Hey ya'll,

I'm putting my daughter through hunter's ed. next month. She's begged me for the last two years but I just didn't think she was ready yet. What do you all suggest for a first hunting rifle for a young, petite girl? I was thinking a 30/30. What do you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Shane

I would suggest a 243. Flat shooting, minimal recoil~I feel there is less recoil than the ol standby 30-30, good luck in your search.

I second the .243

Hard to beat the .243 for youngsters. That's what I started out deer hunting with. Congrats on your new hunting partner. I still have a couple years before my daughter is old enough.

Kris

I started my nephew out with my Ruger Deerfield in .44 Mag, but he was also quite profitient with my SKS and the original stock. Both rifles were perfect for kids of small stature. Both rifles sported open sights only.

I let him load three rounds at most in each mag, even though they both could hold more. He only needed one round.

Can't argue with either .243 or 30/30. Regardless of caliber, you might consider a TC Contender or Encore rifle. Stocks are available proportioned for kids, and as they grow, you can swap to the standard stock, and buy barrels in larger calibers. Being a single shot adds a little handling safety to the equation. Good Luck.

I hear a lot of guys voting for the 243 for your daughter, and I couldn't argue that choice if you're talking deer. If elk are i the picture, I'd vote for something more like a 30, but that's just me. Not trying to start anything with 243 fans, I'm sure a 243 will kill an elk within the first 20-30 shots.......

I'd definitely check out the New England Firearms Handi-Rifle. It's single shot (break action), fairly small, comes in some nice calibers like 243, 7mm-08, 30-06, etc.) If elk are on tap, I might look at that 7mm-08.

If she's a pretty small young lady, you might look at the youth version of the handi-rifle. Only comes in a couple of calibers, but nce ones like 243.

Either way, they shoot straight, are easy care, inexpensive and very relaible. They take a scope well.

I'd defintely look at one before choosing anything - but then price does matter to me and I think they're a pretty good value.

I hunt with two of my sons. They're 10 and 13 now, but they've been hunting for the past 3 years, and I drug them along well before that. Can't beat hunting with your kids.

Congrats on the new partner.

Fisherdan, Good call on the NEF HandiRifle. I forgot about them. Tough to beat the price. Also, with both the TC and NEF, you can get shotgun barrels for either, adding some extra versatility down the road.

my suggestion would be a .243 also-
very accurate round-
minumum recoil
but still enough power to topple an elk.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your replies and opinions thus far!

I have actually been looking at the NEF HandiRifle. I too like the single shot safety factor. Some other .243 I've seen are easily in the $300-$500 range which is a little more than I want to spend. I do think that I will stick with .243 as everything I've heard so far has been positive. Does anyone think it's a little underpowered for Mulies? She'll most likely only be taking a youth hunt doe to begin with. I don't think I'm going to let her pull down on anything over 50-75 yrds. Anybody have an NEF .243 for sale or trade?

I have always been partial to my NEF shotguns both 12 and 20 Gauge. Just a good economical gun. Something about a single shot too that makes for a more accurate marksman.

Regards,
Shane

Camofish-
a .243 will be fine - i bagged my 1st mulie 2pt. @ 15 years old with a bolt action Remington .243 winchester and the buck went down fast w/ one shot. She'll be fine on mulies.. My father also bagged a cow elk with the same gun w/ no problems. He did have a hotter round for that elk though. We use a 85 grain round for the mulies. It is the most accurate round we've found for that particular gun. I think accuracy is most important if you want to take down a animal quickly.

I watched a 243 kill a big buck at about 200 yards, after the 30-06 didn't take it down.

Of course, the guy shooting the 30-06 missed the buck completely, and the guy shooting the 243 put it right behind the shoulder.

I can still remember it clearly, because I was shooting the 30-06, and my buddy was using that "puny" little 243...............

I say the 243 is fine for deer to 200+ yards, and let's be honest here: How many people should be shotting at deer farther than that?

Fisherdan...

It does help to at least hit the deer . It sure sucks to be the guy that misses! Not that I would know ! I'll have to tell last year's story of my missed monster mulie...@ 75 yrds one of these days.

Have a good one...
Shane

If she's recoil shy, the .243 is hard to beat. It has very respectable long-range performance for a small bore. I would load premium bullets though (.243 bullets are too light to lose any weight). Another option is to set her up with something more powerful that has a very good recoil pad and weighs a bit more too. I started out with a .270 and am quite confident that if I do my job, it'll dump any elk out there. The flatter shooting cartridges are also an asset for inexperienced shooters. Hope this hepls Bottom line: Within reason, Accuracy is more important than caliber.

My 2 youngest sons both started out with a .243 NEF Handi Rifle. They've shot 5 or 6 deer with it with excellent results. All mulies and whitetails and out to about 200 yards. We bought the youth superlight and then bought full size stocks on ebay several years later. Great starter rifle.