Youth Rifle Suggestions?

Well, My 16y/o daughter wants to take her HS class and go Lope/Deer hunting with dad later this fall.

I've only got a 300 WinMag and I don't even shoot that much since I've got my bow.

I'm pretty sure she can handle most calibers(5'7"), but wondering what others have bought their daughters?

Thanks,
Zach

Both my daughters and son have used a 7mm-08 right out of hunters ed. No issues with recoil and they were not very big kids. They still enjoy shooting it just for fun. Seems to have plenty of punch, my son shot a bull at 200 yards when he was 13 with it as well. I just was not comfortable with them shooting at elk with a .243.

I like the 7mm-08, built one for my nephew and we both like to shoot it. Bullet selection is pretty good, could use it for elk without hesitation.

7mm-08, 7x57, 6.5x55. any of these three will do most anything. I looked at a youth howa rifle in 7mm-08 a couple of weeks ago at sportsmans, with rings, and an overmoulded stock it was just under 400 bones. I'm sure you could buy a full size stock too, if she lost interest, you could use it. It's my advice, and worth exactly what you paid for it.

The 7mm-08 I have is a Weatherby Vanguard ( Howa ) and came with both the youth stock and the full size stock. Seems like it was around that $400 mark as well, several years ago.

My youngest wacked her first caribou with her .243 at 12YOA and a pronghorn with a. 25-06 at 13 YOA. She is a small girl and never felt a thing. I've had her at the range with everything up to a. 30-06 with a 25lbs. bag of shot. In the field she doesn't care, only that the critter went down. Biggest thing, get her comfortable with shooting. Use a 25lbs. of shot and let her shoot until she is tired, don't go farther. Buy color exploding targets and make it fun. Buy mellons, get gallons water jugs, etc. It won't matter in the field.

The 6.5 x 55 and .257 Roberts in that order. Can't beat either of them if you hand load. My (short) daughter had no trouble with the 6.5 and they really shoot

A lot of good posts above. Probably the most important thing to consider is whether your daughter is comfortable enough to practice with the gun until she can ensure an ethical shot on a live animal. I would take your daughter to the range and if she is still happy with the .300 after 10 rounds I would stick with it. If she shoots it but quickly gets tired of practicing, then I would go with something in the .270 range. If she doesn't like the recoil, then I would drop down to the 7mm-08 or something similar. If she absolutely hates recoil, then you'll have to go even smaller.

My daughter enjoyed coming with me on hunts, and she passed hunter safety and became proficient with a .22. Then we moved into hunting guns... She hated the recoil and informed me that she would not be a hunter. One day I brought a surprise to the range for my then 9 year old son to shoot - my grandpa's .30 carbine (essentially a scaled up .22) that he had brought home from WWII. After watching her little brother rapid fire 30 round clips, my daughter put her book down and said she wanted to try. When she finished the first clip she said, "Dad I want to go deer hunting with this". I said "okay" but I was thinking that making an ethical shot with this gun would require getting into bow range during the rifle season. We blew a lot of stalks and ambushes, but eventually caught a doe unaware at 40 yards. A double lung shot sent it stumbling down the hill and it fell after 20 yards.

My mother also hates recoil. She has harvested several muley bucks with a .223 and refuses to hunt for anything that she can't kill with that gun. Many of her hunting stories are about finishing bucks that were injured by someone with a larger caliber taking a shot that probably should have been passed.

As a fellow bow hunter, you might relate to another story. Several years ago I offered to help my cousin get his first deer. He borrowed a gun from his boss. I glanced at a nice looking gun with a big scope and figured it would do. I didn't even look at the bullets or I would have known what we were in for. We were ready to head for lunch when I glassed a buck a long way off. I made a plan and we started a long hike. Several hours later we slid into a sage brush on top of a ridge to find the buck 60 yards below us. My cousin had the gun pointed in the right direction, but said that he couldn't make out what he was seeing through the scope. I looked over and was surprised to see that the smallest magnification was 6.5x and the thing was dialed up to 25x. Open sights would have been great at 60 yards, but 6.5x had to do. He lined up again and fired a single shot. Half of the deer dropped forward and the other half dropped backward (barely an exaggeration). I had no idea what a .300 Ultra Mag would do, and I will never take anyone hunting with one again.

The caliber that I would recommend for most young or smaller bodied hunters is a .270. It is capable of taking any local big game (the world record moose was shot with a .270), but it doesn't knock a kid (or lady) over.
A 7mm-08 has about 10% less power (and recoil) than a .270. It is also a good light gun, and I would be confident with it for deer and antelope. I would also be confident with it on elk out to about 200 yards.
I wouldn't recommend the .223 or .30 carbine for most big game hunters, but if you are willing to stay within their limitations they can work well.

I am a big fan of the TC Encore rifles. I have the prohunter, with several barrels (one being the muzzleloader barrel). When I have kids the age to start hunting, all I have to do is pick up a youth stock for it and they will be all set.

I too am thinking of getting a rifle for my son. I really like the Howa youth/ladies combo. Youth stock and a full length stock so you can switch it up without having to mess with the scope. That way, you can use it as well if she is not around. I am looking at a .243 as it should do the job for game up to deer sized animals with ammo easy to find. Plus, as he gets older he can get a bigger caliber and still use the .243 for predator control as well as thinner skinned big game. I do think the Howa combo is the best thing out there for kids, you just gotta pick your caliber.

My first rifle when I was 12, out of hunters ed, was a Remington 7mm-08. I used it for 4 years and shot elk (from up to 250 yards), deer, and antelope. It is a great gun for beginners, for women, or even for grown men who don't want to recoil with still enough power to bring down an elk with good placement.

I second the .243. My hunting partner purchased a new Savage (synthetic) in .243, threw a Refield 3x9 on it and it is one slick looking/shooting weapon. Fun on the range. So, my little hunting buddy (my son) will be slinging one of those, I reckon. Unless convinced otherwise. >>>He killed a few coots this year with his .20 gauge....he ought to do fine on the bench this spring. (Still has 6 more years to wait here though in Colorado.)

My FIL gave my wife a 7mm-08 and that was the gun my 13 yo daughter used to shoot her first big game. (a blacktail and feral hog). I am very pleased with the low recoil and availability of the ammo.

I'd sure give a look to the Howa youth combo, as well as the other brand name options.

I started with a lever action 25-35 then bought myself a .300 win Mag at 16. The recoil probably kept me from shooting it as much as I should have. I would imagine that a slight little lady might be a little less than enthusiastic about shooting a magnum rifle.

That 7mm-08 would be good medicine for deer, bear, pronghorn, and other game that size. Loaded right, and shot accurately, it would kill an elk. After a few kills with a std. caliber, your daughter would be able to shoot that.300 in short sessions (3 shots) and not develop a flinch. Remeber yoyu are building a base of good experiences for the future...

Great advice all around from everyone!

I will be hand loading what ever I end up getting. I'll be making a trip to Sportmans this weekend to check out the "new" guns. I'm also watching the local online sales for a good deal.

She's handled my 20 ga with no issues. Nice thing is I can go to my inlaws and shoot up to 100 yds anytime(once the snow clears) and get her comfortable before going to a public range.

My daughter and wife love their 25-06. I have caught myself grabbing it all the time now. Great caliber!

Zach---If your daughter is handling a 20 gauge with no problem, move her up to the 25-06 and she will love it just like genesis273 said about his wife and daughter, especially if you reload. I shoot a .243 Sako, a 25-06 Ruger, and several different 30-06s. I notice no recoil at all from the .243 and very little from the 25-06. especially when comparing the 25 and 30 calibers. If you handload I would suggest going with the 117 grain Hornady BTSP with IMR 4350. I'm below max with 50 grains of that powder and I'm pushing 3000fps with excellent groups and results on all the animals I've shot with it.

.243 is lowest Cal. you can use. No kick and PLENTY of knock down power. try the Hornady Superformance 95 gn.

AWESOME

As stated in previous posts, my 6mm rem fills the freezer when I point it at stuff... no kick, 100 grain partition. Really can't beat it for a low recoil rifle.

I got my wife and daughter a Marlin 7mm-08, last year. I bought it youth sized and they both love shooting it. Even though it doesn't have a lot of recoil, the wife loved shooting it more with a limbsaver slip on pad. Very affordable and accurate gun for the price. I am waiting for dealers to stock the Marlins in 22-250 so I can have a varmint gun!

I'd have gone with the 7-08 if I was buying a new one, but I had a 22-250 in 700 ... a local smith had a brand new 243 take off sitting around gave me the barrel and mounted it for low $$...so she is shooting a 243. 243, 7-08, 06', 25-06... 308... all good choices!

That Howa rifle package seems like a dandy deal to me...the Vanguard youth is about the same deal I think...comes with the two stocks as well.

Good Luck!