My grandson is 13, and he's doing his first deer hunt during Michigan's Youth Hunt, the 27th and 28th of September. He'll be using my new Handi 7mm-08. He's shot it quite a few times and is accurate and comfortable with it. What he doesn't know is that it will be his at Christmas. I think it is a good caliber for a kid, (he's big) and will take larger game than the .243 and the other .24, 6mm calibers.