Its better to start a Youth out on a gun that they can handle and shoot accurately,just be sure to use the heaviest bullet allowed in the Rifle!I started out using a 30-06 at a very early age of around 12-13,thats what Dad had and it was all he was going to use so we learned to shoot it!I'm much older now and wanted a Rifle/Gun with less recoil so I opted to buy a Browning .243 Rifle,I shoot 100 grain Hornady Custom bullets and have never lost a Deer yet,this is after shooting about 3-4 Does and 2 nice 8-Point Bucks over the past few years I have owned it....good shot placement in any caliber Gun is going to make the difference in a good clean Ethical Kill!