really though a 7mm-08 will be fine to.

My dad gave me his Remington 700 in .243 when I was seven. Tack Driver of a gun. 42 today I havent shot that gun in 20 plus years took it to the gun range still shot like a dream. I had to take it on the last day of hunting to fill my doe tag. Still lot of fun shot one at 223 yeards.

how does the recoil of a 6.5mm compare to .243, .260, or 7mm-08?

Look at the 257 Roberts, mine shoots like a dream with very little recoil. Will take most Texas game down...

My girls seemed to like shooting as much or more than the 4 boys and probably were more agressive..I'd think they'd have done better w/the 338 Win Mags I got the guys than the boys do..and I still have to clean their rifles...guess my Dad knew something when he said if I wanted one, to buy it myself..DD

I think either a 7-08 or 243 would be fine. Either will do any hunting in texas they want and will be fine for anything in america short of elk moose and the big bears.

I would not buy a 6mm. 243 is much more common available and cheaper and for all practical purposes is the same thing as a 6mm.

Not mentioned yet in this post, so here goes. The 6mm Remington began as the .244 Remington which was introduced as a varmint cartridge, and the 1 in 12 rifling would not stabilize bullets over 100 grains, while in the same year the .243 Winchester was introduced with a slower twist that would stabilize heavier bullets and the .243 Winchester was marketed better as a combination deer/varmint round. The .244 Remington was renamed as the 6mm Rem and twist was slower, but by then the .243 was a new miracle round capable of killing elephants hidden behind mountains. The 6mm Rem offers a little better reloading advantage, but unless you are a dedicated reloader the difference is insignificant according to most 'experts'. This argument is similar to 308 vs 30-06. Many out of ammo .308 shooters are wishing they had gone with the .30-06, which for many years was the number 1 top selling cartridge.

243 !

.243, if it were me but here's the caveat: I hunt in a heavilly wooded area where a 200 hundred yard shot is faaaaaarr out the ordinary and I don't reload. 6mm ammo is not as readilly available nor as cheap. That said, I was tempred by a 6mm at the last gun show. You know what...buy all 3, let her pick one and you keep the other two!

Best advice yet!

Buy a .308. If you handload you can load it to match the recoil of a 30-30, and it carries a much heavier bullet than a .243 ever thought about. I feel that the weight/larger diameter of the bullets really helps for deer and hogs.

Can't go wrong with .243 or7mm-08. Either makes a great "adult" weapon as well. I have an old PRe-81 BLR in .243 that has been the first deer killer for 4 in my family, all as adults. Anticipating the grandkids hunting in the next few years (oldest is 6 at this time) I just ordered a used stock for it, so I can cut it down to shorter length of pull for the kids, but easily convert back with the original stock. Gonna make me smile to see a little one use it!

I bought a tikka 25-06 last year to shoot and got both my kids shooting it. Last year my daughter dropped a spike at 156yrs. This year she shot 2 hogs at 175-190yrds. She is 12. My son is dead on out to 200yrd with it

I bought my 15 year old a .243 Remington 700 Youth Model. I, I mean He LOVES IT!!! It is a sweet shooting gun with very little recoil. He has killed 5 deer with it already. The ammo is easier to find than the 6mm when you are 200-300 miles from home and you forget to pack it. To each his own. Just make sure that they are confident with whatever you get them.

Can't speak to the 6MM, but my son has a Marlin .243 that he & I both love. Was inexpensive, very accurate, and easy to find ammo. We took 2 nice bucks and 1 doe this year, and none went farther than 30 yards.

We have two Rem 788s and a 700, all in .243 and they have been outstanding.

My 9 yr old loves his 243. He has been shooting it for two years. He has a 7-08 that he will graduate into next year. That is one fine shooting gun. With regular ammo it may be a little much for a 9 yr old, but with reduced recoil loads it will make her happy for years to come.

Well I ended up getting her the Browning x bolt micro midas in .243 -- gave it to her today for her 10th bday. Can't wait to take her to the range! Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

Red

congrats and send her a happy birthday from the THF

Nice! I'm betting she will like that one. Happy Birthday to the young lady!

Got it sighted in today. Very pleased with how it shoots. Now the rest is up to her.

This is a good link with a chart of the recoil of all the guns discussed above. I think I will go with the .243 for my daughter.

http://www.buckdeer.com/youth_rifle.htm

I had a Savage 99 in 7mm-08 several years ago and can't for the life of me understand why I ever let it go. I think both the 6mm and the 7mm-08 are great choices for young shooter as is the Roberts 257 and the 25-06. My granddaughter is hunting with me for the first time this year and she prefers my 25-06 over the youth .243 that I bought her. Go figure.