all my boys started out with the same model 600 rem .243 with an old weaver K4 scope with a dot. it has taken a buncha deer. cut the stock way down and then added and removed the piece as it needed it. they all got a new ruger .270 when they turned 14, from their grandad. bought an uncut stock for the 600 at a gunshow awhile back and now use it myself quite a bit. great gun for horsebackin'. one thing about the 600 i don't like, is that on the left side of the action, inside where the bolt slide guide is, it is almost exactly the same width as a .243 or .308 cartridge, and when you're loading it they can get sorta stuck in it and it's kind of a pain for a kid to figure out. just something to think of. i think about everyone makes a rifle that a kid can handle pretty well. youth models, featherweights, etc. i wouldn't worry too much about recoil. within reason. i wouldn't give a 10 year old a .300 mag. but anything like a .270 on down oughta work just great.
