woman needing gun selection advice
 

I'm about to start my 3rd season of deer hunting (Love it! love it! love it!). I've either used my muzzleloader or my neighbors .270. This year, I'd like my own rifle, so seeking your advice. Factors in order of importance are: 1. price (support myself) 2. weight. not as strong as I used to be and between climbing hills and mtns, plus holding gun for long amounts of time, makes this very important. 3. accuracy. 4. recoil. I'm not shy on this, but the less the better.

Other info that might help for you to advise me:
5'5" approx. 135lbs...so about average for a woman, I guess
age 52 (as of 3 days ago, and not getting any stronger)
arm stretch length from top of shoulder bone 27" to end of middle finger. 21" to wrist bone.

I'm a novice, so looking for your input.

260 rem or 7mm/08, either will serve you well, if you could get lucky and find a 250 savage it would be awesome....... 52 and 135# wow you've done well.
just turned 53 here ya notice how ya got more time for hunting than ya useta?
RR

.243 Winchester is made to order for you...It's the only centerfire rifle I have owned since 1980 and I have killed over 200 deer with it...I'm 6ft 5 and 240 so don't think it's just for women either...

One huge advantage...Go to your local Walmart and price .243 ammo vs .260 or 7mm-08 (if they have it)!!!

100gr Remington CoreLokts work as good as any bullets in this caliber ...

Thanks for the advice. It's much appreciated. So, if I could ask a couple of follow up questions. In the advice of RR and hawkeye, how do they compare in weight? Would they also work, if down the road, I tried my skills (cough cough) with bigger game?

and to Ridge Runner....not bad if I do say so myself :) not the 100lbs of yesteryear, but what the heck, it works....lol

Take a look at these;

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/weatherby-vanguard-rifle-vgs270nr4o-winchester-griptonite-stock-stainless-finish-p-121954.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/marlin-bolt-action-rifle-xl7270-winchester-black-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-117249.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/ruger-hawkeye-bolt-action-rifle-hmk77rfp-7119-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99578.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/tikka-lite-bolt-action-rifle-jrtb318-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-90826.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/remington-stainless-bolt-action-rifle-7267-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-86358.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/howa-1500-rifle-whogue-stock-hgr62612-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99595.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/savage-116fcss-weather-warrior-rifle-17799-bolt-action-black-stock-stain-steel-finish-wdbm-p-86703.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/thompson-center-icon-weathershield-rifle-5547-winchester-synthetic-stock-weathershield-finish-p-112298.html

If there is a chance you will pursue 'bigger game' then the recommendation for 260 or 7-08 is the better, in my opinion.

By all of the info I've been getting since I'm getting ready 2 buy a new gun myself I'd say the ruger American 243 with a Nikon Buckmaster scope.. Grand total out the door gun scope mounted and bore sighted probably 650 max

they are all short actions, so they would weigh the same, any of them would do for deer hunting, for larger game the 7mm/08 would get the nudge.
RR

Smoky what is the smallest caliber you can use in your state? I found a new light weight rifle that has an adjustable stock and weighs less than 5lbs, and almost no recoil.

DanMorgan.

We have no caliber restrictions in North Carolina, guess we believe in less government...A .22 rimfire is legal...

As mentioned, rifle weight would be the same with these calibers...A nice Remington Model 7 would fit you nicely, my brother has one in 7mm-08...The problem with a big guy like me is it feels too short and too light, which means it should be perfect for a dainty thing like you... ;)

Keep in mind though that the lighter a gun is, the more it kicks...It would be best for you to shoot a few different calibers and guns...Do you have someone to help mentor you???

OK......That's good info. Bushmaster Carbon 15. No weight, no kick, kills out to 300 yards. Also a good zombie rifle.

That's what my wife uses now that Wyoming changed their laws. She took an antelope at 125 yards and destroyed it. No lungs left. Put a Burris 3x AR332 optic on it and BOOM deer rifle with benefits. Now that's if your going to be just shooting at deer in your state. If elk or large game is in your future, you might want to go bigger.

DanMorgan

DanMorgan

You are just about the same size as my wife. Her favorite rifles are a .257 Roberts for deer sized game (similar to a .243), and a .270 for larger game such as elk. Both rifles are good quality, light, and bolt action.

She shoots with stocks that have been shortened, or "youth" stocks. The "youth" stocks are short enough for her to handle the rifle well. Full length stocks are simply too long for her place correctly on her shoulder and to shoot comfortably. I would suggest looking for a model that offers the shorter stock.

Seeing as to how you are aquainted with the 270, that should be your choice. Flat shooting, you can get ammo anywhere, and it has plenty of snort for deer and larger game. Every manufacturer makes rifles in that caliber, and you can check them all until you find the one that is made for you.

My wife is a small woman and has no problem with a Browning .270 Win.

Works fine for shooting deer and elk. I have to do the rest of the work though.

I agree 100% with the above. Savage is still making a 250 Savage AKA 250/3000 that is very nice. They shoot excelent right out of the box. you can't go wrong with any of the three listed here.

I agree with RidgeRunner that 7/08 and 260 Rem are great calibers...the 250 Savage is also a very good caliber if you can get your hands on one...someone else also mentioned the .243, which you certainly can't go wrong with. I would also second Big Uncle's nod to the 257 Roberts (can't wait for mine to get here!)...

My daughter (who is 8 and all of 50 pounds) and my 11 year old niece both shoot .243's and have both taken Caribou and Deer with that round with 100g Nosler Partitions...the 243 is by far one of my favorite rounds.

If the 270 works for you, it's also another round to consider but the above rifles are all short actions, will have less recoil and will be a little lighter.

Bottom line there are a lot of caliber options out there that will fit the bill for your request but some will be easier to find ammo on the shelves if you are not a reloader...those would be .243, 260 Rem, 7mm-08 (7/08) ...the 250 Sav and 257 Roberts may be more challenging to find ammo for but it's still pretty easy.

Rifles....look at the list Sheridan posted...for lighter rifles I'd look closer at:

Tikka T3 Lite (accurate as heck out of the box, adjustable trigger, detachable magazine, smooth as butter bolt)

Savage Model 10/11's (get one with the Accu-Trigger...which gives you an adjustable trigger, accurate and handles nicely)

Weatherby Vanguard (my daughter and niece both have 243's on this rifle...they shoot nice, accurate, and reliable)

All three rifles are reliable, accurate, adjustable triggers, and are available with lightweight synthetic stocks...

Spend time handling several rifles to find one that fits you will be more important than many of the other decisions...a rifle that fits you well will be easier to shoot accurately. Any of the calibers mentioned (243 Win, 257 Roberts, 250 Sav, 260 Rem, 7mm/08) will do everything you need/want.

I would discourage you from considering the Bushmaster Carbon 15 or any other rifle chambered in .223 for a variety of reasons...shot placement with a .223 is more critical and not what I would put a novice hunter into...I lived in Wilmington, NC for a couple of years and hunted over on the coast...unlike Wyoming, NC is mostly thick hardwood forestland as opposed to wide open spaces where a really light round like the .223 can be easily deflected when it hits a small tree limb or even leaf...again, not something I would put a novice through. Plus, unless you are a reloader, good quality hunting rounds for the .223 can be hard to come by even in places like Cabelas or other large sporting goods stores.

I am not anti-223 as a hunting round, there's a time and place for everything and heavy forested hardwoods hunting for a novice just isn't one of those places I would recommend this round for.

emtrescue6,

Good advice, never thought about hitting leafs and limbs, we don't have any. : )

Shot placement should be with every rifle. My children cannot hunt big game animals until they can hit a 8" plate at 200 yards 10 out of 10 times, in the prone position. Period. They just don't get to hunt until then. Not fair for the game your hunting.

Good post.

DanMorgan

My recommendation is a little different from the others, take a look at the Marlin 336y in 30-30. It has a 12" length of pull and a 16" barrel, it should fit you just fine. These guns are more accurate than most hunters and ammo is easy to find. The recoil is also very light, about the same as a .243.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...Hardwood+Stock

But didn't she say bigger game may be on the agenda later?

Stick with the 270 win. It will do it all later on when you choose to go after larger game.

You may have forgotten,,,,,,the lady mentioned she may wish to pursue larger game later. It seems to me then...........one should eliminate the 243 as a suggestion, and perhaps the 250. Excellent suggestions remain......257, 260, and 7-08.

Myself, i would eliminate the 257, if it required a long action. Neither of my 'big game' rifles are 260, but both are 6.5 caliber which indicate i really like the caliber, yes i do. However, the 7-08 is far more available today than the 260. At the store, one can find 7-08 rifles all around, but 260 rifles are kinda scarce.

Several others have suggested the 270. Myself, i see no logical reason to use a long case, and necessarily more powder to hunt big game in America, when the shorter case works just fine.

Thus, the choice whittles down to the 7-08.

Now, if i can somehow justify purchasing one for myself.

I want to thank you all for your suggestions. Wow, thanks a lot! The tree limbs are definitely an issue, as I live in the mtns of Tennessee. I also hunt in upstate SC...both are very wooded areas, so long shots aren't usually an option. Y'all have given me great info...really. Now I can weed out all the other guns I had read about....I was on serious (pull my hair out) information overload. :)
In response to having a mentor...not really...sort of? My neighbor has tried to teach me a few things and let's me shoot his big guns for fun. I still have the option of using the neighbors .270. It's long and gets heavy after a while, but do-able

If you aren't looking for shooting anything bigger than a deer. You said weight was a big issue. I would still hold and look at the bushmaster Carbon AR-15.

DanMorgan

I've probably killed 100+ deer with a 223, it'll do the job, with the right bullet in the right place, but not the best even for deer sized game
RR

+1...especially in the hardwood forests of NC...

It will kill them in the bean and corn fields in NC as well... ;)

I like the 7-08 as well. But, it depends on what you mean by larger game. If your talking black bears, fine. Moose? Probably not. I you are comfortable with a .270 and want the option to hunt bigger, I'd stick with it. Or maybe look at a .308 or .280 Rem, which have similar recoil to the .270.

7-08
 

Myself, i wouldn't feel under gunned at all if i were carrying a 7-08 on a moose hunt. Coincidentally, the last elk i killed, i did so with a swede.

Wish I had a dollar for every "ideal rifle" thread I've come across on various hunting forums.

I'd go out and buy myself the ideal rifle, which happens to be a .......................

For me it was a .243, only centerfire I have owned since 1980...Works just fine for deer and black bears...

I figure if I ever go elk hunting, I can borrow or buy and elk rifle...In the mean time a .243 is also great for groundhogs, crows, wild dogs, wild hogs, coyotes, deer, etc...

The key to becoming an excellent shot is to shoot, plain and simple...The cost of 7mm-08 and .260 ammo is a bit high for the average person to shoot a lot...

Another chunk of advice ... late though it be. If toting weight is a big deal, don't overlook the Ruger Compact. One of my hunting buds brought one to camp. We all, to a man, were questioning what in the heck had he wasted his hard earned $$$ on !!!

But ... this short barrel honey of a rifle shot lights out at the range and he has taken deer cleanly out to well over 250 yards. His is in 308 Win. He has a compact Leupold Vari-X III on it ... I think 1.75-6x32 mm or something like that.

Mojo speaks truth.
My second favorite rifle, which serves as primary whitetail killer and backup on everything else including elk, is a Rem model 7 in 7mm-08. It's got a 20 inch barrel and feels like a Daisy BB gun in my hands. It's a true MOA shooter and that thin 20 inch tube is no handicap at all. Nor is the round it shoots.