I have only been hunting 4 years and I see it in her eyes that she wants to do what Daddy does. So I started her working out with a Crossman air rifle for safety skills and operation. About to start her on a CZ .22 bolt action, then squirrel hunting after deer season closes. By spring I would like to have her practicing with a deer rifle. I already have a NEF single shot 30-06 that I used sometime, but I feel the 06 would be too much recoil for her. She is tall and athletic 5'10" but a but skinny. I am thinking right now to send the NEF in for re-barreling. I need advise deciding between .243, .270 or .308. Also I know there are 06 light weight grains that claim to be low recoil, but I don't know how effective the are on Georgia Whitetail. I got a feeling she will get a trophy buck in her sights on her first hunt, so I don't want her under gunned either. Any experienced advise out ther?
Thanks

I would go with the 243 cal. if it was me. I bought one for my wife and she gets along with it pretty well. My son will use it this next year on his deer hunt as well.


hunter338

I second the motion for the .243. The .270 and .308 recoil nearly as much as a .30-06; the .243 is noticeably milder, and is very effective on deer (now watch this last statement start a debate!)

I have a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight and it is a joy to shoot. Once I floated the barrel and lightened the trigger (did this myself) it turned into a tack driver, provided I let the barrel cool a bit between shots. It is easy to carry too. You might look at one of these for the smaller folks in the household.

You need to expand your options....the 7mm Mauser and 7mm08 are both very mild recoil calibers that are extremely efficient on deer and Elk. The 243 albiet a great caliber, needs to be in the hands of an expert, experiencedmarksman IMHO.

7mm-08 ,just alitte more recoil than the .243 but should move more margin for error.

48th.

Please explain?
I guess I would like to know where you are going with your reply?

hunter338

I think a good starter rifle for a young lady would be a 25-06. Nowhere near the recoil of a 30-06 and plenty of stuff to lay em down.

Of those three, I'd suggest the .243. A.30-30, .25-06, or7mm-08 would also be good choices.

Another excellent caliber to consider is the 6.5x55 Swedish. Ruger, Winchester and CZ all make fine hunting rifles in this caliber. I am taking my CZ550 6.5 Swede on a doe hunt in a couple of days.

The 6.5x55 shoots a reasonably heavy bullet, 140 or even 160 grains, at modest velocities, ~2400-2500fps. Lighter bullets are available for handloaders. The 140 grain recoil is even milder than my 100 grain .243 loads, although this may be due to the weight of the rifles I fire these two calibers in. The long, skinny 6.5mm bullet offers outstanding accuracy and penetration.

The only downside is that ammunition may not be as common as some of the other calibers mentioned. I handload so I have lots of flexibility, but again, Remington, Winchester and Federal all offer a decent 140 grain factory load.

I agree with the 6.5 swiss and 7mm-08. Would also like to throw in the .260Remington. Remington has a youth bolt in .260, light recoil, excellent accuracy and ballistics. Hard to beat the 6.5/.264 bullet in a mild recoil gun.