Zastava makes a very nice 6.5 x 55. I think they have a left handed version. Very versatile cartridge, great ballistics and will take down deer to moose and everything in between. Corwin Arms and Tradex are both site sponsors and carry these.
suggestions for guns for small woman
- Thread starter ladyshooter
- Start date
Most of the female hunters (moose/deer) I know (also in Eastern Ontario so applicable) shoot the 7mm-08. Short action, light, mild recoil (the new recoil pads are outstanding). Of course the 7x57 Mauser fills the same bill if looking for something more traditional. The 7mm-08 does have the advantage of using the .308 parent case, and you can find ammo in every corner store from Ottawa-Cochrane which is a plus.
One other being that most manufacturers make a left handed/youth/ladies model as well.
One other being that most manufacturers make a left handed/youth/ladies model as well.
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One thing i have noticed is that different brands and models of rifles show the recoil of a specific cartridge differently. My one friends light synthetic stocked 270 win kicks like a mule while another friends 270win with a differently shaped wood stock and heavier barrel is great to shoot all day. Also people around here are very nice about letting us try their rifles. Try as many different rifles and cartridge combinations both from the bench and while shooting off hand. Find a combo that works for you. Thats how my wife found here hunting rifle and she loves it.
windy
windy
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Your challenge is not so much which cartridge to choose, there are many that are appropriate, as it is choosing a rifle that fits you, and is light enough for you to carry throughout the day. I think that 6 pounds is an obtainable "out of the box" weight for your rifle.
Not only does a stock which fits the shooter improve the handling of the rifle, a stock that's too long makes felt recoil seem worse than necessary. A wood stock is the easiest and least expensive to shorten. If a good quality recoil pad doesn't come with the rifle, one should be purchased and installed at the same time that the stock is shortened. Wood isn't as light as Kevlar, but it is lighter than fiberglass, which is similar in weight to a laminated wood stock. Stock length should be determined when you're dressed as you wood be when hunting. This might result in a stock which seems a bit short when shooting off season, but a stock which is a little to short is easier to manage than a stock that's too long.
My wife's Husqvarna carbine, 21" barrel, in .30/06. Note the LOP is 12" with the Decelerator recoil pad . . .
My grandson who was 13 at the time, shooting Gramma's rifle . . .
More bolt action rifles are available with left hand actions than have been previously; I acquired a Ruger Hawkeye LH for my southpaw son.
Pay more attention to the rifle that is appropriate for you, and less attention to the cartridge it's chambered for. Any cartridge from the ranging from the 6.5X55 to the .308 will will prove effective, and will be sufficiently mild in terms of recoil and blast, assuming a 20" barrel, to fit your requirements.
If you choose to scope your rifle, and most do, ensure you mount the scope far enough forward to ensure you have sufficient eye relief so you don't get cut, regardless of the position you shoot from. If you were shoot from sitting, and had to make a shot at a steep angle at an animal on an outcrop above you, the scope will be much closer to your eyebrow than when shooting at a horizontal target. It might take some effort to finds the correct scope mounts to facilitate the necessary eye relief, and I've found that a Picatinny Rail provides the greatest latitude for scope positioning.
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My lady shoots a Savage Axis in 25-06 that is sitting in a Boyds stock w/ a limbsaver pad and she absolutely loves it!
Low recoil (comparable to a 243), varmint ammo available but can also be used on elk no problem with hunting rounds, has good long range performance... It is starting to become my new favorite caliber!
Only downside, as it can be with most other calibers, is that it can be a little harder to find ammo but it is out there and we have stacked up!
Low recoil (comparable to a 243), varmint ammo available but can also be used on elk no problem with hunting rounds, has good long range performance... It is starting to become my new favorite caliber!
Only downside, as it can be with most other calibers, is that it can be a little harder to find ammo but it is out there and we have stacked up!
My gal is teeny tiny... "Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowicz" tiny...
She shoots a Ruger M77 MKII Compact in 7mm-08... I load it with a moderate load with 120 BT'S... she handles it comfortably and accurately... there is enough energy for deer, bear and moose... she has spent a fair amount of time at the range getting used to the feel, recoil and firing sequence of the gun... and is comfortable with it.
She shoots a Ruger M77 MKII Compact in 7mm-08... I load it with a moderate load with 120 BT'S... she handles it comfortably and accurately... there is enough energy for deer, bear and moose... she has spent a fair amount of time at the range getting used to the feel, recoil and firing sequence of the gun... and is comfortable with it.
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My daughter (she's a lefty too) uses a Sporter'd 8 x 57 Mauser. She's a tad bigger than you, but not much.
I always thought women would be sensitive to recoil...daughters ended that fallacy. They can shoot most anything a boy can...with more accuracy too.
Us mighty hunters don't want to hear that, it's the truth IMO though
I always thought women would be sensitive to recoil...daughters ended that fallacy. They can shoot most anything a boy can...with more accuracy too.
Us mighty hunters don't want to hear that, it's the truth IMO though
There's nothing like sensible advice to ruin a perfectly good thread.
Boomer's bang-on.
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
haha, love the reference, also a big fan of that show I'm also "Bernadette" tiny, and shoot quite regularly with my target 22 (youth version Marlin, and I love it!)
Thanks for the feedback, it seems that the popular opinion around here is a 7mm-08, with a reduced load. I will definitely have to look into that one.
I'm also "Bernadette" tiny, and shoot quite regularly with my target 22 (youth version Marlin, and I love it!)Thanks for the feedback, it seems that the popular opinion around here is a 7mm-08, with a reduced load. I will definitely have to look into that one.
for the small lady, look for something in 7mm-08, 260, 308. Lefty, well I'm a lefty but I shoot right handed rifles all the time. But, if you are set on a LH rifle, the Browning X-bolt Micro Hunter is where it is probably at for you. There are other LH rifles out there, but the "Micro" says it all. You certainly won't be disappointed. Good luck.
My wife is only slightly taller and I purchased her a remington model 7 youth in 7mm-08. She hunted with it for a few years, but that gun/chambering never did work all that well... I bought a 25-06 browning A bolt a couple years later with the excuse it was for her to try... Well after she shot it once that was it. It was hers after that. She made some amazing shots with that gun and wouldn't be without it now. The remington is long gone and I'm not looking at buying another 7mm-08 or a remington again. 25-06 hits with authority, but is very mild in recoil.
I was un aware at the time of purchase, but the stock was cut down at one point and it is a perfect fit.
Also I would reccomend going with a longer barrel than 20" I would say 22" minimum. It reduces blast which is a lot of what causes flinching/ bad shooting. It does add a bit of weight, but it moves the blast further away and tames recoil a bit.
I was un aware at the time of purchase, but the stock was cut down at one point and it is a perfect fit.
Also I would reccomend going with a longer barrel than 20" I would say 22" minimum. It reduces blast which is a lot of what causes flinching/ bad shooting. It does add a bit of weight, but it moves the blast further away and tames recoil a bit.
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
Thanks to everyone for giving me some great ideas, and lots of entertainment reading some of these posts Now to get the other half to agree that I'm worth that much money
Now to get the other half to agree that I'm worth that much money 
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
There has to be a left handed 6.5x55 bolt action somewhere. Failing that I'm sure the 260 Remington or 7mm-08 has been offered in the Model 7 with a lefty bolt over the years.
Or...you could do something completely outlandish and talk to Rick at ATRS about his Modern Hunter that he designed. It's unconventional as all get out but the modular nature of the platform lends itself to customization. You might just love it.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Well you could easily manewver that tawt with pewting hizz favrite jammi's and pillow in the dawg howse.
Your Wi-Fi reaches the doghouse 'looky?
