First off hello everyone!!! Been lurking around the boards for a while but this is my first post. My wife is thinking about hunting deer with me next year. The problem is that she is very small, 4'11" and about 100 pounds soaking wet. Recoil is a major issue. The other issue is stock length. It will probably have to be a youth model. I just bought a new Savage in .308 with the accutrigger which is outstanding by the way, so I am leaning towards another Savage for her. She would be limiting her shots to under 75 yards or so. She likes the idea of a single shot but I'm not too keen on the idea. Any suggestions as to what gun and which caliber? Thanks in advance!!
Welcome to the forum, WeatherWarrior! A man whose wife wants to hunt is a lucky man indeed.
You might consider the .243 if she is very recoil sensitive. With 100 grain bullets, the .243 is a pretty decent deer cartridge. If your deer run bigger, I would also consider a .260, a 6.5 Swede (my personal favorite) or a 7mm-08. You would probably have a tough time finding the 6.5 Swede in a compact rifle, but the other calibers are definitely out there in rifles for small statured folks.
The .308 is a fine cartridge and would serve well with nearly any game in North America, but the recoil in a small rifle is quite noticeable and may prove to be very unpleasant for your diminutive wife.[:@]
Another option, particularly suited for the short ranges that you envision her shooting at, would be a .30-30 lever action. These small handy rifles don't recoil too badly at all, are inexpensive and are really fun to shoot as well.
Speaking of lever actions, one other gun we were considering was a Winchester 94 compact in .357 Mag. She liked the idea of being able to practice with .38 special rounds and then hunting with the more powerful loads. I think that a .357 out of a carbine length barrel would be adequate at these short ranges.
Like Jmfa said, I too would suggest a .243. Remington offers a model seven in a youth model. Put on a decelerator pad, and load her 55 grain bullets for practice sessions, than sight it in for her with 100 grain hunting loads. Once she gets used to the boom with the 55's, she shouldn't flinch when it comes time for the bigger stuff. Congrats on finding a lady hunter. I've got mine into it a bit, but she still thinks I'm crazy![&:]
When you were describing your wife It could of been my wife, the only difference is my wife is 5 ft. The .308 was to much for my wife as was the 7mm mauser so she finally settled in the .243 rem and is very happy, the only problem is my wife out shoots me at the range[:@]
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I shoot a Rem 260 and it doesn't have much recoil at all. 120 grain Accutips work well. If you know any gunsmiths who could build one they could custom fit the stock. A Czech VZ24 action may be used to build the 260 on. My first rifle was a Marlin 30-30 and I still use it today. Not much more recoil than the 260 and much cheaper to shoot. Best bof luck!
Savage offers a youth model the 10GY. It's available in 243, 7MM-08, and 308. I would look to the 243 or 7MM-08. I would go with the 7MM if you think she can handle the recoil. This rifle comes with the accutrigger and a wood stock. The length of pull is 12.5" and it weighs 6.5#. The good thing about the stock is that if it is too long you can have it shortened more to fit her properly. Proper fit and a good trigger will allow her to become proficient with the rifle. Also, the barrel is 22" in length. Any gunsmith can also shorten the barrel if needed to adjust the balance point of a rifle. I think Savage has the best balance of cost and what you actually get for the money you spend. With the addition of the accutrigger I will be looking to Savage for my next center-fire rifle purchase.
I would recommend a .243. I have a single shot NEF and if she doesn't like hunting then its not a huge loss of money. They run about 199.00 and you can swap the barrels. I think they make a youth model as well. The barrels are pretty heavy and a heavier gun means less recoil.
Well I think that we may have it. Took her down to the local gun shop to try out some different guns. They had a sweet Ruger 77 stainless compact in .243 that she really liked but couldn't see spending the $550 for it when she doesn't know if she will like to hunt. What she did like even better was a NEF Handi rifle in .243 that they had down there. It was compact and had a decent synthetic stock. The dealer said that he could order one for me in a youth model that would fit her better. If she decides that she doesn't like hunting I could always buy a full size stock for it and have a back up dear rifle/varmint gun for myself. I'll probably let her practice with some light 50-60 grain bullets then gradually work up to the 100 grain loads for deer. Thanks for all of the replies!!
Deer rifle for the little woman
