Thank-you for all your input, we took your advice and used a heavier shot. My daughter used a Winchester 243 95gr. Ballistic Silvertip cartridge, she shot two whitetails this year at 110 yards. I was surprised the exit wound was 1½” in diameter. Also willhunt4food is correct with the statement “The main thing is to make sure your daughter has fired it enough to be comfortable and accurate.” Last year at NRA camp she took first in group and seconded in overall out of 95 kids. She was 11 at that time.

The bullet makes a big difference. So many people put so much emphasis on velocity, energy, and so forth, but the bullet is really the most important thing. It has to do its job, or the deer maybe gets wounded and maybe gets away. Good to see you went heavier. That 55 grain is not designed to penetrate very much.

The .243 is a great round for a kid starting out. I'd suggest, though, as others here have, that you keep shots within a hundred or so yards, and that you use a heavier bullet. The 100 grainers are great, as long as you have a barrel that will stabilize them well. If not, the 90 grain is a close second.

Thanks for taking a kid hunting!

Regards,
Yeti