Anybody else's wife/gf 5'2" ?

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I'm trying to get a semi-unofficial survey of how much "rifle" a 5'2" woman can handle. My wife's not that strong, and so I think my 308 ain't going to be something she can shoot.

M1Carbine, or .. Mini14??

Give me some idea guys. And don't ask me to ask her, I need to eliminate it down to a few choices before she'll even look..
 
My ex GF is 5'3'', .308 was too much for her, when shooting prone she would slide back on the mound a few inches with each shot, and she was wacked in the head by the sights a couple of times.

I'd suggest something .223, prone fire or benched only and a set of weights to build some muscle strength.

Ken
 
My wifeis 5'0"
She regularly shoots my Garand.
Regularly out-shoots me with my Garand... but that's a different story.

MOST IMPORTANT, is your wife a new shooter? That's the impression I get...

If yes, start with a .22. Just like teaching a kid.
You don't want to punish her with heavy recoil (Or do you?) and scare her off shooting.

For what it is worth, my wife wants her own .50 BMG single shot for xmas...

:evil:
 
I'm 5'3" and ~130 lbs and can shoot an M1 Garand and 12 gauge shotguns without much problem. Let her decide what she can or wants to do.
 
My GF is 5'3" and she has shot everything up to the M-44 (7.62x54) and 12 gauge. She takes a particular liking to the 1911 in .45 ACP. I second that suggestion by Steam Dragon about starting with .22 LR. We just went to the range a couple of days ago and only shot .22. She ended up loving it because to her it felt like a little shooting gallery you find at the carnival.
 
First off I would like to ask you a few questions. Has she shot your .308? How do you know she can't handle it? Is she recoil sensitive or are you just trying to convience yourself that shes a small woman and she can't handle it? I find most women that can't handle a .308 or a .45acp or whatever is because someone told her she couldn't. Frankly, I don't think caliber is an issue here unless she is recoil sensitive. There are few things that come first when pairing up a firearm with a female. First is weight. Granted women kind were not designed like men and most firearms were designed for men. It is easier for a man to lug around a 10lb plus rifle all day long than it is for a lady but anyone man or woman that has carried a rifle around all day knows that even the lightest rifles get heavy and cumbersome at the end of the day. Second is overall length of the rifle and shooting comfort. This is even more so with women. Comfort is very important to them. I myself do not have long arms and some firearms that have a normal length buttstock is just too long to be any real comfort when shooting for any length of time. Guns are like pants, if they don't fit you not going to wear them. This is even more so with women. Comfort is very, very important to them. Third is looks, (go ahead and laugh I did). When I was helping my fair lady choose a pistol I really listened to her and what she had to say I wanted her to be very happy with what she chose. She kept saying things like, "It's too plain" or "It's ugly" she even once said "I don't like glocks their black, plastic, plain, ugly". (that's my girl i thought to myself) I never said that to her because I wanted to get her something she wanted not me. At the time I had only learned lessons one and two, something that was not heavy and fit her hand well. I want something she would shoot not me. I wanted her to have a firearm that she would hold dear to her heart like some of us guys do. Only after you satisfied criterias one ,two and three should caliber even be and issue. Don't tell her what she can handle let her find out what she can handle. My uncle once told me, "Jim, some men can't handle a 45 acp". Let her shoot your .308 have her ignore everything else ask her if she can handle the recoil, what she thinks about it, but only after she shoots it. If it's too much put somthing else in her arms and let her try it, then ask her the same question again. I went downstairs a moment ago and asked the "little woman" this question. I asked her, "Now that you have been shooting for a while how important do you think fit and comfort is as opposed to caliber?" She said," As long as it fits and feels good I don't care if it's a .50bmg". You want to narrow it down to a few choices take her to a few gunshows and follow HER around let HER look. Pay attention to what she has to say. Take notice of what she likes and what she's drawn too. She might like the nice laminate stocks, or a black synthetic underneath brushed stainless steel action and barrel. Women really like stainless I have come to find out. IMHO the only thing you should do is guide her away from stuff most of us would consider unsafe or junk, answer her question and give you honest oponion when she asks a question. Oh and btw don't tell her your taking her to a gunshow tell her your taking her shopping!
 
Both my wife and G/F are about that size. :evil: :scrutiny: :what: :D If one ever finds out about the other I don't think my chances are good no matter what gun is laying around!:eek: :D
 
In the old days gun books said a woman shouldn't even think of shooting anything bigger than a 22 pistol since they hav a more delicate nervous system !! I remember a 5'2" woman who shot a 44 mag revolver in metallic silhouette and did as well as the typical guy !....For a rifle make sure the stock fits .You can get a good recoil pad too. Train her properly , starting out with a 22 and working up. Teach her how to stand properly .She has to determine her limits, don't assume.
 
I'd say 5.56x45 or 7.62x39 should be relatively easy for her to manage. Work her up to those power levels, then try her on a .308-class cartridge after she's familiar with the lower-power stuff. And, most important of all, have a gun that fits her! If the LOP is too long, or she can't get a secure, comfortable hold on the weapon, she'll be put off it forever.
 
Where are you going to shoot? How much distance?
Plinking? shooting at paper targets? Hunting?

At the 100 yard range at my club I see some women (men too including me) who really enjoy shooting the .17 HMR, and the .22 magnum. They have virtually no recoil and make good target rounds. .17 HMR could do 300 yards even.

Next would be .223 since its accurate, and inexpensive to shoot. It has more recoil than the rimfire rounds.
Folks even compete in highpower out to 600 yards with it. If you are looking for a carbine, an m4 clone would be a good choice with a 6 position adjustable stock. Ars are very accurate and fun to shoot.

I have also seen a couple of petite young women shooting the 8mm Mauser, and the 7mm rem mag. preparing to go hunting in one case and plinking with her boyfriend in another.
The WWII surplus Mauser had a steel buttplate:eek: I dont even like to shoot those, but this young lady was smart and was wearing a PAST magnum recoil pad, on her shoulder. I think she went through 3 boxes 60 rounds, and then she traded off for the 30-.06 garrand with her boyfriend and shot it some more.

Women can handle the recoil, if they are taught how. most important is that you get her a PAST recoil shield and teach her how to hold the rifle tightly to her shoulder so her whole body moves with the rifles recoil, rather than it wacking her hard.;)
 
Yep - she prefers the Colt 6920 in .223 or the SKS in 7.62x39. Tried to get her to shoot the M39 (7.62x54) once but she didn't like the look of the recoil.

But she'll sit there all afternoon with the .223...loves that caliber!
 
The issue isn't recoil but weight of the gunis. One ex-GF is 5'3" and shoots M44 Mosin w/o trouble, but other friends are 4'11" to 5'6" and all have trouble holding up HBAR15s or similar. I would suggest M1 carbine or a light 16" AR simply for the weight factor. I am biased against Mini14 from personal experience, others like them.
 
One of the best deer hunters, I know is a tiny woman. Maybe 5 feet. Maybe a hundred pounds. She shoots a .30-'06 hunting and I've ssen her shot heavier at the range.

Away from the range and hunt camp, you'd never imagine-she's into frilly fashions and such. Work her up to it and she might just decide that she doesn't like that sissy .308 and wants a real caliber:D
 
If she's fairly new to shooting, get her going on a good .22. If you want something she can use defensively fairly effectively, get a Ruger 10/22, put a Butler Creek folding stock on it, and fit it with a red dot and a 25-round mag. LOADS of fun, and effective out to 50-100 yards even in the hands of a very inexperienced shooter.

Once she's got a good bit of shooting under her belt, then you can think about moving up to a centerfire. When you do, have her wear both plugs AND muffs, since a lot of perceived recoil (especially for new shooters) is noise and blast rather than the actual recoil of the rifle.

FWIW, my wife is 5'1" and handles an SKS competently, and I'm sure she could a larger caliber rifle well if she ever had a desire to. A mini-14, adjustable-stocked AR, M1 carbine, etc. would be easily manageable, I'd expect. Just don't be too pushy about a particular choice...let her decide what she likes.
 
I took a friend shooting who is 4'10 or so and weights about 85 lbs. She shot an AR-15. AK-47, .45 ACP, 10mm, and a .44 magnum and was fine with all of them.

Actually, I should say, she enjoyed all of them. With the .44 magnum, the recoil did not bother her, the two foot fireball did.
 
I would agree with Barbara. But if you have to narrow it down, I'd try the M1 carbine or Mini if in California. If you're not, I'd look into a lightweight AR.
 
I'm 5'2", and I can shoot 30.06, 8mm, whatever, what she likes/can shoot, depends on the woman, not the size...
 
My wife's 5'2"...she's had no problems with the AR-15, SKS, or AK. She hasn't tried anything heavier-she doesn't have any interest in my milsurp bolt guns.

I'd have to agree that gettng a rifle that fits her properly would be a big key to success.
 
My mother and girlfriend are both 5' 2". Give 'em a sks and they'll do fine. My brother's fiance is about 4' 6" to 4' 8" and weights in around 85 pounds. I can't wait to see her shoot. :evil:
 
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