Deer hunting woman.

[fiddler]

Get a 30.06 and use light loads, if she toughens up and gets used to it, use a heavier load.


I still use the same 30.06 rifle my Father bought for me when I was a skinny 14 year old kid. Its dropped dozens of moose, bear, elk, and countless deer in the last 35 years. I've never needed anything bigger or more powerful for hunting in Canada.

 

[Kill shot]

270 win

 

[Cleftwynd]

As long as the rifle fits her well, and is in a caliber that has recoil that she can handle, you can't make a wrong choice really. Others have suggested rifles and calibers I would have as well. My first choice for a smaller frame that doesn't want magnum recoil would probably be a model 7 in 243 to 7mm08, or thereabouts.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

My wife has used the 44 Mag in a Ruger 96 (her favorite)
The 30-30 in a pre-64 model 94
and the 308 in a BLR.

She's very good with all of them, but deadly with that 44 Mag.

 

[woodlotowner]

Ruger M77 MkII ultra light in 257 Roberts.

It's like it was custom made for my wife ( 5'4" 120ish lbs).

This. I've been seen using it when my daughter isn't.

 

[neal]

6.5 x 55 my wife is recoil shy and she could shoot one of these all day.

 

[bandit86]

Browning blr lightweight pistol grip 223

 

[Bookworm]

7mm08 in any of the youth models --- my 11 year old grandson loves the one I have for him

Dave

 

[homer76]

Savage Axis youth model in .243 or the regular Savage youth package in .243. Easy to swap barrels and go to bigger calibers later if she wants (7mm08, .308 Win, .338 Fed, .358 Win, etc) and it uses the same bolt face and magazine.

 

[Tikka49]

243 in a win 88....a legend

 

[rem338win]

708 or 2506 in the savage lady hunter

A savage for a woman you don't want to leave you?

What sort of ranges will you be shooting at? Short range you'd be silly not to look at an SKS. Easily take deer out to 150 yards with irons and it fits small shooters well with almost no recoil.

Seriously? Heavy, clunky, poor scope accessories. Poor accuracy.....
A Marlin 336y is a far better idea. At least the factory ammo is made for hunting.

 

[Kenny_G2]

My wife used a 308 for a few years until i bought her a Marlin youth XS7 in 7-08. She can handle both with no problem. 2 other women I know hunt with 30-06, but both have a military background.

 

[gwes2003]

A 243 is the most logical choice...good range and easy recoil. On the other hand a 94 or 336 30-30 would be good too, plus a little more fun

 

[pilot2001]

im gonna say 708 , but 260 would be a great choice too. 243 rounds are a little light for my liking. 308 is good as well.

But again 708 is what i bought my GF

 

[Al-Sway]

This. I've been seen using it when my daughter isn't.

While .243 is good, a .257 Roberts can be even better, without getting into the recoil range of 7mm-08.

 

[two-dogs]

257 Bob, 260 Rem and 243 for the lil lady for hunting Whitetail.

 

[tokguy]

Get her to shoot as many different calibre's as she will tolerate.
My daughter is about 5'4" 120lbs and she can shoot man sized rifles in fullhouse military calibre's
She leans toward an 8 X 57 K98 (bubba'd sadly) because it was her grandfathers. But I've seen her shoot 6.5 X 55 and 7.62 X 54R and amazingly well too( out shot her BF quite handily, pretty funny that was).
We show our chauvinistic side by assuming that the ladies need a ladies gun.
Some ladies are pretty tough recoil wise.

 

[hawk-i]

Anything in along the lines of a 243, 708, 260rem OR you can go 7 Rem mag if you put a brake on it....depends on what she wants to hunt!

 

[Cleftwynd]

Has anyone noticed that if a man buys a 243 or 260 or whatever for hunting big game they get berated for not having enough gun for the job, but if a woman uses the same rifle for the same game it is automatically accepted as ideal? Lol

 

[sammgo]

Hi everyone. I am looking for some suggestions for a good caliber of bolt action rifle for my wife to use for deer hunting. She's not very big but she's not a wimp either. Something a little more forgiving and lighter than my .303. Thanks.

As many mentioned before try out different calibers and fits - fit is the most important thing. I am 5'2 and can shoot the big stuff no problem, I'm not afraid of recoil....I think if you've got good fit and she's got some technique for holding and shoulder position it will be fine. Lighter is not always better either, I'm not terribly strong and when I shoot something really light the recoil causes too much jump that screws my aim. I prefer something heavier that give me more accuracy.

I know you said bolt action but I might suggest a lever, I've got a win 94 30-30 (scoped) that I love, it's easy to shot, not to heavy with low-med recoil. The tube can be a bit of B to load but I use plastic tip rounds for safety and convenience. My dad has a similar one and has taken down many a deer with it.

“The .30-30 is the great North American deer cartridge, and for good reason. It is a virtually ideal compromise between power and recoil. A 7.5 pound .30-30 rifle shooting the standard 150 grain factory load generates about 11.7 ft. lbs. of recoil energy. For comparison, a .30-06 rifle of the same weight shooting a 150 grain factory load generates about 21.7 ft. lbs. of recoil energy. Most hunters can shoot the .30-30 well, as its recoil is below the 20 ft. lb. upper limit for sustained use and the 15 ft. lb. maximum that most hunters can shoot comfortably..” Chuck Hawks from his article The Classic .30-30 Winchester