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driftrider

For an 8 year old girl...hmm. I'd say MAYBE move her up to a .223, then eventually a .243Win as she grows a little. But everyone's recoil sensitivity is different. My wife, for instance, won't shoot more than 20 shots in a session with our 22-250 before she starts feeling the unconfortable effects of recoil, but I can shoot it all day without bother. My wife is probably a fair bit taller and heavier than your daughter, too(if I posted her weight here and she found out, she'd clean my clock with a frying pan, so I won't mention specifics! ). I wouldn't try to move her into anything to big too fast, because a sore shoulder isn't going to make her want to shoot anymore. Too much recoil would also likely lead to her developing a nasty flinch which might be very hard to cure and seriously compromise her shooting.

Is she even old enough at 8 to hunt yet? In Iowa the minimum age to hunt is 12 I believe, but Wyoming may be different. I would say that if she can't even hunt yet, there's no reason to have he shoot a more powerful rifle. I'd just stick with the .22LR, or maybe even get her a nice little scoped .17HMR. The HMR's have a more 'grown-up' feel than a small .22, and they are good on a calm day to 200 yards. Wickedly accurate too. Savage sells their bolt action .17HMR for between $220-250. I almost bought one today for myself. Gander Mtn has them on sale for $219 with 4 boxes of Hornady ammo free with the rifle.

Mike

bigbulls

Let her shoot and she'll tell you if she likes it or not. My son didn't want to shoot my .270 but after some coaxing and after one shot he was in love. All kids are differant.

The 35 Rem isn't a hard kicker so she may go for it.


OOPS, Got to edit. I didn't really coke him I coaxed him.

Vapodog

the .223 makes sense to me.

handloader1

I would not push her to hard you may turn her off to shooting. The .35 Rem. I think has too much recoil for a 8 year old. Moving her up to a small .22 cal. centerfire also makes sense to me. Good luck.

akbound

Hi RJ,

I don't know what your options.....or budget....might allow. But if budget is a big consideration...and no other options than the .35 Rem. exist....you might want to consider and NEF single shot. Chambered in something like a .243 it would allow its use on deer sized game, be flat shooting, light recoiling.....and it would be "her" rifle. Not Daddy's hand me down......(if that might matter).

Of course if you reload...that changes the equation entirely. The .35 Remington can be "loaded down" using 158 grain jacketed pistol bullets, and reduced velocity, making the .35 Remington very comfortable for a youngster to shoot. (Makes a good small game/varmint rig as well.) Then cut the .35 Remington to fit, (save the piece cut off for later reinstallation as she grows), and work her progressively "up to full power loads".

Just a couple of ideas. Hope it helps.

Dave

BigBore1895

I would let her shoot a few smaller calibers first. Another thing that can bother little kids at first is noise too. Let her shoot a .223, then move her on up as she feels comfortable. The last thing you would want to do is turn her off to shooting due to one bad experience with recoil.

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chuck403

I vote for a .22 centerfire next as well. Let her get used to the noise first. The noise of a centerfire combined with recoil might be too much to get used to all at once. I went from .22LR to .270 win. Big difference.

akbound

Hi again RJ,

The .22-250 should be the perfect stepping stone. I don't know anything about the rifle itself.....is it a full size, a heavy varminter, etc.......and is she average, small, or large for her age. If indeed is a full size insure her first encounters are shooting it from a supported position. As in a rest for the forend, (or bipod), to assist her with the size and weight of the rifle itself.

My wife isn't a small woman but because of her body style has difficulty with stocks that have average lengths of pull. She does much better with a "youth model" sized stock. And it's not the recoil so much that bothers her......as an ill fitting rifle.

Something to consider. Best of luck.....few things in life are as rewarding as passing on a passion to our children and grandchildren. Especially on those occasions when we see them "light up".......and realize we've found another person that enjoys it like we do.

Dave