Whats a good ladies caliber?

Let her pick....My g/f is much smaller then me and can shoot anything I can and if I was to give her a smaller cal cause "shes a girl" I'd get punched and be alone for a few nights if you know what I mean:p. If she likes the cal and not the kick there are lots of nice recoil pads that really do help and a *gasp* muzzle break can help too!
 
My girlfriend and i did a lot of research when it came to recoil with all the main rounds out there. She shot my 300 short and said it was to much. So, we scrolled down the recoil chart and ended up with the .270.A Laminated Tikka at that. It was all her choice when it came down to the look and feel of the rifle. She doesnt like plastic and the wood was too boring so she got the laminate. Despite what others say, anything from a 243 up to the 7mm-08 will function just great for deer and coyotes. If you are hard up for cash, look in the EE and pick up your run of the mill Savage for 300-400 bux. With a little elbow grease, some bedding compound and time, you could have yourself a real nice looking shooter for her. Plus, if she doesnt like it or grows out of it, there are a TON of after market parts for the savage rifles.
 
My aunt is a smaller lady and a regular hunter and her favorite rig is a Remington 660 in .308. The small package fits her well and the 308 is fairly mild for an experienced lady shooter. She should shoulder some rifles and see what she likes.
 
One issue that is often neglected is rifle weight. The majority of the women I've taken shooting had a hard time supporting heavier guns for extended periods of time. The issue with lighter rifles is the additional recoil. A .30-06 in a 6.5lb rifle is starting to get lively. Stick with .260, 7mm-08, .257Bob, 7x57, 6.5x55, 250sav, 300 sav class calibers (IMO some of the best deer/black bear calibers).
 
remington 700 in .308, million stocks available and you can shoot a gambit of bullets and types and modifying the gun for her LOP is easy as pie. .308 is a great calibre, my wife shoots 150s and she is 135 pounds with great... um accuracy. :)

cheers and good luck.
 
Wife shoots a 7x57 and daughter who is 12 shoots a 7-08 AI. as mentioned previously make sure the stock is cut to fit them and proper eye relief on the scope.

I like the 7x57 better myself, lower pressure = lower recoil for same velocity as the 7-08 and it is a truly classic round........
 
my wife shoots her model 77 ruger youth in 7/08.she loves it.
deadlly with it too.allready has taken quite a few mulies with it and p;ans to get her moose and a whitetil this year.next year? her elk probablly.
 
About 3 years ago my wife started shooting the crap out of the 200 and 300 yard gong with her SKS and within a week moved onto and fell in love with my Benelli 300 win mag...which soon became expensive ammo wise. :D

So I sold it and now she hogs my M44 Mosin. :D

So defining a "ladies caliber" depends on the Ladys preferences and abilities.

As in everything else...for cripes sake let her choose.
:eek: :D

PS saying a .243 is a ladies caliber is rather shortsighted given some of the toughest men and women out in the world shoot the much weaker 5.56 / .223 in combat.
 
Gently nudge her towards a Tikka laminated stocked hunting rifle in 7-08 or 6.5 Swede.

Once you runs the action, shoulders the rifle, presses on the trigger, she'll buy it and it will work wonders for anything that gets in front of that reticle. Put a scope on it with LOTS of eye relief.

I know several women that shoot exceedingly well. None like to muck about with their rifles like we do. If it doesn't come out of the box like she wants, I doubt she will be too thrilled about the 'possibilities'.

Enjoy...

Jerry
 
My wife's rifle is a Husqvarna 1600 carbine in .30/06. Our situation is not the same as yours and although your wife could undoubtedly master the '06, her marksmanship will progress faster with a milder cartridge such as a 6.5X55 or a .260 Remington. To my way of thinking the 6.5s represent the lightest caliber that meets my definition of a round that is suitable for all North American big game.

That definition is the choice of a bullet that has the reasonable expectation of killing the target animal with a single shot from any angle, within the range limitations of the rifle and the hunter. All lessor cartridges come with some sort of proviso, such as: suitable for big game with broadside shots only, suitable for use within 100 yards, suitable with precise bullet placement, suitable for big game with premium bullets etc. A 6.5 loaded with a medium to heavy weight traditional copper cup and lead core bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps is a proven humane killer.

As has been stated in previous posts, the rifle must fit her. I would be inclined to keep the barrel on the short side, no longer than 22" so that the balance of the rifle sits comfortably between her hands.

Here is a pic of my 12 year old grandson shooting my wife's '06 with 130 gr bullets loaded to 2600.
DSC08062.jpg
 
hey boomer

do you have any more details on your wife's 30/06. my wife is comfortable with the recoil of my 7mm but needs a rifle more her size, and that husky looks like it would fit the bill.


thanks

fuzzy
 
Some valid points discussed but it being "her" rifle is a extremely valid consideration.
I cannot count the number of wives that have asked me to buy their husband a rifle, scope or knife elicits the same response . . . it is a too personal issue. The next consideration is to not advance her too fast . . . .243 to .30-06 is too rapid. That said, a proper fitting rifle will make all the difference. Get a number of opinions as to fit and comfort with clothing from summer to winter with the largest variety of rifles and calibres.

Now to the lighter side: Has she had the experience of gutting, skinning and packing?
That experience for the fairer ### might be your hunting partner's demise as 90 % of the work starts after the shot.
 
My other 1/2 has taken with her Tikka t3 lite 7mm08,mullies,white-tail,coyotes, elk and lots of nasty targets.
She has shot deer with 30-30,270,6.5x55,308,25-06 ,30-06,303,and even a 300win.She has been hunting and target shooting for 18yrs.
The 300win mag gave her a scope scar.
She will punch paper for hrs.with her 7mm08
She likes it because it is lite to carry while hunting ,she can take short to longer shots and likes the accuracy.
She has tried a lot of different rifles and definatly has her preferances .
Talk to some of your local gun nutz see what cal,s brands,models they have and get her to go try them out.(myself i like nothing better than to let someone else try a rifle i have .)you might have to buy a couple boxes of bullets to try them out but finding which one "She"likes will be cheaper and less painful.
That is until she starts spending more time at the range than you do.
 
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