Deer rifle in AR platform

What 6mm bullet are you using? I can't think of one deer that's gone more than about 10 feet after a good boiler room shot with my 243 and federal 100 grain power shock or 95 grain fusion. The kick and report of a 22" 243 is what i would call mild.

Federal Trophy Copper. Winchester PP. Federal SP. Etc.
 
OP, do you already have a potential rifle? A 16" AR is not exactly mild, maybe go 20". As basically previously said a 223/556 bonded soft point at 100 yards is gonna kill any doe.
I dont have a potential rifle yet. Hence my question about this.
I have some other rifles in the safe that would probably work but would need some stock changes or something.
I have a Rem 700 243 and also a 6.5 CM but at this point both are not short enough LOP for her.
The 6.5 CM does need a stock swap as it is a Savage Axis. But cant find a Stock or Chassis setup that has an adjustable butt stock section.
The 243 would also work. But also still looking for a stock or chassis setup that has an adjustable butt stock section. If anyone knows of one let me know.


The biggest reason I wanted to get her something of her own...is so she has something of her own and its not a "Borrowed" gun from my bunch or my wifes.
I know when I was a kid that was a big deal to me that the rifle I used was MINE and not dads.
 
Hey Champ, why not just cut the stock on the axis? As she grows you can first add on a slip over recoil pad, then just buy another stock to get back to full dimension. In so doing you might need to use jb weld to create "blocks" to secure the recoil pad screws into.
Also, if you are not set on an AR platform, both Ruger and Savage offer youth guns.
 
The biggest reason I wanted to get her something of her own...is so she has something of her own and its not a "Borrowed" gun from my bunch or my wifes.
I know when I was a kid that was a big deal to me that the rifle I used was MINE and not dads.

I 100% understand that. My dad got me a kimber 243 when i was about 13 or 14, and i still use it today. I think he thought i would eventually grow out of it, so much for that. Its my favorite gun and really about the only rifle i need.

Plus, buying a new gun only needs the smallest reason (or none at all) and you sure got one šŸ˜
 
Hey Champ, why not just cut the stock on the axis? As she grows you can first add on a slip over recoil pad, then just buy another stock to get back to full dimension. In so doing you might need to use jb weld to create "blocks" to secure the recoil pad screws into.
Also, if you are not set on an AR platform, both Ruger and Savage offer youth guns.
100% understand that. My wife shoots a 7mm-08 that is a Savage Axis youth model as she is quite short..But at the same time like I said above its "Her" rifle.

I would much rather my daughter also have her own.
 
I dont have a potential rifle yet. Hence my question about this.
I have some other rifles in the safe that would probably work but would need some stock changes or something.
I have a Rem 700 243 and also a 6.5 CM but at this point both are not short enough LOP for her.
The 6.5 CM does need a stock swap as it is a Savage Axis. But cant find a Stock or Chassis setup that has an adjustable butt stock section.
The 243 would also work. But also still looking for a stock or chassis setup that has an adjustable butt stock section. If anyone knows of one let me know.


The biggest reason I wanted to get her something of her own...is so she has something of her own and its not a "Borrowed" gun from my bunch or my wifes.
I know when I was a kid that was a big deal to me that the rifle I used was MINE and not dads.

They are kinda hard to find, but Ruger makes the American Ranch in a youth model 350 legend. I bought one for my dad to shoot out of ground blinds. It is VERY accurate and very nice and compact.

 
They are kinda hard to find, but Ruger makes the American Ranch in a youth model 350 legend. I bought one for my dad to shoot out of ground blinds. It is VERY accurate and very nice and compact.


There's a regular model at my local fleet farm for $550, I read that the adult model stocks are the same, you just have to cut it down and the youth model screw holes are already there. Any idea if that's true?
 
I have a regular sized American Predator. The Ranch Compact that I bought my dad sure feels a LOT smaller. I've never measured them.

I just checked Ruger's website. These are the two listed LOPs.

  • 12.50" Length of Pull (compact)
  • Length of Pull 13.75" (standard)
 
Years ago a friend of mine asked for advice about what gun of his would be best for his daughter to begin deer hunting with. Buying a new rifle was out of the question. His daughter at the time was a scrawny little 9-year-old. He had a .270, .30-06 and an AR15 .223/5.56. He was really asking about loads for the .270 when I asked him why not the AR? He didn't trust the .223 to cleanly kill deer. I started showing him pictures of deer and hogs that I killed with an AR. We took her shooting with his AR and she shot it very well. We sighted that rifle in with 60 gr. Nosler Partition Federal factory loads. She popped a nice eight-point buck through the lungs at about 50 yards and it did a short death sprint and tipped over. Now that little girl is 22 years old. She has been killing two deer per year with that rifle and the same load for all this time. She slips a little Nosler behind the front leg, the deer runs 25-40 yards and falls over dead. No muss, no fuss. I shoot the 62 gr. Fusion MSR bonded core and stack critters up... no muss, no fuss.
 
I personally think that how you hunt has a lot to do with it also. Sitting over a feeder or food plot you have the option to wait for the right shot. Still hunting or tracking you have to take the shot offered so things aren't always ideal.

In the first situation 223 on up will work. In the second I really like a 250 Sav and up.

One thing be sure it fits her and can grow with her.

Take her gun shopping and see what trips her trigger.

Thoughts on building a rifle for her, fancy laminated stock etc.
 
Who is still hunting/tracking with a kid? That is low percentage way to get a kid on a deer.

As far as that goes, still hunting in the dense woods around here might as well stay home whatever the age. They have already heard or smelled you way before you see them more times than not.
 
Then you need to learn how to still hunt, my closest shot was 8ft, public land northern WI. Almost all of my deer were killed still hunting or tracking.

I was 12 here, elevated stands and bait were illegal. Necedah Wildlife Refuge 1959 I'm the short one. My parents would take us out of school for a week of hunting.
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A blind/stand is great for introducing kids to hunting. Get them interested then you can teach them how it all works. My kids turned out to be successful hunters and trappers. And whatā€™s worse, they have become better than me!
As far as kids and guns, use really good hearing protection and a tripod that holds the rifle and they can shoot anything.
Iā€™ve even take the DeathGrip up in a ladder stand.
CJ shot his first deer when we was 7 out of a blind with the above recommendations using a Ruger American compact .243 90gr SSTā€™s. A passthrough and watched her drop. Heā€™s shot several deer since and hogs. All dropped within sight except one buck that we let him bloodtrial using the light on an iPhone, lol.
I think the most important thing to teach anyone new to hunting is shot placement from different angles. I preached it with my boys and when we take kids that have never hunted we preach it to them.
 
While hunting over a feeder or food plot or a high house isn't in my wheel house it is a type hunting. Some would say e-calls, hunting over a bait pile or night hunting isn't really hunting. Hunting is just the legal pursuit of game. The style you choose is personal, the last thing the hunting community needs is infighting.
 
I've killed more deer with 6mm bullets than any other caliber bullet . Blood trails have never been a problem if the deer even take a step. Having shot deer with . 17 , 223, 243, 6.5mm, 7mm, 30, 32, 338 and 12 ga , I've seen a few blood trails. The worst blood trails I've ever had to help locate are from a 350L. No lost deer out of 4, but the blood trails plain suck to get started.

223 with a bonded bullet like a fusion or a copper TSX/ TTSX makes a good low recoil choice. A youth model stock in a Rem 700 or the like in 243/6 creed will hammer deer with minimal recoil as well.
 
I had to switch to a light recoiling rifle last year due to illness/injury. I assembled an AR in 6mmARC. I took 3 whitetail bucks last season with it, between 100 and 225 yards. All one shot stops.

Note that an AR can be configured and tuned for minimal recoil. My 6ARC has a heavy barrel with rifle+1 gas length, an adjustable gas block, and a rifle length buffer. All properly tuned, and it has very light recoil.
 
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