Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting deer rifle for a lady.

Sheesh, talk about ignoring the obvious -- .250 Savage! OK, kinda tough in a factory rifle ...

Likes my .260

I did exactly what BCBrian suggests for my son.

CRF M70 Featherweight in .243....that's what I bought my fiancee!

7-08 with a Decelarator added, cut to fit. Fit is everything. And earplugs and headphones.
My tiny wife uses my .260 with 140's in a Model 7. Works for us.

stumpy

I know one little girl who uses a 7 mag and a 45-70 for deer and occasional elk.... She ain't big but she is tough and shoots well...

To answer your question...make the right choice for a particular rifle, caliber isn't nearly as important. I've got several ladies into shooting/hunting. One thing that I have found to work best is to first get them a nice, accurate .22 centerfire of some sort that fits them well, and the best quality ear protection you can find. Nothing I have seen turns females away from shooting more than the noise. After they get used to shooting and learn how to be safe and accurate, then go shopping for a nice rifle in a caliber suited to what they will be hunting. All the calibers you listed would be fine, IMO, but the fit of the gun is always #1 on my list, right behind quality ear protection.

I have a .308 and a 7-08 (Rem 7's)....and I just don't notice all that much difference....and the 7-08 even has a nicer recoil pad.

Kick is kick and I just got use to it.....nothing that could bruise you up in any significant way....at least that has been my experience.

HoundGirl

Any rifle suitable for a whitetail can be shot with ease by any woman. I have always been very partial to the old 7X57 Mauser.

Any of these calibers will do a great job (I could name another 8 or 10 that would be just as good ) But I dont think caliber is the main issue here, you said this rifle was for a small woman, I would be much more concerned with the rifle itself fitting this little woman. Consider rifles built for shooters with smaller dimensions such as REMINGTONS MOD SEVEN, also if shes really small some rifle makers offer youth models in their lineups. good luck.............547.

As much as I am a .270 fan, I would go with the 7-08 in a short action. If she is recoil shy, I would load 120 bullets or buy the Remington 120 gr factory load. It is a hollow point, but I saw it take out both shoulders of a chunky buck at close range last year when applied by a lady in my family. Most of the ladies in my family use a .243 of some sort and do fine. The .270 is not a bad choice, but it does kick a bit more and if she is sensitive to recoil, will notice it. You could go the route of recoil managed loads in the .270 now offered by Remington & Federal. The same girl that took the buck with the 7-08/120 combo last year, took a couple of doe using Remington managed recoil loads in a 7mm Rem Mag the year before.

-Lou

my wife has a browning a-bolt composite stalker in 243 and loves it. she is very confident with it and it kills very well.

Browning Micro or Rem's model seven. 6mm Rem/243 win or 7mm-08

No A-bolts.....

I'm going to throw out a weird one, just because every woman I've let shoot it loves it.

CZ-527 carbine in 7.62x39mm. It weighs 6.5 pounds, is slightly shorter thn a model 7 and has plenty of killing at shorter ranges with minimal recoil.





I paid $399 NIB. It groups well, has a superb single set trigger - whether set or unset.

BTW, the other rifle in the top photo is great choice - my wife's Model 7 in 7mm-08

Either would be a decent choice......

If you handload a 22" Ruger in .257 Roberts is a great choice. Factory ammo is a bit hard to come by, not much being offered. I load mine with 110g AccuBond, 115g TSX and 120g A-Frame, Partition and Grand Slam, all of which are very accurate and any of which will reliably take deer. (I load more for elk, hence the premiums.)

A .260 would be very good, as would a 7mm-08, and the selection of factory ammo is better.

the 257 Bob is the perfect pick, almost any milsurp Mauser action could be rebarreled in this round, I suggested 7mm-08 or 6mm rem/243 win cause ammo is easier to find, I know 260 would work great too, as well as 6.5x55 Swiss

A nice CZ or Tikka, .270, wood. Be real nice and have it measured to her LOP and get it fitted with a decelerator recoil pad, to show you really care. Something fitted just for her. She'll know you want her there hunting with you, with a rifle just for her.

Since a 270 is the only rifle Ive ever owned and I have used it for 30 years (started hunting at 13) on deer, elk, and antelope I'll chime in and recommend a 270.

I have never found the recoil to be unpleasant at all.