Which gun would you suggest for a new shooter?

Since 1955 or so, about 3 generations of shooters/hunters have cut their teeth with the .243 Winchester..(and with good reason)...Keeping with the Chuck Hawks theme, he also mentioned that the average shooter starts to flinch when recoil begins to exceed 15 ft/lbs of recoil.....That being the case, the last thing you want to do is have a new/novice shooter take on too much gun.....An eight pound rifle chambered for the .243 will generate about 10 pounds of recoil.......A novice will take to low recoil like a duck to water....resulting in CONFIDENCE, followed by ACCURATE bullet placement.....resulting in MORE CONFIDENCE......which is, in essence, the bedrock to good shooting skills.....

Ever notice about how people who shoot the .243 always talk about instant kills on deer..?..as in...it dropped right there...?....There's good reason for that----accurate bullet placement.....

rojogrande
 
I would have to agree with so many here. Buy her a savage axis 243, that gives her that ownership feeling as well, and the price is right. Or load down that 06 with lighter recoil. either way use premium fast expanding bullets, so that even with a slightly off shot the terminal damage drops the deer.
 
H4895 can be loaded as low as 60% max weights safely. Good for reduced recoil. SKS while fun, are not that accurate. I would load 130-150 grain bullets in the .30-06, 60% charges, get some range time and keep the kill shots inside 100m. I did the same process with my 10 year old in his 6mm. He's now at 100% powder charges and I never told him when I was upping the charge. He never developed a flinch, is deadly accurate and bagged his first deer this fall at 190m.
 
A friend of mine . . . she . . . wants to go hunting would suggest you should buy her a rifle without wasting any time!
Some of the replies might be more meaningful if there was a better description of the friend.
This is no different than "I want to buy my daughter a rifle". Size age and experince can assist those with experience.
The difference between "6'4", 225 pounds of dancing dynamite", and a "5'1", 97 pounds of timidness" is considerable.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. If I did reload I would just download one of my guns, but that isn't an option for me. I'm going to have to do some thinking, I don't really have money to spend on ANOTHER gun right away. Might have to buy some soft point 7.62x39 for now. I planned on setting up a ground blind around 70 yards from an intersection of about 5 deer trails, so an sks should cover it.

On the plus side, this is a perfect excuse to buy a light caliber for next year. The .243 would be good, but moose might be in the cards for her down the road, maybe even next year if she pulls a tag. so I was leaning more to 7mm-08. I've been meaning to get one anyway, looks like a winner.

Thanks again for all the replies, everyone.
 
My wife started with an SKS. Killed her first deer with it. I then bought her a youth-stocked .243 in a Savage 111 FXP3 package with the accu-trigger. She has taken 6 deer with it now and has a p-14 chambered in .303 Epps for moose and elk. Last gun show we went to, she picked up a little Weatherby (again with a youth stock) in .25-06. Had a discussion on that cartridge's abilities and now I know what she is getting for Christmas. No flinch, no fear since she started small.
I also used that theory for my own children. I picked up a #4 that a guy had cut down, beautifully, but carved away tons of wood so that it would fit his wife. Fit the kids great. Down-loaded 110gn bullets to about 1600fps and they never noticed when I took them back up, until they were shooting full power loads. Took a few months each time, but it was worth it. My middle daughter still uses it when she needs to.
 
Papaclaude said:
Of the guns you have, if you don't reload, I'd recommend the '06 with Remmy Managed recoil loads. They are, IIRC, a 125 gr. or so bullet, with very, very, light recoil, but they are great for deer.
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Papaclaude has the winning answer. The 06 is the all around number one recommended gun for, for all around hunting. From yotes to moose and even big bears are within it's ability. I think the less acurate the gun the better the shooter should be. Practice with the SKS, but not the right gun to hunt with for a novice. She needs to know where her bullets are going.
A lot of practice is in order as well. Get some remmy managed then move up. If you can't afford a good inexpensive $400 dollar gun such as the axis, I wonder about the cost involved with practice, hunting trips, and meat processing.
 
alta780 said:
Papaclaude has the winning answer. The 06 is the all around number one recommended gun for, for all around hunting. From yotes to moose and even big bears are within it's ability. I think the less acurate the gun the better the shooter should be. Practice with the SKS, but not the right gun to hunt with for a novice. She needs to know where her bullets are going.
A lot of practice is in order as well. Get some remmy managed then move up. If you can't afford a good inexpensive $400 dollar gun such as the axis, I wonder about the cost involved with practice, hunting trips, and meat processing.
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I appreciate your opinion, but a 125 grain bullet with very, very light recoil sounds alot like a 7.62x 39 to me. whether the bullet comes out of an sks or a bolt action 30-06, I doubt the difference is a great as you imply.
 
alta780 said:
Papaclaude has the winning answer. The 06 is the all around number one recommended gun for, for all around hunting. From yotes to moose and even big bears are within it's ability. I think the less acurate the gun the better the shooter should be. Practice with the SKS, but not the right gun to hunt with for a novice. She needs to know where her bullets are going.
A lot of practice is in order as well. Get some remmy managed then move up. If you can't afford a good inexpensive $400 dollar gun such as the axis, I wonder about the cost involved with practice, hunting trips, and meat processing.
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Another reason I'd go with the '06 is that the SKS is not a very ergonomical or comfortable rifle to shoot. They are heavy and chunky. The average sporting rifle is much easier to hold properly. I've tried the Managed Recoil stuff in several calibers as well as 12 gauge, and they really are good alternatives to buying a new gun,
 
And my sks isn't so terribly inaccurate. 3" groups with milsurp, that can only improve with hunting ammo. Sounds alot better than unloading 400 bucks on a gun that could be better spent on hunting trips, practice, and meat processing.

Papaclaude, thanks for mentioning the managed recoil stuff. I've never actually seen it here in lloyd, but if I track some down, I'll pick up a box. You are correct the sks is pretty clunky. She has experience with the sks, . If I fine some we'll try it out.
 
kyle700 said:
I appreciate your opinion, but a 125 grain bullet with very, very light recoil sounds alot like a 7.62x 39 to me. whether the bullet comes out of an sks or a bolt action 30-06, I doubt the difference is a great as you imply.
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I also appreciate your opinion but also disagree with you. While a soft loaded 06 will have a bit more kick then a 7.62 x 39. It will also be much more accurate. Take the 762 set up for 250 yds and watch the print on the SKS then consider a little excitement with game. I would be more comfortable with someone being slightly off with a hit then a bullet flying into the air. Just my opinion.
 
While recoil is an important consideration, particularly in getting acquainted with the rifle, I have never felt it during a hunting situation. More importantly to me, is making sure the person is comfortable with the fit and function of a particular rifle. For instance, a 30-30 may be great for it's recoil, but the ones without the cross bolt safety may be intimidating. I would look at rifles with actions that can be operated without exposing the user to a "hot" situation.
 
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