Where I came from it was legal to hunt deer at the age of 14. My first rifle was an old German 8mm Mauser my Dad purchased for me for $10.
All 3 are fine.
If you get a .223 make sure it has a fast twist so it will handle the heavy for caliber bullets.
How many people in 2018 remember or ever knew that at one time in our past, thousands of young guys picked up their rifles and went forth to hunt and FEED THEIR FAMILIES. In many cases their results meant the family ate that day.
Imagine....back then there were no supermarkets to go to for supper. The cook, naturally MOM, waited for supper to be brought in. Then “fresh food” had a slight different meaning than now.
The young hunter was a hero, not a “gun grabbing thug.”
7mm-08. Highly accurate, low recoil, 30 cal projectile.
22-250 is a good option. 25-06 has controllable recoil also.
Simple. 30-30 is a rite of passage. Open site. You must kill and field dress the animal without assistance. Go.
Agree if all you shoot is factory ammo.
However, if you reload, go with a .308 for youth/recoil sensitive shooters.
Target/practice loads using TrailBoss and bulk 150gr FMJ’s are very, very, low recoil (+/- 1400fps) and inexpensive.
Ask my kids, both of whom will shoot 50 each per session. Started my son shooting this load when he was 6.
Switch to H4895 and 125 Nosler BT’s for low recoil deer loads (2300fps) for shots <150 yds. DRT’s and if not, short red trails Ray Charles could follow.
A friend of mine got a Ruger American in 6.5 Creedmoor for his young and/or female kids. They seem to like it fine.
It's relatively light, very accurate, low recoil, and can be hightly customized, including the addition of an adjustable stock for smaller people.
Owners can be readily taught to make many repairs and parts are readily available. One could even buy a rifle kit and a stripped lower, allowing a youthful gun owner to build his or her own rifle. What a great parent-child project.
One of these days I'll learn how to install the bolt catch pin without scratching the receiver; not that I mind a small scratch. It's just the challenge of learning to do the job right. (I bought a "blem" kit but I didn't even bother to find the blemish.)
I started all three of my boys on patched round ball muzzleloader, then moved them up to a .243 youth Model 70.
There are a ton of options today. What is important is getting them out in the woods and doing it right. Mine were hiking in on three day backwoods pack trips sleeping in a tent in late November. I made sure they had good boots and a good bag.
They started at six and all hunt today. They learned the important stuff with that $99 sidelock smokepole, including how to ambush deer consistently from 15-30 yards away.
If you are into deer stories here is one written about me.
223 wouldn’t be legal to hunt with in my state, except maybe squirrels