Your Opinion... Gun for 12 yr Old Girl...

[carpsniperg2]

you can get a new england firearms rifle for really cheap and they are a pretty good gun we have one i shot my first deer with it so did my brother and my wife. it is 243 and that sounds like a good choice for you. i really like the 7mm-08 as well and it is a great gun low recoil and can take any animal in north america with it as well

[jdb]

I started my boys with a nef .243 it also has a .22 hornet barrel they shoot all summer with the hornet barrel just for familiarity then about september i switch to the .243. that gun has killed so many deer a friend named it big medicine

[Curly]

I like the advice Buckmark gave you:

Having been through this before one opinion i have is i dont care for the 20 inch barrels on youth guns, i prefer 22 inch, alittle less muzzle blast and muzzle jump, also a bit more burn time for the powder  .
If i had to do the youth rifle thing again from scratch i would buy a 7mm-08 regular length stock rifle that replacment stocks can be easily be obtained.
Cut the stock down to the youth length of pull i want and install a nice pad from like limb saver etc.
Then i would have a youth gun that would grow into a full size gun when needed..

If you reload your options really open up IMO.  If you don't reload, I think .308 Win and buy the factory reduced recoil ammo or 243.  If you reload, get a .260 or 7mm-08.  Then you can download them for when they are small.....and crank up the velocity as they get older.

Here is one link to reduced loads:  http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Youth%20Loads.pdf

Another tip:  try using barnes Triple shock or similar bullet.  That way you can drop down in bullet weight and still have enough bullet to get the job done.

[WildfireArcher]

a ruger .243win was my first gun when i was 8. Was my sisters first gun as a young hunter as well. she still shoots it. Great gun. Low recoil, wont make the shooter gun shy to recoil. i agree, i have a NEF 7mm-08 and its a very manageable gun. Any NEF single shot could be a great starter gun as well.    
-Wildfire

[wrangler]

id take a long hard look at a .257 roberts.

[LongTatLaw]

I bought a Rossi 243 youth on here last week for 200$ off the classifieds and man its tiny

its probably the same model as the link Jackelope posted...

we havent shot it yet but its now my wife's deer gun!  Im thinking I could get my 2 year old shooting it in a year or so...he already shoot a 22 with dads help!

I got a brand new savage 111 in 270 from the classifieds like 2 months ago...Im not sure what model it is but its very short for a non-youth and the factory recoil pad is BETTER than any after market Ive ever seen

my wife is recoil shy and it doesnt bother her at all...  she would not shoot a normal 308!

[ICEMAN]

Think stock pull length. Kids need a shorter gun stock. Kids also need a lighter gun.

Last year I bought two youth model .243 rifles for my kids ages 11 and 13 years. The guns are tack drivers and my son dropped his first deer with his this fall.  Savage model 10 and model 11.

I would suggest a youth model in .243. The guns I bought have a removable piece of the stock so they may be lengthend as the child grows. You may also convert the entire stock later to a full size if they wish to keep the rifle.

I also appreciate the tang safety, as the kids (and myself) can easily observe that position of the safety from most any angle, and the tang safety matches the location on their shotguns...

[PA BEN]

I've got 5 daughters. Started them hunting when they were 8 and 9. Over in Chewelah where we lived kids can shoot does. 30-30 kicked to much to have fun and my 308 semi-auto kicked to much also, they just didn't want to shoot it. So I bought a 243 youth ranger mod. 70 win. They killed a lot of deer with that gun. I then bought a 7mm-08 for them same youth mod. win.
Here's a post with some pictures I posted.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,37548.15.html

[PA BEN]

9 yr. old 243, 130 yd shot.

The next year age 10, 243, 150 yd shot

7mm-08, this daughter was 13, 50 yd shot from a ground blind

Oldest daughter at age 17, 243 head shot 50 yd from a ground blind

This daughter at age 15 took this buck at a fast walk after a doe. 225 yds, 243

[MtnMuley]

Nice pica PA!  Which ever caliber you choose (243, 308, 7mm08), I would recommend it fitting the girls as being the most important part.  A gun that is comfortable to them, without much recoil, should quickly gain their confidence.  A quality scope is just as important!  

[Hornseeker]

Great stuff guys...thanks alot.

I am a reloader and very particular about bullets. I shoot Barnes TSX's and I think the 243 with the barnes bullets will be a killer for sure and have little to no recoil....

I am going to cabelas to pick up a meat grinder (check out MT Meat Procurement in the elk section) and I'll look at a bunch of guns!!!

Thanks again,

Ernie

[Hornseeker]

Just looked at a few of them! That Browning is by far the nicest youth model...but the Weatherby Vanguard Youth is also a dandy...and is about $200 cheaper....

The cabelas guys just told me the REm Mod 7 is custom shop now???

[Buckmark]

Just looked at a few of them! That Browning is by far the nicest youth model...but the Weatherby Vanguard Youth is also a dandy...and is about $200 cheaper....

The cabelas guys just told me the REm Mod 7 is custom shop now???

Yeah that Browing sure looks good doesn't it. , But being a dad who bought his kids Brownings you will tear up when you hear (whack) and the stock gets a ding.. My oldest took great care with his, my middle boy could ruin a titanium stock and my youngest liked archery better.
Whatever decision you make work, you already have made the best decision by including them in the passion for the great outdoors.

[NWHydroprint]

This was my daughters first year 09 buck she used my 243WSSM. She was scared the first time she shot it but loves the gun now and is great for deer .

[HUNT]

Just looked at a few of them! That Browning is by far the nicest youth model...but the Weatherby Vanguard Youth is also a dandy...and is about $200 cheaper....

The cabelas guys just told me the REm Mod 7 is custom shop now???

Check out gunbroker.com

They always have some of the Remington Model 7's in 243

If your not in a hurry, you'll get what you want.