I just went thru the same thing that you are. My kids are 11 and 13. My first thoughts were to go with the .243. But a few years agoI bought my oldest son a youth shotgun. Now he has outgrown it and I wish I would of gotten a full size one. For whats it worth, heres what I did. I bought them a .270 and they shoot Remingtons Managed Recoil loads in them. The recoil loads kick less than the .243. this way as they get older and want or need to shoot a bigger shell. They can without buying a different gun. Hope this helps and good luck on your decision.