Good Deer rifle for small frame adult?

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touro1979

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Jun 28, 2008
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Location
Western NY, Several miles north of PA Border
Hi, first off I want to introduce myself. I am in my late 20's and live in the Southern Tier of New York (WNY by PA border).

I just started hunting last year for deer and love it. Unfortunately, I hate my rifle. I bought a camo Mossberg ATR in 30-06 and I have a Traditions scope 3.5-10x on top of it.

First off I want to say that I am very short 5 foot 4 inches or as I like to say verticaly challenged. I am on the stocky side so I am not a twig, thank god (no offense to anybody)

When I first bought it I shot it off the bench and I was getting one hole, 3 shot groups at 80 yards but that was using a bench rest. But the next time I went to practice with it I didnt use the rest and was getting 3-4 inch groups using a backpack instead to steady my gun. when I shoot offhand, in the sitting postion I am all over the freakin place and I am lucky if I can hit the 10 inch target. Needless the say, I am not confidant in my abilities to make shots at 100 yards in the woods with this gun. I had several oppurtunites last season to take 150 yard shots but I did not dare because of my inability to shoot my rifle with any kind of consistent accuracy.

I am not sure if I developed a flinch but I think the rifle may be too big for me. I am going to get another rifle because of these problems. I am sick of lugging this gun through the woods. I also think the length of pull may be a tad bit too long for me but I think the bigger problem is the length of the gun overall. I think it throws off my balance and I really have to work at aiming it.

I am thinking of getting a mini-14 chambered in 6.8 mm. I am also looking at the M77 Mark II Compact in .243.

I am especially interested in the mini-14 in 6.8 but I am concerned about availability of ammo and accuracy. I have heard the new ones are much more accurate then the old. I do not need to shoot 1 inch groups at 100 yards but want to be able to get 4 inch groups offhand at 100 yards. The max shot I would ever take even with the best equipment would be 200 yards. I want something that is smaller and easier for me to aim and shoot offhand. I am also sick of taking a beating with the 30-06. Its ok if you are only going to shoot 3 or 4 rounds but after this I get sick of the recoil and I like to practice a lot.

Is there anything else you guys would recomend? What do you think about the guns I am looking at?


Thanks for your advice in advance. This looks like a great site. I am glad I joined.
 
Honestly, I don't think it's the gun. The inaccuracy is probably you. If you were able to group like that off a bench, you should be able to do it with a little more practice off a backpack or a tree branch or any way of stabilizing the rifle. Give it another shot (no pun intended). IF you don't like it after another hundred rounds or so, then you can get rid of it. .30-06 is a great and plentiful round.
 
What's the budget? I'd look at a Remington Model Seven or the Browning A-Bolt "Micro Hunter", either one in .243 Win. Or a CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39mm, if I were you. All are small, light, handy, low recoil, plenty of good trajectory and power to reach out there on deer.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_seven/model_seven_CDL_specs.asp

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=15

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=001B&cat_id=035&type_id=020


Another good choice, and economical, would be the good ol' .30-30 win rifle (Marlin, Winchester, or Mossberg). Hard to beat a Marlin 336 for value.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/Centerfire/336a.asp


For a real economy option, the Braztech/Rossi single shot in .243.

http://www.rossiusa.com/products/gunselector-results.cfm?series=RFC&Category=RIFLE

There are a lot of other good choices that would meet your requirements, too. Actually the more weight, the easy of a time you'll have with flinch. The calibers I would look at for you, other than the 6.8 which you mention (good choice), would be 6.5 grendel, .30-30 win, 7.62x39mm, .243 win, 6mm rem, .260 rem, .257 roberts, 6.5x55 swedish, and .44 magnum.

I would caution you about "Youth Stocked" guns: They might work (emphasize *might*) for a small framed adult, but if so, they will only work well if you are limiting yourself strictly to iron sight use. A youth-stocked rifle will definitely not work, eye-relief wise, for even the smallest adult when using a scope on the rifle.
 
I know it is not the gun. My brother shot it and he was getting great accuracy. I think its too big for me. I know I can shoot because I am a very good shot with my AR off hand and off the bench. I am also a very god shot with my 10/22. But both of these guns are smaller with of course less recoil. I think my short arms are one of the main problems.
 
I would check out a youth model, it may fit you better.
 
I have my wood stocks professionally cut by a gunsmith. Its worth it. I can buy a good used rifle here. Buying new is just nuts when considering the prices of rifles have gone up. There's some nice prices on the internet, and just have to figure in the cost of the FFL transfer.
 
Youth model as suggested. I am a short guy and really like a Youth Model Savage .243 I bought last year....Check it out....very comfortable..
 
Sounds like you need to find a better fitting rifle, but irrespective of what you choose as your new gun, I'd suggest you invest in a pair of shooting sticks until you get comfortable shooting offhand. Stoney Point has great bipod sticks AND you can add a monopod to the bipod with one of their adapter clamps and make yourself a more stable tripod if you wish. I use this setup as I am an avid varmint hunter shooting small targets at moderate distances. The sticks are a great investment. If I can help you, send me a PM.

Also, if you're not already, learn to use the rifle sling as a way to stabilize your offhand shots. Sticks and slings are cheaper than a new rifle.
 
K31!

It's a little heavy, but it's very accurate, can be scoped easily, and has a shorter stock than the 1903 Springfield. If you're into hunting w/milsurps, that is.
 
I have run into the same issue myself and I have had good results with youth model Remingtons, 243 is a good deer round if the 30-06 is too much for you
 
As said before, something in a youth model in .243, 260 Rem, 7mm-08. All are much more comfortable to shoot than full blown 30-06 loads.
There are several reduced 30-06 loads available from various manufacturer's and you could always restock or rework the stock that you have to fit better.
A mini-14 in 6.8 would be marginal at best and you would be better off using a lever action marlin or winchester in 30-30 for hunting the woods of PA. They are quite functional and easy on the shoulder.

NCsmitty
 
Savage model 16 FXP3 Youth in .243 Win. Comes with a Simmons scope (no comment), easy to shoot, easy to handle, and retails for around $500.
 
Remington Mdl-7 . In 7mm-08
You will be happy

This guy said it all...Can't go wrong in this gun in the standard or the youth model. 7mm-08 with the Remington 140 gr core lokt is some serious serious firepower on the whitetail deer.
 
You said you feel the gun is too long and you have a hard time aiming it...I've shot guns with REALLY long barrels and I think I know what you mean. Hard to hold steady because it's just too long.

For those guys suggesting a recoil pad or smaller caliber I don't know if he really is recoil sensitive, since he shoots well off the bench. Recoil from bench shooting is WAY worse than offhand, so if he can handle that he can handle anything. I'd suggest a youth model with a shorter barrel. If you want to go even shorter maybe consider a H&R Handi Rifle. It's a single shot, so that turns some people off, but they're capable of good accuracy and they're really short overall. I have a .223 and it's TINY. You can get them in all kinds of different calibers, from little stuff like the .223 way up to shoulder bruisers like the 45-70. Plus you can buy extra barrels for something like $85 each and switch calibers in a minute or two.

EDIT:

Ok, I had a few tonight and just re-read his post. Maybe he is a little recoil sensitive. No shame in that, especially for newer shooters since it's something you have to learn to manage. If that's the case, the Handi Rifle is a bad idea since they're so light. So I'd recommend a smaller caliber youth model. I stand corrected:rolleyes:
 
I also believe that if you can make decent patterns off the bench with the 30-06, then you can probably do the same in a life like situation. I just trees all the time to help me prop up when I'm taking a shot at a deer. I've done this using a Savage 7mm Rem mag (with a Leopold scope), shooting at a deer at 200 plus yards away. Drop went the deer.

I have also used my Mini 14 countless times to hunt deer and it also is equipped with a killer Leopold scope. I'm not much taller than you (5'6") and I just practice shooting on the range and in real life areas. I too just bought a 30-06 Remington 700, to hunt deer around 100-150 yard area (I'm hunting on the side of mountains with medium to large trees). I might suggest the Mini 30 KMINI-30-P 7.62X39, with a decent scope should do the job. I found that it did not kick as much as my 30-06 (personal opinion). I recently received one as a wedding gift, SWEET!

But try sticking with that 30-06, it's a good rifle and caliber. But there are other options, unfortunately that means spending more $$$. Good luck and let us know how things go!
 
If you're comfortable shooting the AR you could simply get an upper in 6.8mm SPC. It's a good deer round with low recoil.
 
I had several oppurtunites last season to take 150 yard shots but I did not dare because of my inability to shoot my rifle with any kind of consistent accuracy.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you have an ethical out look on hunting:)

Look into a .243 from Savage, or better yet, a .30-30
Welcome to THR
HB
 
Stock fit is one of the most important parts of successful shooting. Length of pull sounds like the problem in this case. One cure is to shorten the stock so that when your hand is in the shooting position, the butt barely rubs against your bicep--or against the jacket-sleeve over your bicep if you hunt in really cold weather.

And shortening the stock is a lot cheaper than buying another rifle...
 
A shotgunner would tell you that it's a stock-fitting problem, and would probably be right. Mossberg makes the ATR as a "Super Bantam," with the stock inserts to adjust LOP. Maybe you could work a trade-in deal. Or get your stock adjusted, although that's difficult with a synthetic.
 
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