First Hunting Rifle/Shotgun?

[725]

5 yr.s? BB gun for several years and then a .22 youth rifle. Don't start her off with a flinch! She will have years ahead to grow into anything suitable for deer, etc. She'll appreciate the gift of a new rifle when she is older, anyway. It will be more memorable. .22 CB's will be your friend. Hearing development for the very young is so much more prone to irreversible damage than us old guys. Once damaged, it doesn't recover. It's just my opinion, but I'd tread slowly.

[gwpercle]

She's only 5 ... when I was 5 an Offical Daisy Red RyderCarbine , Lever Action, 200 Shot , Range Model Air Rifle would have been the greatest thing on earth !

Perfect for you to teach her how to shoot and how to handle guns safely. Better yet , you can set up soda cans in the back yard for range lessons. Taking a child to a shooting range can be scary to them...the back yard is quite and safe. A buddy got his son a red ryder ...we had a great time in the back yard killing soda cans !

My Dad and uncle let me shoot a 12 gauge when I was 5 , no ear protection and that wasn't exactly a great learning experience ...don't do things like that to your child .
Gary

[koger]

I don't know who said the .243 was marginal, but they are full of it! My wife has killed 32 deer with her single shot, from 40-300 yds, none went but a few steps, and all were killed with one shot. I have hunted several years with them, and have cleanly taken deer at 400yds. A 100gr softpoint, has roughly 1700ft lbs of energy left at 200 yds, where a 30/30 can only muster 1000 at 100 yds. A 80 federal soft point works dang well on deer also. I second the notion of waiting till 10 years of age before hunting, start her out with a shotgun on small game, a .410, then swap up as she grows up. Both of my kids started hunting when they were 10, and both still love it.

[Texas by God]

We still have the Rossi .22/.410 Matched Pair I bought for the kids when they were introduced. I shortened and ported the .410 barrel and added a close cell foam recoil pad to the stock. It is still a critter getter. The .22 barrel shoots cloverleaf groups as well and with Colibri ammo it’s a great first gun to learn with. Nary a bobble from either barrel ever and we learned quickly to dodge the ejecting hull! Start at 5 with the Daisy. Then the .22, then the .410 a few years later at stationary targets. Light 20 gauge loads in a gas auto will make the wingshooting lessons quicker when old enough. All three of my kids started and have stayed with the .243 Win and it works.

[EDG]

The .410 with rifled slugs is a worthless joke. I killed an armadillo with one and the slug did not exit.
After the buzzards cleaned out the armadillo shell I found the slug. It had been flattened out to the size and thickness of a quarter.

The .44 Mag in a single shot with full power loads has too much recoil for anyone under the age of 13 or 14.
If you want your kid to shoot deer wait until they understand what they are doing and make sure they can handle a .30-30 or something equivalent. The .243 works ok on deer with good shot placement as long as the range is not too long.

[40-82 hiker]

I just want to chime in with others to the OP: a .243 Winchester is a great cartridge for hunting whitetail in Virginia. Keep the bullet near 100 grains at least IMO for the deer. I cut the stock down on a used Rem 700 for our son when he was 12 and loaded up light bullets with starting loads for him initially for target shooting. He loved it! Heck, I enjoyed shooting it myself, short stock and all! Anyway, that rifle was a one-shot killer on deer for sure. In Virginia at that.

At 5? A BB gun toppling cans, popping balloons, etc, is the way to go. Keep it fun! I don't think our kids had any fun punching holes in paper until they were a little older. A lot lighter too...

[TheGrimReaper]

My nephew killed his first deer at 5.

[wapiti22]

% is too young to either hunt deer or handle a 243. Wait a few years 9 5-7 maybe) before that happens. My nephew was "pushed" into hunting at a very young age. One trip to the woods and he has never gone back (he's an adult now)!!!

[Drm50]

Many disrespect 410s with slugs for deer. They aren't the best choice but at 25-30yds they have killed a lot of deer in my area. My wife killed 7 deer the first 7yrs she hunted. She was sitting in same stand and deer were within same few feet where she shot them. The first 5 were with a Savage 410, the other 2 with a 20g 1100. Personally I have never shot a deer with 410 but I know many that have. Many deer are put in the freezer with 22s, at 20-30yds a 410 is about the same as a 38sp. I did shoot a coyote with 410 slug and it dropped in its tracks.

[OldBearHair]

New Mexico Boys Ranch 1972 til 2000. Taught many young men Hunter Safety during those years. The powers that be wanted the children to be at least 12 years old to enroll. We turned down a few boys that didn't show to be responsible, then worked with them to be better prepared for the next class. We lived with them and could do that. A lot of the ones who failed the classes were older boys. Most of the younger ones seemed to be more determined to learn and came prepared to class. Some of our boys did not have a father like the OP to teach them ..... Ethics, morals, muzzle control, etc.

[Hickory]

I don't think a 5 year olds brain is mature enough for what you want/expect of her.

[sigep1764]

Daisy 880 Powerline BB gun for a few years. Then I received a Winchester Model 70 270Winchester for Christmas when I was 18. Inherited my Grandfathers guns that Christmas as well. Included were two Remington 1100 shotguns and a Savage bolt action 410. First rifle and first shotgun(s).

[okietwolf]

My first was a Marlin 39a I bought myself....first I shot while hunting was an old H&R 22 LR and a New England 28 gauge that grampa had cut the stock off for his kids, then me as the first grandchild. I bought a Rossi 22/20 gauge matched youth set for my kids, and soon grandson to use and pass thru the family.

[okietwolf]

We in Ohio just got the 410 slugs reapproved a few years back....since they are ballistically similar to a rifle, more so than a 20 gauge or larger

[dk17hmr]

This year I shot a 6/250AI for deer and antelope. It's on par with a 6 creedmoor/243 Winchester pushing a 90gr at 3384fps. It worked very well on the buck antelope very much a bang flop. The 260+ pound deer was a different story I hit him 4 times in the chest and he just stood there taking it like a champ.

That said my boys will be competent rifleman before they start big game hunting. They won't be using a 6mm anything until they can precisely place a bullet and run a bolt.

They will probably start hunting with something along the lines of a 260 or 7-08

[remy3424]

I think the OP is getting the rise out of the crowd he was looking for. No one with kids or guns isn't getting a 5 year old a 243 nor a 44 mag to shoot at any point in the near future, but the time will be here soon, it seems like you turn-around and they are off to college! It is the weight of the weapon that is the struggle for young children in my option. I would agree that a youth sized 6mm would be the minimum for deer..if that is allowed in your state, when the time comes. For a shotgun, I had a Mossy Super Bantom in 20 for my son, it came with a slug barrel too....Iowa deer hunting and pheasants, it was fine. We don't squirrel hunt, I am just not hungrey enough to eat them. Have a youth sized single shot 22 for range/target time, savage or Mossberg, don't recall which, but it is small and light. Keep the tradition going.

[jonp]

.410's arent for killing deer, even with slugs. get that out of your head. .243's or any of the 6's kill just fine. choose a good bullet, and remember shot placement is the important factor.

Disagree. We used a Bolt 410 on a number of deer. Just remember to keep the shots within a reasonable distance.
I'm not a fan of 243 for deer but with the proper bullet it will work fine.

Start your daughter on a 22lr and work up to prevent flinching.

I started shooting a 410 when I was 5 or 6 and was fine with it but every kid is different. I was hunting with a Rem 1100 when I was 10.