# wich rifle is best for my 8 year old girl



## scottigarrett (Jul 6, 2009)

she has never shot any thing but a 22 i dont want something that is going to hurt her and get her where she is scared of guns but i want someting she can kill a deer or hog with with no problem. what do yall think


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## HisName (Nov 29, 2009)

Very good Question and good for you for being such a Dad.

Lets see , enough gun to kill a deer but not enough recoil to cause her to not want to shoot it again.

8 is awfully young for a girl to shoot a deer rifle,

I am thinking Semi Auto .243 with a AK Muzzle Brake and rubber recoil pad

I put a 30 cal / AK74 type Muzzle brake on my 270 Remington Mod4 Semi Auto and it tamed it right down / 70% less recoil 
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=454837


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## K-Bill (May 14, 2009)

x2 on the .243


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## H2OMARK (Oct 2, 2007)

.243 or a 7mm.08. Both have very similar recoil, 7.08 will have a little more punch and if you're not going to trade in a few years, she'll be happier with it in down the road. I would strongly suggest that you do not get a semi-auto for someone that young though unless you're only going to load one shell at a time. Accidents happen far to often with forgotten safety's. Single shot or single shell for a youngster. But, this is JMO.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

.223 All the way.single shot or bolt gun.55 grain cor lock or power point will kill any deer or hog deader than a hammer.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

do not buy a youth model 243 or 7mm-o8 for a young child the recoil is stout in those guns.you will scare them.if your guna go that route get a regular size 243 that ways more than one of those youth model single shots.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

i see you live in bratt.i live in bogia not to far from you.if you ever want to let her shoot my daughters get with me.you can shoot all you want at my house.and ill show you a pile of bucks killed with a itty bitty .223 and just as many hogs with not one lost.


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## lingfisher1 (Oct 9, 2007)

BOGIA said:


> do not buy a youth model 243 or 7mm-o8 for a young child the recoil is stout in those guns.you will scare them.if your guna go that route get a regular size 243 that ways more than one of those youth model single shots.


 If you use a full size gun for a child the gun will not fit them. Both of my childern started shooting a youth model .243 at 7 years old. My son never had a problem and when my daughter stared to shoot(at 7 she was the size of most 5 yo) and never had a problem. Neither ever complained about the recoil. I put a Sims vibration lab recoil pad on a 7-08 and my daughter shot it and said it felt the same as the .243.


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## SLICK75 (Sep 4, 2010)

I agree with the .243 IF shes big enough. I bought my son a .243 bolt action Savage when he was 12 and it was nearly too much without a butt pad, and hes thin but relatively tall. 

I would definitely recommend a muzzle brake of some sort together with a nice thick butt pad. I saw some at BPS that you could add and remove padding as needed. I would get that and start out with the most padding and work down until you get a good balance. At least that way you wont be bruising a shoulder on the first shot.

I started my son out at 8 with a .410 shotgun. Its a smaller, lighter gun to handle and you can start her out with bird shot and work up through buckshot and onto a slug. Granted, it doesnt have the range of the .243 BUT shes not taking 100+ yard shots to start with anyway. She would probably be lucky to pull off 50 yards with any accuracy with even a youth rifle and using buckshot would improve her chances of hitting a deer.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

I started my son with a youth Winchester 70 in 243 at 9 years old and he never flinched.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

the single shot .243s and the 7mmo8s in rossi or nef kick!dont let any body fool you.if you dont want to risk scaring her as you said dont go with those guns.i shoot all the time and have shot all those guns.they kick period to a small child.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

I killed my first buck at 8 with a 30-06. I didn't pick up a gun again until about college.


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## scottigarrett (Jul 6, 2009)

thanks for all the reply's. i definitely want to get her a single shot and i was thinking about a 223. i dont know much about the smaller rifles. when i was a kid i started with a single shot 12 gauge.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

you dont need a cannon to klll deer or hogs.speed kills a good bullet with a .223 in the lungs in the shoulder or behind the ear i promise you you wont bee lookin far for your deer if looking at all.also it has no recoil.


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## lingfisher1 (Oct 9, 2007)

BOGIA said:


> the single shot .243s and the 7mmo8s in rossi or nef kick!dont let any body fool you.if you dont want to risk scaring her as you said dont go with those guns.i shoot all the time and have shot all those guns.they kick period to a small child.


 Rossi and NEF are not the only companies that make youth model rifles.:thumbsup:


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

no kiddin.there about the only ones in a single shot your going to find in a store around here and that dont cost a arm and a leg.


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## lingfisher1 (Oct 9, 2007)

BOGIA said:


> no kiddin.there about the only ones in a single shot your going to find in a store around here and that dont cost a arm and a leg.


Nowhere in my post did I say anything about a single shot. Both of the youth model guns at my house are bolt action, which you can use like a single shot. And none of them cost an arm and a leg. Still have 2 each:thumbsup:


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

the man said he was intrested in a single shot rifle.not a bolt action rifle that you can shoot like a single shot.any way done arguing scotie if you ever want to see the proof in the pudding and not just listen to all this talk just pm me id bee glad to let you try my daughters gun out, heck they probably even go to school together.


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

Don't do the rossie. I have the .22/20 combo, but waaaay too much kick in the .243. Yes it will kill a deer, but I would not go with the .223 simply because if doesn't leave enough rood for error in the shot (energy=shock). I got my kids an Mossberg ATR 1000 bolt action in .243. Dead on and complete with a scope was $349.00 at BPS but cheaper at Academy, maybe $329.00. Best part about it...and what sold me on it, is that it is a youth rifle that has an insert in the stock that will reduce the length by 1.5-2 inches with 2 screws. As the kid grows, it can be lengthened by putting it back in. Daughter killed her first last year and will try again saturday. Son the next week. Ages 9 and 7.


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

.223 will kill them and the shot dont have to be perfect.just ask the twenty deer and just as many hogs my daughters have killed with it.you coulndnt tell they werent shot with a .243 or a 30/o6


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

I would suggest something, but I would want to know more about her size.... Just knowing she is 8 years old isn't enough to suggest a .243 or many other smaller centerfire rounds. 

How tall is she and how much does she weigh? 

Without knowing anything I will say that, if you handload get her a Model 7 in 7mm:08, and load light enough that the recoil is acceptable to her. 

If you don't handload and she is physically large enough I would go with the 7mm:08 or a .257 Roberts, before the .243 just for the reason that the 7mm:08 or .257 Roberts are both going to be a better or a more versitile adult rifle than the .243 will be. 

If she is physically very small and petite, I would suggest a .22 Hornet. 

I have a couple of each and if you want to go to the range and let her experiment with several options let me know.


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## kaferhaus (Oct 8, 2009)

> .257 Roberts are both going to be a better or a more versitile adult rifle than the .243 will be.
> 
> If she is physically very small and petite, I would suggest a .22 Hornet.
> 
> I have a couple of each and if you want to go to the range and let her experiment with several options let me know.


Man I've been jonesing for a 257 for a long time....

Good advice there and I'd advise you to take Curtis up on the offer. Nothing beats being able to actually try em out before you decide what she can actually handle.

None of my kids could really deal with even a 243's recoil with factory ammo until they were around 12 (tried that one first...) so I started them on .223s.

They both harvested several deer with them at ranges under 100yds and we never had to go find one...


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## buckhunter32175 (Mar 9, 2010)

I started my kids out on a Thompson Center Contender chambered in 7x30 Waters. The gun is very small and my young children were very comforatable shooting the gun. It fit them well and the recoil is very mild. Ammo is a little hard to find. I just order a few boxes online at a time. My kids have taken deer and hogs with the gun out to about 125 yards (shooting off a rest). It's an old caliber that most folks seem to have forgotten about but I found it fit my kids like a glove. Good luck.


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## BANKWALKER (Aug 26, 2009)

My 8 year old son is average size for his age and shoots a 7mm-08. I bought it when he was 7 and he shot it then with no problem. After looking at many different youth rifles, Stan at Mike's showed me a Weatherby Vanguard and I was sold. It is a little more expense on the front end but it comes with an adult stock so you can swicth it out in a couple of years. The trick is the bullet, shooting a lighter 120 grain Federal Fusion bullet, the gun has the recoil of a 22. He killed his first buck with it last weekend (a 6 point) and a doe during the Alabama youth hunt; both unassisted. I shoot a 7mm-08 with 139grain Hornady but after seeing what the 120 Fusion has done I am VERY impressed. Both deer were shot between 80-100 yards away and the entry and exit holes were what most hunters are looking/hoping for. The deer were shot from a sooting house and he was able to use the window opening as a rest. Anyway, the 7mm-08 with a 120grain bullet will kill anything around our neck of the woods and the recoil is what I was looking for for my son. Good Luck.


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## ghost95 (May 4, 2009)

I haven't heard anyone mention 260 Rem. I know it's not one of the usual choices but the 6.5 bullets do a great job with light recoil and are verry accurate. You can also reduce felt recoil with a good pad like one from limb saver. Another trick is to add weight to the rifle. The forestock acn be inletted and weight glassed in and the buttstock drilled and weight added there too. The more a rifle weighs the more recoil energy is used to get it moving. If she will be in a stand and shooting from a rest the extra weight shouldn't be to much of an issue as long as the rifle remains balanced. My second choice would be 7-08.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I started my youngest 1 out w/ a NEF 223 single shot. It is heavy but very little recoil. 223 is often overlooked but will kill a deer w/ no problems!!! My youngest is 12 now and is small fer his age and he killed his 1st deer w/ it at 7.....:thumbup:


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## H2OMARK (Oct 2, 2007)

kaferhaus said:


> Man I've been jonesing for a 257 for a long time....
> 
> Good advice there and I'd advise you to take Curtis up on the offer. Nothing beats being able to actually try em out before you decide what she can actually handle.
> 
> ...


.257 is an excellent round. But......take it from me as I have bought many rounds for a .257 Roberts and being a wild cat round they are way expensive!!


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## justhunt (Oct 16, 2009)

I started my daughter (she is now 12) with a .22 to familiarize her with holding on target and squeezing a trigger. When she was ready to hunt, I bought her an H&R youth model .243 and she shoots it with no problem. She was nervous and a bit hesitant at first, but after shooting it the first time, she was fine. No added butt pad or anything. In fact, she killed her first deer with it last year (a big Alabama doe at about 85 yds).


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## BANKWALKER (Aug 26, 2009)

I started my son the same way, getting comfortable shooting, gun control, etc.. with a 22 w/ scope. That is great advice.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Just buy low compression bullets and she can shoot just about any gun you have available. Low compression bullets have almost no kick and are good to about 200 yards. (especially if you do not want to spend a lot of money on another rifle and scope) My young nephew has used these bullets since he was four years old and has killed several deer with them.


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## kaferhaus (Oct 8, 2009)

H2OMARK said:


> .257 is an excellent round. But......take it from me as I have bought many rounds for a .257 Roberts and being a wild cat round they are way expensive!!


I have a solution to that, I reload.


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## Tightline (Oct 4, 2007)

What ever you deside on, make sure she is wearing HEARING PROTECTION ! Young ones really need this for accuracy and for their hearing down the road.
I'd go with the .22Hornet . There cheep (lots of practice) and will get the job done.


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