Deer rifle for a 100 pound girl

[Balrog]

In Georgia, any centerfire rifle caliber is legal for deer. Where I hunt, we would be looking at 200 yard shots max.

I have a 100 pound 16 yr old daughter that wants to go deer hunting this fall. She can fire an AR 15 all day long, so I don't think 223 Remington is a problem, but I am not thrilled about using 223 Rem for deer though I know some people do it.

She has shot a Ruger M77/44 in 44 magnum, but doesn't like the recoil compared to the AR. My opinion is the M77/44 doesnt have as much recoil as a 308 Win. I deer hunt with either the 77/44 or a Savage model 10 in 308.

How do you think she would do with a 243 Win in a bolt action?

Am I underestimating the 223 Remington for deer for 200 yd or less shots on deer that are usually 150 pounds or so?

I don't really want to add a 243 unless i have too. I have a lot of 223, 308, and 44 mag ammo on hand.

 

[Orcon]

Load the 308 win with some 125gr bullets and call it a day.

 

[illinoisburt]

Before you spend money on a new rifle, try a box of reduced recoil 308 from Remington or Winchester. I think you will be pleased with the results.

 

[SamT1]

Your best off letting her shoot what she is confident in.
The 223 may be a bit underpowered, but that's a lot better than a bad shot with anything else. Maybe try some of the "hog hammer" ammo or load something similar.

You can get light loads for 308 or 44.

243 is probably ok if it's a heavier gun, a youth model may still hit her too hard.

I think a 300 blackout bolt action would make a perfect kids hunting rifle as long as shots past 150-200 max aren't expected.

 

[BrocLuno]

+1.

I'd consider the AR with a select bullet. Put a decent low power optic on it so she can see exactly where to shoot/hit and let her try. Back her up with your 308. If she understands trajectory and vital zone, she can do OK

 

[gotboostvr]

A 6.5 Grendel upper for your AR might be a very good option.

Might be even nicer out of a CZ 527! But if she's comfortable with the AR the semi-auto will be softer shooting.

A 6.8 spc might be good too, but the Grendel seems to be the more common option.

 

[trigga]

I've had very good luck with 300 blackout on white tails over the past couple of years. 125 gr nosler ballistic tips @ 2200 fps puts them down quick. very light recoil and fast followup shots. you just have to get a new barrel or upper for the ar. I built another 300 blackout upper minus the BCG for under $300. complete rifle build was just over $500 without optics.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

How about a 243?

 

[.455_Hunter]

I just bought my 11 year old son a detachable magazine Savage 340C bolt gun in .30-30 for use on big game here in Colorado.

 

[RPRNY]

Second 30-30. The Savage 340 is a good idea too. If hand loading one can use a garden variety cup and core soft point 165 grs bullet for the 308 or 30-06 in the 340 and push it out the barrel at @ 2600 fps without rocking the young lady 's world. A full rifle - 24" pre Remington Marlin with a fixed power 4 x would also suit. Leverevolution ammo or copying handloads will serve her well out to 150 yards.

 

[ExAgoradzo]

I like the .308 but also the 7mm-08 in lighter bullets.

No one has mentioned the .22-250. Mine shoots wonderfully and you could prob find a used bolt action and have something a tad above the NATO round and below the .243 if that's what you're after.

Greg

 

[horsey300]

In Georgia, any centerfire rifle caliber is legal for deer. Where I hunt, we would be looking at 200 yard shots max.

I have a 100 pound 16 yr old daughter that wants to go deer hunting this fall. She can fire an AR 15 all day long, so I don't think 223 Remington is a problem, but I am not thrilled about using 223 Rem for deer though I know some people do it.

She has shot a Ruger M77/44 in 44 magnum, but doesn't like the recoil compared to the AR. My opinion is the M77/44 doesnt have as much recoil as a 308 Win. I deer hunt with either the 77/44 or a Savage model 10 in 308.

How do you think she would do with a 243 Win in a bolt action?

Am I underestimating the 223 Remington for deer for 200 yd or less shots on deer that are usually 150 pounds or so?

I don't really want to add a 243 unless i have too. I have a lot of 223, 308, and 44 mag ammo on hand.

Do you handload? If you can't load em light, try the aforementioned factory reduced loads in the .308. If that doesn't work, think about the .243 in a youth stock that you can add spacers to. My 10 year old (~53lbs) loves our compact .223 (13" lop 20" #4 contour barrel). She will also spell Pepsi on the pop cans with the .243 her mom hunts with, however, she is MUCH happier about it when we shorten the lop down from mom's setting. It kicks a LOT less when it fits right! On the topic of a .223, it WILL kill deer, but unless everything is right, 200 yds is a bit of a stretch for the lil pill to do its job. If you go that route, bullet selection will be a huge role (I'm not harping on placement cuz we all know that one). If you want her to have her own forever rifle, get her a .260 or a 6.5 cm in a youth or lady configuration. They're not brutal, you can kill with 100 gr partitions or similar just fine, and if she decides later on going for bigger game, she'll be covered for everything she can aim at.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ill second the Grendel, and third (or fourth, what ever lol) the reduced loading.

Ive killed a fair number of deer size game with the .223 firing 65grn sierra game kings. Some shots exceeded 250yds, but i would avoid them if at all possible. Personally i prefer a heavier round for a new hunter. The lowest energy round i think id recommend would be the Blackout.

I would be much happier with the 6.5G, 6.8spc, or x39, and preferably larger. This again tho has to be balanced with recoil tolerance, if a gun hurts its ESPECIALLY hard for new shooters to force themselves to make clean shots.

 

[stringnut]

Stock fit may be more of issue than anything else. It doesn't have to be perfect, but, within reason is needed for proper recoil management. Too long seems to make it feel worse on the shoulder. Too short and your thumb tries to hit your nose. My wife's 308 beats me terribly. A youth stock on the 308 and light loads may do the trick nicely. I load 150s light for her. There are several bullets adequate for deer in the 120 - 130 grain range. The 223 IMHO runs out of steam before it runs out of trajectory. It is unreasonable to expect a less experienced hunter to show the restraint necessary as the range gets longer. However, if the 223 is the only option use a quality bullet and keep the shots 100 yards or less. A coworkers daughter has used the 223 quite a bit . All close but 2. Those 2 were both about 150 yards. Pretty thin blood trail and both went over 100 yards.

 

[redneck2]

Another consideration might be one of the PAST recoil shields for her shoulder if you go to a heavier caliber. They make e huge difference in perceived recoil.

 

[jmr40]

With good bullets a 223 will kill deer just as dead as anything else out to about 150-200 yards. It just loses too much energy past about 200 yards for me to be comfortable but experienced shooters kill stuff farther with good shot placement..

I'm not a fan of 30-30 especially for a beginner in a lever action. The numbers say recoil isn't bad, but the stock design on lever actions makes recoil seem worse than it really is. Plus lever actions are the one action type most likely to involve an accidental discharge when used by inexperienced shooters. Especially when unloading.

To experienced shooters 308 and 7-08 don't have all that much recoil, but there is enough there to intimidate new shooters. Especially if you shoot them in lighter weight rifles designed for young shooters.

I think a 243 is just about perfect and I'd add 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor to the list. All 3 of those will take deer cleanly out to 400-500 yards with less recoil than 30-30. In a good bolt rifle the accuracy will install confidence in a young shooter. The 243 is a little on the light side but lots of hunters use it on game as large as elk. If there is a possibility of larger game I really like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Recoil is only slightly more than 243, but it will match or beat anything you can do with a 270. With 130-140 gr bullets it starts out slower than 270 which has the edge on paper for the 1st 200 yards. But beyond 200 yards the more aerodynamic 6.5 bullets are moving faster and hitting harder than 270 with 130-150 gr bullets.

If you decide to go with either 223, 243, 260, or 6.5 Creedmoor pay attention to the rifles barrel twist. Most 223 bolt guns, 243 and 260 rifles have a slow twist designed for lighter weight varmint bullets. Most AR's have the faster 7 or 8 twist. If you go with any of these a faster twist barrel will shoot the heavier big game bullets better. If on a budget any of the Ruger American rifles can be had under $400 and Ruger designed all of them with barrels designed for big game bullets.

 

[Torian]

The .243 or 25-06 would both be good choices. The .308 or .223 would also work as well, you'd just need to adjust your bullet choice and powder charges.

 

[horsey300]

With good bullets a 223 will kill deer just as dead as anything else out to about 150-200 yards. It just loses too much energy past about 200 yards for me to be comfortable but experienced shooters kill stuff farther with good shot placement..

I'm not a fan of 30-30 especially for a beginner in a lever action. The numbers say recoil isn't bad, but the stock design on lever actions makes recoil seem worse than it really is. Plus lever actions are the one action type most likely to involve an accidental discharge when used by inexperienced shooters. Especially when unloading.

To experienced shooters 308 and 7-08 don't have all that much recoil, but there is enough there to intimidate new shooters. Especially if you shoot them in lighter weight rifles designed for young shooters.

I think a 243 is just about perfect and I'd add 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor to the list. All 3 of those will take deer cleanly out to 400-500 yards with less recoil than 30-30. In a good bolt rifle the accuracy will install confidence in a young shooter. The 243 is a little on the light side but lots of hunters use it on game as large as elk. If there is a possibility of larger game I really like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Recoil is only slightly more than 243, but it will match or beat anything you can do with a 270. With 130-140 gr bullets it starts out slower than 270 which has the edge on paper for the 1st 200 yards. But beyond 200 yards the more aerodynamic 6.5 bullets are moving faster and hitting harder than 270 with 130-150 gr bullets.

If you decide to go with either 223, 243, 260, or 6.5 Creedmoor pay attention to the rifles barrel twist. Most 223 bolt guns, 243 and 260 rifles have a slow twist designed for lighter weight varmint bullets. Most AR's have the faster 7 or 8 twist. If you go with any of these a faster twist barrel will shoot the heavier big game bullets better. If on a budget any of the Ruger American rifles can be had under $400 and Ruger designed all of them with barrels designed for big game bullets.

+1 current production savage barrel twists will stabilize big game bullets now as well, with a 1:9.25 for the .243 and the 6.5 offerings also available in the 1:8. Remington barrels are fast enough for the .243 but I have no idea for the 6.5 cartridges. The Winchester, weatherby, howa, etc .243 1:10 will still stabilize the 85-100 gr flat bases and a 100 gr partition or prohunter is still quite lethal out to 400 yds but even at 200 an 85 partition flying around 3000-3100 fps is nothing to sneeze at, not sure I'd try a longer bullet though, the ballistic tips and etips didn't do so good in my brother's Winchester or howa barrels.

 

[Balrog]

I think I will give the light 308 loads a try first... I would rather not add another caliber if I don't have too. I hadn't thought about the lighter 308 loads.

 

[Newtosavage]

A lot of people recommend .243 for a youth deer rifle, and I went along with that and got one for my daughter for her first deer rifle. What I learned from that is the .243 in a small rifle still kicks like hell to a young lady, and even though she's a good 50 lbs. heavier and 6" taller than she was when she shot her first deer, she still doesn't want to shoot that rifle.

These days, my go-to low-recoil deer rifle is my bolt action Savage in 7.62x39. It carries plenty of energy out to 200 yards (over 1100 ft. lbs. with my 160 grain FTX handloads, or 1000 ft. lbs. with factory ammo) and the recoil is probably half what the .243 is.

I've also downloaded a .308 to basically 7.62x39 levels, and it was fun to shoot.

If I had it to do over, I would have bought my daughter a CZ 527 in 7.62x39 instead of the single shot .243. Yes, they are pricey, but they are a lifetime investment and a great little deer rifle for beginners, and with inexpensive ammo a beginner can get in a lot of cheap practice.

 

[JackSprat]

If you reload taking the advice of the folks that recomended the reduced 308 loads makes good sense to me ,but you can also go with a good 223 bullet.I load Sierra 63 gr SMP,but I have heard good things about the Winchester 64 gr PowerPoint,and the 70 gr Speer as well..That being said,If you think she is likely to stick with deer hunting you may as well get her something in the ballpark as 243,because being 100# at 16 she wont be growing too much more.I don't think the kick of a 243 will bother her if she enjoys hunting,and shooting..

 

[DeoreDX]

A 6.5 Grendel upper for your AR might be a very good option.

I'll put my hat into the Grendel upper for the AR crowd. I have a 16" AR Grendel built on an Anderson 16" barrel. Plenty of energy for a deer inside 300 yards. Kicks less than my Ruger American 243 Win. AR platform will be able to adjust for her LoP.

 

[CraigC]

The 77/357 sounds ideal to me.

 

[Stevenvalleyky]

Balrog, I know you mentioned not wanting to add a 243 if you dont have to but thats about perfect for what you are asking for. My 16 year old daughter has been killing deer with a lightweight handi rifle for 4 or 5 years now. She is right at 100 lbs and has no problem with it even in the lightweight rifle. With my ruger american 243, she cant really even feel the recoil at all. If you reload, there are even more options since a coreloct or hornady interlock can be loaded down to 2600 fps and have very little felt recoil. My $.02

 

[CB900F]

Balrog;

I'll also recommend the 6.5 Grendel, but put it in the CZ527 coming out in the caliber. Then the two of you will have many memories of fighting over who gets to use it! You think I'm kidding? Put it to the test, I dare ya!

900F