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.

I would look into a ruger compact M77 MKII in 243,260 and 7-08.

Much of the 'fit' issue is likely the rifle, not the cartridge. Best to shop around with her, so she can try rifles to see which ones 'fit'. Once you've selected a model, it's a matter of choose a cartridge it's available in. In terms of the cartridge, .250 Savage would be 'perfect', except that it's a bit 'limited' these days in terms of availability. The .260 Rem would probably be a good choice as well. But again, in this case it's perhaps rifle model first then choosing cartridge from what it comes in.

My wife is 5'4" and about 115 or 120ish. She has shot them all from 223 up to 460 weatherby without issues. Killed alot with a couple of 300wtbys. And a few with her 308 and more than a few with my old 243s...

Recoil is generally in the head.

What I'd first do is take my wife to the store and let her look, handle, and "pick" her top choices. Then I'd look those over well, making sure that her choices fit her well enough, weight was what it should be etc....

Then find someone/some range with that combo of caliber/gun and let her test fire first.

Caliber wise, you don't really say what she is gonna be after all...that being said I'd start 308/30-06 and work which ever way from there... smaller calibers call for good quality bullets for sure.... But th old 06 , comes in so many bullets, surplus ammo for cheap practice, can be found anywhere etc.... its a super place to start.

On recoil, make sure the stock fits HER, the scope is set for good eye relief, and has a well fit soft recoil pad like a Decelarator, all that will usually not require a brake....

Jeff

260 0r 7-08........

I'll second the Ruger Compact, in 260 or 7-08. Great little rifles that will fit small shooters. Actually, at 5'10" and 175, this little rifle is my FAVORITE deer rifle! packs and points GREAT!
Virgil B.

Agree. Can't think of a more versatile, light recoiling cartridge capable of anchoring an antelope or a moose. Most folks never recognize that the 308 Win can push a 200 gr. bullet at a respectable 2,500 fps. Plenty of punch at 250 yards for very large game. With 150, 165 and 180 grain loads it can be fine tuned for any situation.

If I were in the market for a new gun (that my wife could lick occasionally and call it her own) for deer and smaller it would be the Ruger M77 RSI .257 Roberts. If I expected larger game the .270 or .308 in the same gun might get the nod. I would look long and hard for a tang safety version before I settled on the Mark II version.

Sounds to me like a LOT of great suggestions. I'll throw my vote in with the .260, 6.5X55 or 7mm-08 crowd...all in a nice, trim package, of course. I'm a 6.5X55 nut, but the .308 family cartriges (like the .260 and 7mm-08) come with the handiness of a short action. Personally, while I find the mini-Rugers cute as can be, I don't like the muzzle blast of a short barrel. (I hate it worse than stout recoil!)

You can always buy a .338 Federal for her, which you can keep if she does not like it

Decelerator recoil pads are worth their weight in gold.

My wife has a .308, but loves her 6.5x55, which is loaded to 2840 with 130 grain TSX's. She was doing great this afternoon at 300, shooting sitting with a Stoney Point Pole Cat tripod, and asking when she could try shooting at 400.

Remington model 7 CDL in 7-08 with Leupold VXII 2-7X32.
Light, versatile and low recoil.
Done!
WFR

The Steyr SBS Mountain has the adjustable LOP with butt pad spacers. A .308 or 7mm-08 with light loads would do it.

A T3 in wood, you could whack off some LOP. 6.5x55 would be sweet.

Kimber 84 is a nice small rifle, too.

If I were buying a deer rifle for my wife it would be a lightweight .260 Rem. Low recoil, and good bullet selection for the handloader. Load up some 100-120 grain bullets and you are good to go for any deer. If she decided to go after black bear or elk, you have some premium heavier bullet choices and enough snort to get the job done.

Excellent suggestions. And you guys hit the nail on the head with the, "It needs to be pretty". I'm not sure if lemon pledge draws bucks as good as tinks buck lure, but i'm sure I'll be able to report on that after the season is over.

I think a youth model would be to small for her, but i'm liking the compact models ideas.

We plan to do a South Dakota hunt once a year, so thats something we need to concider also. A good sling shot will take out deer we have here in Cent. Florida, but we've never hunted out west.

I know between the .277 and the .284 calibers you can jump from 150 gr to 165 gr. and that maybe a factor also.

Right now she into shopping for camo..Have you ever known anyone that tried to accessorise with Realtree AP in HD?

The guy in the camo department at the Bass Pro looked at me like..IS SHE SERIOUS. Yes she is....but atleast she's willing to hunt with me.

Thanks for all the suggestions...I'll let you know what she gets.

Smart man.I agree

I like JB's comment on this subject: how come the women get smaller guns than the guys do? Said another way, how come we always recommend smaller rifles for them than we use ourselves.............

6.5 Swede or 7x57.
My wife shoots either one with ease.

.260 and a stock that is cut to length with a Decelerator pad. She has the option of deer and larger game with the 6.5 range of bullets. I don't have a 7-08, but the ballistics are very close.

A .270 with recoil managed loads would work well for practice and the full loads for hunting. POI is damn close in my guns at 100 yards.
Either way, get the gun cut to fit and put a scope with long eye relief. Especially if she is going to be bundled up in heavy clothes.

stumpy

Mine likes the synthetic stuff. Go figure. I woulda thought what you do if she hadn't made her preference clear.

Also according to mine, weight and length are the most important criteria. Seven pounds all up is her max. (She's 5'9" ~150#) For rifles you can walk in and buy, the .270 or .280 is about the most you are looking at and might be too much. I'd think in terms of 140 grain max bullet and /06 size case max case capacity.

They still sell the Remington Model Seven in .260. There are a few Winchester Featherweights in 25 WSSM still out there. The Tikka T3 can be had in 6.5x55, but you're limited to the Norma 120 gr BT for modern power factory loads.

Best bet is to go to a big gun shop or two and make sure she hefts anything suitable until she finds one she happens to like. Gun shops seems to be more amenable to letting the girls try things out.

Recoil is a personal thing. My only complaint about my SUCKS PB&J (700 Mountain Rifle .280) was the hard recoil pad on the trim stock. Punished my reconstructed right shoulder until I swapped the stock for a CDL take off.

BTW what the heck is wrong with a .280 for a moose? It's the biggest cartridge I'm considering taking this year ...

GE

Take a look at the Remington 700 Mtn Rifle in .260 Rem. I have almost given up the .270 for this rifle while hunting deer on the East Coast.

It is a nice, classic rifle and with the proper bullets suitable for everything from groundhogs to large deer. It's almost identical to the 7x57 that is used in Europe for their moose.

Hunting clothes tailored for women are made by Mossy Oak, Browning, Orvis, etc. Cabelas and Bass Pro have sections in their catalogs just for this.

Look at the upper crust hunting magazines, like those from England - The Field, Shooting, Countryside - and you will find really nice stuff, but not much camo. Barbor, Beretta, and all kinds of nice brands. Watch out. That stuff costs way more than the rifle.

Thats good to know Lee. I have seen them advertised on the outdoor channel hunting show that have the women on. Archers Choice and Get'n Close. But Bass Pro didn't have anything instore for her.

My buddy loaned her a Ruger 77 in a compact .308 once and it came about as close to a fit as anything she has shot. And the .308 wasn't to much gun for her, but I want her to be as involved in this process as she can get.

She loves to plink with my old Ruger 10-22. That got me thinking about the Ruger Deer rifle in 44 mag. But thats a basic 100 yarder, no good for out west.

Hoot,

Being that she liked the Ruger 77 Compact for fit, consider the Ruger 77 Ultra Light. 20" Barrel. Pretty stock with black forend cap. As she's fully grown, no harm in cutting and padding stock to fit no matter what the platform.

About anything from 243 on up will be dandy for chambering ... even "out west" most people have very little business taking shots further than 350 to 400 yards. Good news is it is not THAT hard to get within 250 to 300 yards of an animal under most circumstances.

Most of all, may both of you ENJOY the process.

GE

Hoot, I'm trying my hardest to remember the name of a clothing & accessory outfit that specialized in gear for women. Dang, I just saw it on a comercial for a show I was watching on outdoor channel..... she-? it was she-something, goll dang if I can remember now though....


she-safari... that's it.

www.shesafari.com

I don't know if they have anything worth lookin at.. lets see.... hmmmm, how do you spell purrrrrr-meeeeoooowwww!!

oh, um, yeah, clothes.... maybe also check this other one I heard of... foxyhuntress or sumthin. lemme see, I'll scout it for ya first......

ummm, yeah I dunno.

not sure that stuff is really hunting clothes.... actually not sure how much hunting I would get done if I had one of those models strutting around in there taylored "hunting" clothes either.... not that that's always a bad thing.

you can check it out but I didn't see anything that looked all that practical there.... cute? heck yeah, but not all that practical or functional.



Dave

My wife shoots my 243 like she owns it, and sometimes thinks she does (LOL). If I ever bought her a gun that was just for her, I'd let her handle/feel/etc. as many as possible and then go with the 243/260/6.5 Swede/7mm-08 flavor depending on what she picked. FWIW, I'm sure that a mild handload in 270 (one that essentially dupes 6.5 Swede vels) will kill stuff. Just a guess though. Congrats on hunting with your better, half, I enjoy it as well.

My wife loves her Ruger #1 in .243 Winchester. I wasn't sure how well this would go over at first, so I thought If she didn't like the idea of hunting with me, I could always use a .243...

Now there isn't much chance I will ever get my hands on it.

my wife picked the Remmy 7 Youth in 7-08 for her all around gun as we try for elk tags every year........she loves the gun, loves the chambering.........only improvement is she wants a purple McSwirly my "go to" rifle right now would fit the bill aswell its a Kimber 84M in 260........the wifes been eyeing it and im not sure how much longer i will own it though

Northern Dave, I think you nailed it buddy. Thats just what shes looking for. Camo but classy. She one of those that likes to be in style if she a social event of the year or 30 feet up a lob lolly pine.

But I dont care if I have to get her a camo diamond ring as long as she gos.

We're planning a trip to the bass pro to handle a few long guns this weekend.

oh yeah....Those gals in the web site make that camo look pretty good.

That's real 3D camo.

yaaaa, oofta on dat tree-dee dere.....

(norsky accent from like the movie "fargo". No I don't talk like that but it's still funny as hell to pretend.)

Agreed -- Kimber 7-08 or .260 (or even a .308 in the Montana version) is da bomb!

Just make sure the stock fits. We went thru a rifle rack looking for a fit for my wife and ended up with the A-bolt Micro Hunter in 7mm-08. The LOP is about 12 3/4" and fits great. She's about 5'7" tall. Weight with a 3-9 Monarch is still light and very manageable. She's doesn't care for the standard way of stacking rounds in a magazine then dumping them out or cranking them thru so the detachable mag works great for her. And it looks just like drop plate bottom metal on any other rifle. The 60 deg bolt throw was another thing she liked. All in all just an easy to UNDERSTAND and use rifle that fit. And the 7mm-08 just plain works, like the 7x57.

shootem

my 13yo daughter has the micro hunter in 260, it was mine until I let her hold it. No complaints!! Another suggestion is the ruger ultralight in 243,308,250, or 257 roberts. My 257 weighs 6 pounds on the nose without a scope,stock is nice and trim and points like a dream

We went to the range over the weekend and I let her shoot my 30-06. Pointed the gun down range and told her to concentrate just on the recoil and not to worry about the target. After 3 shots, recoil wasn't a concern any longer.

A buddy of mine has a Micro Hunter for sale in 7mm-08 he bought for his son, who has out grown it. It's equiped with a leupold VX-II.

He offered it to her for this season to see if she likes it.

Grease up the hinge on your wallet. 'Buddy' just made a sale.

Remington Model 7 CDL in 25-06 would treat her right.

The 25/06, the .260 or the 7/08 are all great choices in my opinion.

I am one of those guys that likes every bullet out there. I've been hunting long enough to know, If you get a good pass through shot, double lung what ever you are hunting. You'll find it within 75 yards of where you shot it * most of the time.

90% of the time bullet placement is more important than the bullet its self.

By the way, A .280 Rem. has another name. Does anyone remember it. 7mm something.

One thing that I did not think of when putting together Doecamper's rig was the comb geometry.

Took her and Model 7 to the gravel pit last week and she was having issues seeing the target through the scope. I was perplexed for a while as the Sightron has plenty of eyebox and the stock has a 12 7/8 lop that fit her perfectly. She was commenting that the sight picture was "all black"

Watched her shooting and she had no cheek weld. At first I thought it was a form issue ... but finally realized she was lifting her head to see through the scope.

Picked up a neoprene comb lifting sleeve for 20 bucks and believe the problem has been solved. Except for the ugly gun issue. Off season will be looking to get another stock with sufficient lift at the comb.

Learn from my stumbles.

GE

That being the 7mm Express Remmington.

GE

7mmEDC (7mm Express Death Cult) #2

I did the same search just about a month ago... I'm gonna go with a Kimber 84 in 7mm-08 for my wife... Looks and feel, and light recoil were my main selling points.. The Kimber 84 is just such a sweet little gun.. Plus the 7mm-08 and 308 chambers are perfect for a woman.. Id say the 308 would be a little better if she was going to hunt larger game like elk, but the 7mm-08 will take an elk all day long as well. Put a VXIII 2.5-8x36 on it and its a great little setup... Good luck...

Do you think lower rings may also be a part of the solution? I noticed the same thing with my wife , and I'm planning on getting lower rings in the off season.

Phooey. Borrow my old M70 in .375 H&H. Take her to the range and after a couple of pops you won't have to worry about her tagging along to hunting camp with you and your buddies.

Wayne

No thanks. She is my buddy, and she doesn't tag along. She's leaving earlier than me on Friday to get a jump on the antelope hunt. I'll be tagging along later after our son gets out of school. She also spent 7 hours with me on Sunday looking for the elk that I THOUGHT I shot with a bow.

Thanks Gav, 7mm express. that has been driving me nuts all day.

Doing some research on the 7mm-08. I'm liking it so far.

most women have much higher cheek bones than men; this is why the comb needs to be higher for them to see properly through the scope. learned this the hard way wingshooting.

cheek weld is very important.

My daughter shoots a Ruger 77 LH in 308 Win.
She's 5'0", 90#s and has no problem with recoil, even shoots my Barrett 50 BMG.
The 308 ammo can be found anywhere and will reach out to 400 with out a problem.

Lower rings would be great. Here's another dang good reason for Talley to make extra lows!

However, we're running a 6x42 SII on her rig for the eyebox and "picture window" view. The Talley Lows clear the bore will not a heck of a lot of room to spare. Lower mounts would mean different scope and well, she LIKES the scope.

Besides, she'd eventually figure out that it was all a plot to get *my* scope back ...

GE

Hey Hoot

Everybody has an opinion. Mine is that the .243 is borderline for large deer. There are so many better short action cartridges out there. The 6.5X55, .260, or 7mm-08. All are available in the Rem Mod 7, or CZ, or Tikka, or Kimber.

If you want really to impress her, like with a couple dozen roses, look for a nice Sav 99 in .250-3000. Now that's a sweetheart. If your lucky, she might opt for a Mod 7, and you get the Mod 99. Good luck.

George

I vote 7mm-08... either a Model 7 or a Kimber, depending on how much you love her!

-jeff

My thinking too. I knew a fellow in Wyoming who got his wife a .308W that he reloaded for. Would always make up reduced 125gn loads for her to shoot during the year, then give her a full load when she was hunting. Worked well.

The first three rounds I'd consider Jeff, are the .260R, 7mm-08R and .308W.

Have you thought about getting her a .223R bolt-gun for just training and year-round practice?

Friend of mine bought a 7-08 Browning for his wife. She wanted a 30/30 lever gun. He now is the owner of the 7-08 for himself and ended up buying the levergun for her anyway.