Choosing new rifle for teen girl for hunting

N

Nim Rod

New member
She currently shoots a Ruger .243, and she is proficient with it, it is a great go to rifle for deer & antelope and has served her well with many a tagged kill, however, we are looking to get something a little bigger for Elk after suffering a game loss due to the loss of a good blood trail after an initial good blood trail, leaving us to ponder if the bullet hole didn't close and prevent further blood loss.
After searching for well over 7 hours we were forced to give up when darkness fell.
As her mom, I shoot a Ruger 30.06, and she has shot it, but it seams a bit heavy for her with a little to much recoil, although she was proficient enough with it to bring down a nice Muley buck last fall.
We are debating between a .270, a .308, or "maybe" a 30.06...
Thoughts or advice?
 
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.270 will give you as much recoil as the .30-06. No help there. .308 will be a little better. Personally, I'd go with a 7mm-08. MUCH better at elk than a .243 as you can use 140grn bullets. Recoil is not much more than her .243.
 
Thank you Doyle.
How available and pricey is ammo for a 7mm? I've not considered it before and know nothing about it. We'll add that to our list of prospective's :) thanks!
 
308 is normally the minimum recommended for elk. another option you may think about is the 7mm-08 which is essentially the intermediary between 308 and 243(all three use the same case, just different neck sizes). it packs more weight than the 243 and shooters flatter and faster than 308.

if your family reloads, look for 7mm nosler accubonds, great bullet for elk...
 
Thank you. I will definitely look into the 7mm 08.
I tried offering her my old starter rifle, a Marlin 30.30 Glenfield (it's already killed 4 elk in the past, so I know it can) but she wasn't interested in it...

We don't do any reloading, wish we did...........sigh...so need ammo to be easy enough to find (I know...it's near impossible to find these days for any cartridge)
 
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If you need to be able to find ammo then .308 is pretty much out of the question as it is a rare luxury in most areas. I find 7mm-08 ammo most everywhere that I look, and it is a great round with just a little more recoil than the .243.
 
I have a Remington .280 mountain rifle and my wife occasionally shoots it and likes it. It's very light and can be carried all day on a hunt and should be sufficient for elk with heavy bullets. Recoil is not that bad.
 
You might look at a Browning BAR in 270 or 30-06 instead of just looking at bolt actions. The wood stock version is just about 7 pounds as it comes out of the box, so about 8 pounds with a scope, loaded and ready to carry.
Also the wood stock can be shortened if she's not a tall gal, and so the gun can be made to fit her well.
See this link.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=002B&cid=031&tid=536

A smaller and/or light bullet or lower velocity is a good way to reduce recoil, but so is a gas auto and if you go to an auto you don't have to give up as much power.
One of these firing a full power 270 with a 150 grain bullet is an excellent elk gun and it kicks about like a 25-06 or a light 243.
 
I’ll start off by saying how impressed I am that you, as a mother, have introduced and are willing to help your daughter in the sport of shooting and hunting. America does have some hope left!

Doyle is spot on with his assessment. The 270 is just a 30/06 necked down so recoil is about the same. The 308 Winchester is a good choice except again, the recoil is only slightly less than a 30/06 and it is nearly impossible to find any ammo for them right now. 7mm/08 is a great little cartridge, well capable of taking elk at close and intermediate distances, and with less recoil than a 30/06. From what I’ve seen the ammo is usually a little more expensive but other than that it is a cartridge I would give serious consideration if I were in your shoes.
 
I would push a 30-30. I inherited one from one of my dads friends. I have a deer rifle but my 15 y/o son did not. 2 seasons he has dropped 5 deer in 2 states with it. Happens to be a Marlin microgroove with a 4x Bushnell. I see you offered her your 30-30. Perhaps she just wants her own "new" rifle. Or maybe a different style. IMO 30-30 is one of the most underrated calibers. Shoots flat (within range) hits hard and has a gentle recoil.
 
WyosmithThat is pretty! However....and it won't affect anything, but she wants blond wood to match her .243...she's taken a real liking to blond woods, lol.
I wonder if any of the above mentioned is available in a blond wood, or MSR, which she also loves
 
Thank you AllenJ, I pride myself as a huntress and having been hunting since I was her age (17) I even left my x because he refused to hunt, lol...found me a new husband who is as die hard about hunting as I am...seriously, lol.

I absolutely love my 30.30, and it served me well for many, many years...but I also love my 30.06 with its "reach out and touch something" capability, lol.

Last fall, we went out for deer and she thought I had put her .243 in the truck, and I thought she had...after all, she is responsible for making sure she had everything she would need....long story short, we reached our destination only to discover she had left the .243 at home so I handed her my 30.06, which at first she was scared to shoot, but once she saw her buck, all fears left her and she dropped him in one fatal shot.....said she never even noticed the recoil in her excitement, lol..ok, yeah, I'm bragging :D I admit it, I'm a proud mom!
The landowner just couldn't get over 2 gals, hunting with no fella along....then his jaw dropped when we quickly dressed out our kills...guess he was worried he was gonna have to do it, lol.
Anyhow, I personally feel she would do just fine with a 30.06, and ammo is readily available...plus we can share ammo if the need ever arose....but yes, she wants her very own rifle, not a hand me down......dang kids, lol
 
MSR - Military Style Rifle...I know very little about them....my son has an AR-15, but he doesn't hunt....(he works at a meat processing plant and has no disire to add to his workload, lol)
I don't know what calibers are available in a MSR though
 
for 7mm-08 I found some 160 grain hunting ammo that uses the accubond bullet. a little spendy and currently on back order but much more effective against elk than 243.
here's the link
 
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