Choosing a first and probably only rifle for a short woman

You may be right in that the salesman may not have known what he was talking about. He is not the gunsmith. The stock does narrow and curve quite a bit, though. I got the name of a good man to do the stock reshaping a few weeks ago when I was buying a shotgun. I found a perfect size in a Benelli Montefeltro youth model and did not need his work then. Looks like I do now.

Reading all the information on this site helped me find the perfect shotgun but I couldn't find what I needed to make a decision on the rifle without posting a question. I know that you all get tired of answering the "What is the best...?" question and mine was very close to that.

Thank you all for your input. I feel more confident now about buying the gun I really liked.

Kate
 
Kate,IMO,you seem pretty well grounded in knowing what you are doing.It seems to me the path you are picking is ,IMO,more right on than several of the offered suggestions.
Wood or composite,most any stock can be shortened and a pad fitted.That is a gunsmith bread and butter job.
You are in Florida.I visited a brother some years ago in Florida and he took me to visit a fine,old school gunsmith.This gentleman knows his stuff.I don't recall exactly where it was,if I recall correctly the business name was Guncrafters ,The smith's first name was Ben.I'll do a little digging and try to PM some contact info.
Your rifle needs to fit.Once it is there,the scope needs to be mounted properly to give you generous eye relief.The old scope cut eyebrow thing develops problems with your shooting.
Welcome!!!
 
Guncrafters is in Ruskin,Fla.I think if you do a little checking,a woman Bianchi Cup champion named Kim is one of his gunsmiths.(I'm not too sure how cool it is to post the names of people).You might contact them for ideas,and perhaps they can give you a comprehensive assistance.
 
Kate, I just did a quick search on Gunbroker for 308 Youth and came up with several. Marlin, Savage, and Weatherby all sell a 308 youth model. Of those, the best value by far is the Marlin followed by Weatherby. The Savage is the Axis model which many people don't like because of the way the recoil lug is part of the stock instead of being part of the receiver (something that might not bother you at all).
 
The Weatherby Youth is adjustable, making sure you find the right pull length for you. The only thing I don't like on it is the very low weight for a 308, nice when taking a single shot hunting, not so shoulder friendly for a day at the range.
 
I wanted to mention... Kate has brought up the "what range, what target" thread twice now. I believe the intention of that thread was not to discourage questions, but to encourage providing some intended-use information along with the question.
Kate, you provided more than enough, more than precise, info about what you are looking for. You have zero reason to apolagize for your questions! In fact I apolagize for my part in that thread if it led to you or anyone else feeling uncomfortable seeking knowledge in this forum.

Best of luck in your search.

Sent via Tapatalk ~Android~
 
Hi Kate.

Have you got a tougher shoulder than your height would suggest? If not, .308 might be a bit much.

If I were a 5'2" tall woman, I'd be looking for a caliber that kicks less. .270 Win is considered acceptable for elk and more than enough for deer. Have you shot a .308 and know you're OK with it?

I'm not a tough macho guy, and I find I don't like any more kick than a 6mm Rem (same as a .243 Win) or 44 Mag out of a rifle. It just hurts after a while.
I'd be fine with a .308 for hunting, but the practice would be painful without a shoulder pad.

I agree that trimming a wooden stock to fit you is not a big deal for a gunsmith.

So, all this said, I'd recommend a T/C Encore.
http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/encore.php

It says the length of pull of the stock is 14", but I think they make a youth version too, and you can put any caliber barrel you want on it.

Then, you can get it in .243, know that it isn't going to beat you up more than is necessary, and know that it is good for deer.

Later, if you decide to hunt elk, you can buy that .308 or .270 barrel and just move the scope over to it.

Side note: I just bought a PAST Magnum Plus recoil shoulder pad, and noticed in their literature that they offer one for women that hooks on a bra strap under the shirt. Pretty neat idea, I think. You won't need it on the hunt, as you'll only shoot once or twice. But for practice and zeroing, esp. with a .308, you're going to want something, or it's going to bruise you.

My next rifle's going to be an Encore, probably in .223 Rem. They also have the Pro Hunter version with built in shock absorption (not just a recoil pad) that is said to reduce felt recoil by up to 40%.

Another cool thing about the Encores is that they have a longer barrel than an equivalent bolt action, but a shorter overall length, because there isn't all that wasted space for the action. I also think the pistol grip stocks are the cat's meow.

silo-745-pro-hunter-5643.jpg
 
Hey Kate I bought my wife who is about your size a Winchester model 70 feather weight in 243 Win cal. we had a gunsmith shorten the stock to fit her and the rest is history. This was done about 18 years ago but the same rifle is still available today. It fits her to a Tee and she has several deer to her credit.
The caliber is your choice but the 308 recoil can be a bit punishing, but that's your choice of course. Trust me I know better then to argue with a lady who has her mind set!
 
The Ruger Compact should be just what you need. Length of pull is 12 1/2 inches and the rifle is super easy to handle. I bought it for my wife and loaded up mild loads (260 Remington) for her. Recoil is pretty light. If the 12 1/2 is still too long, cutting it down (the wood stocked version) should be quite easy. The rifle is so light , well balanced, and short that I've parked my 220 Swift for a while, restocked the Ruger Compact for me, and I'm using it for pigs and coyotes. As for the perfect caliber for you, the 260 or something similar would be just about it - with good performance and light recoil. And you might consider trying to find a used Ruger Ultralight in 257 Roberts, and have that stock cut down. That's probably one of the cheapest paths to a rifle well suited to your size. 15 or so years ago, we kids (in our 50's and 60's now) bought Dad an Ultralight in 270. He was and still is a fanatical hunter, but he was getting older and weaker, and that rifle is perfect. He loves it. But you wouldn't want that caliber. In an ultralight, it kicks like a mule.
 
+1 for Johns Advice.

My arms are short. The best solution for me has been to go to a good gunsmith and let him cut down the stock and fit a good quality recoil pad to it. Yeh its going to cost a bit but there is nothing like shooting with a rifle or shotgun that was made to fit you.
 
Hello miss Kate and welcome. If you purchace the savage with the wood stock (you said that you liked it and you already know what cartridge you want it chambered in), you can take the rifle to a competent gunsmith and he can cut it down to fit you without too much fuss. You might even entertain getting a different recoil pad to be installed with the customization. That would be the proper time for the better recoil pad to be installed. As I said, it isnt a very difficult thing to do.

Thank you for coming by and please return.
 
Thank you all for your replies and suggestions. I will order the Savage 10 GXP3from Walmart. They have it for $587. Quite a savings over the $700 price in the gunshop. I held it again today when I stopped in for some ammo and still love it. I was wearing different clothing and found that my fingertip reached the trigger without too much reaching. If the stock has to be cut down it won't be as much as they first suggested. People who have shot the .308 rifles have assured me that it won't offer any more kick than my 20 ga. Benelli Montefeltro shotgun. That kick is more of a small push than kick. I own the recoil shoulder pad that was suggested. It attaches to my tank top straps and works very well. I was wearing it when I tried the rifle again today since I was coming from shooting the Benelli at the range.
Sincerely,
Kate
 
I'll add my voice to the "make it fit" crowd, insofar as the proper length of pull. The next thing is the installation of a high-quality butt pad.

Related and FWIW, I shot a Ruger Scout this last Saturday. Okay, it's a lightweight .308. I don't know what Ruger did to make that buttpad work as well as it does, but from the bench the felt recoil was much less than I expected. It felt much like my seven-pound .243 with 85-grain bullets.

Since this isn't an area where I've done much exploration, I'll defer to others as to opinions about brands and models.
 
People who have shot the .308 rifles have assured me that it won't offer any more kick than my 20 ga. Benelli Montefeltro shotgun.
Click to expand...

They lied. A bolt action 308 is going to have noticeably more recoil than a semi auto 20 guage shotgun.

But since you already have the recoil shield it shouldn't be too bad.

Good luck hunting.

Jimro
 
If you get it cut down put a good recoil pad on it like limbsaver or kickeez. I've put one on my .300 Win Mag and they make a huge difference.
 
Ruger Hawkeye's 7 lb. Trigger Pull

If you're considering the Hawkeye, you might want to carefully check the trigger pull before you buy. (I know, this can't be done with internet sales.) I just bought a Ruger Hawkeye Compact for my teenage daughter. The usual advice about gently increasing pressure on the trigger until the weapon fires was a bit tough to follow. In this case you had to squeeze the trigger for a while and then just finally give it a good yank. We measured the pull at over 72 ounces (which is as high as my scale goes).

I just got off the phone with Ruger product service. It was my understanding that the lc6 trigger was supposed to break at 3.5 to 4.5 pounds. Ruger told me that the Hawkeye specs call for a trigger pull from 3.5 to 7 pounds. ***??? 7 pounds???

The end result is that I had to spend another $100 to buy an after-market adjustable trigger. The Savage is looking better and better.
 
I also have a Ruger Hawkeye, and Shilkraut and Art Eatman mentioned both of the things that I noticed quickly. The recoil pad was most amazing and easily the best of any recoil pad on any rifle I have. And the trigger pull was too heavy to suit me, though it was crisp. I took it to a local gunsmith, who tested it at 4 pounds. I said that I wanted something lighter, so he replaced the spring in the trigger mechanism (took him maybe 3 minutes max) with a lighter one, and the pull was then 2 pounds and still crisp. I really do like that rifle. I'm like a lot of ya'll, in that when I get ready to go to the woods, too many rifles are whispering "take me, take me". Lately, the Hawkeye is my favorite, and I'd buy another one without a moment's hesitation - if I could find even the smallest logical reason to buy another one.
 
A few already mentioned the Model 7 Rem and I'll +1 that. They've made it in the premium "CDL" trim for a few years now too, so you don't have to feel "budget" just because shopping for small/youth stature. I'll also +1 the chambering of 7mm-08 -- in whatever rifle you choose, but the -08 is particularly shorter-barrel friendly in the ballistics/accuracy department.

I'm a life long .270 shooter and the 7mm-08 really is a .270 (well, .280) "lite" but only lesser in its short-action and more compact dimensions...it does most-everything mine does up to 300...and with less "pow" on the shooter end.than the .308. My next rifle--to augment my .270 :)--will be a Win Featherweight 70 or Rem Mt Rifle DM (discontinued)in 7mm-08--"just because"--and for that lighter "mountain rifle" duty.
 
I had a Parker Hale Mauser Action in .270 I had cut down to fit me. The old factory recoil pad was over 30 years old and about ready to give up the ghost. I had the gunsmith install a good quality recoil pad. Was not cheap but man there was a world of difference in the recoil.
 
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