A book I have about muzzleloading (traditional rifles) and everything you wanted to know, mentions the author's favorite deer load. 50 grains of Goex 2f and a .50 caliber 177 grain patched roundball out of his flintlock. His idea being,he liked to get all the energy of the projectile to expel inside the animal. Now I personally do not agree with his view. I like a hole all the way through the animal. But I have heard others with his opinion and they sure kill a lot of deer.

I think with 50 grains of Triple Se7en 2f and a 200 grain projectile, it might be a good short range deer load. I honestly never shot that light of a load at a deer first off unless you count a 177 grain roundball. I shot a couple deer with just 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a roundball and they did not run far. I actually got pass through with that load.

I think if I were going to go that light and at those close ranges, I would expect that I would not get a pass through using a modern projectile, although they might go through the animal just fine. For that reason I would want a bullet that would expand and do lots of damage. So I would go with something like a 240 grain XTP, 245 grain powerbelt, or a 250 grain Speer Gold Dot. Be ready to do a little tracking, as they might not drop on the spot.

Another option is a maxiball. With 50 grains and the weight of the maxiball, recoil should be light, and penetration and wound channel should be massive. A maxiball how ever is 370 grains.

It sounds like you might have some recoil concerns. That's fine. Young people need to be considered when picking your powder charge. Although we had an 8 year old shooting 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a roundball with no problem. This little guy was so small he had to rest the rifle on a railing because he could not hold the rifle up long enough to get on target. Yet he touched it off, hit what he aimed at, and laughed all afternoon.

Start them out with 50 grains, and let them be the judge of recoil. If they think they can shoot a little stronger, then increase 5 grains at a time. It might surprise you how powerful they are willing to go. Although, if the rifle is scoped, keep an eye on them. I am sure you will stress proper stance, hold, etc which is the first step in reducing recoil as we all know.

Good luck.