Nothing at all wrong with a Remington Model 700 in .243. They're on sale at Academy right now for $286. I've got one and it's a tack driver. My son, who is 13, got a Model 7 in .243 for his 12th birthday, and he likes it a lot.

your gonna have to work hard to beat the remington 700 sps in 243 for deer and varmints. the caliber is near perfect for the listed purposes and the recoil should be pretty easy on teenager like you and myself.

Remington M-700. Good luck.

younggun...get a RUGER in 06 and get back to us

Just wanted to make sure you meant 25-06 and not 30-06.
It all depends on what's available at the shop. See, I'm looking for a used rifle, because I'm still saving up for one, and if a Ruger is one of those choices, I'll consider it quite heavily. Although I was thinking more of a used Remington ADL. I will see later what is availablewhen I have the sufficient funds for buying a rifle. If there is a Ruger there, It'll be pretty hard to choose.Yes, when I buymy rifle this upcomingJanuary, I will get back to you guys, and with some pictures!

I would stay away from the Ruger only because it requires upgrading the trigger. The .243 would make a great starter cartridge but before you make that decision try and see if you know anyone that has a .308. I think you'll be much happier with it since it would be cheaper to shoot and is very accurate.

Tom

statjunk....this Ruger trigger thing is highly overated....any trigger..pull and ...bang....bang...bang......but if folks wanna spend the money???...Why wouldnt Ruger rework triggers(modify) and jack up the price...certainly they would rathermake the money, than to see gunsmiths or tinkerers make the dough..something to think about

I own several Rugers...as do alot of folk..and havent had trigger work and are shootin just fine thank you

Ruger rifles don't "require trigger jobs"....that's a bunch of BS.

Look for Ruger or Remington, in that order. Both are great rifles, and ready to hunt with out of the box.

As for caliber, anything from 25 to 30 caliber will do you really well. Don't worry about it as much as bullet type. That said, if you can get a 308, 30-06, 7mm-08 or 270, go for it1

good luck

Too big now? How big is that ? I shoot a remington model 7 in 7mm - 08, and it is probably my favorite gun. I also have a browning a - bolt medallion in .270, I have a NEF .243 single shot, and I have a Ruger M77 stainless / synthetic in .308, and a remington model 7400 carbine in 30.06. So with all that to choose from , why do I choose the rem. model 7, in 7mm-08? Because it is a great calibur, in a small easy to handle and point gun, that moves around easily in a tree stand or box stand.

And I am a 42 year old full grown man. And I have not out grown it. I have only grown to appreciate what makes a gun great.

And the 7mm-08 is one of the best rounds going. Flat shooting to 300+ yards, and has very managible recoil.

So there is my opinion. Good luck and good hunting.

I think that he took the word compact to mean Youth model.

My choice for deer and varmints would be a 25-06.It will kill any deer that a 270 win will,and it is a better choice for varmints.If elk or moose are in your future,I would change that to a 7mm-08.