My nephew is 9 years old and we will be hunting for his first deer this year. What type of rifle and caliber do you guys recommend for his age?

I started mine with a ruger american in .243.

ammo availability is a big consideration. not as bad as it was a year ago, fortunately.

watching... opinions vary greatly on this subject.

I'd probably either do a Ruger American in 243 or 6.5, whichever I could find for cheaper.

I started with a .243 at about that age and then switched to a .270 in late middle school/early high school.

Suppressed .223 shooting a 77 gr TMK, a 62 gr Fusion, or a 73 gr ELD-M.

Don't see how you can go wrong with a .243

Dad has an old Remington 788 in .243. Ugly gun, but drives tacks.

I think the answer to your question ultimately depends on your budget, target species, and distance/range.

The .243 checks the boxes if you're on a budget, hunting whitetail or smaller, and under 200 yards.

From what I've seen, ammo availability is pretty decent for .243 as well.

Runner up for me would be 7mm-08. Better range and knockdown with still manageable recoil.

Had this same search last year for my son. Ruger .243 was a soli fit. Tried and true.

My daughter shoots a ruger 6mm creedmoor and loves it

.243, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 7mm-08 in a bolt action of your choice. All of the above have great factory ammo selection if you don't plan to hand load, great bullet selection if you do, and mild recoil. All are more than capable of taking any deer anywhere with correct bullet selection and shot placement.

Following for m 9 year old as well. Need a .243/6.5 threaded to run suppressed and preferably in a youth stock.

Righteousgemstone said:

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Had this same search last year for my son. Ruger .243 was a soli fit. Tried and true.

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Ruger M77 tang safety in .243 was my first deer rifle my dad gave me. That old rifle has great sentimental value to me and lots of great memories. I took my first of many deer with it, and everything I've aimed at with it has required only 1 shot. I own a lot of guns today, but I still hunt with it on occasion to this day because it's like a trusted friend and conjures lots of great memories of cool fall days in the deer woods.

Second a .243

My sister had a single shot .243 that was dead accurate and super light

6.5 Grendel

6.5 grendel in AR15. Adjustable gas block, adjustable stock. Suppressor if you have access.

I started my son on a single shot .223 that was mine as a kid. It's lethal no problem with Barnes TSX we use in it for 100 yd shots we mostly have. Plus he can shoot it all day at range. I have a .243 that he will shoot 1x for a longer range hunting shot bc he isn't thinking about it, but for practice he won't use it bc of recoil. It's mild but it still is more than the .223. So that said. Average or timid kid under 10, I always say .223. But if bigger or older .243/6.5/7-08 like everyone else says.

I'd start here:
https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/receivers/barreled-receivers/1500-6-5-grendel-20-threaded-heavy-barreled-mini-action-prod113624.aspx

Savage Axis II XP compact. Combo in .243 Win. Bass pro and cabelas has one for $499. Comes with the accutrigger

Threaded?

hutch2882 said:

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Savage Axis II XP compact. Combo in .243 Win. Bass pro and cabelas has one for $499. Comes with the accutrigger

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My first rifle was a savage axis .243 my grandpa got me

Grandpa's rifle so you do not have to spend the crazy prices these days!

my kids shoot a suppressed .308 Rem. 700.
Seems to get the job done.
And you have a limitless supply of 308 bullets if you don't reload.
243's have been hit or miss.

I have a Remington Model 7 I shot my first few with. It was a .223. I added a 300blk barrel to it with a suppressor. Hopefully my kids will use it for their first deer one day.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhusLoDscQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I like 223 for myself, so probably will go with that when the kids get older.

2nd for the Savage Axis Combo in 243. Picked up This One from Academy for my 11 yr old and he had no issues with recoil or trigger pull on the first hunt of this season.

my kids have loved using my 300 blackout. It is on an AR platform so i can make it pretty short for them. Very little recoil. Both of have killed bucks already at 5 and 6 years old. Winchester deer rounds have been pretty effective.

Mossberg Bantom Patriot in .243. They even make them with a wood stock


After 16 years in gun retail and handling most of the newer low cost guns the Mossberg in my mind is the best.

The one I got for my kids is nails. Great gun.


And I think the .243 is the perfect deer cartridge for Texas white tail.

243 to start i sorta have a Sako. daughter and grandkids claim as theirs now. I bought around 1964 between me, my kids, and grandkids killed more white tail deer than i can remember. lot were DRT. 243 has worked for us for close to 60 years

S

.243

My son has used my Remington Mohawk 600 .243 for several years now. I started out with it when I was 10.

Perfect caliber for kids, IMO.

You can expect some good deals on Black Friday!

JeremiahJohnson said:

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I have a Remington Model 7 I shot my first few with. It was a .223. I added a 300blk barrel to it with a suppressor. Hopefully my kids will use it for their first deer one day.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhusLoDscQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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Shot my first and many after it with the same rifle! Still sits in my Dads safe today. My cousins have all killed deer with it and I've even used it some as an adult. Love that gun.

.243 win
6.5 Grendel
6.5 CM
7mm-08
.270 win
.308 win

I'm debating between suppressed 300blk and 243 for my daughter when she's old enough maybe next year. She's graduating to a .22 this Christmas.

.243 or 6.5 Creedmoore are great calibers -
Browning X-Bolt is actually a smaller framed gun that he wont "outgrow"
my son has a 6.5 Remington with a bull barrel - literally no recoil.

I will just chime in that at 9yrs old you should probably strongly consider a regular rifle rather than a youth model. 243 is a great round and if it's a regular rifle they can keep it always.

I'd consider a youth model rifle in .22-250 if he was younger but at 9 he will be a teenager in the blink of an eye.