I have a ten yr old that I think is now mature enough too start shooting more then his bb gun He goes with me hunting alot and it is only two years away until he is of age too get his hunting liscense. What should I start him on? He has shot a bb gun alot so now should I upgrade too a .17 or .22? And at what point do u determine what caliber he should use for deer hunting in a couple yrs. when he hits 12.

22LR

What rifles do you have that he could use in the mean time?
A lot will be determined according to what he is "up for" in the coming two years.
Generically, if going new then I'd lean towards a 243.
Otherwise, a lot of folks rave about 7mm-08's for kids and other recoil intolerant individuals.

I know when i was his age i was introduced to the .22. I was a smaller kid at that age as well and i enjoyed shooting it. It hardly kicks the shot isnt very loud but i would suggest you taking a few shots first to show him what its like and so he can get used to the noise. After that he should be pretty comfortable around guns so i would upgrade him to a smaller calibre for deer such as the 22-250, .223, or even the .243 i think would be good enough for him but then again you have to take into consideration of his size, smaller boy smaller gun, bigger boy im sure he would beable to handle a bigger gun.

goyard - I would also go with the 22LR in a manual action (lever, bolt, pump or single shot) and not a semi auto. The ammo is cheap and most rifles are accurate.
As for what 'deer' rifle to buy. That depends on your son's size. If he is on the small side you may want to consider a youth model for any of several manufacturers like remington, savage etc. And as for cartridge nothing less than a .243.
Again - you have many choices depending on his ability to comfortably handle recoil. Some good beginning choices would be .243, .260 rem, 6.8 Rem, 7mm-08, and the like. These won't pound that young shoulder too hard.
Congrats for having a son interested in the outdoors and shooting.

I will jump out on a limb here and say a 410,they are easy to hit cans/clay birdsand builds confidence in shooting,then work out with a .22 lr.
By the time their at the age 11-12 step them up to a rifle,like a .223,22-250,30-30 anything with moderate recoil.
Good luck
BBJ

Well I have a 22 mag, 22lr and a 17 in the safe that would work for now. I own a ruger 243, I have a whole assortment of guns but Ive never had too think in terms of youth before. The 243 doesnt kick hard but I think the gun will be too long for him, even in two years. he isnt small but a youth model would probally be better. I am leaning towards shooting the 22lr alot this summer and then upgrading too something a little bigger next summer and then going from there.

I do have410 as well.

Well I would definately start him off on a 22lr in a bolt action or lever action. Something that he cannot get into the bad habit of just squeezing the trigger over and over again until he hits his target. Get him used to taking his time to aim, breath and squeeze the trigger. One other reason to use the 22lr over the .17 is because they are cheap to shoot and he can get lots of practice in. Then when it is time to start hunting big game, how could you go wrong with a lever action 30-30? Easy to handle, light recoil and short enough for shorter arms. If you need to go with a lenger range bullet then a .243 would be the next best option. Low recoil and a wide range of rifle styles to fit him. My son is 13 and took his first deer this year with my .270, which he likes to shoot. So that may be another option. The nice thing about a .270 is that it has the capability to take larger game as well as deer, coyotes, etc. Have fun and good luck on making some good memories with your son.

I start my girls out with a 22LR, but they started at ages 4 and 5. When my oldest hunting/shooting daughter turns 10, we will probably get her a 20 ga for deer and rabbits.

For a 10 year old, I still think the 22 is best. Really for anyone the 22 is best. You can shoot hundreds of 22 LR and really solidly learn shooting before you introduce recoil. After that, I stepped up to a 30'06, but like most, it was because that was what we had. I also dabbled in shotgunning with a light single shot 12 ga. . .ouch. . .but my dad shot it well so I figured I would soon be able to shoot it well. I never gave up and finally grew into it! Probably a 243 or 308 would have been a much easier step to make. I killed a lot of deer with that 30'06 though and it didn't have a kid stock either. If you child is smaller though, you will need a shorter LOP. Don't get to light of a rifle. A good 9lb gun or so really helps a new shooter with recoil and shaking with a good field rest. Offhand is sacrificed some, but new shooter shouldn't be shooting offhand.

I have to disagree.

A .410 is a for an expert wingshooter not for a novice. Its ok for plinking pop cans and squirrel hunting for a novice, but not wingshooting. A 20 guage is far far better as a starter shotgun- low in recoil, adequate shot charge, and can even be used for deer hunting.