Soft shooting deer gun

[ShawnL]

I’m looking for some opinions on a calibre for my very small frame son for deer hunting. My son is 16 but is very small for his age as he was born with spina bifida and is a paraplegic. He has a chance to go hunting down in New York next year and I’m looking to get him a rifle for his hunt. I’m looking for input on something that’s easy in the shoulder. In my own reseach I’ve kinda of narrowed it down to a 6.5 creedmore or .243. But I have no experience with either caliber. Pros and cons of both would be appreciated or any other opinions would be great as well. Thanks in advance!!!

[rick_iles]

IMHO, both will do well, with the appropriate bullet. I shoot .243 a lot for coyotes. With a heavier bullet, it will be great deer medicine, with very little recoil.

[mosquito]

243 and 6.5x55 may suite your needs, the initial costs of both can help you get better optics or items you may need. In the 6.5x55 the accuracy is excellent and if you need to modify the stock cutting to fit etc a used $350 gun is easier to stomach. My wife has even gone shooting with me and likes the fact the recoil isn't strong. This year when we were shooting she even declared she might get her hunting license etc... there goes my quiet escape. The 6.5x55 has loads you can use for coyote and I know someone that uses it for bear, it is flexible in the loads. The 6.5 CM is just a modern slight upgrade to the 6.5x55 with a much bigger price tag usually
https://frontierfirearms.ca/husqvarna-m96-6-5x55-used/ Used
https://frontierfirearms.ca/m96-6-5-...imney-trigger/ Used but with a better trigger
https://frontierfirearms.ca/zastava-m70-6-5x55mm/ New
https://frontierfirearms.ca/savage-axis-xp-243-win-22/


If you can borrow something that might work too, in firearms like the 308 there are reduced recoil loads you can buy for example but the low recoil ammo can be scarce (it seems anywhere I shopped) and if your intention is to buy and use for several years the 243 or 6.5x55 are preferable to the 308 due to the recoil.

Good luck

P.S.
One shot, one moose.... it will kill!

[trimmer21]

I’m looking for some opinions on a calibre for my very small frame son for deer hunting. My son is 16 but is very small for his age as he was born with spina bifida and is a paraplegic. He has a chance to go hunting down in New York next year and I’m looking to get him a rifle for his hunt. I’m looking for input on something that’s easy in the shoulder. In my own reseach I’ve kinda of narrowed it down to a 6.5 creedmore or .243. But I have no experience with either caliber. Pros and cons of both would be appreciated or any other opinions would be great as well. Thanks in advance!!!

Ruger M77 ultralite in .243Win is my go-to for both varmint/predator with 55gr BT and Deer with 100gr. PSP. IMHO,it would be perfect for your boy.

[oaknut]

Depending on the maximum distance he will be shooting I might look into something like the 350 legend. I've been told it's noticeably lighter recoil than a 243 however it's pretty much maxed out at 200 yards.

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[jlmorgan]

7mm-08 is pretty gentle as well and has a little more knock down if he decided to step up to moose in a few years

[crtech22]

I’ve deer hunted with a browning x bolt .243 for years with 100 grains for deer. The recoil is very minimal and ammo is reasonable.

[punkrockerpj]

i have two high powered rifles. both 243 and 65x55. i much prefer the 243 for recoil but the 6.5 shoots flat for quite some distance is what im told. im not up on the ballistics but for deer both will do. 243 is easier to find ammo and a bit cheaper. but it depends how much he plans to be shooting, as a box of 6.5 will last me a long time.

recoil of 243 is pretty minimal.

[Kilo Charlie]

Either of your choices is great. With light loads, the .260 and 7mm-08 Remington are also great choices.
Two old-timers that are harder to get ammo for, but are stellar cartridges, are the .250 Savage and the .257 Roberts.
I'm a bit recoil sensitive, which is likely why I love the Roberts and the Savage so much.
Probably the easiest to find, and cheapest to buy ammo for, is the .243, and it also has just a smidgen less recoil. I'd go with one of those.

[Fox]

There are a lot that are really soft shooting, don't count out the 30-30 either, there are bolt guns kicking around that are soft shooting, cheap to buy and light.

Pistol cartridges also would work out well as a light shooter, 350 legend was mentioned, 357 Mag would work, 44 Mag, etc.