270. or 30-06 for a female beginer??

Your option of the Rem 710/770 is likely budget driven. As others have suggested I would go with a better quality lightly-used gun than a new low-end piece. The lower the recoil, the more she can comfortably practice, and the less chance she'll pull a shot anticipating recoil. If she doesn't take to the sport... the better quality used gun will depreciate less and sell more easily than the now-used 710/770 that most people don't even want when new.

Some women handle recoil better than much larger men, but I'd still go with .243, .25-06, .260 Rem, 6.5x55 or 7-08. Many thousands of dead european moose would testify that a 6.5mm is plenty enough to kill them, but they're both dead... and they're moose... either of which means they can't talk, so please accept their silence as evidence. Proper bullet placement on her part from a friendly to shoot rifle will do more for her than a bad shot from any .30. ( I'll exclude the .30-30 from that statement though, its an easy shooter and another decent choice)
 
I would go with a nice 25-06 or 7-08 the 25-06 is really light on recoil and is a great deer caliber perfect for a beginner. And as for the Remington 770 or 710 don't let the name Remington fool you on this one these rifles are really low quailty rifles. If cost is a issue go with a Savage or a Stevens or a Weatherby Vanguard. Let us know what you end up doing
 
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First I'd say get her shooting a .22 for a weekend or something to get her confidence up with firearms and show her some success as well.

I'd split the difference on your caliber choices and get a .308 with a good pad and some mild handloads as a starter rifle, and then work up loads as you please later. The .308 seems quieter than the .270 and kicks less than the 30-06, especially with mild loads. As others have mentioned, a 6.5x55 would also definitely be a contender in my books; great little caliber. Either way, get a decent rifle and make sure it fits her right and has a good pad and perhaps a muzzle break for her. Women seem to find ergonomics much more of a big deal than men, so the whole setup needs to fit her right and be comfortable.

And don't forget she'll need some coaching from someone who knows what they are doing in terms of shooting. Even small people can be trained to handle huge recoil, if it is done properly. It's critical really.
 
todbartell said:
for a woman wanting to hunt deer and moose, I would suggest a Remington Model Seven youth in 7-08. They are light and short, have a good recoil pad on them, and accurate.

Remington just came out with a new low recoil load for the 7-08 too, with a 140 grain cor lokt @ 2300 fps. It provides 200 yards of power/trajectory for deer sized game with super low recoil (8 ft lbs of recoil in 7.5 lb rifle) For moose, a 140 grain Accubond or Partition loaded by Federal @ 2800 fps would be good out to 200-250 yards. Recoil energy would be still mild @ 15 ft lbs
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For a 5'2" female, a youth size rifle makes a lot of sense.

For a first time big game hunter, a 7-08 or .243 with a recoil pad will help. Also make sure your friend gets lots of practice at the range.

:)
 
I see no reason why a woman could not shoot a .270, but a .25/06 or as noted previously one of the 6.5's would work nearly as well.

Is your pal a handloader? If so the .30/06 is the top choice. Because the gal is small the rifle needs to be fitted for her, and if a good quality pad like a Decelerator is installed she would have no difficulty with an '06. Some creative handloading will provide a power level she can grow into.

Here's a pic of my wife's .30/06 Husqvarna. It was wearing a 6X Khales while her 1.75-6X was lent out -

DSC_0017-1_edited-1.jpg




It's light enough that she isn't troubled by its weight, yet she shoots it quite well and without difficulty. Neither is she very large, but the rifle has a good pad and it fits her. I load pratice ammo with 180 gr bulk bullets to about 80% and load X bullets to the top of the scale for her working ammo. I've also got a big box of cast bullets that I expect her to put a serious dent in this summer.
 
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How big are her hands? I have small hands for a guy and I find I have trouble gripping a lot of hunting rifles properly (especially synthetic stocked ones). You might want to try to find a rifle with a fairly slim wrist.

I'm a big fan of the 6.5x55, it just works, and if you're considering moose then a 160 grain round nose in the appropriate location will do the job.
 
Years ago I brought my former wife a ruger remington 270. But she was used to shooting alot. So the noise and recoil were not a problem. And she was very accurate with it. And the 270 is a good all around rifle for hunting in North America. But I have to admit there is alot of cals mention in this thread, that good too.
 
Wow lots of people don't like the 710/770's the whole reason she was going to look at one was because my buddy who's a gun nut, had one in a 30-06 for years and he said it was a tack driver and was a solid unit.
 
ACandian said:
Wow lots of people don't like the 710/770's the whole reason she was going to look at one was because my buddy who's a gun nut, had one in a 30-06 for years and he said it was a tack driver and was a solid unit.
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Sounds like this may be a situation of somebody getting lucky with one particular rifle and/or taking really good care of it. This sort of thing does happen, but you'd probably not want to roll the dice with your gal's first rifle. I'm definitely a bargain hunter myself, but for a first gun for a new shooter, I'd spend the extra $200 or so and get a rifle with a more solid rep. I did a poll here on CGN around "firearm I hate the most" (or something like that...) and the 710 came out on top; lots of people with bad experiences.

Added link - http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186185&highlight=firearm+hate+most

You might find some of the comments people made about the 710 to be offputting for a potential buyer...
 
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ACandian said:
Wow lots of people don't like the 710/770's the whole reason she was going to look at one was because my buddy who's a gun nut, had one in a 30-06 for years and he said it was a tack driver and was a solid unit.
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The gun works fine at the range. However, if you're hunting and you get excited (by the biggest buck of a lifetime or a bear decides he's running at you)and really work the bolt up hard and try to pull it back. It jams! :eek:
 
ACandian said:
Wow lots of people don't like the 710/770's the whole reason she was going to look at one was because my buddy who's a gun nut, had one in a 30-06 for years and he said it was a tack driver and was a solid unit.
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It sounds like your friend had a 700.

The 710 has only been around for about 5 years, and the 770 is the recently updated version that has only been around for a year or so.

The Remington 700 is a solid rifle, the 710 and 770 are cheap pieces of junk, hiding under the Remington 700 name similarity.

Buy a 700 or a Model 7 if she wants a Remington. Don't buy the 710 or 770.
 
With the .30-06, she can use Managed Recoil Ammo by Remington.
A friend of mine tell me that they are very effective.
 
If you have decided on 30-06 or 270, 270 with the lower recoil would be my choice. I bought a 308 browning short track for my 12 year old daughter and she loves it. I use the managed recoil rounds when she target shoots and put the regular rounds in when she hunts. She has yet to get shooting at a deer with it but she did shoot a decent 12 point with my 50 cal muzzle loader this past fall. Like all hunters, you never feel the recoil when you shoot at a deer or moose.
I also have a female co-worker who is very small build and she finally decided on a browning 270 semi, she also shot two deer this past fall and loves the gun.
 
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I have a 13 year old that is going deer hunting for the first time this year. He is fairly athletic, but not the biggest kid in his crew.

I am looking for recommendations for him...It has boiled down to 243 7mm-08 or 308. I want him to have the best possible experience. I do not moose hunt, so it is unlikely that he will either at this stage.

He does a lot of .22l at the range with me using a Marlin semi.

I was looking at the Remington Youth in 243. But also at the Remington Model 7 in 308. The 7mm-08 is sort of a wild card in this...but one that I would consider.

Brand is not as big an issue at this point, but I do not want to blow my budget on a rifle that may get used for one hunt. Kids have short attention spans and he could loose interest all too quickly.

Your thoughts?
 
The 7mm-08 hasn't been a wildcat for many years. It is quite a common factory round and I would pick it over the .243 and .308 (but that's just me). And since you don't want to blow your budget for reasons that I can understand, then go with the Stevens 200 in 7mm-08. That is my daughter's choice, her's is scoped with a Burris Fullfield II. She shoots Federal Fusion and has had great success.
 
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A friend just went through this with his wife who is rather petite (5'1" and 100 lbs). Initially he bought her a 700 Remington in 270 which I shortened (stock) to fit her at their request. However she was never comfortable with it as the rifle was just too heavy for her strength and she simply couldn't support it well from any position other than a full rest.

The solution was the one Tod recommended , a youths model 7 in 7-08. Length of stock was right and not nearly as muzzle heavy with it's shorter barrel. Ruger makes a similar compact rifle if you prefer that make.
 
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