Deer hunting rifle for 16 year old girl

Started my daughter deer hunting with a CVA youth model single shot in .243 at 11 years old. She’d been shooting my 5.56 AR15 for several years prior. Now at 14, she hunts with a 16” 450 Bushmaster AR.

I’m a firm believer in starting them out with light recoiling rifles, and upgrading as they progress. A .243 is light in recoil to most of us, but may not be so to a beginner.

I vote for .243. Get a rifle with an effective muzzle brake and get her good ear protection. I watched a friend's 8 year old son shoot this combo at the range a few weeks ago and he was enjoying it. He's not a big kid either and already has a hog kill with it.. The ear protection thing goes for what ever she shoots, even the lowly 22 rimfire.

lightman said:

The 6.5CM is a good cartridge but being new on the scene I wonder if it will stand the test of time and still be here down the road.

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I think that question has been answered.

lightman said:

They range from,223, 22-250, 220 Swift and 243.

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I believe a 22-250 with a 1:7 or 1:8 twist would be a fantastic low recoil deer rifle. Too bad you can’t walk into a store and buy one.

Muzzle brakes aren’t allowed on my land, or my 84 year Mother’s land because I get to make the rules for her property too. And she owns quite a bit. They aren’t allowed on my BIL and sister’s land either.

I would consider how she'll likely be shooting. What rifles has she shot before? Will she take a shot off-hand? Will she use a tripod/bipod/sticks? Will she only shoot prone? Sitting? Kneeling? From a treestand? Blind? I would think about both where her skills are now and where she'll want them to be to have the most opportunities. So maybe she shoots 100 yards now off a bench or bipod and a straight-stock, bolt-action with a magnified optic would be best, but maybe there's more and better opportunities for shots on deer with a lever gun off-hand or kneeling with its drop at the heel and buckhorn or aperture sights or a red dot. Will she carry the rifle or just from the truck to the blind/stand? What length of pull fits her?

I know in these kinds of threads, people want to talk about guns and cartridges:

From a bench-type position with a bipod or rest and magnified optic, there are a lot of options in bolt-actions. Tikka seems like a really good value, and CZ offers a more traditional Mauser-action that's also more handsome. There are finer bolt-actions, of course, but I don't have a lot of experience to recommend one. The Dakotas look good. As an alternative to any bolt action, a Ruger No.1 B would be an outstanding choice and unique. There are new No. 1B's available at this time in .243, 6.5CM, and .257 Weatherby. The Weatherby is the most attractive, but would not be ideal for a lot of practice.

For a gun that's carried a lot in the field, a lever-gun, No. 1 A, or a mini bolt-action can be more pleasant. You're familiar with the Winchester '94. It's heavy and the weight is balanced forward. They feel heavier than they are. A big man might not consider that it's a lot of gun for a child or a slight woman. The Marlin 1894 shooting .357 or .44 Magnum is a lighter gun and easier for a person of slight build to shoot off-hand. It's easy to carry, and very reasonable for lots of practice. If a shot on deer is within 100 yards, there may be little practical difference in the result compared to a 30-30 or 32 Winchester. The Marlin easily mounts optics which can make things easier, especially low-power or non-magnified optics for inexperienced shooters. The lever-guns have good drop at the heel that make them ideal for shooting off-hand, but they're more awkward to shoot from prone. CZ and Howa make mini bolt-actions with straight-stocks (no drop at the heel) that have receivers shorter than a short action. They chamber cartridges like .223, 7.62x39, and 6.5 Grendel. Grendel has the most potential of these, but the 7.62x39 is fine at the shorter ranges you described. Grendel is basically 7.62x39 necked down to 6.5 and with the shoulders blown-out. With the right bullet, it's good on deer out to 350 yards or more and the ballistics, especially beyond 150 yards, compare well to .243. The Ruger No. 1A's are even shorter for a given barrel length than a mini or lever-action. As far as I can tell, the drop at heel is less than a lever gun but a bit more than most bolt guns. They're selling new in 6.5 Creedmoor, 250 Savage and .30-30. There's also some heavier cartridges and big bore handgun chamberings but I think they're less appealing for a young shooter.

Chuck R. said:

Luckily you reload, so that adds some extra flexibility.

When I started my then 12 year old out I went with a REM MOD7 in .260 Rem (Might as well of been a 6.5C) and mounted a Leupold VX3 2-8X on it. My intent was to cry once, and instead of buying a youth rifle/caliber to be outgrown, I wanted something that would be a lifelong tool. That 1st year I loaded 100grn Nosler BTs at 2800 FPS because our longest shot out of our elevated box blind was just over 100 yds and the recoil was mild. The next year I upped the 100s to 3000+ and the 3rd year went to 120s.

All this is to say you can go with a larger caliber and "lite" load it until she grows into it.

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That mimics what I did with my wife. She was recoil sensitive. I used the 100 Amax though.

I have a Tikka T3 in .243 that has exceeded my hopes. It's taken about 6 deer in the hands of three grand-kids and myself, at ranges out to 200 yards, dropping deer in their tracks. One grand-kid is a girl who dropped a large doe where it stood, about 150 yards away.

I also killed a nice buck at about 200 yards with it. I don't often carry it during deer season, but had to lug a tent blind a mile, mostly uphill, so wanted a light rifle to take with me. I was setting up the blind, finishing by tying the anchor ropes to a tree when I stood up, looking over the blind and saw a nice 6-pointer standing sideways in the old road/snowmobile trail. about 170 yards away. I crouched-down behind the blind and reached for the Tikka, which was leaning against a tree, couple of yards behind me.

I took the rifle and went behind the blind crouched, then slowly rose to standing and mounted the rifle...with my left-hand pinkie resting on a spar at the top of the tent to steady the rifle. A careful squeeze-BANG and the buck was down. It kicked a couple of times and that was it! Not bad for a "kids" rifle!!

The load was 43.5 grains of IMR4350 behind an 80 grain Hornady GMX (all-copper) and CCI primer. A very accurate load that hits like a bigger cartridge. Can't remember the exact weight of the buck, but think it was about 145 lbs.

Nothing groundbreaking from me, but if you decide 243, replace it with a 6mm Creedmoor, Ammo is available and the loadings and barrels are made for heavier bullets vice 243 that have slower twists and many varmint bullet factory loads that are not ideal for deer

do your girl a favor though and set the gun up to fit her, mount the scope to fit her, and if she is small, get a youth model with a short length of pull, she will enjoy it more of it fits her (Ruger American compact for example)


6.5cm, 6cm, 7mm-08 are perfect

Boattale said:

I bought a .243 Henry youth single shot for my grandson. Everyone involved seems happy with it. I simply do not buy any of the comments about .243 being too light for deer. Penetration is all about SD and appropriate bullet construction. For deer hunting with a .243, you need look no further than 100 grain Remington PSP core lokt.

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CoreLokt is in my top three, the other two being Winchester PowerPoint and Hornady Interlock. I prefer and recommend these three, knowing what they are, with no preference between them.

z7 said:

Nothing groundbreaking from me, but if you decide 243, replace it with a 6mm Creedmoor,

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Not a bad idea.

sharps59 said:

Lever is not off the table and if went w lever it would be one of the cal’s I listed. There are only to levers I would consider the blr and the Henry long range. I’m not a fan anymore of gated or tube fed levers other than in 22.

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Both the Henry and the Browning I've seen in .243... was a time I wouldn't have minded the Browning.

My 16y daughter loves shooting my AR-10 in .308Win.

An AR-10 in any chambering would likely be a good choice. Low recoil. Highly adjustable. Optics choices aplenty. Ethical kills.

My 10 year old girl cousin just killed a 10 Point whitetail with a .243. That and .223 are the only centerfire cartridges she’s shot and I guess the recoil didn’t bother her much.

I say you can’t go wrong with a .243. It’s what I killed my first deer with, too.

I took my nieces out back to shoot handguns and .22LRs, but on the way out of the blueberry field, let them take a couple of shots at a steel Ram target I'd staked that was about 180 yards away. I'd spray-painted a 4" white dot in the lung-area and let them each take two shots at it from a standing position, over a sandbag on top of my pick-up cover. Using my .243 Tikka, one had placed two shots 1 1/2" apart and the other had done it in 2". Not bad for a couple of teenagers who'd never shot a centerfire before. The younger one went on to shoot a 130 lb doe at about 160 yards, out of my permanent blind. (Like most teen girls, she was kinda grossed-out when we cleaned it.)

450 bm? Recoil in an AR is mild. Plenty accurate out to 200 yards.

I'd recommend a .243 or 6cm, however for the rifle if a lady hunter or Camilla doesn't fit your tastes, drop a Tikka in an at-1 adjustable stock, throw a bipod on it, and then share pictures of the grins!

I reload for a 16 year old girl who is a tuff type, she uses he stepdads Rem Tactical 700 in 308.
Even with the weight of the heavy barrel she complained about the recoil so I came up with a
110 grain bullet reload which she has used to take 2 bucks so far which never got out of sight but this
is from an elevated platform in ideal conditions, not crouched in a tent or out in the weather.

Started my daughter off with a Savage 110 in .243. That was back in 2006 and she still has it today. That rifle with a Remington Core Lok bullet put many a WVA deer down in their tracks.

A guy whose rifle I just picked up to work on yesterday has a 16 year old daughter who shot two deer Saturday with a .243. She got the first, the second trotted up not a minute later, dropped that one in it's tracks. Both heart shot, the first ran 50 yards. 100 gr. Winchester Power Point factory ammo. Range: 175 yards. She does not get it from her dad......

I would teach her the basics with a .22 (you probably know that but..) and see how she does. My daughter, who is a slim build, has been shooting deer with a short barreled Winchester .308 bolt gun since she was 16 or 17. Used my 7mm Mag one year. No problem. That said - if she is a novice - work up to a 7mm08 or one of the 6.5 rounds. Let her watch you shoot it a few times before she does, so she doesn't get shocked all at once... Good Luck!

sharps59 said:

So far we will look at the savage the winchester xpr 243, 6.5 creedmoor possibly 7-08.
any other suggestion.
personally I and everyone else I hunt w levers. my to are a 94 in 32 spc and blr in 358.
we hunt in NY w our property a 250 yard shot could be possible but not probable
rife & cal. thoughts Please

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I have a Henry single shot in 44 magnum that shoots like a dream sub inch groups at 100 yards , shoots real soft using hunting loads (200grain @ 1800 FPS
This is a great gun @$365.00 available in 223 ,243,22-250,30-30,44,45-70,308

You list great calibers, I have a 6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser. The wife prefers it to shooting our Savage .270 (she's bagged several Whitetails with it) because of the vast reduction in recoil. So either a .243 or 6.5 Creedmore would be a good choice in my opinion.

I think .243 is the right choice. 6CM has a slightly superior design, but support for non-reloading hunters may be a bit weak. 6.5CM is 20% for recoil for the same terminal effect. The additional big game capability does no seem valuable here, so .243 it is.