Looking for a wife rifle. Considering a model 7 in a 7mm-08. Had one model 7 before and it was a 308. I struggled with it a bit. Could never get it to group reasonably well and frustrated me to no end.

Curious if this is a model 7 (short bbl and light) function or did I just get a dud?

Not just a deer rifle, but a dear rifle.

My daughter shot my Kimber Montana 257 Robts and now I can't get her to even consider anything else. She loves the light weight and excellent balance. Most light rifles don't balance that well.

For a third of the price of a Kimber I would seriously consider a Ruger American in 7-08 or .243 Win. I would get the regular 22" barrel for better balance and less blast. They are still very light-weight. The 18" compact barrel is not fun to live with, in comparison to the 22" barrel. Best of luck with your project.

Those M7's don't have a decent safety or trigger. I don't want someone loading or unloading their gun near me without those features.

Look at Rugers, Kimbers, Winchesters.

Love my model7-7/08! Perfect rifle for your described application. Mine shoots 1/2 moa all day long. 41.0 grains of 4064 behind a 140 grain ballistic tip and they hit the ground. Easy on the shoulder too.

I'd give this route some thought as well, roughly 7 1/2 lbs all up.


I had a love/hate relationship with my Model 7 (7mm-08). Gift from my father many years ago and took quite a few deer with it, but always hated the balance. Last year I dropped it in a Brown FS stock (dropped a lb and completely changed the way it handles/balances) and it's probably one of my favorite rifles now.

I'd have her actually go to the store and try several rifles. My wife really liked the weatherby vanguard youth model (7mm-08). The Monte Carlo stock fits her well and she's been very happy with it.

+1, although mine prefers the 130 Speer BTSP behind a max load of Re15 or IMR4320. Even the 120 NBTs and TTSXs shoot better than the 140s, at least in my own M7.

Buy your M7 off the used rack to avoid the trigger/safety issues experienced by the earlier poster.

Both my wife and daughter have Model Seven Youth models in 7mm-08. The wife's is older with a wood stock and 18.5" barrel and the daughter's has a plastic stock and 20" barrel.

The wife's is more accurate, but they both just flat out kill stuff with them. They have taken elk at 200 yards and antelope at over 300.

I have one in .260 Rem. Mine will shoot into 1.5" with only one load. Everything else is larger. I figure that's mostly because Remington screwed up and used too slow a twist. Finding a good load for the wife's 7mm-08 was almost too easy.

"Buy your M7 off the used rack to avoid the trigger/safety issues experienced by the earlier poster"

Elaborate please. I'm not a Remington guy.

Go get a Tikka in 243 or 7-08 and be done.

Tarkio -

Remington has a recall of current production rifles due to trigger issues. The new triggers also seem to have a penchant for snapping in half, although I don't think that problem is subject to a recall.

the older triggers that you might encounter with a used rifle had a FOR (Fire On Release) safety problem. Flick the safety to the fire position and Bang.

Then there is the issue of bolt handles coming off. Most people will never experience it in a lifetime of shooting, others have experienced it twice. Even brand-new rifles have had the problem.

One solution for the trigger is to get a Timney or other after-market trigger. Bolt problems are a bigger and probably more expensive issue to deal with.

Or you can buy a Ruger and not worry about any of the above. At worst you might want to have the trigger tuned and the barrel floated, something I do to all my rifles anyway. My Ruger Hawkeye has the Ruger LC6 trigger and it was quite acceptable out of the box. Barrel floating is something you can do yourself with sandpaper, a dowel to wrap it around and a little polyurethane or other wood sealer.

Frankly, I have a love/hate relationship with my Ruger American. Great trigger, accurate with factory ammo, rugged mechanical design. The stock's forearm is a bit flimsy for my taste but that is my biggest complaint. The look is definitely modern/functional rather than classic but the damn thing will outlast me and probably my grand-kids, too. I see myself buying more Americans.

mine was a youth model with the 20" barrel. first shot was dead on and then after that it was anybodys guess. floated the channel with no difference. was getting ready to bed, etc when me and my son both lost interest and went with a ruger frontier with the thicker, shorter barrel. mine was a '98 vintage if i remember right. they're ok guns but IMO the ruger 77 is a better gun. i have half a dozen various ones and they all shoot great.

7's are the most fickle of Big Green's offerings.

Go Montana 243 and watch her smile,as Critters are slammed to the deck.

Play your cards right and she may even let you shoot it..............(grin)

I have always found the older triggers used in the Rem 700 and M7 to be easily adjustable down to 3 lbs or so. Frank de Haas in his excellent book, Bolt Action Rifles, agrees, and he has an idiot-proof guide therein for adjusting Remington triggers.

The safety's unreliability is undeniably an issue, but I've never experienced a safety problem with any Remington rifle I've personally worked with.

Now flash forward to modern Remington bolt rifles, both the 700 and M7. The "new and improved" X-Mark trigger is claimed to be adjustable, but Remington requires a certified shop to do the work. This may be a good idea, because I can't get an X-Mark to adjust one whit. The new J-Lock on the cocking piece leaves me cold too. Much of these alleged problems are aesthetic rather than real, but it makes no difference to me. I miss the old days and the Remington rifles that were easy for a home body to work on.

And it doesn't help that Remington has relocated their firearms production, now employing workers who wouldn't know a BDL from an ax handle. They have acquired and have now castrated Marlin too. Just as Marlin brought a nice entry-level bolt gun to the market, Remington waved their magic wand and the Marlin disappeared.

It seems to me that that the "new" Remington is staffed by bean counters, rather than nuts and bolts riflemen. My opinion only; you are free to disagree.

I figured you'd opine.

Educate me on the Montana's. I see you promote them as the best option many times over and I'd like to know why.

or you could go ruger ultralite. My wife loved it. Since she left, it's all mine.....

This ^^^^ is good advice. Have her try several different styles/models of rifles. See what "feels" and "fits" best for her. It also gives her a little skin in the game.

I wouldnt buy the Tikka in 243,dont like the way its twisted.

Ruger American in 7mm-08, first trip to the range:



See what fits and take a good look at the Ruger.



P

Pharmseller
Is that a compact

Oh, you want a rifle for your wife to USE. Thought you were going somewhere else and was going to suggest you just use what you have.

Nope, standard. I looked at the compact but the LOP was too short.

My point was that the Ruger American is developing a great reputation for accuracy which is way out of proportion to the price.


P

Tarkio

Apparently you have never handled a Montana. They aren't just light rifles. Almost every dimension is reduced in size in very nearly perfect proportion. And the balance is superb.

Even the bolt diameter and the size of the ball on the bolt handle are reduced in size, yet nothing is overdone, like on some extreme light rifles.

Many companies just put a short, skinny barrel on a standard action and call it a lightweight, but the balance is awful. Reading the spec's on a rifle isn't enough to tell you how the rifle will feel in your hands.

The Kimber synthetic stock is extremely well done, also. Find one you can lay your hands on and see what you think.

You are right, I have never handled a Montana. I appreciate your description. I will try and find a Kimber to try out.

Simply because they are without equal.

That isn't opinion,it's fact and them differences is stark.

Hint.

'Course it's easy for me to say...if only because I got 'em all.............

Stick, please elaborate. You are usually good for factual info and that's why I asked you. I've seen where you or someone else posted about the balance, handling etc. but what else are the attributes of this model rifle?

I've looked at some listings and there aren't a lot out there. Most cost in the neighborhood of $12-1400. Sell/educate me that this rifle is worth the extra $400-600. I am a value kind of guy. Regardless the price, if I think the value/roi is there, I'll buy it.

She might like the Ruger International with its full length stock. Good balance.