My $.02....
Long action rifles with overbore cartridges will either be overly cumbersome for kids (with proper barrel length) or have a huge amount of muzzle blast (due to a short barrel which is poorly suited to the large case capacities involved)......
Hunting rifles are carried/ handled far more than they are shot, IME. A 9lb rifle will not only wear out a 9 year old kid schlepping it around all day, but will also be really hard for him or her to fire off-hand, while a shortened/youth sized overbore full house cartridge like .25/06, .270 WIN, 7 Mag, /06, or any of the Weatherby offerings are just going to kick the hell out of them, and that's no fun, even when shooting water filled milk jugs, which is the easiest way to get kids to practice sufficiently with a centerfire rifle, IME.
have you considered a 25.06?
Long action rifles with overbore cartridges will either be overly cumbersome for kids (with proper barrel length) or have a huge amount of muzzle blast (due to a short barrel which is poorly suited to the large case capacities involved)......
Hunting rifles are carried/ handled far more than they are shot, IME. A 9lb rifle will not only wear out a 9 year old kid schlepping it around all day, but will also be really hard for him or her to fire off-hand, while a shortened/youth sized overbore full house cartridge like .25/06, .270 WIN, 7 Mag, /06, or any of the Weatherby offerings are just going to kick the hell out of them, and that's no fun, even when shooting water filled milk jugs, which is the easiest way to get kids to practice sufficiently with a centerfire rifle, IME.