PART THREE BUSH PIGLET
THE PREP CALIBRE AND RECOIL
The first hurdle is choosing a calibre. There is a lot that goes in to this as you have to balance recoil with enough energy to do the job well. A lot of people will go for a 223, there are a lot of them around and the ammo is cheap. But they do reguire good shot placement, and that's not necessarily ideal for kids.
They might shoot like champions at the range, but hyped up on adrenalin while staring through the scope at their first deer most kids are going to have a bit of wobble! This is where you want to have a bit more terminal performance to make up for a poor shot. A Red deer shot in the chest with a 223 can go a long way, and the slightest stick Will deflect the projectile.
Also, it pays to be very mindful of what you practice on. A common progression is shooting small game, then goats, before moving on to deer. Goats seem like an obvious choice, and a 223 ideal, but goats are such terribly vocal creatures. If you have a kid who's a little more sensitive a nanny goat bleating it's head off as it dies might put them off a bit. So again I'd recommend something like the 6.5 Grendel or similar to be sure of better terminal performance and a quicker, cleaner death. Kids can be incredibly empathetic and the thought of
