Choosing a first and probably only rifle for a short woman

K

Kalamity Kate

New member
I looked at several rifles in local gun shops and do not know much about the brands or the reliability and accuracy of the various models. The choices are limited because I am 5' 2''. I am looking for a rifle that fires .308 cartridges.

I tried a Savage 10 GXP with a Bushnell scope (3-9x 40, $700 with scope) and though it is a touch too long according to the measurement of my forearm (12 1/4 in.), my hand will fit and pull the trigger without straining to reach with the rifle correctly mounted at the shoulder. The man in the shop said it would be difficult to cut the walnut stock down because of its shape and the shape of the stock pad. The scope should be moved closer towards my eye but I can see through it clearly. It is very hard to find a youth model in the .308. Most are 243 with a very short barrel.

The Ruger compact Hawkeye .308 felt okay, also, but neither of these guns are really short enough in the stock for the measurement of my reach. The Hawkeye has a synthetic stock and the locals say it can't be cut down without ruining the gun.

They suggested that I buy the gun I liked ( the Savage), work with it and perhaps later have it altered in stock and new scope mount if I found it difficult to shoot with. This suggestion worries me because of the difficulty in cutting down the stock.
This is the only rifle I intend to buy and I want to be sure to make the correct choice. Does it matter if the stock is a bit long if I can still pull the trigger with ease with a correct shoulder mount? I wasn't wearing my recoil pad when I tried the rifles.
I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you in advance.
Kate
 
Oops! Just read "What range, what target". Deer and elk and I have no idea how far off they will be until I get there. Perhaps I shouldn't have posted here. Sorry for a stupid question.
Kate
 
You need to be looking at the "youth" models. Most of the major manufacturers offer their mainline rifles in a youth configuration.
 
Remington 700 SPS Buckmasters young bucks compact or SPS compact or model 7. Browning makes a micro hunter version of both the X-bolt and A-bolt. Not sure what the other mfg's make similar to these.
 
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=229606516

Actually just pasted that link in another thread for someone wanting a standard style hinged floor plate on a gunsite scout rifle. I thought it may interest you as well. The scope can be placed in the "normal" position although eye relief may be a factor. Also I don't know of any reason the laminate stock could not be adjusted (cut) to your liking. Nice scope too.

Just for clarification, it's not my rifle & I have nothing to do with it. Its been listed on gunbroker for some time now as I have seen it multiple times while searching. Hope this helps and welcome to shooting:D
 
I would keep looking. The Savage 10 is a great rifle, but there are plenty of reputable manufacturers that might have a better fitting stock. I think a properly fitting stock is pretty important. Weartherby, Browning, Howa and Remington are all guns you could look into.

If you are worried about a rifle working or not for you, you could always looked used. Lower sticker price and so less possible buyer's remorse (and could possibly sell it for the exact same thing you bought it for if you want to get rid of it). Buying used guns from a reputable dealer is a pretty safe bet, you shouldn't have to worry about reliability or anything.
 
The distance from the butt of the stock to the trigger is called "length of pull"... is that what you're finding too long? A length of pull that is too great can prevent a correct shoulder seating and interfere with a good cheek weld, inhibiting your ability to aim. It also means the weight of the gun is further from your body, which makes it harder to hold with shorter arms. I would take their advice and get a second stock for the gun... have it cut to size, and put an aftermarket recoil pad on it. Especially if this will be your only rifle (they're like potato chips, are you sure one is enough?) it's worth putting a bit of money and effort into.
Oh yes... there are no stupid questions here. :-)

Congratulations on your decision to buy a rifle, and welcome to the club!
 
i am a little bias but I would go for a lever action 357 mag or 44 mag. Works for any small creature up to the size of a while tale.
 
I had a Remington model 7. Excellent accuracy. I have a Weatherby Vangaurd youth in 7mm-08. Also very accurate. The stock on the Weatherby is painted black and it came with a synthetic stock in adult size also.

The stock is not difficult to cut on any gun. It is however difficult to cut it squarely and sand the but plate to match the stock again without damaging the finish. Any competent gunsmith can do it and a few good carpenters are capable also. Find one of these competent people and get the rifle you like and cut it to fit you.

Your choice of caliber is more than enough for deer and elk. It should be effective to 3 or 400 yards with proper bullet selection and shot placement. Practice at the yardages you intend to shoot animals at. Don't shoot at any animal unless you know you can hit it. And don't let the guys on here talk you into some super duper cartridge that will "kill 'em in the next county over". Getting close is 75% of the fun.
 
I would recommend trying a Remington 750, the semi-automatic rifle will soak up a lot of recoil which translates into better "shootability".

I'm 6'1" and 220 lbs, and I do not like recoil. If you are only going to have ONE rifle, make sure it is one that isn't going to make you flinch.

Other options would be a Browning lightweight FNAR or Saiga 308.

Jimro
 
Savage actually make a "youth" rifle in .308, the Savage 11 11FYCAK. Also look at Howa 1500 youth & Remington 700 ADL youth, both available in .308.
Budsgunshop.com has all 3 on line that you can view, but better to find a shop near you that you can handle all 3 to see which suits you best.
 
Thank you for the replies. Before going on a search of several gunshops in my area I spent two days on the internet trying to identify youth rifles in the caliber chosen. Local youth rifles- used are in 22. cal. I just went back to sites for rifles referred to in these replies to see what I missed locating.
- Savage only offers youth models in 22 cal. The 11FYCAK comes up blank on information- Perhaps it is discontinued.
- Browning is way too expensive and the X-bolts come in short 20 in. barrels wth a 13 5/16 LOP and still not my 12 1/4 LOP. the A-bolts are in 22 cal.
- Remington Young Bucks is not offerred in a .308.
- Ruger Hawkeye is offered in Compact and not youth size. It is the same length as the Savage I am considering but has the disadvantage of a synthetic stock that can't be successfully cut down.
- The Ruger in the offered link is a compact that I tried in the store and is the same as the Remington and the Savage compacts. It is not offered in youth size.
- Weatherby may have a youth rifle but i am unable to find one on the site.
- The suggestion to find a used youth rifle is more difficult to accomplish than to locate a new one in the caliber of my choce.
- The Remington 700 ADL is not offered in .308. Perhaps I missed the item. The Remington site is difficult to navigate in a search.
- big al hunter suggested I reduce the stock on the Savage. Would like to do that but they said it can't be done properly since the stock narrows and curves. The best that can be done on the existing stock is to reduce it by less than 1 inch without scrapping the recoil pad.
- Daekar said that the advice was to get a second stock. I did not see that advice but it seems like the best solution. The stock looked like one seamless piece. They don't make a youth stock to fit the gun as far as I know. Not sure that is a viable option.
- Howa- this is the only youth rifle that is offered in a .308. There are none offered locally and very few youth models of any brand available. Can't find one to hold and won't order one I haven't tried on.

I appreciate the time you all have taken to try to answer my dilemma. I will have to go with the Savage 10 Compact in the .308 cal. I am not going to settle for a 22 cal or even the 7mm., which was not my choice in caliber, just because I am a woman. I will try to find a way to get the stock cut and a new pad put on, if it comes to that, or will just adapt to the gun as is. The latter is the more likely.
Thank you all,
Kate
 
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I think the best solution is to buy what you like/want and have it altered.

It should not be terribly difficult to find a local gunsmith who can cut down the stock to fit you and install a buttpad to finish the job.
 
The advice JohnKSa offered is the one I need to follow. The gun is the right caliber. The wood stock makes it a bit heavier than the synthetics but that ought to help with recoil. The stock may not be able to be reduced sufficiently but I can check around with other shops. We have two men in the Pensacola area who are expert with shaping stocks. It may be possible to fix or I may just have to adapt to the gun. New mounts can be bought and the sights moved closer to my eye. With all the suggestions offered here, I realize my research was as good as it gets. The Savage 10 GXP is the closest I will get to a gun that fits in the caliber and barrel length I want. Thank you for your time, gentlemen.
Kate
 
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Kate,

http://www.pachmayr.com/adapters.php

The above recoil pad adapter is made for synthetic stocks. If you click on the install instructions, you'll see it addresses the issue of having a hollow stock and what the gunsmith needs to do.

I'm not a gunsmith but it doesn't seem too difficult. I'm sure a competent gunsmith could do this work. Or....print a copy and take it to your local gunsmith and get his/her opinion first hand. :)

Just an idea....
 
The man in the shop said it would be difficult to cut the walnut stock down because of its shape and the shape of the stock pad.
Click to expand...

I believe the man is feeding you a line. It is very simple to cut the stock - wood or synthetic - and install a new recoil pad. Almost any gunsmith will do it. Go to a different gun shop as this guy isn't interested.
 
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