good rifle for wife?

B

bullbuster

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Hey all. I am looking to buy a rifle for my wife. I want one that has decent knock down power without kicking too hard. She can handle decent recoil but as we all know, it doesn't matter if it is the nicest gun in the world, if you flinch you aren't accurate. What do you know of the .257 weatherby? i have personally never shot one. I haven't tried the 7MM-08 but have heard some good things about it. I have personally liked a .25-06 and considered getting her one. let me know what you think.

Thanks.
 
Go with the 7mm-08 if she may hunt elk with it once in a while. It will also be a lot cheaper to shoot that going with the .257 Weatherby.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-15 AT 08:04AM (MST)[p]7mm 08 is a good choice as in 280 Rem for elk. For deer, antelope, cow elk (if pick shots) a .257 Roberts is a good choice as well.
 
With the auto you can beef up the caliber with little recoil. My wife has a Browning BAR with a small caliber of .243. Like shooting a 22 other than the noise.
 
Options are basically endless depending on how well she handles recoil and how much weight she can tote. My wife has grown fond of a Remington 700 XCR I 270wsm. To me it recoils about the same as a VG1 257wby and less than her 700 MTN 7-08. All will get the job done reliably with the right bullets.
 
A couple year ago I picked up a TC Venture for my wife in 25-06. She's pretty small, 5'3" 100 lbs and has always been a little recoil shy. She shoots it with Hornady Superformance 117 grain all day long. It been a killer for sure. This past year we actually killed 3 bucks that never took a step, 180, 410 and 457 yards. All 3 bucks where mature bucks, with my sons on the plus side of 250 lbs. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot elk out to 300 yards with this set up.
 
Any magnum with a muzzlebrake. Personally, I prefer the 7MM RM. A braked 7MM kicks like a .233 and will kill anything that walks in North America.


"You can fly a helicopter to the top of Everest and say you've been there. The problem with that is you were an a$$hole when you started and you're still an a$$hole when you get back.
Its the climb that makes you a different person". - Yvon Chouinard
 
270win. accurate, minimum recoil, easy to get ammo for. very generic. my wife is also 5'3'' 100lbs and she shoots my 270 and does awesome. great caliber.


"Shoot Straight"
 
I would go with the 7-08 and never look back.

I would be thinking of something like the howa alpine mountain rifle or weatherby vanguard. Bed, float, trigger work, and you should be good to go. Easy rifle to pack all day.

The 7-08 has a lot going for it. Cheap to reload, easy on brass, modest/mild recoil, and fun to shoot.

Reloading for it, you should have no problem getting to 2850-2900 FPs with 140's.

I've had great results with the 140 grain Nosler AB's on everything from coyotes to mature bull elk on a variety of angles, distances, etc.

Its a mean round...and impressive.

Not many downsides to the 7-08.
 
My wife shoots a 280. I recommend a slightly heavier rifle, with a wood stock. I have a Rem Mtn Rifle and Sako. The Rem kicks her too hard, while the Sako does not bother her. In my opinion, wood stocks absorb energy better than plastic. She is on the smaller side too. A 25-06 would work, but the 280 allows a little more freedom in bullet selection. And lets face it-- a 280 is so much better than a 270 or an 06. ha
 
I'm in the 7-08 recommendation for your wife. Put a muzzle break on it and you have very little kick but it is louder. A good muzzle break on any of the above calibers will make a world of difference.
 
My wife and daughters shoot a .260 Remington light weight model seven. And I borrow it from them and use it on backpack hunts.I shot my Dall Sheep, Mountain Caribou and a wolf with it using only 3 bullets. My wife shot her 184 point Vernon mule deer and My daughter shot her 1st Desert Sheep with it again, with one shot each. This caliber balistically is almost identical to a .270 with much less recoil.



Grand Slam #911
 
260 Rem. is also another great option.

Don't listen to those that want to reduce the "recoil problem" on rounds like the 7-08 and 260 rem by installing a loudner.

The increased noise is worse than the recoil for developing bad shooting habits.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-15 AT 02:24PM (MST)[p]seems like we are all on pretty much the same page. Thanks guys! I've just never had to buy one for her.
 
Got a lady friend in town who shoots a 257 roberts browning BLR and kills her elk with one shot every year she gets to hunt. She knows and understands the guns limitations and selects her shots accordingly. Nice shooting firearm...

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-15 AT 06:53PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-15 AT 06:44?PM (MST)

Lets say you have the 7MM-08 dead on at 200 yards. How much do they tend to drop at 300 yards?

That's going to depend on bullet weight, velocity, and BC of the bullet...but probably in the 7-9 inch range.
 
I went with a Remington model 700 in .300 savage.

Got a upgraded trigger for it.

It's a nice all purpose round with range within her capability given the practice she'll put in. It also with make a great 'early' gun for my son.

Bill in MI
 
Depends on how much elk is on the menu. A lot = another vote for 7-08. Not that much, go with the .260 Remington.

I have a wife and two young daughters, they will be getting a .260. If you are worried about bullet drop put a leupold with cds on it. Shoot a stable, heavy for caliber bullet and you will be good to go. that is my opinion anyway...

It pains me to agree with buzz. No muzzle break needed.
 
I got a Ruger American Compact Stainless a while back for my daughters in 7mm-08 with a Leupold 3x9 ultralight CDS scope. I put a mercury tube in the stock to help tame the recoil and a Limbsaver barrel de-resonator on the barrel and I love that thing. my best group at 300 yards is a touch over an inch with factory ammo no less. I like it so much I shot a blacktail with it this season, my first animal with a 7mm-08, it was quartering towards me pretty hard and I slipped the bullet in just behind the front shoulder and it exited just behind the ribs, dropped it right there. I liked it enough I just bought the same thing minus the mercury tube in .243 for my youngest daughter and we have just put about 10 rounds through it but it looks like it will be just as accurate. It should work well for the youngest for deer and if she wants to chase elk she can move up to the 7mm-08 that is identical and be good to go. All my hunting prior to this year has been with 30-06, .308 .257 Weatherby Mag. or .338 Win Mag and after this year I'm very impressed with the 7mm-08.
 
Great thread! Lots of good info. shared. I've been thinking about what rifle to get my wife. She wants to hunt elk, and deer of course.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
Will you LIKE MonsterMuleys.com on Facebook! I need a friend....
 
When asked about elk/deer gun for woman,I said what do you use that works.30-06,270,300wm,7mm-08.....then stick a Simms recoil pad on it or put it on a Hogue fullbed/overmolded stock=NO KICK!
Recommending marginal,IMHO rounds for elk as choices because they have no kick? Not good long term way for them to go about it.
They should not be afraid of recoil. It happens just for one shot in the field....or not at all and they have confidence in their weapon. Just my opine.
 
6.5X284 is another great choice. I love shooting my sons Savage Long Range hunter. With the brake turned on recoil is like a 223. Recoil is not a factor with brake off either.
 
My wife shoots a .270 but when it comes to bigger critters, she uses my .338. Never felt the recoil while hunting. She won't shoot it at the range and I don't encourage her to shoot it. She can practice with her .270 and kill all the deer and pronghorn she wants with it.

If I was to do it again, I would still go with a 7MM RM with a brake. The one gun answer for everything as far as the owner can shoot. We protect our hearing with Howard Leight ear protection regardless of what we shoot at the range and in the field. Neither of us have ever developed a flinch.


"You can fly a helicopter to the top of Everest and say you've been there. The problem with that is you were an a$$hole when you started and you're still an a$$hole when you get back.
Its the climb that makes you a different person". - Yvon Chouinard
 
6.5 creedmoor or 6.5 or 6.5x284 would be my recommendation. Great ballistics and low recoil. Bought my fianc? a 6.5 creedmoor in a wetherby Vanguard and it's been a perfect fit for her.

Coloradoboy
 
Lots of good picks on here. You cant go wrong with a 270. I started my wife out with a 270 Winchester then she decided she wanted something bigger. So we did some research with friends and family and decided on the 270 WSM. We put together a plan on what rifle and what needed to be done for her to feel comfortable to shoot. We bought a Tikka T3 Light and had a muzzle brake installed and replace the stock plus a VX-6 Leupold scope. All good choices the rifle shoots 1/2 groups by her not me. I want one now :-(
 
Something in favor of 7-08 is the good assortment of bullet weights available. If you are looking @ rifles weighing less than 6-7# w scope, remember those will convey recoil, even in lighter chamberings. I have a Stevens (think Savage 110) #2 in 270, weighs 6.5# w scope. Firing 160 gr bullets, the 270 recoils pretty similar to my 9# 7 Rem Mag w no brake, launching 175 gr bullets. A 270 doesn't need 160s, 140 partitions and bondeds will do about as well. I only shoot mine @ elk, thus the heavier bullets. 7-08 would favor bullet weights up to 130-140, in a shorter action than 270/06/7mag.
 

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