I have a grandson that will start going out deer hunting with me in the next year or so and want to get him a rifle. I am not up on what the best caliber is for that now. I also would love to get the best rifle brand and model for a young boy, age 12 to start deer hunting with. Back when I started about 40 years ago I used a 222 caliber. Thanks in advance for your help.

Remington youth 7/08 or Remington sps in 7/08 depending on his size my daughter has just switched to standard stock and last season and she turned 13 this month. The 7/08 is an awesome round!

308

My son is 13 and shot a CVA 308 this past season..Kicks a little but not to bad when the adrenaline is pumping..

7mm/08 with Zeiss conquest 3x9x40

The perfect set up!

7-08

Started my son with a Remington Model 7 Youth chambered for .243. Excellent deer rifle. I liked it so much, I bought myself a .243. I'm not sure whether they still make the Model 7, but, they've got a Model 700-Youth. When he gets bigger, you can just swap out the youth stock for an adult size, and he'll have a nice Texas deer rifle that'll last him a lifetime. Don't let anyone tell you it's not enough gun for Texas whitetails. Anyone who says that doesn't have a clue...

Not gonna tell you it is not as my daughter hunted with one for four years but at 12 the 7/08 or 308 both give you a little more room for error. The .243 is great is plenty as long as shot is perfect, but with kids if they can handle a little more recoil and I mean very little more with the 7mm/08 it is a better option.

How big of kid is he? does he shoot much? These are all things to consider, my about-to-be 12 year old is tall and rather large for his age. He also shoots competition shotgun sports with a 682x 30" 12ga berreta, so 308 is nbd.

keep in mind the shooter and any of the above listed would be great.

I understand what you're saying. I guess I have a particular concern about starting kids out with "too much" gun. I was small for my age, and when I was 15, I got a .30-06 with no recoil pad. Gave myself a flinch that I still fight nearly 40 years later. I've hunted Texas whitetails with .243, .30-06, 7mm-08, and 7mm Rem Mag. There has not been one iota of difference among the four with regard to terminal performance on the deer. I've had them drop in their tracks, or run 40 yards when hit through the lungs with the 06. I've had them drop in their tracks, or run 40 yards when hit through the lungs with the .243. I really don't see the 41/1000ths of an inch difference between the .243 and the 7mm as creating a truly significant increase in "margin for error." I do like the 7mm-08, and it would be a reasonable choice for a youth hunter, especially if he's a little bigger, but, though still manageable, it's got roughly 50% more recoil than the .243. I'd rather get the kid hunting and shooting with really solid fundamentals rather than run the risk that he'll be shooting with his eyes closed...

I just bought an FN patrol Bolt Rifle with 16"bbl and 3" muzzle break in .308. I took it to the range the other day to test it and fired a 3 shot group that was basically one ragged hole. My 11 yr old son wanted to try and he fired 8 rounds and had no problem with the recoil. I was very surprised. he shot a just under 1" 3-shot group and it was the first time he has ever fired a centerfire other that a 32-20 or an AR 15. CDNN had the FN on closeout for $599.
Dave in TX

Not sure where you are getting the recoil difference but you are wrong their is one pound of felt recoil difference in the two and bullet weight is much better with the 7/08 not arguing with the fact that recoil can create a problem but if the kid is an avg size 12 yr old boy he can handle the 7/08. I have both for my daughter who weighs 82lbs and is 5'1 and she can not tell a difference in recoil shooting 120 TSX handloads or factory loaded hornady 139gr sst. Do for what you gain in bullets the 7/08 is a Berger choice if he is an avg size 12 yr old.

Better choice not Berger

My son is 12 and he has had a 308 for several years, but doesnt like shooting it much. He has in the past gone back to my old 243. Joshua is not a huge kid (5'7 120) and the recoil of the 308 was never too much, he just never did like the Ruger. He got his new rifle 2 weeks ago. He had the money and could pick anything out in the world and choose a 7mm-08. He will shoot it all day and knocked 2 boars down this past weekend. Long story short, I think the 7-08 is about perfect for a 12 year old boy.

No real right or wrong opinion, it's all going to depend on the kid. Some are going to be recoil shy, others will take it as a personal challenge to shoot whatever you hand them and try to crack a smile even if it hurts like heck.

25-06 is the popular rifle for the kids in the 8-12yo range I'm around. 7-08 is also a good round to look into.

it's not always the difference in diameter that is the only beneficial factor. it's also the additional bullet weight a larger caliber offers. I'm not sure what weight bullet most folks use for deer in a .243, but let's say 115 grains. the most common 7-08 weight is 140. you're likely to get better penetration with the heavier bullet. and the 7mms have good SD. So possibly on off angle shots you'll get better penetration with the 7mm. or if the bullet contacts bone, the 7mm should have a better chance of punching through and penetrating to the vitals.

yes, we can argue that any shooter should not take awkward angle shots, but with larger heavier bullets we have a few more options.

the .243 is a light recoiling cartridge, so an additional 50% doesn't add that much to the total recoil. the 7-08 is still a light recoiling rifle. now at the other extreme, if a cartridge has 50% more recoil than a 458 lott, then your talking a serious amount of total recoil. kind of like 50% of 8 is 4 so a total of 12, but 50% of 50 is 25 for a total of 75. I just can't imagine the 7-08 hurting anybody.

I think the 7-08 is a perfect cartridge for a youngster or really for anybody who wants a mild recoiling cartridge.

just like i think the 7-08 is better than the .243, i think there are other cartridges better than the 7-08, but i have used the 7mm effectively on game.............just like many folks have used the .243 effectively........ so maybe it's a potato, potawto thing

oh, i vote 7-08

Recoil figures are from the Chuck Hawks' site. I realize there is disagreement on his opinions about a lot of things, but, his recoil chart has always been very consistent with my "felt recoil" experience.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Hawks' results are similar to this site:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/recoil.html

He lists the 100 gr. .243 in a 7 1/2 lb rifle at 8.8 lbs of recoil energy and the 140 gr. 7mm-08 in an 8 lb. rifle at 12.6. 120 gr. .25-06 is listed at 12.5 in an 8 lb. rifle.

I agree that the 7mm-08's recoil is very reasonable. I guess maybe I start off the discussion with a bit of a chip on my shoulder, as I've been to other sites where there are guys who adamantly insist that the .243 is just a varmint rifle...

The chart I looked at said 9 on .243 and 10 on 7/08 and I have both I run 85tsx in 243 and 120tsx in 7/08 and I can tell u their is no noticeable difference in the two for me or my daughter. One lb of difference is prolly spot on, the 139 sst hornady factory loads I thought she will feel more but she said she could tell no difference.

99% of 12 year olds can handle the 7mm-08. Joshua has shot 243, 270, 308 and 7mm-08 at big game and has never complained about any of them. He shot my 300 for the first time this weekend. After 4 rounds, he didnt ask if he could carry it to the blind with him Sunday evening.

Lol, I staked claim to a cdl 300 between 12 & 13 and I never let go of it. Dang gun could dbl as an anchor though and I rarely use it anymore.

7mm-08. Cant go wrong with it.

I was started between a youth savage .243, full size remington 700 .243 and a bolt action .410 for deer hunting, but a .243 should be good for someone his age

7mm-08 or 25-06 gets my vote. If ya wanna put a good muzzle break on, I may be wrong but a 270 would probably be in the same "felt recoil" category.

25.06 - .243 - 7mm-08

Why would anybody need more for Texas size deer?

Marlin XS/XL - Stevens 200 - Remington ADL

Viper Vortex - Bushnell Elite Scope - Nikon Buckmaster Scope

Perfect setups for anybody hunting in Texas - No need to go higher in price.

I started my boy off on a 303 british that I sporterized for him when he was 12. He's a big kid though. I hand loaded some 125 gr bullets for him and it shoots great. Its got a bit more recoil than it would in its natural state because of the sporterized work and the gun is now lighter.