Looking for small caliber for my girlfriend who is a beginning shooter. Took her out the other day and let her shoot 22 rifle, 22 pistol and she shot my 12 gauge 870. Well she had shot a couple times in her life.

She liked the shotgun but said she had rather shoot the 22 because she said it was more challenging. She wasn't afraid of the shotgun.

My question now other than practice, practice , practice with 22 what your opinions on a centerfire rifle. She is about 5'5 petite frame.
For centerfire what do you all think? 223? 22-250? 243?

Started my wife with 22-250 then 243 because that is what I had. With the light loads not a big difference. If she is only going to punch paper the 223 is cheaper, if going to hunt the 243 load light to start and then heavy enough for deer later.

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
If she is only going to punch paper the 223 is cheaper, if going to hunt the 243 load light to start and then heavy enough for deer later.

Ditto...adding 257 roberts as an option for deer hunting

My wife loves her Ruger 77/22 in .22 Hornet. She has shot my other CF .22's but she really goes for the Hornet. Her favorite rifle is her 52B with the 10x Unertl though, shooting Wolf Match Extra.

Jarrod--Even a .243 is not fun for most of us to shoot all day so to speak. 22-250 is right there with it in terms of recoil and maybe even more blast. .222 and .223 much more pleasant. Many will disagree but if they are legal in your state, they do an excellent job on deer if bullet placed correctly. Know what? Don't tell anybody---but bigger guns also require correct bullet placement. A person shooting a gun they are comfortable with more likely to make the proper placement. If you cast your own bullets, the cast bullets being softer and less pressure can be made to be shot comfortably in bigger guns. You can make a 30-06 feel about like a .22 rimfire for example.

If she enjoyed the challenge of the .22lr then certainly consider the .22 Hornet or the .221 Fireball in a bolt action. They will be good training for something larger later.

Anything with muzzle blast she will find disagreeable. (To start with)

.223. Cheap ammo, a cinch to reload. highly accurate. Light weight. Fairly common in the used rack w/o having to pay an arm and leg. What's not to like?

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
.223. Cheap ammo, a cinch to reload. highly accurate. Light weight. Fairly common in the used rack w/o having to pay an arm and leg. What's not to like?

That is what I have been thinking

my wife enjoys shooting my .25-06, and she had never fired a gun before she met me - she is also petite and about 5'4''. I second what everyone else has said, but if she is interested in hunting, I personally would suggest a little bigger caliber to start with, so she can become accustomed to the rifle she will eventually hunt with. 223 (or any 22 centerfire) is to small for deer, IMHO, and is still not legal for big game in more than a handful of states in the Union. I would look at .243, any .25 centerfire, or even one of the .264s, like .260 remington, 6.5-06, or 6.5x55. The last would be the best options if she plans to hunt anything bigger than deer. A good 140 grain bullet is a good match for just about any game in North America.
Dawg

For what it's worth.
My 14 year old, 5'4", 102 lb. daughter shoots her 243 with a big grin on her face, until she runs out of ammo. Thank goodness for 22lr. Yet, she can't stand to shoot any of the shotguns (even 28 gauge, or 410). Make sure whatever she shoots fits her reasonably well.
Doug

quote:

Originally posted by Jarrod:
Looking for small caliber for my girlfriend who is a beginning shooter. Took her out the other day and let her shoot 22 rifle, 22 pistol and she shot my 12 gauge 870. Well she had shot a couple times in her life.

She liked the shotgun but said she had rather shoot the 22 because she said it was more challenging. She wasn't afraid of the shotgun.

My question now other than practice, practice , practice with 22 what your opinions on a centerfire rifle. She is about 5'5 petite frame.
For centerfire what do you all think? 223? 22-250? 243?

223 all the way...
It's accurate, light recoil and she can gain confidence shooting it.
Get something like a 243 later on..

Don

It seems like we,ve been here before?

My 2 cents again...

Savage: 10-FCP/K .223 Remington
(BTW, with the muzzle brake and butt pad, there is no kick at all!)



This IS my wife's gun and the below group is 15 shots @ 100 yards...