If you and your lady are going to Africa hunting, you will be carrying two rifles each, one should be your "max" rifle. For a lady, the 9.3x62 makes a wonderful rifle. If you want to tone it down a bit more, put a brake on it. It will kick less than a .308.

For your light guns, I'd suggest the same caliber for each of you. It permits you to share ammo. I'd choose a round that will be readily distinquishable from the 9.3x62 that she'll have and the .375HH or .416RemMag you'll have, like .308 or 300 Win Mag. The 7mm Rem Mag is also a very good choice. It has about the same performance as the 30-06 at about the same recoil, but it would be readily differentiated from the 9.3 or 375HH/416RM.

You'll want to use the heavier bullets available for any of the cartridges you use, 165 or 180's in the .308 bore, 160-175 grain in the 7mm, 250-286 in the 9.3, and 260-300gr in .375. Ku-dude

I was thinking, if a person were to build a gun for his Lady. I'm thinking future tense here since I'm single currently. But for argument sake, say she likes to hunt and loves Africa as much as me.
What caliber? Taking into consideration the stock will be built for her i.e... correct gun fit to help mitigate felt recoil.Has to be a cartridge with history, brass at least somewhat available. Less than .375H&H. Good for all 'round use in Africa.The only ones I can think of is 7mm and 9.3x62 mouser. Any other creative ideas? Allen

Ann Aside, lots of men hunters can't really handle the 30-06, just go to any public range before deer season.

My wife bought a Win. Model 70 Compact in 7mm-08. It's basically a scaled down featherweight, not a chopped off youth gun, slightly shorter LOP, 20" barrel, trimmer stock. Also available in 308 if you want a bigger bullet. She shot her first impala with a borrowed 222 Rem. so I think the talk of 9.3's is a bit much unless shes going after big stuff.

I would go with a 9.3x62 and load it down..

Allen,

You said all around use so you must mean to include DG. If your thinking about the big stuff you have to use the 375H&H as a minimum because of the legal issues in some countries. So a 375 with a brake and all the other bells and whistles may be the way to go.

If DG is not on the menu then I agree with George 100%. A 30-06 may be the best all around moderate recoil choice. It is very common but it always works. I personally have shot quite a bit of game with an '06 and would not be afraid to use it on about anything. You also can load it back a couple of hundred fps to start with and cut the recoil considerably.

Regards,

Mark

I have built several guns for clients wives to hunt Buffalo with....

The 9.3x62 is an excellent choice, as is the neat little 10.75x 68 if loaded properly with a 350 gr. Barnes X at 2200 to 2375 FPS with a load of WW-748...The ladies seem to handle this very well indeed, even in a light rifle.

Another option is to load the 375 down to about 2100 FPS with a 300 gr. bullet or the 416 down to 2100 with a 400 gr. bullet...

Depends on the lady, just like it depends on the man...some can handle more recoil than others...

Our first trip to Africa was this last summer. Started preparing my better half several years ago. .22's first, then a 20 ga with light loads for dove hunting. Then I got her a .44 magnum lever carbine, and loaded it with .44 specials, for her first centerfire.

She shot it very well, but asked what she could do with it? I said, hunt deer at close range. She asked, what do you use when you're shooting the 6" steel gong at 200 yards? That was her introduction to the .308 Steyr Scout. She didn't find the recoil abusive, just startling, and told me she'd work through it to use the right equipment. I never bothered to tell her that recoil hurts, and we've never spent time on the bench. From shooting sticks, kneeling, prone and offhand, she worked up to the 8" gong at 275 yards, hitting 9 out of 10 almost every time, except when she was getting 10 out of ten. The 6" gong at 100 she hasn't missed in over a year (I have, but she hasn't).

Fast forward to the Dande North in Zimbabwe this summer, where she used the Steyr to take 5 animals with 5 perfect heart shots expending a grand total of 5 rounds plus sighters for the whole 10 day safari (the lead tracker was told us they had nicknamed her "Sniperwoman", which gives her no end of quiet smiles). She was very pleased to know that the field shooting to hunt wasn't nearly as hard as the range practice I'd put her through. She now watches the hunting shows with me and comments on the shots she sees on the screen, her usual comment being, "Don't those people ever practice? That's not that hard a shot."

After we missed out on an opportunity for her to harvest a Buffalo cow, she asked the fateful question, "Honey, do they make this Steyr in a caliber big enough to shoot one of those?" Some of you can guess the rest. 2 months after returning from Zimbabwe, she now has a Steyr in .376, which she shoots quite well, thank you very much. She shoots it just as well as the .308, but it tires her out after about 15 rounds. When she accompanies me to the range about once a month, we bring her .22 magnum to warm up (50 rds/session), the .308 (20-30 rounds/session) and the .376 (10-15 rounds/session at the end of the day).

I know this doesn't fit the "cartridge with some history" requirement, but I thought it would be worth sharing. First, find a way to interest her. Then start small, and don't mention the "R" word. Practice, practice, practice, and brag about her to your friends and range companions, which kept her very motivated. She's hooked for life, and we've got almost the perfect setup for Africa.

(Well, we did have the perfect setup, until my "friend" Surestrike encouraged her shoot his Searcy .470, starting with light practice loads and working up to full-power stuff. Now she has a brand new addition to her Christmas list, and has been spending way too much time watching any show on "Animal Planet" or "Discovery Channel" that features elephants. I don't think I'm ever going to manage to pay off the credit cards.)

I find this thread quite interesting, because, when I was in Jr High shool, the Librarian there was an experienced African Huntress. Her favorite rifle for Africa --->drum roll-->




.378 Weatherby!!

Her husband used a .460 (IIRC) Weatherby, and she had taken a Bull Ele and Cape Buff with it! That was a loooooong time ago and it still impresses me!

It's not too original, but the .30-06 fills all your specifications, and is tough to beat as an 'all-around' gun, even for Africa (assuming she is not taking on buff, elephant, rhino, hippo).

George

Allen;

I'm a woman hunter/shooter and I definitely agree with Ann, my .375 H&H is my favorite rifle for Africa. If it is properly fitted to the shooter and the experience and training corresponds with the gun, it should be a good match.

I've shot several hundred rounds through mine without having problems with recoil.

My favorite deer rifle is my .308. My husband and I share ammo on our safaris and hunting trips, so this really works well.

PS--I didn't want to shoot a wussy gun, just because I'm a woman!!!!

Regards, D. Nelson

Maybe we are approaching this from the wrong direction...

As I understand it, you have a .375 and are currently single.

What you need is a big tough woman who fits your .375

Maybe Walterhog has a German cousin named Helga, who just can't wait to meet you.

Good Hunting
Elmo

My wife is a huge bird hunter and sporting clays shooter, shooting her 16 gauge shotguns exclusively. These were fitted for her. Ann is right, gunfit is even more important for female shooters.

She never shot rifles or hunted big game until a year ago in practice for her first trip to Africa. I started her on a 6.5x55 in a rifle that fit her well. She's never shot off a bench, only sticks and various field shooting positions. I really think this gave her a lot of confidence in the field for the first time.

She has turned out to be a great shot. She took some very nice smaller plains game animals last year with heavier Lapua bullets and never noticed recoil. On the plane ride home she mentioned that she had such a good time that she'd like to go back in 2005.

I already bought the tickets and booked the hunt. She'll be practiced with my 9.3x62 in case she wants to try larger PG next year.

Remember, men are really givers when it comes to our relationships!!!

Mike,

The really nice thing about being a girl is we are allowed to have pretty guns!

All mine are except the 10/22. I am about to put a lam stock on my CVA and am thinking hard about something with some colorful stain.

Glad to hear your bride is shooting well!

.275 Rigby

Cheers,

Andr�

Ann,
I am subject to getting out shot on occasion by my lovely bride. Since she didn't have a bunch of manly preconcieved notions before she started shooting, she follows instruction & does it correct as she has been instructed & since she doesn't have a bunch of bad habits (like I do ) she shoots darned well.
She also shows off her purple/gray/white/black "tiger striped" McMillan stocked rifle to everyone!! When we ordered it I thought it would look like crap, but she was right & I was wrong (again)
Mike

My wife has a Browning A-bolt in 270win. With the Barnes X she has taken, a Warthog, Blessbok, Springbok and Gemsbok. Plus a bunch of deer and one Blackbuck antelope. The stock was cut to fit her, the rifle with scope weighs just under 8 pounds and she say's the recoil ain't bad.

Nothing will discourage a woman faster than pulling this macho crap. A 223 or even a 222 is a better start.

Much would depend on the lady. If she has hunting/shooting experience, then she could have some strong ideas about what she wants. Giving her anything else might not be profitable.

If she doesn't have much experience, then you'll have to make that part of the process. Some people can handle a hard-kicking rifle right away, but many are more comfortable if you work up gradually. The principle was described to me as "bruise her and lose her".

A general formula is start her off shooting .22LR to build the basics. Move to .223-class for more noise but not much more recoil. She can start hunting with this power level for varmints up to small deer/antelope.

Move to .257 Rob or .270-class cartridges for a little more recoil. This increases the range of game she can hunt. By the time you get to .30-06 class cartridges she should be pretty comfortable with rifles, hunting, and is in good shape to handle conservative shots at most North Amercan game or African plains game.

Classic calibers like .30-06, 7x64mm, 8x57mm, .318WR fit the category you described. You'll know at this point if heavier calibers are advisable.

Allen,



I agree with Conewago. That said, my friend Kate loves her .338 Win Mag. She did need a KDF muzzle brake to tame the recoil a little, though. (She's 5'4") The .338 is her favorite and now only rifle; she hunts everything with it. She had a 7mm-08 but she sold it.



But, as you stated in a couple of posts above, "Has to be a cartridge with history..." and "The big thing is a cartridge with some character." then I'd suggest a 9.3x62 if she can handle recoil at this level. The 9.3x62 certainly has the nostalgia and romance of Africa.



-Bob F.





Limpopo Province, South Africa, 2000.

250gr Nosler at 2650 fps.

Guys,

If the gun is properly fitted to the lady, such as length of pull, pad on the stock and a trigger job she should be able to shoot it just fine. Besides fit, PROPER SHOOTING TECHNIQUE, needs to be taught. Start out with a .22 and teach the basics of proper hold and trigger control. Bench shooting is always hard on shoulders and elbows. Get her a nice gell shoulder pad and take the time to teach. I put some small folded towels under my elbows to help pad them.

I always take my 10/22 to the range and use it inbetween cooling big gun barrels just to ward off any slight trigger pull. I also dry fire my Mausers, practicing trigger pull. I also take shooting sticks and add some variety while on the range. Make range time fun as well with no pressure on her! Maybe even set her up with a pro instructor at first.

Again, no need for hot loads either. I shoot 50,000 psi or less in my .375H&H. A kid could shoot it.

I put Decelerators on all my bolt guns as well as my shotgun. All have had to have trigger adjustments. In my opinion all rifles come with poor trigger adjustment for female shooters. I suspect the same for you men as well. I happen to have a standard LOP so that was not an issue for me but it will be for shorter women. Make it fit.

I have found a heavier gun shoots with a lot less kick as well, you won't find me with anything "light weight."

I have come a long way since I first started. I listened a lot and had plenty of trial and error. My guns are golden now!

Good luck setting your ladies up. Look for them to outshoot you as well!

My favorite hunting rifle is my .375H&H. I've had the trigger lightened, built it on a heavy lam stock and put a Decelerator pad on it. I don't shoot hot loads and find this to be my easiest to shoot rifle.

My next best would be my 30-06. Similarly built on a heavy wood stock, both of these rifles are sporter Mauser actions and nice to shoot.