I agree with those who have suggested the 243 or 30.30. My daughter loves the 243 and my 11 year old son loves the 30.30. I am not sure why someone would suggest the 25.06 however. Ammo is not commonly found, ammo is expensive and the thing kicks like a mule... worse than the 30.06 in some choice of rounds. Don't believe the hype about the 243 and 30.30 not being enough gun. That simply is not true. I have gone down to a .357 model 94 carbine, because all the deer where I hunt are at one hundred yards or less and the 30.30 was causing too much meat loss. I know a guy who had hunted years with a model 94 in .44 magnum but he has switched to the .357 for the same reason... too much damage and loss of meat.