Tom,<br><br>I'm getting some great ideas. In a few mos. my then 12 year old will tentatively start on mom's .243 Rem 788. For once my wife's diminutive stature will help (5'2"). He's now 5'1". The gun should fit. Weight will be issue. It's heavy. Accuracy is outstanding and recoil is negligible. Muzzle blast will be attenuated with double hearing protection. If he can handle the weight, and his performance with target .22s indicate he should be able to do so, then he may be able to go to a full sized rifle with only a shortened stock. I like that idea of yours. If not, nothing is lost. The shortened Rem 700 Youth looks promising. I hadn't noticed it before. <br><br>I may begin to experiment with down-loaded .270 Win. in my own gun, to explore its potential. Advantages: easy to upgrade when growth allows, versatile caliber, easy procurement, no addition to logistical burden since it's already one of our standard family calibers. <br><br>I'm also interested in your 6.5 X 55mm Swedes. What is the range of useful balistics in your experience. Also, what are the dimensions of your self-smithed M96s, especially OAL & wt?<br><br>If all else fails, we still have the .243 Win as a known winner. I'm also going to look into the .257 Roberts (maybe even Rob. Imp.). <br><br>I'll also explore the idea of a TC carbine. I have no idea of what reaction to expect. The idea sounds really promising.<br><br>Thanks for all the help.<br><br>John<br><br>