What's a good gun for a girl?

[lmiller1]

I have been taken my daughter hunting for the last couple of years and last year she killed her first deer.
I want to get her something to shoot because the 30-06 BAR is kicking her tail.
She is 9 years old.
What would be a good gun that she could use with little kick. I have tried using the low recoil shells for the BAR but having to set it back when I hunt is a pain. I would just rather get her, her own.
Any suggestions?

[quack_a_tack]

I shot a Ruger 7mm08 this weekend and was very impressed with the accuracy of thee gun. The recoil was also next to neel. I believe this would be a good caliber for a child. I think for deer sized game it is a good cal. all together.

[Tedl10]

Ruger makes a good youth model 243

[Matt S]

Ruger compact is very nice. They make it in several good rounds. I like the 243 for kids but as they get older the 260 and 7mm08 are both good choices also. Remington also makes a good youth rifle as well. The youth model handi rifle cant be beat for the price. Let her handle them and see which feels better to her.

[cockandlock25]

I also agree with getting her a .243 or 7mm-08. Both are good light rounds.

[Dutch Dog]

Since you have (and I assume probably like) the BAR, get a 243 in the BAR and the recoil will be next to nothing. The gun will be all she'll ever need.

[lmiller1]

That's what I would prefer, Something that she can use for many years, but if she gets all girlie on me and doesn't want to go anymore, I hate to have that kind of money tied up it. My first gun my father gave me was a BAR. I still have it and it looks almost as good as it did 25 years ago.

[Dutch Dog]

Yeah, but there's always someone out there willing to take a BAR off your hands. You may have to take a small hit on it, but for that small hit your daughter got to use it and probably take a few deer with it. Use and memories will be well worth it!!! I'd bet you wouldn't lose $50 to $100 on the gun if you decided to sell it in a few years provided it's taken good care of.

[lmiller1]

Yeah you are right. BAR would be my first choice but I probably would never sale it for sentimental reasons. Might have a grandson someday.
Which has the best knock down power? .243 or 7mm-08?

[Dutch Dog]

7-08 but along with more knockdown power comes the very thing you're trying to get away from...recoil. I've killed 2 deer and my son has killed 1 with our .243 with the 80 grain core lokt bullets. Two of the deer never took a step and one ran about 30 yards with a hole the size of a basketball where the bullet came out (literally...no joke). A .243 is PLENTY of gun for any whitetail deer anywhere. Not knocking a 7-08 in any way whatsoever, it's a fantastic round. I'd say its better suited for a "hefty" 12+ yr old boy than a 9 yr old girl. I'm sure there are some folks on here whose 7 yr old is shooting one "just fine" but I'm being reasonable and realistic. If it's painful for the kid to shoot or it scares them you're not doing yourself any favors by pushing too much gun on them. Truth be known a well placed .223 or a 22-250 bullet will do the job just fine. Unless you do some long range shooting those Managed recoil bullets do just fine...no need in changing scope settings. You could just keep a log of how many clicks and in which direction you have to move from one to the other and change your scope too. You should try to find someone close to you who has a 7-08 and someone who has a .243 and let your daughter shoot both and see which she likes more. Don't tell her which gun is which so it will be a completely blind test based on actual felt recoil than preconceived notions about each gun.

[quack_a_tack]

The .243 would kick a lil less, but he said she has been shootin a 30-06 so I wouldn't worry bout the recoil difference much.

[huntersmky]

.243 or 7mm-08. My wife shoots a .270 WSM

[cwink]

I have both a 243 and 7mm-08. In fact I have the Ruger compact in 7mm-08. It is a great gun. Too many people get hung up on the difference between a 243 and a 7mm-08. They are the same casing. The 308, 7mm-08, 260 and 243 are all the same case just different calibers.

308= 30 Cal and range in bullet weights from 150 to 180
7mm-08 = 28 Cal and range in bullet weights from 120-140
260 = 26 Cal and range in bullet weights from about 100-120
243 = 24 Cal and range in bullet weight from about 55-100


243 is by far the most versatile and because you can shoot a lighter bullet weight it has a little less kick. I have shot just about every popular caliber out there and I always go back to my 243...

If your thinking your daughter might not be that into hunting down the road and don't want to spend a bunch of money on a gun right now. Go with a Handi Rifle in 243. If she sticks with it you can upgrade to a 7mm-08 later on. But in truth for deer hunting you will never need more than a 243.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

I bought my wife a 243wssm and she likes it. I also like it alot, will prob hunt with it more than my 270 this year.

[DUCKAHOLIC]

Ruger compact 7mm-08 get a triger job on it and shoot Barnes triple shok bullets.....

She is 11 now but been puttin the smack down on the since she was 7