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| One of Us |
My 26 y.o. daughter wants to start deer hunting and I want to get her a rifle to begin practicing with. She has shot 22's before. She is 5'6" and 145 pounds, in good shape physically. I handload, so if needed that is not a problem. I also realize that the fit of the gun is very important in regards to felt recoil and ability to shot accurately. In your opinion what would be a good caliber choice? What brand and model would you get your daughter? I have tossed around different ideas from a .243Win.,.270 Win.,7mm-08,to a .308. but would like to hear from others with the experience. | ||
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My wife is 5-7 and 135. I bought her a Rem Mod.7 in 7mm-08 when started hunting. It has been a great firearm for her and I have reccomended it to several friends | |||
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Either the .260 Rem with 125 or 140-grain bullets or the 7mm-08 with 140-grain bullets are excellent choices for getting started in deer hunting. Fit is particularly important for consistent positioning, comfort, and recoil management, so if your daughter needs a shorter than average length of pull, I'd suggest looking at the Rem Model Seven and the Model 70 Compact. The Ruger M77 Compact is another possibility, though its 16" barrel is likely to increase muzzle report and flash, which might be distracting to a novice hunter. Nevertheless, fit, feel, and ergonomics are the most important aspects, so have your daughter handle these three rifles if possible and go with the one that works best. --- Eric Ching "The pen is mightier than the sword...except in a swordfight." | |||
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| One of Us |
A Remington Seven in 260 ought to be about perfect, especially for a handloader who can match the performance (and recoil) of the 243, 257 Robt, 7mm08 as needed. Good hunting! | |||
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I talked my wife into a 7mm-08 in similar circumstances. If at all possible, let her try some of the choices out for fit and shoot some of the calibers at the range. Good luck! | |||
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I like the .270. I'm pretty small-framed myself and find recoil on the .270, even from the bench, barely noticable. It's also very versatile in case she wants to hunt something other than deer. I know several people who have taken everything from pronghorn to moose with a .270. | |||
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| <JOHAN> |
Erik 7X64 or 270 win. Cheers /JOHAN | ||
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>257 Roberts. I have made them for my daughter and my son. They are an excellent deer rifle. | |||
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270 Win if you want some versatility | |||
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| One of Us |
260 Rem. Greatly under appreciated for deer. | |||
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Have you thought about one of the Stevens 200 in 25/06. That would be my choice for starting a new hunter out. I would download slightly to .257 Roberts levels. The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese! | |||
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| One of Us |
Erik, My son will start his deer hunting career in 2006, being aged 10. I currently own a Remington Model Seven Carbine in 308 and I am going to have it re-barreled by Roger Ferrell. It will either be 260 Remington or 7 mm -08. I have heard nothing but superlatives for either cartridge for GA deer. Hugh | |||
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| one of us |
Both calibers are perfect for deer anywhere. I favor the 7mm08 since we have been together for 23 years now. All one shot kills and plenty of them. I have always been a Remington fan but I looked at a Ruger stainless youth model in a 260 for my wife that she really likes. I am leaning that since I will not have to worry about keeping our loads correct if I had two different 7mm08s. I have a friend that loves shooting deer with his 260 with 130gr TSXs. | |||
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| one of us |
1st choice would be 7-08, close second 257 Bob. For my $0.02 I would drop the 243 if larger deer, oh, for that matter any deer. Yeah, I know the story! | |||
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| One of Us |
Another vote for the 7-08. Or, since you handload, the .260. A youth model 7 should be about right. Or you could get a cdl or such and buy an aftermarket "cadet" stock which has a shorter LOP. Since you do reload, your choice is rather broad as you can tailor the loads. I'd take daughter to a gun shop or gun show and let her "handle" several rifles and she what she thinks. Yes, do avoid the .243. | |||
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270, good recoil pad, make sure you check her LOP. 130 grain bullet. I have Ruger and Remington. I like both. Savage is good, Winchester is good. Second choice would be a 7-08 with a 140 or 150 bullet. Actually, every caliber you mentioned is no less than perfect. I'd check availability in the rifle you want and go with any of them. But, the 243 would be my last choice. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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I would go 7mm-08...she can use for just about anything in NA and it will shoot flat with light recoil. Mike Legistine actu? Quid scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Another vote for the. 260  | |||
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You've got some great recommendations and my choice would be the hanloaded 257 Roberts. It can be had in a very light rifle and recoil is almost non-existent. With a 120 NP at 2800 fps+ it will work great on any deer out to 250 yards or more. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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7-08 Hands down,5 years ago I dislocated my shoulder in an elk chase wreck opening day in Montana.Re-habed my shoulder but still had trouble getting my arm high enough to shoot, next to last day of season a 3pt whitetail tryed sneaking up my driveway resting off a log on the back porch I dropped him at 125yds with one shot and dont remember it going off.w/regards | |||
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My wife's deer rifle is a Remington Model 7 in .243....she loves shooting it. But for an elk rifle we turned to a Browning a-bolt in 7mm remington mag. If she were to have just one rifle I would opt for a .270 in a Winchester featherweight or similiar rifle with a good recoil pad and a fitted LOP. The .270 covers our game out west. Keith | |||
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I've been trying to talk my wife into a 7-08, I shoot a 7 mag most of the time so I'd be able to use the same bullets.  | |||
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243 or 25-06 in a 26 inch barrel. When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults! | |||
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One vote for the .270. Available everywhere and outside of the range, she will not notice the recoil. If she does, put a vais brake on it as it does not make the rifle much louder. | |||
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Want the best all around caliber 280 rem ,reloads everything that a 7mmMag does , and easy on your body My woman is 58 and she will shoot your eyes out at 200 yards with 140 gr, a wonam 26 will love this caliber a 270 is .007 smaller in diameter but does not have the advantages of the 280 /7mm Express | |||
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25 replies and no one has mentioned the Swede? My daughter's first rifle was a Winchester 70 Featherweight in 6.5X55. Kicks like a Bob, kills like a 270. It's a great round and the Featherweight has been a nice rifle for her. ______________________________ "Truth is the daughter of time." Francis Bacon | |||
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I can't believe some of you guys posted your daughters and wives weights!!!  You are brave men! I hope you are not the first victims of the rifle you present to them.  According to my wife...all women weight in at 110 - 115lbs. period end of discussion!  I cast my vote along side ForrestB. The 6.5x55 Swede with 140 gr. bullets. Ruger used to make their feather weight model in this caliber. Possibly you could pick up a nice used rifle inexpensively...? Regards, Dave | |||
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guess i'll be the third in line to vote for the venerable swede. My 700 classic in this cartridge is very accurate, no recoil or report, and kills everything it touches with complete penetration 99% of the time. I have used 120, 129, and 140gr boolits and the only one that did not completely penetrate was a 140gr Speer hot-core, and that was this year on a 150lb five point buck. There is even a 100gr Nosler partition for the .264 caliber that would be a great low recoiling, small deer load, in either the .260 or the swede. | |||
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7-08 or 308 will work for most anything she may want to hunt. If she finds that she enjoys hunting and shooting, a couple of more are likely appear later anyway! Or the plain old 30-06 will fill more of the bill. Loads to match the Remington "Managed Recoil" loads or something handloaded down from that level to get her started. 24.0 grains of Blue Dot and Hornady SSP bullet does well out of one of my 06s. NO recoil that I notice. If needs arise the 06 will certainly have adequate power for the most of the rest of what she may decide to do later. Don't limit your challenges . . . Challenge your limits | |||
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1) Get a gun that fits her and she feels comfortable with. That is THE most important part of the equation. 2) If she likes a short action. Easy, the 7mm-08 without a question. 3) If she likes a long action. No brainer, the 270 or a 280. 4) You handload, so letting her practice with reduced loads will get her comfortable. You can then slowly increase the powder charges IF she needs it. 5) I don't know where she lives. If deer are going to be the biggest game animal she hunts, the above choices will be superb. If elk are possible in the future, I would consider a a 30-06. | |||
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I would get a 25.06 for her personally, but the advice of a 7mm-08 or 260 wouldn't be a bad idea either. My sister is 18 and petite shoots the 06 and has little firearm exposure prior to this caliber. She shot a 1/2 inch group at 100 yards using a Tikka T3 Hunter and Factory loaded Winchester 120 Positive Expanding Points. This combo seemed to work out great for her this deer season. She took a button buck (thought it was a doe) under 50 yards with this load and it dropped in its tracks. Esox357 | |||
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