My oldest son is only 7, so I have some years yet before he'll be able to get behind the trigger on the deer rifle.  I bought him his first deer rifle 2 years ago, which I've already fitted with a scope and shot a few deer with to test out.  The rifle was purchased used and couldn't be passed up at the time.  It is a T/C contender carbine with a 21" barrel chambered in 7x30 waters.  I've fitted it with a 4x power scope and it is amazingly small to carry, yet shoots very well.  The thing that I like best about this gun for a young hunter are that it teaches them that the first shot must count.  I like the way the little carbine handles, and the cartridge has proven to be very effective on whitetail deer out to 100 yards.  When I'm hunting, where I'm hunting, shots are usually less than 100 yards, with my furthest shot on a whitetail deer being only 120 yards with a .270.

I have a .270 as well and it is a good gun, just doesn't seem to find it's way on my shoulder when I go out deer hunting.  I may be sorry one of these days when a 150 class buck is on the other side of a big field and I'm outfitted with my 14" barreled contender in 300 whisper.