Bullkllr, although the 308 Win is a fine cartridge and gennerally a mild recoiling one, in the wrong rifle it can scare the wits out of a young shooter. The 243 Win is a good choice for a deer cartridge with little recoil. I have killed many deer with one and never had one go farther than 40 yards. However, there are some better choices out there if you are uncomfortable with the 243 and feel it smallish. Moving up to 25 caliber you have the 257 Roberts which is an excellent deer round with very mild recoil. The 25-06 Rem is also excellent. Either the 6.5X55mm Swede or the 260 Rem would also be good for a young shooter. I would give the edge to the 260 Rem just because I think there will be several more rifles chambered in it soon. Now my personal favorite is the 7mm-08 Rem. Fine ballistics and mild recoil. Probably as close as you can ge to the "perfect" deer cartridge. Keep in mind it has a bit more recoil than the 260 Rem, but should still be very manageable.