RJ,

Congratulations, a girl, 8 years old, and game to play --- good for her and good job to you! That said, she is at a tender point and with kids especially it only takes one miscue to derail them. While she is still at this very early stage, I too would recommend something in the .223 to .243 range if possible or a 410 or 20 gauge if she wants to shoot things that fly. She might out grow it in a flash, but it is an important stepping stone.

I like and lean towards the big stuff, but there is a time and place for everything.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

Why ELKampMaster.......I'm shocked![]

(Good natured joking of course..............)

Dave

You should shorten the stock and then take the recoil pad off, drill a hole in the stock and buy a mercury tube, put it inside the stock, it reduces recoil by a lot.

Another thing to keep in mind.....when that 22-250 hits a target, it's just another hole. When it hits a milk jug full of water, it is an explosion! All of the young and first time shooters I have taught to shoot get a kick out of blowing up jugs, especially the girls. When you finish milk, fill it with water and put it in the garage. Water bottles like you buy in the store are good too. Have fun with your girl!

Visible shot effects are cool. Being able to see the result of a good shot is a lot more fun than waithing to walk down to check a target, for kids and adults alike.

Soda cans also make great explosive targets when filled with water and nailed with a 22-250. Another great thing about then is they are small and accurately reflect the kill zone of most varmints, so they are great practice for precision shooting too. Set a few pop cans at 200 yards and see who is the first to blow all theirs up. Great fun!

Mike

I think a .35 would be a little too much for an eight year old. break her in slowly with a .22 centerfire and make it fun like a few others mentioned water jugs are great, an unopened pop can is explosive even with a .22LR. When I took my girls out to the range we would stop in the garden first and pick some , tomatoes,cucumbers, and what ever was avalible at the time. They had a blast vaporizing that kind of stuff. Keep up the good work. The world need more women who are not afraid of guns. The way is to educate them that a gun is a tool and can be fun.My one daughter is a hunter, the other doesn't hunt but enjoys plinking and target shooting.

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