Did this even need to be said?

Nothing stirs the pot more than a subject like this! Very easy answer to your question....

Heres my 2 cents worth, take it or leave it.

.223 all the way, Been using Rem 700, with Timmey trigger bedded, no complaints! I hand
load, 55grn Noslers ballistic tips, 4895 powder.
Brain location, behind the ear shot. No waste, no body shots.
No chasing around the woods looking for blood trails til 2 am!
Most shots are less than 90yds. No need to make 300yrd hail mary shots!

Next caliber up, my choice is ..243.


Hunt safe, Happy 2024 year....

Awesome! Cartridge and caliber debates, especially when talking deer hunting, never get old!

7mm-08 is the answer. It's "as deadly" as the other more common choices and is mild shooting.

I have a .222 REM project right now and it would work fine too except the price of OEM ammo and the smallish size. It's better for game than .223 REM in my book when semi-jacketed soft points are used. Kinda like a mini-.30/30.

Lemme guess - the other grandpa considers himself an expert on the subject but isn't going to spend a dime and expects you to buy the rifle.

Get a reasonably heavy .243. They'll be fine. 12-year-old new hunters aren't going to be shooting "behind the ear."

Solid advice. Many have recommended a cartridge including myself, but only 1 has mentioned the weight of the rifle, which absorbs recoil.

This https://www.brownells.com/gun-parts...-20-threaded-heavy-barreled-mini-action/

Bolted to this https://www.bellandcarlson.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=1139

or this in youth model (shorter LOP) https://mdttac.com/oryx-chassis-system/

A suppressor or muzzle brake would make any rifle more pleasant for them.
Edit: The 6ARC would work too but I like the 6.5 bullets as they are a little heavier.

I guess when you think about it; how many big burly men over 250lbs, all over the world have been killed by a .223. Some shot right through both shoulders, some arms and limbs blown completely off. Some that took the shot and kept going. With that said, there are many newer rounds making their mark.

Apparently

That new Ruger American looks like it has a lot of features for not a lot of $.

Nothing works better for both young and old hunters alike than a .243.

22-250, 6.5 CM or anything in between...and really for most Texas sized whitetail and .223 with proper shot placement and heavier bullets would be fine. I have shot plenty with a .223 with no issue-but really impressed with what the 22-250 did for me last season.

don't overthink it too much-heavy gun, light recoil round and good bullet/shot placement is a good recipe for a youngster.

post pics when they knock something down!

Mine all learned with a 22-250. Saving that tack driving Ruger for the grandsons now.

You sure you want to stand by that statement? The bison, elk and jaguar are all native to TX. I wouldn't want to use a .223 for any of those. Will a .223 kill deer sized game? Yes it will. Is it the best round for deer? No it isn't. Remember we are talking new and inexperienced hunters here and it better to start them with a better round than a .223.

First of all the 22's in my book are too light. Talking recoil the 243 is the best of the bunch. For a gun to grow into and it's versatility, as many have said the 7mm-08 probably is the best. But I think a caliber worth mentioning is the always underrated 257 Bob. I own one and it 's fun to shoot with light recoil and the ability to take Mulie's with a well placed shot to 250 yards.

The 117 grain Hornady SST is accurate as all get out too.

Yes i will stand by it since elk are not recognized by TPWD as native game (obviously) and nor bison for that matter. They are exotics hunted year round on ranches in Texas. And yeah I think a .223 will stomp a jaguar’s butt but jaguars are not “game”.

I agree if they can handle it start them off with a better cartridge. But if it is a sensitive shooter it’s better to start with a .223 than not to start at all.

.22-250 is a small step up in recoil for a lot more performance.

I am beginning to think it’s less what I said and more that I am the one that stated it. If a .223 is all a shooter can handle comfortably then there sure are some darn fine bullets that will do it. You control the range where they can make the shot with confidence.

The first thing you need to consider is getting a rifle that fits them now. A properly fitting rifle will cure some of the problems young shoots tend to experience when shooting dad’s or grandpa’s hand me downs.
Several companies make youth size rifles in price ranges to fit every budget in calibers that are youth friendly.
IMO the 243 win. is an excellent round for young hunters. Hornady makes a Custom Lite round for the .243 that has a little over 6 ft.lbs. of recoil. It’s a light enough recoil for firing multiple practice shots but is very capable round for both deer and hogs. The 87 gr. SST round has very similar ballistics to 100 gr. Winchester Power Points.
I started both of my grandsons with this round when they were 8 years old using a Remington 700 SPS Youth model. My younger grandson is small framed and had no problem firing multiple practice rounds with the Hornady Custom Lites. When it came time to hunt, I re-sighted their rifle using 100 grain Winchester Power Points and they never knew the difference when they harvested their first deer.

A suppressed 7-08, 6.5 CM, or 308 will kick about the same as a 223. All can carry a good-sized bullet and they're WAY more fun to shoot due to the reduced noise.

I’m not an experienced big game hunter myself i will admit. It’s no secret i am very inexperienced deer hunter myself. But i grew up around a bunch of crazy hillbilly bikers and they all killed a lot of animals with a whole lot less than a .223!

And one thing I consider myself a verified expert in is recoil sensitive pre teen girls, as a girl dad myself I can tell you from experience. Just a 16” 22 LR too early has too much muzzle blast for some kids. You’ll have to start them on colibris, or CCI Quiet has been a great load for me to get my kids interested. That is what i had to buy for them in 4H smallbore rifle.

And a .243 just might kick their little tails all over the place. Seriously. And as it has been stated before muzzle blast is as important as recoil.

I can’t even get my kids to come out of the truck when i am shooting a AR 15 with a brake. They are 13 and 14. I have tried double ear pro. That brake makes it unbearable to them.

I got some managed recoil 30/30 hopefully that will tame them muzzle blast enough but it still kicks harder then a .223. Probably gonna roll the dice on using a 9mm carbine with gold dot slugs for my kids first deer. “Roll the dice” in jest, i have no doubt it would kill.

Doesn't matter what the TWPD calls them elk, bison and jaguar ARE native to the state, look it up. You didn't say animals currently listed as game, you said native game animals. I'm also willing to be the grizzly is a native game animal since there is a Mexican Grizzly that is critically endangered and there is no reason they couldn't cross the Rio Grande just like the Jaguars did. Black bears are also native to the state along the NM line and the LA line. .223 is a great varmint round but it will always be little more than a marginal big game round which is why many states disallow it for deer sized game in the first place.

The 243 will give the best performance and young people will grow into the rifle.

The .243 is often thought of as a round for kids or women. Here is my experience with it. Several years ago I bought a used .243 to have as a back up deer rifle (I have a .270). I sighted it in, and put in the the closet. Then I tried it on deer, to compare it to the .270. I hit two deer in the vitals, and did not see a difference. Fast forward to now. I like the scope on the .243 better, because I can see better out of it. I have shot 3 deer (so far) this season, with no issues. I do think that some calibers are to small for deer, but also think any size, 243/6mm or larger, works fine. That is based on my experience. I have never used a smaller caliber. The moral of this post is don't overlook the .243 just because you are a guy.

In this order:

Bolt action all of them. And if you are not a hand loader.

6.5 Grendel
6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 (<<equally good choices)
.308 Win

But the stock needs to be adjustable length. Adjustable comb or a stock pack will probably also be necessary.

Completely off topic but they did kill a Grizzly in the Davis mountains around the turn of the 20th century. Interesting story. The Smithsonian is in possession of the remains ( they “borrowed” it from the family who killed it and refused to give it back).

Black bears are also becoming quite common again with many sighting taking place in Big Bend, the western Hill Country and in South Texas.


But none of this has anything do with the fact that a .223 is an extremely marginal round for big game. That’s why you don’t see trophy hunters using them.

For whatever reason it’s common to give kids and young shooters the worst rounds to accomplish a job, rather than what’s ideal.

I would argue that any well fitting rifle from 308 on down with a brake/suppressor combo will be fine. If you really want to minimize blast then it’s very hard to beat the 300 blk loads with the 110 Barnes tac-x bullet.

You might also want to set up a pop up a little closer, if that’s reasonable.

True story, and puts a nice hole in them.

Man some of ya’ll have no clue about rifles for sensitive pre-teen girls. I know there are some that shoot a .270 but we are talking about *sensitive* pre-teen girls. Not farm kids.

Anyway whatever you do you gotta know your kids and ease them into it if they are sensitive young girls especially. I am gonna be the one to say, do not just give her a .308 and expect it to go well lol. There are grown men on this forum that can barely handle a .308 but they won’t admit it. Good luck.