Considering a rifle for my boys for Christmas

[Brute Killer]

The grendel is fine until they are big, bodily.
A .243 has killed literally tons and tons of deer.
What I did for my 3 kids:
First one got her 2 first deer with my 3006 at age 12. I then built her a 7mm08.
Second girl and first boy, I bought a cheap Mossberg Maverick 243. Waste of money. Not a horrible gun, mind you, and certainly not expensive, but wasn't really necessary.
I bought my son a used LH CDL in .270 Win and my second daughter a LH Rem 700 SPS in 243, from which I took the action a few years later to build her a 260 Rem.
I suggest using what you have until you get them a "lifetime" gun.

[Leverhunter]

7mm-08 will do it all. Second choice 6.5 Creedmore, it's like a modern 6.5 X 55, accurate, light recoil and effective.

[Bigfootwolff]

My first deer rifle was a .243 Win. Parents got it for me when I was about 13. Killed a lot of deer with it, some even with legitimate 300 plus yard kill shots. The lower recoil helped me gain confidence in my shooting abilities, and I stepped up to a .270 Win in my mid-20s, which is a great round, but likely a tad bit to much recoil. I love the 7mm-08, and think it is underrated for what it is capable of. I would recommend a .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 7mm-08. The .25-06 is also a moderate recoiling round, but factory ammo has been hard to come by in that caliber lately. As others have said each kid is different and some can handle recoil better than others. I think it is important to honestly assess each child’s capabilities, and give them enough gun to cleanly kill game, but not one that ultimately causes flinching, which is behavior that can be hard to overcome if it has become a habit. I know muzzle brakes help with recoil, but I have seen shooters flinch while using them due to the noise and gas directed back at the shooter, even with ear protection. Definitely think a suppressor is a better option. Good luck to the OP in his quest.

[RMW]

Started my boys off with a Rem 700 6.8spc bolt action, killed a lot of hogs and deer. Love that cartridge!

[CentralTXHunter]

My dad bought my son a Ruger American Ranch in .243 after talking with me about guns/caliber. Dad topped it with an old Leupold fixed 4 power he had. I then suppressed it. He loves to shoot it, but it was/is still too long LOP. (He just turned 8 and has had the gun since he was 5)

I dropped it into a Magpul stock. It’s got removable pieces to the stock to adjust LOP as he grows. It’s also got replacement cheek pieces to adjust as he grows as well. It’s a sweet shooter. Will cloverleaf at 100 with 100 grain federal soft points. In fact, he may have to get big enough to beat my azz before I give it up, lol.

I don’t have any good pics of the gun itself, but here it is from last weekend with the Aoudad I killed with it.




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[J-J Matt]

25-06

[Big pig]

7mm-08 will do it all. Second choice 6.5 Creedmore, it's like a modern 6.5 X 55, accurate, light recoil and effective.

6.5 Creedmore ammo is readily available here.

[travlinman]

I'd go with the 6.5 x 55 Swiss. Very light recoil compared to the 243 and 308. My CZ swiss is my all-around rifle. Hard to beat!

[Walker]

I'd go with the 6.5 x 55 Swiss. Very light recoil compared to the 243 and 308. My CZ swiss is my all-around rifle. Hard to beat!

Swiss or Swede?