Rifle for wife?

SHOUGALNITE · 12-09-2003, 07:04 PM

I am looking for a good deer rifle for my wife. She definetly needs something for a woman. I was thinking maybe a 243. I'm not sure what model or type. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

Chromaflage · 12-09-2003, 07:05 PM

Whew! you scared me! From the title of your post, I thought you were lookin' to make a trade.

ORS

Rusty · 12-09-2003, 07:15 PM

A .243 is a good caliber for your wife's DEER or smaller game. However, if she plans on hunting with you for elk, I am going to recommend a .308.

I know, you are thinking it will kick her too much and she'll go back to "knitting sweaters for the dog!" I have a practical solution. Remington makes an autoloader Model 7400 which is a perfect compromise. Great for deer, good enough for elk and a minimal "kick" due to the gas operated action.

My wife is 4'10", 110 lbs and loves her .308 autoloader. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] (She is also left handed so the autoloader solves the left hand bolt problem.)

Give it some thought. The .243 or 7mm.08 would be fine, but what about elk? [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

Rusty

[ 12-10-2003, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: Rusty ]

skein · 12-09-2003, 07:19 PM

I bought my wife a Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5X55 Swede and she loves it. She took her first mulie buck with it last year and plans to take an elk with it this weekend. It's got modest recoil, inherent accuracy, and a heavy enough bullet to dig in to the kill zone.

I'll take some fire for this, but there were two things that led me away from the 243. One is bullet weight. The 140 grainer in the 6.5 is a much better all-around bullet than the lighter and more frangible 100 grain 243 bullets. The other consideration is tissue damage. The 6.5 does less meat damage than the faster and more explosive 243.

The rifle is lightweight and fits her to a T. She's 5'4" and most rifles would need to be cut down to fit, but not this one.

The accuracy and wind-bucking capabilities of this bullet are the stuff of legends. Most of the long-range, i.e. 600 and 1000 yard titles are held with a 6.5 bullet, although usually fired from a case with more capacity. When she starts shooting elk at 600 yards I'll concentrate on her stalking ability, not adding more powder. :grin:

I think it's one of the most overlooked cartridges on the market, and a fine all-around rig for a woman.

She told me many times, "I can't believe how much I love this rifle." That says it all.

Skein

Chromaflage · 12-09-2003, 07:24 PM

I really like the .308. My boys deer hunt with a Rem Model 788 .308 carbine. It's a very nice, flat shooting gun. Good for about 200 yards for a deer. Not so far for elk. I know of a lot of elk that have been killed with a .308. Rem doesn't make the 788 any more, so you'd proabably have to go to a gun show to find one.

My .02

ORS

billc_sbio · 12-09-2003, 07:50 PM

A .270 Win.'s not TOO much for a woman to shoot...

Some other good recommendations here from pards...6.5x55 Swede is good...even 7x57 Mauser is good too.

12-09-2003, 08:09 PM

6.5X55, 260Rem, 7x57 Mauser, 7-08 Rem, 308Win

TheTexan · 12-09-2003, 08:30 PM

My wife shoots a .243 and she is 5'6" and about 110lbs. She has only hunted deer with the rifle. You should take her out to the range with several different rifles before purchasing one.

buckgtr · 12-10-2003, 06:34 AM

7mm-08, fast, hard hitting and extremely pleasant to shoot. I bought one for my girlfriend a few years ago and ended up using it more myself. I made two 300 yd. plus one shot kills on big blacktails. My mom used it on a cow elk hunt a few years ago and harvested a large cow at 150 yds, took two shots but who's never had to put an insurance shot in a large game animal at one time or another.It's short action, light recoil and overall light-weight makes it perfect for women and our younger generation. Ammunition is available pretty much anywhere. You can't go wrong I promise. Take a look at the ballistics and compare them to the 270, 308, 257 roberts, 260 rem etc. etc. You will like what you see.

buckgtr

[ 12-10-2003, 07:35 AM: Message edited by: buckgtr ]

goforchrome · 12-10-2003, 08:16 AM

I second the 7mm-08.
I just bought one from Tikka. T3 lite in SS/S.
Great bullet selection if you reload.
If not, Hornady light magnum is 139gr at 3000fps.
Compare to .270....
Not as loud and not as much recoil.
I would have gone to 6.5X55 otherwise.

Salmon Stryker · 12-10-2003, 08:41 AM

I have to chime in on this one because my buddy has a Savage .243 and I've seen him knock down a deer at 400 yards with it. This year he shot one at about 75 yards and ruined some meat because like skein said the bullets travel fast and bust apart at impact. You can buy more penetrable bullets to use however. This gun cost him just over $300 brand new from Bi-mart and it has totally amazed him on accuracy and knock down power for deer. That gun will shoot half inch groups at 100 yards all day long with factory ammo. I would not hesitate to buy a savage .243 for my wife or kids.

Elk is a different story.

id. painter · 12-10-2003, 08:51 AM

Mdl. 70 featherweight in a 270. My wife shoots it well and loves it. id. p.

Fish4Fun · 12-10-2003, 01:19 PM

I consider the Model 70 featherweight in .257 Roberts to be the ideal deer gun for women and kids. My ex-wife dropped 8 deer in 9 years of hunting with me. Never more than a one shot kill.

straightweave · 12-10-2003, 07:23 PM

Gotta side w/ Skein. The 6.5x55 is a better choice. My dad's deer hunting partner had/has one. It does less damage to deer than you would think and he took it on a guided elk hunt in Colorado and shot a nice bull elk w/ it also.

12-10-2003, 07:33 PM

The only problems with the 6.5x55 is ammunition availability and the cases can't be made out of any American brass. Other than these minor problems it is a great round with bullets having high sectional densities. I have a Swedish M96 Mauser and two Norwegian Krags chambered for the 6.5x55.

fishncliff · 12-13-2003, 12:29 AM

My ex loved shootin my 300 savage. I reload, so i can reduce the recoil a little. she enjoyed it.
I was thinkin she must've been a great woman or a crappy rifle to make that trade.

:shocked:

Grip It-N-Rip It · 12-13-2003, 07:43 AM

Here is my to cents. The 7mm-o8 is a great caliber if I could get my wife to hunt that would be what I would buy her. The 280 is also a good round I never saw much about on any of the posts but I have seen alot of good kills with it and it will reach out there a bit if she gets good enough to do it. the 260 isn't bad either but I would worry about bullet availability with it. If you reload buy a hundred rounds of brass and you can solve that though. The 270 is tried and true. It is a great gun and you can get them in youth models if you need a shorter version to fit your wife. My nephews are about to start hunting and I am going to let them start with my 270 should they choose to. 6.5 has problems with bullet availabity in my opinion as it is not that popular of a round. The 243 and 257's are great for deer but you start pushing your luck with elk in my opinion unless you are a good shot and I am assuming your wife is just getting into hunting/ shooting. Hope this helps

salmurai · 12-13-2003, 10:43 AM

You can go to Remington's website and do a three way ballistic comparison. There are a number of "youth models" out there from a variety of manufacturers, or just start buying them til she finds one SHE likes..... [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img]

tphoneman · 12-13-2003, 01:37 PM

308 best choice for all around. Easy to find different loads at any small or large stores. Plenty for deer and elk, using factory loads. Auto suggestion given earlier makes kick very minimal.

Tilla · 12-13-2003, 10:20 PM

Started my wife with a .243 BLR. Sweet gun, accurate and successful. Then she then took my lightweight .270 Ruger down to the gunsmith when I was out of town and had the trigger pull lightened and stock trimmed down to fit her. She still outshoots me. She is 5' and a bit over 100 lbs.
Went to the Bow, Hah!, got her there! :shocked:

[ 12-13-2003, 11:21 PM: Message edited by: Tilla ]

santiamslayer · 12-14-2003, 12:02 AM

300 ultra mag. she can handle it.

Curlew · 12-14-2003, 01:28 AM

260 Rem

Curlew

Boedy · 12-14-2003, 06:47 AM

25-06

12-14-2003, 07:50 AM

SS,
A 300 ultra mag is not a good choice for what she needs.

Flatfish · 12-14-2003, 02:57 PM

250 savage, 257 Roberts, 25-06, 6.5x55, 260 Rem, 6.5x57, 6.5-06( wildcat), 270 Win, 7mm-08,7x57, 280 Rem,308 Win, and maybe the 30-06( Dawn shoots one as well as anything. But I handload and never let her shoot really hot stuff in practice.)

In life the middle of the road approach usually gets you the best results. Stay in the middle of this list, and you shall be rewarded.

When in doubt, shot placement is a lot more important than power. But it is easy to get too small( little margin for error). If I could have anything for dawn it would be a 260 Remington with a 140 grain bullet( high sectional density).

Or a .270.

Mark and the really does not matter dog.

roadsend · 12-14-2003, 03:10 PM

My missus has killed several elk and almost as many deer with her Mdl. 70 .243.
Its not so much how big the bullet is but where it is placed that makes the difference. She stays away from the long shots or the moving shots. We have never lost an animal she has hit with this caliber.

nerta · 12-15-2003, 05:16 PM

My wife doesn't hunt but my 5'2" daughter does, her rifle of choice is the 30-06. She also has and shoots a 300 savage,.308 win, 8x57, and 7mm Rem.mag. We don't load down for her. I think with the right rifle, your wife should be able to shoot any cal.. A .308 is probably the best comprmise because of the bullets on the market. Get her a quality rifle that shoots well and she'll suprise you with her abilities I'm sure.

DipSeaDiver · 12-16-2003, 05:02 AM

I love my Model 70 (6.5X55). [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]
I have shot a 243 and was not as comfortable with it.
Since I have been shooting this rifle, I will never sell it. It just fits for me. Not much kick or bang but I know it will put the bullet where I aim it. It's lightweight enough to carry on those long hunts Skein (and the Elk) takes me on.
Before Skein, I was not a hunter. I've learned alot about hunting and would really like to get my first Elk. Having tried several other rifles, this one has given me the most opportunity to gain confidence and improve my skills.

Just thought I'd let you know from this woman's point of view.

12-16-2003, 06:16 AM

Dip,

"would really like to get my first Elk"

I didn't hear how it went last weekend :depressed: and was hoping to hear how much work you and Skein had to do, cutting and wraping.

skein · 12-16-2003, 07:14 AM

Keta,

Story and pics on the weekly hunting reports thread - here

Skein

12-16-2003, 07:16 AM

:grin: D'oh! :grin: