Recommendations for starter rifle for daughter

[Vol Texan]

I was asked by a colleague at work today about what would be a good starter deer rifle for his daughter. I'm not a hunter, nor am I much of a rifle guy, so I figured I'd post the question here for y'all smarter folks to weigh in on. I mentioned this forum, and told him I'd post the question for him, and I'll forward him this link so he can follow the answers and add commentary as needed.

She's a senior in high school, and small in stature. He's been thinking about a .243, but he's also considering a 6.5 Creedmore as a couple of his options.
If any of y'all have any input on these two choices - or if you have ideas about anything else, we welcome your opinions.

[crazy2medic]

I'd lean towards a .243

[Jusme]

While either 243 or 6.5 would be good calibers, more importantly, how will the rifle itself fit her? LOP, ease of bolt manipulation, eye alignment, trigger pull, etc are all factors to consider. Unfortunately, most of these can’t be determined, holding one in a gun store. Just like handguns, rifles need to be tested, by the shooter, to decide what works best. I would advise your friend to take his daughter to a range and allow her to shoot as many rifles in different configurations, and calibers, as possible. The AR platform can also be used for deer hunting. JMHO

[Tex1961]

When I started out it was with my dads 30/30 Winchester lever action... Took a couple of whitetail with that gun... So easy for a young boy to shoot. Once I hit about 16 I graduated to his .243

[WildBill]

Has your friend checked the prices of 6.5 Creedmore rifles?

[WildBill]

When I started out it was with my dads 30/30 Winchester lever action... Took a couple of whitetail with that gun... So easy for a young boy to shoot. Once I hit about 16 I graduated to his .243

[Vol Texan]

Has your friend checked the prices of 6.5 Creedmore rifles?

He has that one in stock already. He’s considering getting the other if it is a better choice. That’s the underlying reason for this ask for guidance from y’all.

I should have added that to the OP - my bad.

[03Lightningrocks]

I'd lean towards a .243

That is what I got my son. Remington bolt action. He was maybe 7 or 8. Now he is 36 and still owns it. I watched him nail many a deer with it.

[Rafe]

My first all-my-own, stock cut down to fit, was also a .243. I think I was 10.

But if he already has a 6.5 Creedmoor to give her (maybe so he has a good reason to buy something new ) I'd be hard pressed not to do that.

Here's a Google search link to find some comparisons and opinions from a variety of folks from americanshootingjournal.com to fieldandstream.com.

[03Lightningrocks]

My first all-my-own, stock cut down to fit, was also a .243. I think I was 10.

But if he already has a 6.5 Creedmoor to give her (maybe so he has a good reason to buy something new ) I'd hard pressed not to do that.

Here's a Google search link to find some comparisons and opinions from a variety of folks from americanshootingjournal.com to fieldandstream.com.

Funny story. When I purchased the 243 Remington for my son, I had intentions of having it cut down. I bought the rifle used at a gun show. Before I could have the work done we went hunting and he wanted to carry it. He shot a deer right through the heart with it. It looked a little long for him but I decided if he could hit with it to just let him grow into the rifle. Now I am glad I never had it cut down. The rifle was made in the mid 60's sometime and looks like a cross between an ADL and BDL. Made in America. It might even have some collector value now. I don't know.

[jason812]

My first gun was a Model 70 Youth Ranger in .243. My dad has used it to shoot way more deer than I have. One day it will be my son's and I hope he keeps it looking pristine as I have for 32 years. Perfect for Central Texas deer and pretty much anything else running around here. Just don't expect to mount or keep the hide off of varmints but they will be just as dead.

[RPBrown]

My dad bought my first deer rifle which was a Remington Model 70 in .243. That was Christmas of 1963 and I was eight years old. I dropped many a deer with that rifle and still have it.
Funny story, we had gone hunting together around 1970. Dad would always leave the camp for his blind earlier that I would because his blind was farther out. He also had a Model 70 in 30.06. Mine has a 24" barrel and his had a 26" barrel. I noticed when I started to leave my gun was a little heavier than I remembered but it was early in the morning so I just thought it was me. Couple of hours later I heard a shot from his general direction. 15-20 minutes later he came walking up to my stand to get me to help him carry the deer out. When we got to the deer, as he was setting his rifle down I noticed a scratch on the stock. This was not like him to scratch his rifle and he always gave me what for because I had scratched mine and never repaired it. When I said something to him about it, he picked it up, looked at it and then handed it to me. He had grabbed my rifle in the dark. He didn't say anything about it until we got back to camp and I told him that was my deer because he took it with my rifle . As he politely reminded me who bought my rifle, he said he was going to get him a .243 because it was lighter and less recoil. He never did though and now that he is gone, I have both my .243 and his 30.06. Wish I could hunt with him just 1 more time.
To keep it on track to the OP's request, I have only had 1 daughter that likes to hunt and she started out with my .243 at 10 years old. She has since purchased her own.

[Lynyrd]

She's a senior in high school, and small in stature.

I've been deer hunting for almost 50 years now. And I've taught several young people what I've learned. And, this is the part of your question that I focused on.

Having taught my children, and my grandchildren now, to shoot I would say that when it comes to long guns they need to fit the shooter. And every young shooter is different. They have different weaknesses that you need patience and the right equipment to overcome. My daughter and my grandson both couldn't handle much recoil at first. If the gun kicked them, they flinched so hard they couldn't hit anything. My sons and my granddaughter were exactly the opposite. They liked the feel of the stock bumping their shoulder. One of my young brood couldn't shoot hardly at all without ear protection because of sensitive ears.

What I'm trying to say is that knowing the way a young shooter is likely to react to different guns is key. 6.5, .243, and 30-30 are all good guns. And as someone else mentioned, a .762 AR is perfectly fine for deer hunting. The .762 also has virtually no kick because of the buffer spring. And an adjustable stock make it very easy to fit the gun to short arms. If the young lady is going to flinch at the kick, then a semi-auto of some kind will help. Any bolt action or lever action will bump your shoulder harder than a semi-auto.

Being able to reach the trigger comfortably and hold the gun against your shoulder with the correct eye relief for whatever sight is mounted on it is just as important to the smaller framed young shooter as anything. If she is going to be sitting down, and shooting from a dead rest, things get a lot easier. But not knowing what kind of hunting methods your friend is going to use makes it foolish to assume she will be in a blind, sitting in a chair, with a dead rest. If she is going to be shooting free hand, a gun that fits properly is very important.

Just my two cents. And whatever happens, congratulations to the young lady on getting the opportunity to learn the enjoyment of hunting.

[grim-bob]

Lots of good suggestions above. I'll add one more that wasn't mentioned: 7mm-08. It's a good round with lots of bullet choices. There are low recoil versions from Hornady which are deer killers within any range you'll see in TX if you need it to start out. Similar trajectory to the 6.5 "both shoot flat" but the 7mm-08 has more bullet to do damage with. Very manageable for a kiddo to start with and what my daughter started out on for all the reasons above.

And final thought on it... every store shelf I have looked at recently has had 7mm-08 on it with at least 2 or 3 choices in ammo. 243 has usually been in stock too. 6.5 has been more miss than hit and what is on the shelf might not be the hunting ammo you are looking for. 308 forget it right now....

[grim-bob]

For reference my daughter started on the 7mm-08 when she had just turned 10 so completely manageable for a hs senior even of small stature