Deer rifle for a small person

[Shadow]

Recently my girlfriend has expressed a real interest in deer hunting. She has been with me before, but know she says she wants to try and take a deer. I have been wanting a model 7 for a while, and this seems as good a reason as I can think of to get one. I bought her a .22 rifle for her birthday, and she loves to go with me to the range. I am not a big fan of the 24 calibers. I know they are excellent deer rifles, but I feel they are more an experts gun than a beginner. I have heard lots of stories about dramatic kills with the .243 Win. I was thinking of getting her a 7mm 08. I have never shot one, nor the .260 or .308. I want to get her something that won't hurt her. She is very tiny, 5' 95 lbs. She is pretty tough, but I don't want her to develop bad habits from a flinch. What is recoil like with the 7mm 08? She has shot a 12 gauge before at the skeet range, and was able to tolerate it. I was thinking of letting her shoot my .44 mag Ruger carbine to see how she handled some mild rifle recoil. Believe it or not that little Ruger has a bit of bite to it. I have posted this question on other boards, and I have heard a few complaints about recoil for small people with the 7mm 08 and .308. If this is the case I would opt for the .243 Win. I would feel more comfortable with the larger 7mm bullet, and I also shoot a 7mm Mag. This would make reloading more cost efficient down the line. I have been looking for one for her to test shoot, but I have had no luck. Most of the guys I hunt with are shooting .270s or bigger.

[waltjq]

Shadow, The model 7 is a great choice, light, can be ordered with a youth stock if needed, and they shoot great in .243 or 7mm 08. The 7mm 08 has a little more bite to its recoil but not anything major. Just make sure that you provide her with some padding when she's shooting off of a bench. I've never lost a deer I've shot with the .243 so I wouldn't have any issues with this cal. Go for it!

[rmfloyd]

I think the .243 is a good choice because it can be used for both deer & varmits, so the two of you can shoot all year round. The ammo is common & not expensive, so you can both find it & afford it. The recoil should be tolerable. I also would recommend a bolt action, such as the Model 7, because it is light & has a safety switch. Good luck!

[weatherby]

i got my wife a browning bar in 25-06. had it magnaported . it kicks like a .22 mag with 115 nosler partitions

[JimHewitt]

The semi-autos will also even out a bit of the recoil.

I would suggest that whatever you buy, make sure that you take it to a good gunsmith who can make sure that the stock is not too long, low, or whatever. And maybe put on a little extra recoil padding. If you do, you might even go up a bit to the .270 class.

Another possibility would be a quality muzzleloader. The black powder/Pyrodex "kick" is a lot more of a shove, and you can really experiment easily with loadings between 60 and 100 grains.

[Dan Jackson]

I think it's great she is willing to go with ya. Play it smart and get her a setup that she'll at enjoy shooting!

[Shadow]

Well, I think I am going to put an order in for a model 7 LSS tonight. I know she would love the .243, but I going to try the 7mm 08. She loves the mountians, and this would give her enough rifle to take an elk with inside of 200 yards. I think she will be able to handle it. If not, I will try to find someone to handload some light loads for her. Now comes the question of what to top the little rifle with......I am thinking a Leupold 3-10 variX III or a 4-12 variX II.

[CHEVELLE]

I think the best gun to begin hunting with would be a 30-30.I still use my 30-30 Win. every deer season.It may not have the power to reach out over 200 yards but its length and weight provide a good gun for a beginner.All of my hunting buddies use .270's or 30-06's.They say one of theses days my little 30-30 will let me down!Well last year I killed a 137" gross 9 pointer that my uncle had shot at 9 times the year before.He hit it once in the leg.It sounds like to me that his .270 let him down!!!Or was it buck fever???Never the less my 30-30 has brought down over 20 bucks since 1986!

[Shadow]

Well the guy I buy guns from talked me out of the model 7 last night. I am going to the sporting good store to compare it to the Mountain Rifle. He says the barrel on the model 7s are super thin, and the mountain rifle has a better barrel. I am not sure this is true. I will have to see for myself. I know what sort of barrel the mountain rifle has, and it is super thin. Guess I will have to compare the two up close and personal.