Rifle for my fiancée

H

HALLAUSTIN

New member
Ive been trying to pick a caliber and a light enough rifle to get the Mrs. a new rifle, she can shoot a mosin just fine but a 12gauge with 3inch shells put her in the ER. So she thinks she wants a bolt rifle. So a bolt I must buy, I'm a thinkin' that .243, 22-250, or .223 would be the way to go (she mostly hunts paper targets, with the occasional varmint) but I am all ears... or eyes rather on different round ideas
 
If she's really only going to stalk paper, Weatherby Vanguard target in 223. If there's a chance she's going to try a deer, Tikka T3 in 243.
 
I'd go with the .223 unless larger critters are a possibility. I'd look at the Savage line, but take her with you and see if she likes it. If there's a chance she might hunt larger critters .243, 7mm-08, or .308 should be fine since she's ok with the recoil from a Mosin. All are good cartridges and fairly common so finding ammo shouldn't be a problem.

Stu
 
For paper targets and the occasional varmint, it's hard to beat a .223 Rem. Ammo is relatively inexpensive, there's little recoil, accuracy is great, and the barrels don't heat up when firing, like with more powerful cartridges, even the .22-250.

Look into the various light varmint rifles from Remington and other mfgs. I like Remingtons. Wooden stocks can usually be more easily be modified for the smaller stature folks.

The CZ is pretty nice, but can be heavy. Savages shoot quite well, but aren't as pretty, for the most part. Brownings are pretty, but more expensive and don't shoot any better than the others. Tikka and Sako shouldn't be overlooked either, but have detachable magazines, so may not load singles easily at the range, but they are extremely accurate and most have great triggers.
 
The 243Win is the crescent wrench of the cartridge world -- It does everything
from paper to ground squirrels to Mule deer to elk*. It does it with light recoil --
and is legal for every practical hunting application in North America that I know of.
(Forum members please weigh in here w/ correct info if different.)

The 243Win forms the base of that classic two-gun suite that rules all situations
-- the other being the venerable 375 H&H.







*within reasonable range limitations, of course. ;)

.
 
Savage model 10 in 243 would be my recomnendation, serious caliber with light recoil:

Jim


SAM_0470.jpg
 
First off, let her do the picking for the particular rifle. How a rifle fits her body is crucial--and stocks can be modified quite readily, if that's necessary.

From the standpoint of effectiveness on varmints and cost for target-shooting, the .223 is hard to beat. Clean kills on coyotes are a piece of cake to 100 and 200 yards; more skill is needed when you're thinking 300 yards but the cartridge is quite adequate. The cost for ammo for extended sessions at the range is generally quite a bit less than for such as a .243--for all that I strongly favor that cartridge for a variety of uses.

I happen to thoroughly enjoy my Remington 700 Ti in 7mm08. For all that it's only 6.5 pounds fully dressed, the recoil is not onerous. However, in .223 it would be an excellent choice for her intended use as you describe it.
 
I would suggest a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. A .243 is OK if she accepts the range limitation for deer sized game and it is a great varmit round.
 
As Art said, let her pick the rifle.
I'd suggest a heavier barrel if this is mostly for paper.
Look into .204 Ruger as well. That is one of the funnest cartridges I've ever shot.
 
If you think she'll ever go after deer check your state laws first. When I took my son through the hunter safety course here in CT, you had to have .243 or bigger for deer hunting. That was over 10 years ago and things may have changed, and of course your state probably has different regulations.

Though I've never shot a .243 I see them recommended fairly frequently on this site. I think the 6.5X55 is a flat shooting round with low recoil, but I have a Swedish Mauser that's over 100 years old to shoot it with. I don't know if there are many modern rifles that chamber that one...
 
The Mrs. went with me to shoot with some friends so i had my buddies bring all their small cal rifles and she fell in love with the 22-250. Then she shot a .243 and liked ut "almost as much" so now we have narrowed it down. All she has to do is pick the one she wants. Thanks to all for your help.
 
.243 for sure. In another thread I put up a link to Hawk's recoil values and as an example a .270 is around 16.5 lbs. of energy which is not bad at all. A .300 Win Mag is around 23 lbs. and a .243 is only around 8 lbs.

And in regard to a 3-1/2" mag 12 ga pump..... it has the same recoil as a .458 Win Mag (elephant) rifle at 62 lbs.!! A 3" mag 12 ga. has 52 lbs. and a standard 12 ga. 2-3/4" is 23 (the same as a .300 Win Mag)!!!
 
Either the .223 or the .243 will serve her well.

I normally favor larger rifles, but your description of her interests and the implied "just one rifle" suggests that the .243 is the way to go.

Note also that the 77 gr .223 Rem load maps nicely into the .308 Win and other larger rifles (see http://shootersnotes.com/articles/paired-rifles/). So, an alternative might be back to the .223 with the longer term game plan being to get the same rifle and optics chambered in a heavier cartridge (e. g., .308, 30-06, 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H) in the future.

The .243 Win has a similar set of matches, the primary difference being the loads that make the pairing interesting.

With either cartridge, by choosing a pair of rifles with the same action, stock, and optics, she can use the lighter rifle to practice for the heavier one.

The main advantage to the .243 is that she won't need that second rifle unless going after game larger than most whitetails or going after game that will hunt her (and you!).
 
+1 for the .243... got the wife a Rem 700 youth in .243, she loves it... Check out the Savage's too, they make a fine rifle, just not as nice to look at as the Remington IMHO.
 
.243 was the first centerfire rifle I'd fired, and I was pleasantly surprised how light the recoil was, and how flat it shot waay out there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top