Ladies Lever Gun?

MikeyT

MikeyT

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I'm looking for a camp / acreage rifle for the GF, and have been leaning towards some sort of light lever gun, but I'm not sure what calibre to get. She is very small, and although she has shot plenty of .22 rifles and 9mm pistol, she's never fired a centerfire rifle.

I want something that she can enjoy shooting for recreation. Is a 30/30 too much? I've seen a couple .32 special lever guns in the EE lately but I'm not familiar with this calibre - what do you guys recomend?
 
I know your talking lever gun here but I would suggest a Ruger 77/44, stainless steel, synthetic stocked, 44 mag rifle for her.

I was in the same predicament a couple of years ago. I had my wife try several different styles of rifles including a Win 94 30-30 and a Marlin 1894 45 Colt. She found that when the rifle tube under the barrel was loaded that the gun was to front heavy for her to shot/hold steady/comfortably.

The 44 mag Ruger is a fun gun to shoot and I don't mind grabbing it myself now and then either.
 
what about a browning blr lightweight in a 22 250 or a 243
small cal and a lever and light enough for a little gf to hold
Daniel
 
30.30 would be good IMO. I shot both a 32 Special and a 38-55 the same day a couple weeks ago, that 32 special kicked about twice as hard as the 38-55, and harder I think than either of my old 30-30's. Now I didn't mind the kick on the 32 but a smaller woman might have.
 
look for a winchester or marlin in .357

virtually no recoil, cheap to feed, and value priced.

if you want a little more range/power think the same firearms in .30-30. hard to go wrong with those.
 
If you're worried about the kick, let her try before you buy. A 30-30 might be just fine for her, and it's a great gun, you wouldn't want to get something too light.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go with a mini 30 before a pistol calibre lever, but that's just me. What matters is her taste.
 
i have a decent savage 99 in 308 i dont find the recoil that much and neither did the wife the last time we were out together its got a plastic butt plate but if you put a decent recoil pad on it i doubt you'd notice it to to much
 
MikeyT said:
I'm looking for a camp / acreage rifle for the GF, and have been leaning towards some sort of light lever gun, but I'm not sure what calibre to get. She is very small, and although she has shot plenty of .22 rifles and 9mm pistol, she's never fired a centerfire rifle.

I want something that she can enjoy shooting for recreation. Is a 30/30 too much? I've seen a couple .32 special lever guns in the EE lately but I'm not familiar with this calibre - what do you guys recomend?
Click to expand...

I think the most important aspect is the fact that she has not shot a lot of center fire rifles... I don't think a lever gun with hammer safety is a good choice for inexperienced shooters.
Hammer Guns are difficult for small hands to manipulate the hammer.. the mag tube levers (94's) are also difficult to load and unload... they are not noted for tack driving accuracy and they generally are heavy compared to bolts and pumps.
I would rethink your options for her.:cool:
 
The 44 mag in a light lever gun tends to smack you a bit, however, there are recoil devices, made by PAST specifically designed for women, that attach to the bra strap, so they don't even show.

I'd opt for the 30-30 myself. It's plenty accurate enough for a beginner, or an experienced hunter that shoots out to 150 yards or so.

My wife has no problems with the external hammer, and prefers it to bolt guns, because it's so easy to see and understand it's safe or not safe condition.

My wife has, a Model 94 Winchester in 30-30, a 96 Ruger in 44 Mag, and a BLR in 308.
she shoots all of them quite well. I did however have to get a replacement stock for the BLR and cut it to make a short version out of it for her.
 
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Marlin 1894 or 1894C has no recoil in .38 and little recoil in .357, cheap to shoot, built for small-frames, so far so good in being very sturdy. After being slicked up by a gunsmith and shot in a few outings, it will not take much effort to work the action. (Unslicked, stock in the box it is harder.)

I can't reccommend anything better than a Marlin 1894 in a pistol caliber (.44 is nice b/c it is easier to feed the cartridges, but more recoil and cost is involved.) An 1892 rifle would probably be even better, but they are more expensive and often built not so solidly as the Marlin.
 
I think a lever is a fine choice. Depending what she wants to shoot, a classic style lever in 30-30 or 357 would be good. You can shoot 38 special in the 357, and also load down or buy reduced recoil loads in the 30-30 to work her up to it, and a limbsaver makes a world of difference.

You could also look at a Winchester 88 or Savage 99 in any number of light recoiling chamberings, most of which can again be loaded down or have reduced recoil ammo available.
 
how about a blr in 243 or 7 08' the 7 08 can reach out 300 yards and light recoil. if you look there always avalable on the the ee. the older ones are the nicest.
 
BIGREDD said:
I think the most important aspect is the fact that she has not shot a lot of center fire rifles... I don't think a lever gun with hammer safety is a good choice for inexperienced shooters.
Hammer Guns are difficult for small hands to manipulate the hammer.. the mag tube levers (94's) are also difficult to load and unload... they are not noted for tack driving accuracy and they generally are heavy compared to bolts and pumps.
I would rethink your options for her.:cool:
Click to expand...

an awful lot of farmboys have gotton their starts on lever actions and it didn't hurt them any.:rolleyes:
 
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