Females first deer rifle

Not sure if a left handed rifle is a must but the savage lady hunter 11/111 comes in a great variety of calibers. To name a few, 243, 6.5 creedmoor, 7mm-08. Looks nice to boot.
 
You didn't mention anything about her physical size, but if she is a small lady with short arms, I'd be looking at youth models. I think .243 is an excellent choice without overkill for deer. Maybe after she masters the .243 she might be ready to trade it in on "an elk gun".
 
upstate81 said my recommendation. My wife loves her LadyHunter.


My wife's is in .243 with reloads using a 100gr Sierra ProHunter.
 
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Does the Lady Hunter have the same bolt as the 25 LV? I have one and it shoots really well but the bolt is not up to par. The lady hunter is a great suggestion and something we will definitely look at, that cheek piece needs to be on the other side though. She's like 5'2 maybe 100 lbs, youth models will also be considered.
 
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270 is available in Managed Recoil Ammo by Remington and maybe FEDERAL, too. 6.5mm Swede and 300 Savage are two more oldies but goodies for moderate recoil.

My oldest daughter still prefers her 30-30 Marlin with 4X scope.

Jack
 
I like the .270 win. It's up to the shooter if he/she can handle the recoil. IMO the .270 and 30-06 do not have overwhelming recoil, but everyone is different. Remember, if the shooter is a little recoil shy, you can strap-on some weights to reduce felt recoil, and work your down (weight-wise) until the shooter is more comfortable with the rifle, trigger, and recoil.
 
Not sure if a left handed rifle is a must
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for a lady I would stipulate that it is a must, women are generally weaker and it takes some strength to hold the rifle steady and operate the bolt with the wrong hand, maybe strength isn't the right word but rather stabilitity

I hunted for several years with RH rifles but saw the light a couple of years ago and will never go back!
 
This thread caught my attention, being a left handed, short statured female shooter (5'-2"). Like the OP I've been looking for a rifle to fit me. I'm more confortable with pistols because I have yet to find a rifle or shotgun that is both designed left handed and reduced lenght (w/o extra cost and special order)

To me the lenght of pull is more important, as long as the cheek rest is ambidexterious. As for the operation of the action, I've long since adapted and overcome. With a bolt action, I control the ejection of the hot cartiridge, it doesn't matter to me which side it's on. However it's makes more of a difference when shooting semiautos no one likes hot brass flying at you. This is a fact of life for most left handed shooters Thank goodness my RR AR has a built in deflector and place the brass Forward Right of me everytime.

I do have a lefthanded .22LR Savage but I never shoot it because the stock is too long.
Just my 2 cents. I'm going to keep my I on this thread, it will give me some good pointers next I go shopping.
 
She's like 5'2 maybe 100 lbs, youth models will also be considered.
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The stature of that Lady. Oh yes I can see there is a need for a little less challenging recoil now. Lets take a look at something more. 243 is good. 260 Remington another fine cartridge. 257 Roberts. 250 Savage. 6mm Remington. Even that old 6.5 Swedish. All excellent light recoiling calibers. If you two are into perhaps a larger big game animal hunt like the Elk down the road after she gets use to her new rifle. I would give some thought towards the 25-06 verses the 270. That's if she doesn't mind a little bit of recoil having to handle on a shot or or two having to make on those really big deer out west. (elk)__ 25-06 offers more light weight bullets than a 270 as you probably know. Having to shoot 150 gr. in a 270 is not difference than a 30-06 in recoil. 7mm 08? Again not much difference than the 308 also in recoil. I personally don't think either the (270 or 7mm08) would be her cup of tea.
It would be a better idea to perhaps stay within that 24 to 26 caliber range of calibers for her due to her slight stature. Besides if your there along side her with a Mag in hand I'm sure you could give her a hand in making sure that monster big feller hits the ground if and when she encounters one. The main point I'm try to make is not to spoil a good chance to outfit her with a weapon that may be discomforting to carry and shoot.
One rifle that comes to mind that would have been perfect. That little Ruger Ultra Light bolt action they made a few years back. And perhaps one like I carry myself. Rem 700 Mountain rifle. I actually have two of them. One in 270 the other in 25-06. (Twins so to speak.) You might want to check into those light weight skinny barreled rifles in her behalf before hand and judge for yourself what may or may not be appropriate. Although a stock may have to be trimmed a little for her comfort. But that shouldn't be a too big of a deal to have done. I wish you both good luck in your quests.

S/S
 
i think that 257 Robs she has will do just fine. my mother has taken Elk with her 257. Bang, flop DRT. its all about the shot placement. but my next suggestion would be a 7mm Mauser. my girlfriend shoots her 7X57 quite well, and the recoil is very manageable.
BTW what area you gonna be in? if you drew a tag for the Silvies unit, id be more than happy to have a couple of new huntin buddies :)
 
rifle

I would suggest an encore for a lefty. I know the contender came in a youth stock and I think the encore does too. If not get the walnut and add a sims recoil pad, cut the stock down to fit her. I think the 7mm calibers are the best.
The 7mm 08 will do but the .280 Remington would be my choice, but I can reload to what ever power I want in the .280.
My personal choice would be a 7x57mm but I like the older stuff and to have something "different".
She can add a muzzleloader barrel and a shotgun barrel for turkey and hunt for three seasons.
 
I'm with the other suggesting the .243. It is a great rifle and certainly does the job. I got one for my girlfriend this year as she has become a bigger and bigger fan of shooting and decided she wanted to get into hunting with me. I got it for her because she can pretty much shoot it all day, little kick, but can be loaded up with a decent whitetail load. She proved it this past rifle season by taking a pretty decently sized 8pt. She loves it and has had the opportunity to shoot a wide variety of calibers ranging from .223-.338Lapua.

She still goes for the .243 when we are shooting all day or when we go varmint or whitetail. (Although she has started to call the .22-250 hers and has started shooting it more and more..)
 
Lighter bullet = less recoil

I have several .270 Win rifles & I'm a big fan of this cartridge. I've always shot 130gr bullets as that was the standard.

I don't know if you are a handloader, but I recently tried some 110gr Barnes TSX bullets. This produced noticeably less recoil shooting from the bench. They shot very well & according to Barnes, the performance of their lighter bullets is equal to or better than heavier lead core bullets.

I shot one deer with the bullet & it performed fine, but I can't draw any big conclusions yet.

FWIW...

...bug :)
 
25-06 would be ideal if you can find one for a lefty. Otherwise its beginning to look a bit more like the 270. Your choice is going to be limited due to the lefty configuration. I would shy away from the 243 in your neck of the woods. After all she is young and she may want to hunt more than deer. You do have an elk or two out your way you know.
 
My 16 y/o daughter shoots a .308 and does well with it. That would be my choice, especially if elk are next on the menu.
 
How big and far away does a game animal have to be before a good one hundred grain bullet from a .243 Win won't take it down with a well placed shot?
 
270 is available in Managed Recoil Ammo by Remington and maybe FEDERAL, too.
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Or you can make your own- IIRC, I loaded a 130 grain bullet on top of 46 gr of IMR4064 ..... made 2700 f/sec, and dropped bambi like a bad habit for my eldest daughter when she was 13.
 
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