A Rifle for HER

[EDELWEISS]

My new bride has decided she wants to try hunting (actual hunting not just tagging along). We've scheduled a Texas Wild Boar hunt in January. We'll be in a blind together so I'll be able to back her up. She has taken well to shooting my Glocks and did amazing with a G35 in 357SIG at 200m. The only rifles she's fired so far are a 10/22 and a AR. She did fine; but complained the AR was "heavy". We she right it is heavy (at least heavier then it needs to be).

The Ranch where we are hunting no longer allows 223s for hogs, because he had a rash of lost/wounded animals a couple years ago. He will allow 300Blackout but only out to 50m. I have a AR in 300Blk and a AAC/Remington Model 7. I think we'll be fine for the Texas hunt; but Im looking forward to other hunting. So Im looking for options that are "lightweight' and a cartridge for medium game (Hogs to Whitetail). Id like to stay away from semi autos as we may hunt in no semi areas.

Im thinking maybe something like a Ruger No1 or an Encore or a Lever action or maybe one of the "lightweight" bolt guns. Cartridges that come to mind are 243, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, or maybe 7x57. Im seriously open to other options, including pistol cartridges like 44mag, or 454C. I even thought about black powder loads in 45-70. My problem is I dont have anything for her to "try" in those cartridges. My armory jumps from 223 to 308 and bigger.

Thoughts?

 

[oldhoward]

The Ruger #1 can be a heavy rifle depending on the exact model. The contender would probably be lighter. I live in Texas and where I hunt the hogs will weight 150 to 300 lbs and I seen some much bigger.
Cartridge selection suggestions 6.5x55 or the 7x57, 260 Remington. 7mm08 would be good. A 44 mag with hard cast bullets of 240 grain will work as well as the 454 with hard cast bullets of 250 grain. The heat of a hog is between the shoulders which can be difficult to penetrate with light calibers. If you want to use a lighter caliber use solids or premium bullets in the heaviest weight possible. Shot placement will be necessary for clean kills. good luck!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

My then 12 year old son decked a zebra with his M70 FW in 7x57. You'd have to find this rifle used in that caliber or get one with it's ballistically similar cousin and recoil friendly 7-08.

One of the advantages of the high weight retaining bullets in my mind is the ability to move down in caliber and/or bullet weight to take bigger animals.

 

[peras]

I am a big fan of a 7x57 for ladies.

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello EDLEWEISS,

My wife is a sturdy woman (Swiss ancestry and life-long Alaskan).
Even so, she wants no part of shooting any rifle chambered in .375, no matter how it is rigged-up.
However, it's probably important here to mention that, she does not care to hunt (no problem butchering, cooking and eating game but having given it a decent try, she does not enjoy personally shooting animals).

Have a look at the CZ Model 550FS "carbine" version - 20" barrel / full length stock, caliber 6.5x55.
This cartridge is apparently under-loaded in most, if not all USA brands of live ammunition, thereby generating very mild recoil indeed.
Even with that, I sincerely believe, a .26 caliber bullet, of approximately 140 grains, going around 2350 to 2550 fps will produce much superior results for you wife on tough critters (such as Texas feral hogs), than anything in the much faster .24 caliber - 100 grain bullet .243 bullet will.
Furthermore, if you plan to take your wife on a hunting trip to Africa one day, the .243 is not one that very many PHs will recommend.

The CZ model mentioned is also available in other calibers, including the excellent 7x57 Mauser cartridge.
The 7x57 has the added advantage of live factory ammunition sometimes being easier to find than 6.5x55 ammunition is in some parts of Africa.
Also, in some parts of Africa, there seems to be a minimum caliber designation of 7mm for hunting truly large antelope (eland), also possibly giraffe, if those species might be of interest to you some day.
I like both cartridges very much, and I own the above described rifle in 6.5x55, with simple 4x scope on it.
It is a peach.
My wife, although not interested in hunting, can enjoy shooting it, without discomfort.

Cheers,
Velo Dog

 

[Sand Rat]

My wife shoots the Savage Lady Hunter in 7-08 and loves it. It is also available in 6.5 Creedmore as well.

 

[Boela]

I would go with a suppressed 7x57, should do just fine on plains game when to oppertunity rise to hunt in Africa.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

My wife is a sturdy woman

Sturdy? You're a brave man Velo Dog!!

 

[mdwest]

.243 rocks Texas whitetail and hogs...

My wife LOVES her youth sized Remington in .243.... Low recoil.. Light weight.. Short stock.. Etc.. Etc...

She's taken a large doe with it as well as a couple of hogs (265lb, and a 125lb)...

 

[crs]

If you like levers, try a .357 mag . My wife is 5 foot 2 inches and she handles the .357 easily.
She is also a dead shot with her Ruger .243. My daughter is the same size and shoots left handed bolts such a a Savage .243 and a Weatherby Mark V deluxe 7mm W (go figure?).
One of my friends cut down a M94 .357 for his 8 year old boy and the kid still shoots it and has taken a lot of game with it; from hogs to bison and elk.

 

[Code4]

If your in a blind then weight won't be a problem as you should be able to get a rest.
I'd consider the 250-3000 as an alternative to the .243. Both are suitable for pigs, deer and antelope up to Impala in size. There is a shite load of game in Africa and the world, that don't need a cannon to hunt.
The .250 has less recoil, noise and muzzle blast in a 24" barrel (less 'perceived' recoil) and a 22-250 bolt rifle can be re-barrelled and re-stocked into a truely light weight stalking rifle.
Same can be said for the 7x57, but work her up to it. You can scare people and create bad habits going from small to big in one leap.

 

[colorado]

I'd stay away from the Ruger No. 1 as a rifle. They are beautiful and can shoot really well, but from everyone I've spoken to they tend to kick more than most. I checked and they make the Savage Lady Hunter in 243 as well as 270. A 270 Win with Remington Managed Recoil Ammunition might be just the ticket. No more recoil than a 243 and she can move up to full power 270 ammo in the future if she feels like it.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/8...-grain-core-lokt-pointed-soft-point-box-of-20

 

[Divernhunter]

A Tikka T-3 Lite with a direct replacement recoil pad in 260Rem/6.5X55 or 7mm-08 would be my choice. I would never choose a 243 rifle.
I got my daughter a Tang safety Ruger M77 in 257Roberts and she has taken pigs/deer/kudu/warthog/zebra/red Hartebeest/Impala and a number of other animals at ranges from 15 yards to 410 yards. All have been one shot kills. I started her with it when she was about 6 years old with a cut down stock. She shot it so much she wore out the barrel. I had it rebarreled with a Douglas barrel and put a syn stock on it when she was big enough. She still hunts with it and takes any animal she gets a shot at.
The 257Roberts is a great cartridge if you can find a rifle in it or choose to build one as I will for my grand daughter.
I would be careful of some of the single shot rifles as some kick pretty bad for a given cartridge.

My 2 Cents

 

[Dwight Beagle]

My wife shoots the Savage Lady Hunter in 7-08 and loves it. It is also available in 6.5 Creedmore as well.

This. My 25 year old daughter shoots a Vanguard youth .243. If the Lady Savage would have been around at the time, that's what we would have bought even though I prefer Weatherby over Savage. Weatherby now has a woman's rifle, the Camilla, which I would now choose first. Whichever brand you like best I would get a Lady Savage or a Camilla.

My daughter is 5'8" and a youth/compact model rifle and shotgun fit her better than full size ones. When a female comes in the store looking for a long gun I have them shoulder a youth and a full size firearm. The majority of the time a youth model fits them better. There are exceptions but very few. Along with a shorter stock, most women have longer necks than men and as such need a higher comb. This is where the Camilla and Lady Savage come in, they have shorter LOPs as well as high combs, where as youth/compacts just have shorter LOPs.

It's easy to raise the comb on a youth rifle though. Daughter's rifle has a Beartooth Comb Raiser, I also have one on a scoped 30-30 to get a better cheek weld.

Light is popular but weight is your friend when it comes to recoil.

 

[Longwalker]

Cartridge choice is only part of the equation. Women are built differently than men. The stock must be the correct length, AND must fit her chest/shoulder, so it must have a proper amount of pitch, usually much more pitch than is appropriate for men. More women get pinched in the upper chest by poor fitting stocks than women who object to recoil from medium cartridges if the stock fits them. So look to rifle fit too. Closer curve to the pistol grip, more pitch down, more toe out, and rounded soft recoil pads all help.

 

[D.M.V]

Cz 527 in 223rem for my wife. I enjoy shooting it as well

 

[Lrntolive]

Weatherby just came out with a ladies rifle, the Camilla. I believe that's the name. I'm looking at this for my wife for deer and pronghorn. I'm leaning toward the 7mm-08 as it is a .308 case with a lighter 7mm. Shoots flat and very little recoil. A great round for women and kids. My wife is pretty small framed, so a light recoil and rifle made for a woman would be best.

 

[Ray B]

For useful and fitting, I'd recommend a 7-08 in something such as a Rem Model 7 or similar small framed bolt actions.

 

[LadyKiller]

EDELWEISS,

From a woman's perspective, I can tell you that whatever you choose has to be both something she is comfortable and confident with. Proper shooting form and practice will go a long way in allowing her to shoot more gun. If she is afraid of the gun, she will never shoot it well.

My medium game (whitetail/hog/plainsgame) preferred rifle is a Remington 700 in .270. My husband has a host of rifles including a T/C Encore in .308, A Marlin 336C in .30.-.30, and a Winchester 70 in .300 mag with a muzzle break. I shoot them all, and I can tell you from personal experience that the .30-.30 kicks like a mule and the T/C is a close second. I would gladly shoot his .300 mag any day instead of my .270 except for the weight. The .300 mag is a good 4-5 lbs heavier than my .270.

I would also look into the option of experimenting with some of the managed recoil rounds that are out there today. Hornaday and a couple other manufacturers now make these lighter loads in all of the popular calibers. We have used Hornaday's .270 managed recoil for whitetail and hogs with our 13 year old niece and she shoots them quite comfortably.

 

[Khaleesi]

Proper shooting form and practice will go a long way in allowing her to shoot more gun. If she is afraid of the gun, she will never shoot it well.

Agreed! Very true.