What deer rifle for my kids ???

[bigbuckfever]

My daughter who weighs 99 lbs (at most) wants to go deer hunting with me. She has shot my sons 22mag and is a pretty good shot. Is there a gun that will reach out 100+ yds and does not "kick" too much? I need the lowest recoil possible because my son who has hemophilia will be using it also. Any suggestions would be helpful thanks

[cynrays]

I would probably go with a 223, 22-250 or a 243. All these have light recoil. Since your son might have a tendncy to bruise easily, I would probably go for the 22-250. The 243 has light recoil but might accidently bruise your son's shoulder. If it was not for the bruising I would go for the 243....

[Graybeard]

Weight is pretty much irrelavate as an issue. Height and therefore arm reach is more an issue. A 4' 11" 200+ pounder is gonna have a much shorter reach than a 5' 10" 120 pounder. What works for one likely won't for the other. But stock length not recoil is the real concern.

To that end it matters a lot if you are or aren't a reloader. If you are you can custom tailor practice ammo to be mild and OK for them at the range and then tailor more potent stuff for hunting. You can verify if your sight in of the rifle also works for them. If so you can do the final sight in with hunting ammo and only let them shoot it on game. Then they'll have no idea it stomped them.  

So at the bottom I'd place the .243 Win. which with 100 grain bullets should do fine as long as bullets are placed properly. Next up give the .260 Rem. or 6.5x55 a look. Both are a bit more potent for game using bullets anywhere from 120-140 grains in weight but you can still get bullets as light as 95 grains or less for practice sessions. My personal favorite tho is the 7-08. I've proven to myself over the last maybe 30 years it is a deadly deer killer with 140s and yet loaded light with 100s is fine for practice sessions too.

Faye aks Mrs. GB uses an old Model 7 Remington in 7-08 I bought some 25-30 years ago. She is only 4' 11". Best not discuss the weight.  :eek:  :-D  I have her do most of her practice shooting with a Rem 541T she owns which is about as must like her Model 7 as possible without any recoil. So she develops no bad habits from recoil. Any practice with the Model 7 is done with 100 grain bullets and I've already found that she can shoot to same POI as me after I sight in her rifle for her. So I do the final sight in with 140s and she only fires them on game. So far she's never even known it has recoil when shooting game.

That's my theory on the subject.

[7magWoodsman]

I would have to say the 6mm Remington, 243 Winchester., or .257 Roberts.

Other options may include the 7mm08, 6.5x55, and the .260, although they may be a little harsh in some rifles.

Don't rule out the good ole 30-30 or the .44 Remington Magnum but both are known to pack a wallop in some guns and have virtually no recoil in others.

At the bottom of my list but still good for whitetail are the .357 Mag and the 7.62x39, nether one has recoil worth mentioning.

Stay Safe. Happy Hunting/Shooting.  

[Catfish]

I believe that the .243 would be your best choice. The .250 Savage would also be a good one, but it`s alot harder to find ammo for it. You should be able to pick up a NEF Handy rifle in .243 very resonable and if recoil is a consern put on a better recoil pad. This rifle will also be a very good varmint rifle and it shoots flat a lot longer than you`ll probibly need.

[cynrays]

Readers, be careful recommending anything over a 243. My 243 even bruises my shoulder once in a while.  This person that has a son that  has Hemophilia does not need to get his son's shoulder bruised up because this can cause a lot of internal bleeding. That is why I recommended nothing larger than a 243. Larger calibers could be ok with the daughter but not the son...

[longwinters]

The 243 is the way to go.  Although you could get a Past recoil pad that either child could wear when they shoot.  I would help reduce recoil significantly.

Long

[springer222]

I agree with the .243 or 6mm. GB is correct that the rifle needs to fit the shooter to reduce the felt recoil. I would also install a recoil pad to help absorb felt recoil. I hunt and have killed many deer (up to 250 - 300 yards) with a .243 handloaded with 95 or 100 grain Nosler Partitions. Have yet to loose an animal.

[Gregory]

I know this is a bolt action forum, but for your needs I think a G2 Contender Carbine is your best choice.  Barrels are available from Fox Ridge Outfitters or other custom barrel makers in 7-30 Waters, 357 Maximum, or 300 Whisper.

[huntsman]

Assuming the hunter will practice and become a proficient shot with the rifle at 100+ yards (my own measure is 4 shots consistently within a 6" diameter circle at the range desired), then a .222 or .223 will do the job WITH PREMIUM BULLETS. They will be fun to shoot, probably the safest in terms of avoiding bruises, and will take the game if the shooter does his/her job. If you feel a step up is in order to increase killing power, the .243, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts are all considerations. Keep the bullet weight as low as you can in these cartridges if you want less recoil.

.357 magnum is a possibility, but the range will be limited to about right at 100 yards; however, a huge advantage here is that they can practice with .38 special ammo and hunt with the real .357 as GB described above. The others mentioned above (6.5x55, .260, 7mm-08) are also nice beginner guns, but push heavier bullets unless you reload, and I would try to keep bullet weight around 100 grains max in the high velocity cartridges to reduce recoil. With the .357 mag at lower velocity you can use up to 158 gr without a problem.

A high-quality recoil pad like Pachmyr will also help a great deal to avoid bruises. Choose a gun with a good pad or upgrade if not, it is worth it in your case.

Good luck with your daughter's first hunting season, it is a joy you will remember fondly. I shared hunting season for the first time with my oldest daughter last year.

[DonT]

First I am not sure what your state laws are for caliblers for deer hunting and I do not know if you reload or not but one thought would be to look at either the NEF in 45colt or 44mag.  If you reload these can be loaded down to very soft shooting guns.  If you do not reload look at the PMC cowboy loads as they are about as light as you are going to get in either of these calibers.  You might also look at the Marlin lever guns.

Now before someone jumps in to to take issue with the cowboy loads, I hunted white tail in MN for years with a muzzleloader and the 45 cal cowboy loads are every bit equivalent to my 45 cal hawkin shooting patched round balls for ballistics and all my deer were one shot kills.  Just teach them were the lungs are and have them take broadside shots taking out both lungs.  Never had a deer run more than 25-30 yards before piling up dead.

100 yards might be pushin these a bit but 50 yo 75 yards are well within their killing range.

DonT

[Lawdog]

bigbuckfever,

First let me Welcome you to Graybeard Outdoors!  The very best forum on the net for hunter/shooters going today.

Now to your question.

Is there a gun that will reach out 100+ yds and does not "kick" too much?

Any good .243 Win. or 6mm Rem. will do nicely and to help it along install a small mercury insert in the butt stock and the recoil will be less than .223 Rem. in a like rifle.  A .250 Savage or .257 Roberts would be a better choice, in my opinion, due to the heavier bullets and almost the same recoil as the .243 Win. or 6mm Rem..  Remember to install a mercury insert and the recoil will be about the same/less than heavy .224 centerfires(.22-250, .220 Swift, etc.).  As stated the very best way of controlling recoil is to make sure the rifles fits the shooter and the addition of a good recoil pad will do the job.  Follow these two rules and even your son shouldn’t have any problems.  Let us know what you decide on.  Lawdog
 

[safetysheriff]

If legal in your state, because of your childrens' special needs, I'd go with a .357 Marlin lever action with a 4 power scope.

No, not a bolt-action; but your children need a rifle that fits, that's good for 100+ yds, and that is not going to recoil much.     The .357 Marlin I have fits all of the above.

Good luck.

[ms]

My vote would be a 243 with 90 grain trophy bonded bear claw bullet. A bad combination. I just seen last week on real tree outdoor the host and his 11 year old son deer hunting. The young boy killed this biggggg buck about 150 yards. Drop dead in it tracks.  I don't think they make this combination in factory loads. But if you reload great. I hope you have a great hunting season.  :lol: