Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Deer rifle for my wife.

My wife has hunted with me atleast once a year for the past 13 years of marrage. She always picks a loaner gun from the safe and never seems comfortible with her choice.

Its time she has her own deer gun. But, she has listened to her father for years preaching that anything larger than a .243 is a over kill and yada yada yada.........

You see, years ago he killed an Elk with his .243 by shooting it in the neck.

If I had to pick a caliber for her, I think a .270 or .280 would be just about right. Not a ton of recoil, but enough lumber to haul a big boy down.

And as far as the model...I'm a firm beleiver in letting the owner chose what feels good to them.

This is a shooping trip she wont have to talk me into going on.

What about a 7mm-08? If I were to buy a gun for my wife that would be it. As it is I just fixed up an old Marlin 336 in .32 Winchester Special for her as I had it around and not in use. Recoil is not to big of an issue and it is nice and light.

Option 1: Remington 700 LSS MR in 260.

If you install the 700 LSS MR's barreled action into a 700 Ti stock, your Wifle have a rifle almost as light as a 700 Ti at about 75% of the cost.

Option 2: Remington 7 SS in 260.

Option 3: Go back to Option 1.

All options optional.

Jeff

Sounds like you are on the right track. A .270 is what I recommend for new shooters (even though your wife has been shooting for years). Recoil is easy and you can find ammo anywhere it is sold if you don't handload.

I can't argue with any of the suggestions so far. I might add a 257 Roberts, 6.5X55 or a 7X57 to the list. My wife was also uneasy with loaner rifles. What I found out was they stocks fit me really well and her not at all. Make sure the rifle/scope combination fits her and she won't argue with the caliber choice. As for the father-in-law, buy him a 243.

Deer only...260 - Combo Deer & Elk....7mm-08 or 280. My wife uses a 308 but is not sensitive to recoil. Let her fire a couple of bigger rifles and she'll let you know. Good luck, should be a fun hunt.

I bought a .257 Roberts for my wife, which she loves and uses quite well. If there were more large game, over the 400 lb range, I would also throw the 7mm-08 into the mix. My wife does not find my 7mm-08 unpleasant to shoot.

I won't argue either but the .243 is an great deer cartridge. You don't have to shoot in the neck for the 243 to work. Put a decent bullet in her and you have a great deer cartridge. I use less and kill just as good. HAPPY HUNTING

Just don't let her hold a Kimber in 260 or 7-08 unless you are willing to spring for one.

Get her a handsome rifle. Women are big on the styling and quality. Some like glossy finish, some like oil, they all like nice furniture. And remember that they usually have small hands, and shorter arms, and like more dainty grips and forends.

Remington Model 7 CDL is nice.

.308?

see I love the 30's, and I think the ole .308 is often overlooked in this application.

sumthin to think about i guess.

Dave

I'll plus one a Model Seven (Especially CDL) for a lady. The wood ends at a 12 3/8 LOP before it goes into a 1" pad. It is NOTHING to swap for a 1/2" pad that perfectly fits folks in the 5'3" to 5'6" range.

They balance better than other Sevens as well given the 20" tube and less lumber in the butt.

GE

I would choose the 257 roberts or 7mm-08. I think the 270 has too much recoil for a new shooter. You will want her to practice lots. as previously mentioned, fit is critical. also, petit rifles kick more so keep that in mind.

.243, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .25-06, .260 Remington, .270, .280, 7-08...

Take your pick; any one of them will do fine - go toward the larger end if bigger stuff is on the menu, toward the lower end if smaller stuff is standard fare.

Can't see how any of them are a bad choice.

Personally, I'd look very hard at the .25-06 and the .270.

It must fit her, so take her to a shop where she can try a lot of things, especially youth models. (I was in a BassPro in Bossier City, LA, a few weeks ago. I was astonished at their selection.) Also check places with a healthy used rack.

It also has to be pretty in her eyes. She makes that call, and you agree with her.

If you meet those two criteria, the cartridge, make, and model won't matter much.


Okie John

a .243 with either Nosler partitions or TSX's should do the trick, and well ...

My wife has shot 2 bucks with her .280REM Mountain rifle.She's not a big girl (5'4",125lbs),but the recoil doesn't bother her at all.Next week she's off to the range with a .300WSM to get ready for our upcoming moose draw.We'll see how that goes! Monashee

I would get her a 6.5 x 55, or a 7-08.

My daughter is shooting a Model 70 Compact 7mm-08, with Remington 120-gr HPs loaded to 2,700 fps. It has much less muzzle blast than the standard load of 3,000 fps, much less recoil than a standard .270, and is the right size. It has only a very thin red rubber buttpad. The Model 7 CDL has a thick new soft recoil pad.

An acquaintance bought an A-Bolt Micro Medallion 7mm-08 for his wife (no longer made), and she really loves it, partly because of the looks. She started out on mild 120-gr Ballistic Tip handloads and still shoots them, but a little hotter, and the standard 140-gr rounds don't bother her, either.

My wife killed her first moose with a 243 NEF Handi. It is NOT a moose rifle, but it worked fine. After that, she demanded a 30-06 because she liked mine so much, and it seemed to lay them down pretty nicely. I did the honourable thing. I gave her my 30-06 shortened down to her LOP and Pachmayr Deceleratored it for her. If the stock is too long it will not be fun to shoot.

She is a deadly shot with it. Killed her first deer at 200 yards. Cartridge is not as important as comfort. If it fits her well, she will shoot it well. I think you have got some great advice for a deer only rifle. Were it me, I would opt for a Tikka T3 in 6.5 Swedish, but any of the suggestions will work.