Low recoil, flat shooting deer, sheep, elk gun?
- Thread starter Rackmastr
- Start date
The .264 Win Mag may also be a consideration. This calibre is one of the fastest, flatest hard hitting 6.5s around. It is a very accurate round and depending on the configuration you choose, it can be made extremely accurate (rifle setup, reload...).
Regardless of what you choose (6.5x284, 6.5x55, 264 Win Mag...) I think that 6.5 is the way to go especially with the choice of high performance bullets around these days.
Regardless of what you choose (6.5x284, 6.5x55, 264 Win Mag...) I think that 6.5 is the way to go especially with the choice of high performance bullets around these days.
- Location
- north vancouver
Bet you wished you never asked the question 
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
no one has said 7mm Rem Mag yet
I like it,
Recoil may be more then what you want for the girlfriend, but it works well on elk, bit hard on deer.
I like it,
Recoil may be more then what you want for the girlfriend, but it works well on elk, bit hard on deer.
John Spartan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Just a little more to the right...
My vote is for the 7mm-08 - ammo readily available, good selection of bullets, will do the job on everything up to and including moose. What's not to like about it?
Aw, C'mon, your new to this, so I'll give you a tip.HeadDamage said:Once my bank account recovers, if ever that happens, I'll likely get her a Ruger in 260rem or is that I'll get myself a 260rem that she can borrow?
Buy her the exact rifle you want, and you can borrow it.
That way, you can put whatever you need (err, she needs
) on it, and you wont have to justify the expense as much as if it was for you.Its worked for me with other toys, and really, how often will she use it?
I bet not as much as you
I do have to concur with the other guys about either the 260/swede, or the 7mm08.
It still has to be fun for her to shoot, and get comfortable with. And you dont want her to have to cart around a 10 lb rifle to accomplish that. Too much gun is only a matter of who is debating it. Many elk have fell to 6mm and 25's also, so even if she were extremely recoil sensitive, you wouldnt be undergunning her with a 257 bob, or a 25 WSSM. Both light on the shoulder, and hit hard downrange on a deer/ elk sized target.
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Why not? said:Buy her a Stevens 200. They weigh 6 1/2 pounds, are very accurate right out of the box, and won't break your bank account.
You can get one right now in 7mm-08 for $319 at Wholesale Sports.
............or in 270 Win for $299 from SIR.
Either one will do everything you are looking for.
Ted
x2 for the 270!!
john-brennan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C.
270
I have owned all of rifles you mrntioned and all are great, but i currantly own a 270 WSM mine is a Win.Featherweight and it has very low recoil about the same as the 270 Win. It is getting 3300-3350fps with 130gr partitions.
I have owned all of rifles you mrntioned and all are great, but i currantly own a 270 WSM mine is a Win.Featherweight and it has very low recoil about the same as the 270 Win. It is getting 3300-3350fps with 130gr partitions.
I really don't think a 270WSM is that good of a choice for a womans rifle. In all reality it is basically a 7mm Rem Mag, and can have too much recoil to make for comforting shooting for the average lady shooter.
260, 6.5x55, 7x57, 7-08
now those are good cartridges to choose from
260, 6.5x55, 7x57, 7-08
now those are good cartridges to choose from
I think you'd be best served by a .270, 7-08, or .260.... the nice thing these days is the huge selection of premium bullets / loads available. I think a .270 Win shooting 130 Gr. Barnes TSX would be very lethal, yet be easy to shoot well.
Kind of a tough question, on one hand you want a rifle that shoots flat and has enough power to down an elk and then you want your girlfriend to be able to shoot it.
Remington makes low recoil reduced loads for a variety of calibers so you might look into those, or try duplicating something yourself. I personally wouldn't shoot anything much over a small deer with them, they look like they are pretty wimpy loads.
I think these calibers would work well for you.
270, 6.5x55, 260, 308, 7mm-08, 7x57,
With the exception of the 270 I wouldn't really classify these calibers as real flat shooters but they are more than acceptable.
My Dad took an Elk @ 300 yard with a 7x57 shooting max load 160 gr noslers this year. The elk didn't go far and now he's in the freezer. Complete penetration and it even went through a shoulder blade and exited no bullet to be found.
Remington makes low recoil reduced loads for a variety of calibers so you might look into those, or try duplicating something yourself. I personally wouldn't shoot anything much over a small deer with them, they look like they are pretty wimpy loads.
I think these calibers would work well for you.
270, 6.5x55, 260, 308, 7mm-08, 7x57,
With the exception of the 270 I wouldn't really classify these calibers as real flat shooters but they are more than acceptable.
My Dad took an Elk @ 300 yard with a 7x57 shooting max load 160 gr noslers this year. The elk didn't go far and now he's in the freezer. Complete penetration and it even went through a shoulder blade and exited no bullet to be found.
todbartell said:
My GF shoots my 7mm-08 at the range with no problems at all. I shoot 140's that are right around 2900fps and the recoil is not much more than a 22-250.
I havent put the 7mm through any game yet, but out to 300m I have been pleasently surprised at the accuracy. Its also pretty tough to find a load that wont at least hold 2" @ 100yds. I have found some others that will do about .8". Thats more than enough for deer sized game out to 300yds.
- Location
- Medicine Hat
I'd vote for a 7 x 57 as well. It has very mild recoil in even a lightweight rifle. The factory loads are about as low recoil as you can get and still have plenty of power for deer. Handloading 160 gr partions will give you a good load for elk. It shouldn't be too hard to find, althought the new Ruger 77's seem to have dried up. Take a look at Ellwood Epps web site, I think he has a few used ones.
