Looking for a deer rifle for my son

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.223 deer rifle

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I wouldn't go below a 22-250 and even those you have to trust the kid will make a good shot.

Why not go with a 243 or 7mm-08? They have very little recoil and will kill a deer dead.

I'm not a deer hunter (I fish) but isn't that too small for deer?

I have an AR 15 and it is a varmint rifle.

308

Dunno about .223 for use by a kid. Depends upon:
1. the average size of deer you expect,
2. the distance you expect the shots to be, and
3. how accurate the kiddo is

I've always used .223 on deer, but my shots are short to medium range. I do head shots at 40 yards and under. Over 40 yds, shoulder shot (not behind the shoulder, but actually through the shoulder). Never shooting more than 175 yds (and only on a smaller deer at that range)

You're the Dad and you know your son and the situation better than anyone. The .223 will cut the mustard depending upon the circumstances.

Though I like and use .223, a .243 will offer a greater margin for error.

Get him a Rem 700 in .270 and he will use it for life.

1) I'm not a fan of Mossberg, but I'm a brand whore so take it with a grain of salt

2) .223 would be a bit small IMO

I bought my son a Remington model 700 youth gun in .243 when he was 9. eBay is full of Remington sa stocks for when he outgrows it. If you are hunting timber you will never get a shot over 100 yards anyway. 243 is an excellent whitetail cartridge at moderate ranges (300 yards). When you are young you think you need all these magnum rifles to kill deer but you really don't.

I got my sona 7m o8 when he was 9. He has killed a crap load of deer with. No recoil. He still uses it today, is 16 now. i got him the Ruger M77. It is a small gun but not really a youth model. I always thought he would want another one but he loves this one. My brother bought him just like it. he hunts with climbing stands a lot and like the compact size