Looking for some input and ideas for daughters first rifle.

[R.C.Saul]

Curious what your reasoning was for picking those calibers as choices. I could see limiting yourself to those if you were building an AR, but with a switch barrel 700 rig, the world is our playground. If you don't care to entertain that question, and just want us to stick to the choices you stated, I would go with the 6.5 Grendel. I've got all kinds of feedback to share if you would be willing to look at any other calibers.

Reasoning behind those calibers was really only for very low recoil options. Daughter is 3. Want to be sure she has the best experience possible without getting a scare from too much recoil. I'll add larger calibers and barrels as she grows.
I'd appreciate and be happy to look at any info you're willing to share.
Thanks

 

[MIROPHAN]

I am in the process of teaching my 13 year old daughter, 11 year old son, and a 9 year old daughter to shoot. For them to practice with I have 17 HMRs and 22 bolt guns. The oldest has taken now 3 deer and a hog with a 6.5 creed and has shot a 223 AR. All 3 are taking a small bore class at our local range. My recommendation and the recommendation of their instructors is to NOT have them shoot anything with muzzle blast/recoil until they are completely comfortable shooting the 22s/HRMs.

The muzzle blast as much as anything can cause them to flinch when they pull the trigger. My oldest is telling me that now. She has shot a lot as she has been on the prairie dog field 2 years in a row.

 

[Liberator]

If you reload, then 6x45 . Easy peasy. Hits hard for it's size and same recoil as 223/556. I also like 6TCU as mentioned. Thanks for getting the little one involved. Show her how to reload too.

 

[R.C.Saul]

If you are going to use the same bolt, I would do the old 6mm x 223 wildcat. Literally tons of deer have been killed with it by youngsters and women. If you do anything else other than the BO you will have to have another bolt, and most likely a different magazine for it to feed right. My girls started with a .243 with a brake on it. Another option that would be really good for the game listed would be a .257 Roberts with a brake. Have to change the bolt and magazine though, and can't load long.

Some great options! I forgot about the 6x223. The 257 Roberts will be a nice option when she gets bigger!

 

[R.C.Saul]

Are you planning to switch bolts also for the different sized cartridge heads? If not, the 223 bolt can be used with the various TCU designs: 6TCU, 6.5TCU, 25, 7mmTCU(my favorite for deer), etc. If you are going to change bolts, then the 6BR or Dasher, 7BR, or 243 and 7-08 all work well with lower recoil.

Decades ago, my son killed his first deer with a 222 loaded with Sierra 63g SMP's(224 legal in that state), but later, we put together a nice youth model 243 for him. It was very accurate, low recoil with reduced 80-85gr handloads, but as he grew, it had plenty of reach with full power 100BT's.

Once he became more interested in his high school friends than deer hunting with dad, I added a short recoil pad to that youth 243 to increase LOP, and I killed several deer with that rifle. While hunting from a thick woods' stand or just strolling around fence lines and small woodlots, I found myself enjoying that short rifle's handiness and light weight.

I've never seen the TCU cartridges, but very interested! I bet a 6, 6.5, or 7BR would be right along the lines I'm thinking.... Any idea how they compare to the Grendel?

 

[R.C.Saul]

I am in the process of teaching my 13 year old daughter, 11 year old son, and a 9 year old daughter to shoot. For them to practice with I have 17 HMRs and 22 bolt guns. The oldest has taken now 3 deer and a hog with a 6.5 creed and has shot a 223 AR. All 3 are taking a small bore class at our local range. My recommendation and the recommendation of their instructors is to NOT have them shoot anything with muzzle blast/recoil until they are completely comfortable shooting the 22s/HRMs.

The muzzle blast as much as anything can cause them to flinch when they pull the trigger. My oldest is telling me that now. She has shot a lot as she has been on the prairie dog field 2 years in a row.

Muzzle blast was my second concern, and we make sure everything she shots is suppressed.... even the 22cb's. We also make sure she always wears eye & ear protection. She already asks permission to touch any firearm, and won't touch one without me or her mom around (we tested it with our home security/video system with a empty rifle without bolt on the couch, and a revolver without the cylinder on the coffee table.) The guns all stay in the safe anyway.

 

[NDF]

Start her out on a youth model 22 when she's ready, if it's a switch bbl I'd go 243-308, to get my girl used to recoil we spent a lot of time at the trap club, her using lite 20ga loads, but for practice I used to tape some fishing line to golf balls or mty shotgun shell hulls and hang them low in a tree or bush, pop can works good to then turn her loose with a scoped pellet gun to get her used to the eye relief

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

As stated above the bolt thing is a pain especially with the 7.62x39, PPC type cases...

I started my kiddos on a TC contender in a 300 blackout..suppressed, good trigger, single shot...accurate. I put a M-4 style adjustable buttstock a really easy shooting adjustable set up...and with a 130 grain Barnes...deadly out to 150..our max range to start out...

As they grew, I bought my daughter a Savage lady hunter, in 6.5 creedmoor...she is 12..big for her age but shoots it well...we also have a short action 6.5 creedmoor on a manners CS..my wife and both kids like to shoot it too..especially off a Tirpod with a pigsaddle on it...

I'd suggest A encore/contender...or aAR in a Grendel...adjustable--easy and fun to shoot...

 

[Mram10us]

6.5 creedmoor is perfect for small framed girls....

 

[DNADave]

This is from Chuck Hawk's recoil table online:

Cartridge Rifle Weight Recoil Energy Recoil Velocity
.243 Win. (75 at 3400) 8.5 7.2 7.4
.243 Win. (95 at 3100) 7.3 11.0 9.9
.243 Win. (100 at 2960) 7.5 8.8 8.7
.257 Roberts (100 at 3000) 7.5 9.3 8.9
.257 Roberts (120 at 2800) 8.0 10.7 9.3
6.5mm Grendel (120 at 2600) 7.5 8.9 8.8
6.5mm Grendel (123 at 2590) 8.0 7.9 8.0
6.8mm Rem. SPC (115 at 2625) 7.5 8.0 8.3
6.8mm Rem. SPC (120 at 2460) 8.0 7.5 n/a

If you are loading down a .243 Win, you essentially get the same recoil as the Grendel or the SPC. Also, a .257 Rob without the +P is in the same category. I'd go for the .243 Win or the .257 Rob to start out with.

Also, since she's 3, get her a Davey Cricket .22 LR single shot bolt action. It's sized for her and definitely no recoil to deal with.

 

[R.C.Saul]

This is from Chuck Hawk's recoil table online:

Cartridge Rifle Weight Recoil Energy Recoil Velocity
.243 Win. (75 at 3400) 8.5 7.2 7.4
.243 Win. (95 at 3100) 7.3 11.0 9.9
.243 Win. (100 at 2960) 7.5 8.8 8.7
.257 Roberts (100 at 3000) 7.5 9.3 8.9
.257 Roberts (120 at 2800) 8.0 10.7 9.3
6.5mm Grendel (120 at 2600) 7.5 8.9 8.8
6.5mm Grendel (123 at 2590) 8.0 7.9 8.0
6.8mm Rem. SPC (115 at 2625) 7.5 8.0 8.3
6.8mm Rem. SPC (120 at 2460) 8.0 7.5 n/a

If you are loading down a .243 Win, you essentially get the same recoil as the Grendel or the SPC. Also, a .257 Rob without the +P is in the same category. I'd go for the .243 Win or the .257 Rob to start out with.

Also, since she's 3, get her a Davey Cricket .22 LR single shot bolt action. It's sized for her and definitely no recoil to deal with.

Appreciate the info! Already got the Cricket. She's doing great with it

 

[Orange Dust]

Another thing about the Cricket. We put a red dot on it. Really easy for them to understand. Then put the same red dot on the centerfire at first. Got deer close at a feeder and they started working them over. 25yds and a good rest. Both my girls killed their first deer when they were 5. We tried a contender carbine without a brake in 7-30 Waters loaded down with Sierra single shot pistol bullets. It kicked too hard for them. With a brake it would have been the bomb.

 

[Edd]

I would build her a nice lightweight 308 Winchester, not a switch barrel. According to JBM and Hodgdon, you can light load a 308 with a 150 gr bullet to have less than 3 lbs of recoil in a 6 pound rifle without a brake. With nothing but stock modification and different loads, she could use that rifle while she is growing and after she has grown up.

If you don't like a 308, you can get similar results from any of the similar sized cartridges. I wouldn't go any smaller than a 250 Savage or any larger than a 308 Winchester.

 

[Orange Dust]

I would build her a nice lightweight 308 Winchester, not a switch barrel. According to JBM and Hodgdon, you can light load a 308 with a 150 gr bullet to have less than 3 lbs of recoil in a 6 pound rifle. With nothing but stock modification and different loads, she could use that rifle while she is growing and after she has grown up.

If you don't like a 308, you can get similar results from any of the similar sized cartridges. I wouldn't go any smaller than a 250 Savage or any larger than a 308 Winchester.

When they turned 10 one started shooting a braked .308 and the other a braked 7-08. They were too little before that.They both got unbraked Magnums for their 16th BD. One a .270WSM and the other a 7WSM. The braked .243 with 55gr ballistic tips would drop them in their tracks every time close at the feeder. Only thing Dad had to do was make sure they were perfectly broadside for the shot. Dropping them in their tracks was a very important confidence builder, and that load kicked about like a 22LR.