Bolt action rifle for whitetail for my girlfriend

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Candyman87

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2014
Messages
712
Location
Northeastern PA
The girlfriend and I are taking up hunting. She needs her own rifle since she normally just uses mine but that won't be feasible in the field.

I shoot a .30-06 and she'll only take a few shots with it from time to time. She won't touch my Mosin again.

She's not that recoil sensitive but prefers a lighter load when possible. She's thinking she wants a .308 but I'm thinking more along the lines of .270 or .243.

From my reading both will take a whitetail but the .270 seems to be the favorite besides .30-06.

What do you guys use? Will the .270 save her shoulder practicing at the range? Will it save her shoulder over the .308?

Thanks in advance. I simply don't have experience with these smaller calibers.
 
The 308 is a great whitetail cartridge as well as the 270 and 243. The 270 and 30-06 are great but don't really have much over the 308. The 308 has less felt recoil than 270/30-06 in my opinion but you may also look into the 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 has even less recoil and stops deer in their tracks. Personally I use the 308 for deer and have never had it let me down if I do my part. Any of the calibers you are looking at are great for deer hunting.
 
+1 on the 7mm-08 (or its twin the 7mm Mauser). my wife shoots a 7mm Mauser for deer & elk. last weekend she put 30 rounds downrange without any fuss. She is not quite 5 foot tall, & 105 lbs. yes, she was a bit sore the next day, but no bruising, & no flinch. she was able to tag a 10" gong at 350yds with 3 of her last 5 shots.
we shoot the 139 gr hornady interlocks for deer & 160 grain Nosler Partition for elk. get something that has a little bit of heft & a good recoil pad, & she'll be golden.
 
Whitetail are not particularly big/tough. I would look at .243, .260, .30-30, 6.5 Creedmoor, and maybe 7mm-08. Probably in that order.

The .270 is a solution to a problem you don't have - bigger game.
 
The biggest assumption is that you can decide for her what she wants to shoot. You sure about that?

Veteran husband, 42 years. My spidey sense says let her talk to other women who hunt and then choose for herself. It will then be her choice, her decision, her commitment, her rifle.

You can't hook them better on hunting than that. Then stand back and watch her start taking bigger deer for the rest of your life.
 
Tirod said:
The biggest assumption is that you can decide for her what she wants to shoot. You sure about that?



Veteran husband, 42 years. My spidey sense says let her talk to other women who hunt and then choose for herself. It will then be her choice, her decision, her commitment, her rifle.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your concern but not making any choices for anyone but myself. Looking for recommendations to provide some insight. She's relatively new to rifles but knows what she doesn't like and that's lots of recoil.

I know 30 caliber military cartridges. I don't know much about hunting calibers. Because of this, I'm gathering information and insight that I can share.

But in the end it's her decision to make. Just helping her gather information because she's not sure where to start.
 
Our California mule deer are about the same size as an eastern whitetail, and I have taken them with .243, 7x57, and .30-30, all equally effective. Of the three, .30-30 kicks the least, 7x57 the most, but they are all quite comfortable to shoot for extended range sessions. If she is really very sensitive to recoil, you'll have a hard time finding a deer rifle as gentle as a .30-30 lever gun.
 
Felt recoil is more about the bullet weight and the rifle than the cartridge. Heavy bullets out of a light weight rifle(or one with a narrow butt stock like your Mosin. Lee-Enfields are like that too.) will have more felt recoil than a light bullet out of a heavier rifle. Everything being equal, there are other ways of reducing felt recoil too. Limb savers, etc.
The felt recoil of .308 and .30-06 are virtually the same out of like rifles. Bambi will not know or care if he's killed with a 135 grain bullet or a 180.
Plan 'B' would be any .24, .25, .26 or .27 calibre in a semi-auto. Just keep in mind that smaller places do not have the same ammo selection. If it's not in Wally World, pass.
 
Thanks Sunray... Unfortunately no semi autos for hunting in PA. She's set on a bolt gun right now but we'll be checking out a few varieties at Cabela's this evening.
 
.243 is plenty for whitetails and I don't think I have ever shot one that wasn't accurate. Mine kicks like an airsoft gun. I also like 260 Remington or 7mm-08. See which one she likes best because you can't go wrong with any of those calibers.
 
we'll be checking out a few varieties at Cabela's this evening.
Click to expand...

If you find something she likes at Cabelas you could always order online from a number of retailers and save 100-200 dollars.
 
243. Win.

It has substantially less recoil than 308 or 7mm-08 which are essentially the same recoil. Fit is important. I had a Rem 700 Classic in 7mm-08 that was downright unpleasant. Gouged the shoulder pretty good from a bench. And if you dont think 308 can kick try it in a G3.
243 will never produce pain.
 
I would be thinking a 308 or maybe the 7mm-08 Remington spawn of the 308. I am just not a 243 fan but would consider another 308 spawn in the 260 Remington. Overall, my vote goes to a good reliable 308 bolt gun. Seems a fine choice for Eastern PA whitetail.

Ron
 
Bubba, she's got her eye on the Remington 783 but will check out the rest as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would probably work. They're all more or less the same gun, I'm just not sure if I trust Remington's QC.
 
I've shot a 783 and it felt good but Remington's quality control has been less than impressive lately. Ruger american or savage axis are relatively cheap and solid shooters.
 
Factory 270 & 30-06 kick pretty well.

243 is really nice for whitetail. Recoil is also dependent on the mass of the rifle, so in a light rifle it could still smart.

You can also handload or even buy reduced recoil 30-06. I make pussycat 30-06 handloads for plinking steel.
 
My wal-mart has 125 gr reduced recoil 308 loads. If I didn't handload I would have bought a box just to see how little recoil it was.
 
I'm a hand loader too and load for my .30-06 and .303.

If she opts for .243 or .270 I'm not sure she'll shoot enough to justify the cost of dies. But if she does, I might introduce her to reloading if she's interested.
 
As a hand loader you can work up light recoiling 30 06 loads. I would try something in 150 grain at about 2400 fps, more than 30 30 performance but a lot less hard kicking than factory 2800 fps.
 
Why not a Savage with the adj trigger in a 243 they are accurate right out of the box they have a soft pad. GOOD LUCK
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Rifle for my girlfriend
2 3
Replies
63
Views
3K
The Deer Hunter
T
Peakbagger46
  • Locked
Rifle for girlfriend
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
gralewaj
gralewaj
P
  • Locked
Wow! I have a great wife! But now, I need help with a deer rifle..
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
WYO
W
M
  • Locked
Rifle &/or slug gun
Replies
8
Views
804
bpl
B
P
  • Locked
lookin for a browning rifle
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
hometheaterman
H
Back
Top