First Deer Rifle

I would go for a .243 Win. They are very mild in the recoil department which is good for young shooters, and the .243 drops deer quickly when you put the bullet into the lungs. I have used a .243 for years and think that it it hard to beat for a deer rifle.
 
I'm surprised to not see any of the usual bickering when it comes to posts like these. LOL! Usually someone will recommend a caliber too small or too large, then the fight is on!

Many have said what I would have said, so there's no sense in repeating. I do want to add that in some ammunition, they offer a reduced-recoil option. You can look into that as well.

NikonHunter
 
25-06 or 260 remington will work extremely well. Both are flat shooting and quite capable of taking game up to elk in size. Either one is also very easy on the sholder.
 
.223 too small? No I don't think so, not if she is fairly competant with the rifle and hunting bullets ( Barnes) are used. There are possible better choices. A Remington Model 6 youth in .243 might fit her size and in North America she would never need another rifle. Or possibly a Win Model 70 featherwieght also in .243 win. If she's a super special sister how about an M-8 Sako also in .243. People were hunting Montana with the .222 long before the .223 became popular. Some states don't allow hunting with .22 cal though. Where are you?

Ken
 
The OP says that a youth gun is heavy enough to be difficult, so most of the recommendations seem to be worse than what is already available to her.

I would think that for that small a person, recoil would also be an issue.

If she's amenable to training, and will be careful as to range for a shot, the .223 would suffice. Probably the next step up would be a .243 with the Federal 85-grain Sierra HPBT. I know from experience that it works well on deer and coyotes.

My question, then, is what rifle is lighter in weight than the Howa youth rifle's 6.8 pounds?

Options: Cut an inch or two off the barrel. Use a lightweight scope, such as the Weaver V3 at some 9 ounces. Still, the gross weight would be near eight pounds.

$$$ Option: A Remington 700 Ti; the-short action version is 5.25 pounds plus ammo, scope and mounts, and sling. Mine in 7mm08 weighs 6.5 pounds, total, ready to hunt. But, nowadays, the bare rifle is somewhere around $1,100, SFAIK. Four inches cut from the 22" barrel would make for a truly lightweight carbine.
 
My Aunt who was just a hair under 5' used a Winchester model 88 carbine in .243 till she finally quit hunting at the age of 84. Not the gun, she just couldn't climb the ladder into her deer stand anymore. If you can find one have your sister give it a try and see how it fits her, otherwise a Marlin lever action carbine in a pistol caliber should be doable as long as she doesn't have to shoot more than 60 yards with it.
 
I dont know your price range. I got my wife a .243 in a Ruger No 1-A light sporter. There is hardly any recoil. It still seemed alittle long for her so I took the butt pad off. Perfect fit now. In the future were going to have the stock cut to fit, and the butt pad put back on. Believe me the .243 is no big kicking gun. She is in her 50's so she is done growing, and cutting the stock is not a big concern, but it might be if someone is still growing. I handload, and for her rifle I am using a Nosler 100 grain partition. It will do a complete pass thru on a deer just about anywhere you hit it. Shot placement is always key though, and that holds true with any caliber. A deer can be wounded with any caliber. My wife shoots alot, knows shot placement, and when to just leave them walk away. Shooting alot I think is very important no matter what you are going to use. It build confidents, and in my book that means alot. Good luck on your choice, be safe, and hope you always have good memory's.
 
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