Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Idea for a deer/hog rifle for my daughter

Because especially in a confined space like a deer stand the blast would be horrendous.

If you slide the muzzle outside of the blind when you fire, it should be less horrendous.

Good luck to your daughter this season.



Travis

Its all so clear to me now - a Browning BAR in 243 would be the best answer for your daughter's recoil problem. Buy her one as quickly as possible.

David

Bingo

Blue Dot 120-140gr loads in my daughter's 7lb 7mm-08 youth rifle make me laugh they are so gentle. I cannot see anything out there that would compare to a Blue Dot 243 load with soft 85-100gr bullets. Recoil levels would be like the 223 with factory loads. Keep the bullets in the lungs and you are golden. Let her hunt like that a year or so and shoot a lot to cure the flinch (with double ear protection), then move up to mid-level loads. The problem may cure itself in short order, provided there is enough practice.

A new rifle in not needed to fix this short-term problem, not at all.

243 bolt

then they know whrn they chamber a round

She's been shooting a sem-auto shotgun for a number of years so that is not an issue I my mind. She's not a kid, she'll be 24 in December. If she were a lot younger and not experienced I would agree with you. She also exhibits excellent fire control with her shotgun and 9mm. On the other hand she has never fired a gun without me being right there with her.

So what is it you were looking for?

I was thinking about replacing her Vanguard S2 Youth .243 with a Browning Bar .243 with a shortened stock. Thought it might reduce recoil considerably.

It won't. Particularly if she is generating most of the recoil with her flinch, which with a 243 she probably is....

David

An auto requires full-house ammo to run correctly, but takes a bit of bite out of the recoil to the shooter. Downloaded ammo can be used in a bolt gun or single shot, also taking a bit of bite out of the recoil to the shooter. Net effect is the same, if not more, by using the light loads. No new gun to buy or cut down. Get her past the flinches, and she can go back to full power loads in her bolt gun.

If you want to give your girl a nice new rifle, do so.

A BAR would be a very fine gift.

Curing her flinch, though, will likely require the same medicine that most of us have to take at sometime. Get back to basics with a .22, then reduced loads, and good ear protection.

Also check her stand(s) for anything that might be contributing to a problem that seems to exist for her only in the stand.

Maybe your daughter is trying to tell you she doesn't like hunting. I know my son went through all the motions and I jumped through hoops to get him involved but in the end he could just not do it. Walking up on a dead animal is a big deal to some people...especially the first time. They may say something or they may just play along. My boy just has too much of his mother in him I guess because in the end...he said that hunting was just not for him. It broke my heart but he's my son and I still love him. powdr

Teach her to shoot standing and kneeling with a 22 Hornet since 22RF is so hard to find, then transition to using the 243 the same way.

Stay off the benches. Use them to sight the gun in and never put a new shooter in a seat.

Is it possible that the stock is too short for the position she's shooting from?

A PAST pad would lengthen the pull a little and reduce the recoil as well as spread it out over a larger area. Save Dad about $1500 too.

How about a CZ 452 in 7.62x39? It has roughly the power of a 30-30 and less kick than "high velocity" loads.

If she likes autos, consider a Ruger 44 mag carbine. Plenty of them on the used market.

I also like the brake idea. I have an M700 Mountain in 280 with a brake, and it's a sweetheart to shoot. An acquaintance has a 300 Win mag with the Anwser System brake and pad, and it shoots easier than any 243 I ever shot.

This thread is going full UBER.



Travis

Never doubted otherwise.

As is often the case, the first reply is the best one.