Rifle for wife

H

hunter2009

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Hey guys i got a wife that really likes hunting she mainly does pheasants ducks and geese she wants to start coming with me on big game hunts. So im thinking im going to get her her own rifle. Im thinking a 270 she would be mainly hunting deer. she really wants to shoot a bear and when i plan my antalope hunt she would be coming with me on that. So what im looking for is a all around caliber that is well suited for a women.
 
The 7mm-08 is great. The Ruger Hawkeye Compact comes in that as well as 6.8SPC, which is a .270 diameter bullet on a 30 Rem. case made for the AR-15 platform. Browning makes a smaller X-Bolt, the Micro Hunter. Winchester also makes the Featherweight in a compact version.

http://www.ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeCompact/models.html

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=023B&cid=035&tid=215&bg=x

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=001C&mid=535126
 
You mention she has hunted for ducks and geese which needs to have a fairly powerful shotgun load, so it sounds like she is not new to recoil. I like the idea of a .270 Win as long as she does not have a flinching problem. The .270 Win ammo is common and easier to find on the store shelves.

If she has done mostly shotgun shooting, she may need to work on trigger control. Many people who learned on shotguns have a tendency to jerk the trigger or have their finger trigger affect the muzzle.
 
My 12 y.o. niece has a 7mm-08 A-Bolt II, and bagged her first deer with it this year. 220 yard shot right through the heart!
 
Bear, deer, antilope, Savage 110 in 30-06. Will do all that and more (Elk, Moose, Buffalo Caribou, Coyote, Wolf)

Jim
 
Hunter 2009 I can't get my wife out of her 243 but she shoots my 7MM-08 just as well it's a very good caliber /light recoil/ with short action/ and packs a punch. I can't say any thing about ammo as I handload but from what I've seen most all stores carry it with a good bullet selection.
If you compare it to the 270 and 06 it will suprise you how close it is to the 270 with a better bulet selection.
 
Sounds like a good trade

I saw the title of your thread "Rifle for Wife" and I thought right away saying trading your wife for a rifle. Sounds kinda personal, but I guess it would depend on the wife.
 
For the game you listed (deer, bear, and antelope) I would suggest the .270 win or a 30-06. Ammunition (if you don't reload) is relatively cheap and can be found just about everywhere that sells ammo.

If you are worried about 30-06 recoil look for a heavier rifle (I have a Weatherby Vanguard and a T/C Venture) with good recoil pads. Also you can try some of the reduced recoil ammo like Federal Fusion. If you do reload, or decide to take it up, the sky is the limit for bullet selection and loads as heavy or light as you want.
 
Funny thing! I am in the market for a lady's rifle myself and just came across the new line up for Savage in 2012, which include the Lady Hunter series rifles. A nice looking rifle with decent wood and comes in a variety of she friendly cartridges. Go to the savage web sight and check it out!
 
.270 or .308 would both be fine. .308 has a little less recoil. If shes not recoil shy the .30-06 is great for all the above critters too.
 
I know women shooters who are far less recoil sensitive than a lot of the male shooters I know. Recoil isn't about the rifle or the cartridge - it's about the shooter's technique.
 
I would worry less about caliber and more about length of pull and height of stock / comb.

Then I would ask, what will she do with the rifle? Hunt? Plink? Compete? Her intended use would dictate caliber.

Also, you can get a Pachmayr Decelerator or a LimbSaver recoil pad, either of which will damp down a pretty good amount of recoil. Bear in mind they will add slightly to length of pull.

Finally, I would recommend letting her try several, and choose her own.
 
MLeake said:
Finally, I would recommend letting her try several, and choose her own.
Click to expand...

That's probably the best advise. However, I do like the looks of that new Savage Lady Hunter. But, it may not be what she's looking for.

My sis-in-law has a Rem 700 in .260 and she's deadly with that rifle. Three deer for three shots, and it's hard to argue with results like that.
 
The 30-06 is out of the question i dont like the recoil on that gun and ive been shooting rifles for a long time. To me the little bit you gain in preformance it doenst have a advantage to me. I have a xbolt in a 308 and ill let her shoot that some she has only shot it once when i first got it. And all she said was that things got some kick to it but she wasnt afraid to shoot it agian. The bears that she would be hunting would be black bears
 
At what range? In what environment? A .30-30 or .35 Marlin 336 is viable for black bear, and neither has much recoil.

Again, though, I really recommend letting her choose, just as I would with a handgun. Fit and feel matter, and vary with each individual. What fits my frame (L/XL gloves, 75" reach, 44" chest) probably won't (and usually doesn't) fit my wife's.
 
The .260 Remington is a fine choice. Look at the reputation that the 6.5 X 55 has around the world for big game hunting. The .260 does that in a shorter case.

If you want to go lighter and be able to use an AR-15 platform, consider the 6.5 Grendel. Muzzle velocities are about 200 ft/sec less than the .260 for a 120 grain bullet, but the deer and bear won't notice the difference.

No one seems to have promoted the .243 Win -- which is a good thing if she is serious about black bear. The Grendel with 130 grain bullets has better killing potential and the .260 is superior at any bullet weight.
 
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