Rifle for 10 year old.

[Kentuckywindage]

308 Winchester and a good 130 grain bullet for the caliber. Light recoil with the right load. Good to 600 yards with the right ammo. Relatively easy to find components or ammo for it. Rifle comes down to how much you want to spend. Anything adjustable would be good or the the route of find something wood. Just cut it to fit for now. You can always move up with the base platform from here. A good action is the foundation for something she and you can build on.
The main things are be safe and have fun!

 

[Mcranch]

I picked up a Bullberry Contender action back in the early nineties in .223 , 20" barrel changed out the stock with a shorter one. This is what I started the children out on. It is very accurate and with 55 grain nosler bt it readily handles deer. I'm in Texas so the deer are not that large 140 field dressed. But shot placement is essential. I use a .223 as my ranch truck firearm and use it on coyote and pigs.

 

[HunterMann]

My daughter has been shooting a Cricket and 10/22 for a couple years and is ready to upgrade. She'll be legal to deer hunt in 2 years so I'd like to get her started on a rifle sooner rather than later.

Deer around here aren't hard to kill or very big. So I'm leaning towards .223, .22 Creed, .243 win or 6 Creed. With a removable brake.

My dilemma is the stock, I cannot figure out what would work for such a small child??? I read that the Weatherby Camilla is a good one but it still looks too big in pictures?

Thoughts???

What is the minimum caliber to hunt deer in your area? Personally I would start her with a 243/6mm something with reduced loads. Skip the brake. Teach her to shoot well and then build up the power when she can handle more. You can build a simple stock that users spacer to adjust length of pull like the Ruger Scout rifle. Don't make the barrel to long or it won't balance well for her.

 

[Thomas Culver]

6.5 Creedmoor in a Manners MCS.....My son has been shooting that combo since he was 7.

 

[257WTBY]

I may be the odd man out but I just built my grandson his first deer rifle

I used an Ruger american in 6.5 Grendel. I put it in a (lightened by me on the mill) MDT LSS Chassis with Luth AR MB3 stock. It has 16.1 in barrel. I will say this it is super accurate but I literally spent HOURS smoothing up the action. Now it shoots 123 gr SST into little tiny groups. I cant wait to watch him hammer his first deer with it. I had so much fun putting it together for him. He's shooting a 22LR right now soon we will get him on a buck

I just started working up load with some Hammer bullets its gonna be fun...

 

[Bill28]

My daughter has been shooting a Cricket and 10/22 for a couple years and is ready to upgrade. She'll be legal to deer hunt in 2 years so I'd like to get her started on a rifle sooner rather than later.

Deer around here aren't hard to kill or very big. So I'm leaning towards .223, .22 Creed, .243 win or 6 Creed. With a removable brake.

My dilemma is the stock, I cannot figure out what would work for such a small child??? I read that the Weatherby Camilla is a good one but it still looks too big in pictures?

Thoughts???

With any of the Ruger Americans you can get a smaller stock, my son started with one on his .243 and I just moved it to his 6.5 CM. I'm a fan of Ruger's

 

[model7fan]

Get her a model 7 243 and put a youth stock on it or cut to fit. My son killed his first deer with ruger 77 ul 243 at 8 years old. That would be a good model also but they are hard to find

 

[model7fan]

Another good option is tc encore. My youngest son killed his first deer with 6ppc barrel light weight with 80 grain Ballistic tips. Extremely low recoil

 

[Swinehunt74]

I would suggest the 6.5 Grendel in an AR platform with adj stock. Next would be 6Creedmore in any platform. Glad u are this active in your daughters life..............................

 

[emp1953]

I started my kid at 11yrs (1984) old with a Remington Mohawk 600 in .243Win (today's equivalent would probably be a Model Seven) When I got it (used) I started looking for an extra stock. Found one and had a complete rig minus scope and spare stock for less than $400. I took him out to the range with the uncut rifle just to get a feel for the bang and recoil. He said it was fine. His sister said that it was fine for her too. It did not have a fine wood stock on it and was easy to cut square with a fine tooth hard back saw in a miter box.. I had taken measurements while he was shooting and decided that an even two inches would do the trick. Shot without the butt plate it was perfect. with the buttplate, was a little two long so I whacked off another 1/2". and voila. I had a friend make 1/2" thick pieces out of the thick part I cut off figuring I'd add them as he got older. To make a longer story shorter It was fine for both kids for 4 years. I put the spare stock on and they shot it just fine, no need for the 1/2" pieces after 4 years. My daughter has that rifle and hunts to this day with it. She still has the 6X Weaver scope. I asked her about upgrading and she just said "nothing is broke, nothing to fix".

 

[model7fan]

The grendel would be an ok starter in a bolt platform but I would not hand my 10 year old my AR and walk off and leave him alone with it. A good bolt rifle or an encore is a great first gun. My first was a 870 20 gauge with slugs. My 12 year old Christmas I got a 77 UL 243 and killed many deer with it. It became my sons rifle and he still hunts with it.

 

[Mike D Texas]

The grendel would be an ok starter in a bolt platform but I would not hand my 10 year old my AR and walk off and leave him alone with it. A good bolt rifle or an encore is a great first gun. My first was a 870 20 gauge with slugs. My 12 year old Christmas I got a 77 UL 243 and killed many deer with it. It became my sons rifle and he still hunts with it.

IMO an AR is safer than an Encore. If the Encore gets cocked but they don't get to shoot, then they have to thumb the hammer down on a live round. I'd say they would be more likely to have a ND in that scenario than an AR. At least all they have to do is flip the safety back on.

 

[model7fan]

That is a good point. My main reason against the grendel in an AR for a child is the feeding extracting issues with the grendel in particular and them fixing that situation. I still think a bolt gun is best for a child. One that you can operate the bolt and unload with the safety on

 

[Mike D Texas]

That is a good point. My main reason against the grendel in an AR for a child is the feeding extracting issues with the grendel in particular and them fixing that situation. I still think a bolt gun is best for a child. One that you can operate the bolt and unload with the safety on

What issues have you experienced in feeding/extraction with the Grendel?