time for bigger toys later.
And yes, with proper bullet choices, the .224" cartridges can be very effective.
This is an exit from a 16" 223 shooting 77gr TMK at about 90 yards.

 

[Dave Howe]

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

Hard to talk about low recoil deer cartridges without the .30-30, but my top choices would be 25-06, 243, or 22-250. I would say 220 swift instead of 22-250 but ammo can be a little difficult to come by sometimes. I've shot 2 so far with my 25-06 savage 110 and neither of them required any tracking

 

[Bang4theBuck]

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.

 

[lancetkenyon]

6GT
6x47L
6XC
6CM
25x47L
25CM

 

[Maol]

Given the OP is in Canada I would think ARs are out like suppressors. As well as the AR associated cartridges. If not a reloader then likely the best choice is one of the ones always found on the LGS's shelves. Of what is my guess that is likely to be found, imo the best would be a 243.

 

[Trumpet]

got my kids started with a cva scout, many caliber choices, single shot, break open action. great little gun for them to learn on, theirs is in 6.5 creed since i already had the components, but there's lots of options

Ruger American in .300 BO/6.5 Grendel/or even 7.62x39 with youth stock. Also the Howa Mini in the same calibers.

 

[taylorms]

6.5 Creedmoor. Several good suggestions, but I believe the "Easy Button" would be the 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[alyef]

6mm ARC. Light recoil but enough energy to take a deer @ 400 yard. Just bot a Howa 1500 in 6mm ARC for my son. I think that a caliber with more energy will teach a 9 y/o to flinch.

 

[MLN1963]

Howa mini in 6 ARC, 6.5 Grendel or maybe 300 BO depending on the range you shoot. Most importantly practice, practice, practice.

 

[JASmith]

6 arc!

The Grendel is really hard to beat for the 8 yr to 80 year old crowd. There is even a reloading manual for it. Even better, both Howa and CZ make bolt actions for it.

Check AR15BuildBox.com to see a summary and 65Grendel.com for dedicated discussions about hunting with the cartridge.

 

[sw282]

Low recoil deer ctg? Thats easy! 223Remington! My son shoots everything with Winchester Model 70 Coyote in 223Remington. From deer to prairie dogs, he hunts with only one rifle. For deer he uses Wincheter 64gr White Box soft points

 

[amoz87]

257 Roberts AI has been really pleasurable to shoot and is a great round if you hand load. 350 legend is also very low recoil and does the job. I shot a buck last year with one and was happy with the result. 6.5 Grendel, 7-08, 243, 257 Roberts, 30-30 or even 300blk could all be viable options

 

[Paladin300]

All three of my gang (two boys and a girl) learned on a 22-250 Rem and then moved to 7mm-08 and 308. My daughter killed her first deer at 80 yards with the 22-250 shooting 64 grain power points. She was 8 or 9. My oldest killed his with a 7-08 using 120 grain ballistic tips. He was 8. The baby was 10 when he killed his first deer using a 308 pushing a 168 grain AMax. They all still hunt with those same guns. They are 27, 24, and 17. I can't tell you how many deer they have killed between them and to my knowledge never lost one. I have a nephew that is the same age as my oldest when he was around eight his father ask for the same advice and I recommended a 260 Rem or 7mm-08. He went with a Ruger 77 in 260. Kid still hunts with it and has hunted all over the country with it. Any of the afore mention calibers would suffice. That said just because of the availability of ammo and it's proximity to the 260 I might go with a 6.5 Creedmoor today. I am a huge fan of the 6.5x55, 270 and 6.5x284. Still own and hunt with a 270 and 6.5x284. The 6.5x284 is my favorite rifle cartridge by far. The 6.5 Creedmoor is comparable ballistically to the 260 and 270, with the right bullet choice it is deadly and light on recoil. Despite all the haters, simply because of its popularity and hype, it is a good all around cartridge for a youth to learn on and grow with and as mentioned before has tons of factory ammo support and availability. Unless you hand load ammo for deer for the 22-250, 260 and 7mm-08 are hard to come by and in some places down right scarce! 260 is nearly impossible to find. If I were buying a youth gun today I would go 6.5 creed.

Have a blessed day and good luck to you and your son.

 

[JaredLove]

I vote Grendel, ARC, or Blackout. Low recoil easy to get ammo for. Fairly versatile. I have shot deer with Grendel and I wouldn't hesitate to use my ARC or a Blackout.