How good is .350 Legend for a kid for Deer Hunting and plinking; recoil, any better options?

[Skylerbone]

Is there any other caliber that would be better for a kid hunter/shooter that shoots farther, has low recoil, and cheap ammo?

Really just starting to look. Both my kids are under 3 years old.

OP asked about 350 Legend. So why not focus on it?

Most States with a Hunter Safety requirement won’t allow kids under 12 to take the course which is a prerequisite for a deer tag. 12-3=9 years of shooting before that happens. .38 Special can be loaded for .15/round while .350 Legend factory ammo is .65/round. $150/1000 vs $650/1000 means practice with the .38 adds up to a free rifle after that first 1,000 and if the kids shoot 1,000 rounds a year (9 years x $500 a year savings) that’s $4,500 saved. That should be enough for two new hunting rifles when that venture kicks off.

Lead bullets and Clays make for a great combo with rimfire-like recoil. Stepping up to .357 Magnum won’t give the OP as much effective distance as .350 Legend but it will satisfy the other two criteria in spades. Still a reasonable deer round at reasonable yardage and again, the cost savings makes it a “free” rifle.

 

[MEHavey]

...a rifle that builds confidence and skills in a youngster then a lever .357....

Having just about every weapon/cartridge discussed here, Skylerbone's suggestion is by far the best for what the OP wants -- something that can grow from pipsqueak trainer, to full-up whitetail bagger.

And you'd be amazed at how much the "friendly-looking" factor plays to your advantage when first introducing firearms to children.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546295

 

[troy fairweather]

Never even heard of this round.

Are both of these easily found in stores?

The 6mm Arc is a new round not quite released yet. The 6mm grendel is a wildcat and has a few other Wildcats based off the same case.

 

[Varminterror]

The 6mm Arc is a new round not quite released yet. The 6mm grendel is a wildcat and has a few other Wildcats based off the same case.

I’m not even sure a “6 Grendel” actually exists. The 6mm variants based on the 6.5 Grendel case all have unique names to avoid the name game with Alexander, so the straight neck downs - true 6 Grendels - are called 6mm AR (Robert Whitley) and 243LBC (Les Bauer Custom - open format, but still named after them). The rest are various versions of what could be called “6 Grendel Improved,” but they’re called Grinch, FatRat, Rat, Turbo40, etc.

So we all SAY we have a 6 Grendel, but I don’t know of anyone with dies or barrels which are so labeled. Certainly not as commonly as the other versions. For example, I load 243 LBC on a Redding Type S bushing die for 6.5 Grendel with a .269” bushing, and seat on a 6mm PPC die (Hornady runs a standard seater for each respective cal, not cart, but this one is a unique shorter body) - I ordered a group buy set of CH4D custom 243 LBC dies, and waited over a year, and I know Hornady has them as a custom order item, but my “wrong label” set works fantastically.

This new 6mm ARC - Advanced Rifle Cartridge - is also a 6mm variant on the Grendel case. But kind of like the 6 SLR to the 243win. Pushed back for good reason - but THIS version will see factory rifles, standardized dies, and factory ammo. The others are all reloader only wildcats, most with proprietarily sourced rifle components.

 

[Varminterror]

If I haven’t said it in this thread, then I will now, and if I have, then I feel it bears repeating: I do consider a 6 or 6.5 Grendel to be an absolutely ideal Midwestern hunter/shooter’s cartridge. I’m holding out hope for more and more lightweight, mini-length actions in the future. I put 6-6.8’s and the 6.8SPC in the same group, but the market support for them has fallen.

I’m hoping these mini actions open the door for more standard/.473” and magnum bolt fact options in short lengths too. Stuff like WSSM’s, Fireball’s, BR/PPC’s, etc.