Small built girl, big attitude

[OneNightAtDeerCamp]

It finally happened.  My youngest girl, 14, wants to go hunting this year.  Though here is my dilemma.  Its not like we're a family of grand hunters, filling the freezer every year.  But this won't be my first dance.   My plan is to take her for deer on the west side, and we might even try for an elk.   She is very slight in build and won't take well to a heavy gun with a big kick.  I also don't have an unlimited budget to get her the latest is space technology.   So, what do I get her?  What caliber?  Any specific recommendations?

[halflife65]

.25-06 or .243 maybe?  Neither kick very hard and both shoot pretty well. 

[Shootmoore]

243 winchester 670 or the youth model in 243.  Light and decent accuracy, safe gun and not to bad of a price.  The 243 will be a managable load for a small frame.

Shootmoore

[7mag.]

Try a 7mm-08. Light recoil, fairly flat shooting.

[Goldeneye]

I'll 2nd the 7mm-08.  A friend of mines daughter has taken a couple deer and a cow elk with it over the last couple of years.  She is not too big of a gal either.

[Deep Forks]

  Look at a Stevens (made by Savage) in a 7mm/08, great round with very lt. recoil.  My 9 yr. old grandson shoots it.  Cost is under $300 or less if you shop around.  Good Luck     

[Skycruiser]

You don't necessarily have to buy a new rifle or go with a caliber that she may outgrow later. My daughters started deer hunting when they were 14. I cut about an inch and a half off the wooden stock of one of my 30-06's and loaded 125 grain bullets to 2650 fps with 44 gr. of H4895 and they had no trouble with it at all. If you don't reload, Remington's Managed Recoil ammo has the same ballistics and is available in .270 and .308 as well. My daughters still use the same rifle (one in October, the other in November) now that they're 21 and 22.

[rasbo]

if ya want I have a youth model she could shoot and see how it feels.might help you make up your mind,oh its a .243  Im in the orting area

[ICEMAN]

Savage Youth in .243.  It has a removeable section of stock which you can reinstall later to lenghten the butt piece according to her likes. Accutriger. Lightweight, accurate, cheap. Good gun.

[Jerry malbeck]

Rasbo , nice offer , he better take you up on that . we need more people with that attitude , Hats off to you Sir.

[runamuk]

I'll toss in 7-08 it is very low recoil and if we can get together somewhere she is welcome to try it....I live down near Oly but could possibly meet at a range somewhere...send me a PM if your interested.

[mountainman1]

      I am saying a .243, its a good deer rifle, and the smallest caliber you can go down to use to hunt deer with. Has she gone through the Firearms Safety Course yet, its a must do, and buy a case of .22 ammo and take her to the shooting range Sounds like a good year in the making. 

[demontang]

243 or a 257 bob? Maybe a 338fed. You could hand load the fed with the 160gr barns and it would get the job done on elk too. I just picked up a mossberg in 243 and it's a tic driver with handloads. The savage, howa, weatherby, and rem youth rifles all seem to be good guns too.

[cohoho]

I'll echo the .243.  My son (he was scrawny) used it for everything when he was 10-14...  He took alot of animals from Moose to Bears with well place shoots. 

[Pathfinder101]

If you are hoping to hunt elk with it, I would not go with a .243
Incidentally, I just bought a rifle for my son's birthday (he hasn't opened it yet-next Monday).  I got the new Marlin XS7Y.  If you can find one on the shelf, you can get it for under $300 (if they have to order it, it's a little more).  I got him a .308, because he will definitely be hunting elk with it, and because I know he can handle the recoil.
I think I would go with the 7mm 08 for your daughter.

[high country]

pretty much any rifle in the 243-308 range. give the 257bob, 260, 6.5x55, and 7/08 a few extra looks....they are all about perfect. howa youth guns are fair priced, have the best stocks and are light actions that seem to always shoot tight.

[Straight Shooter]

I just back-ordered a Marlin XS7 (Cabela's has them on sale for $259.99  , but didn't have one is stock yestereday at the Post Falls store) in .243 for yotes.  The sale is through the end of this month.  You can download the flyer from their website.  I think that you can get the youth model for the same price.

[wapiti hunter2]

Read this link and maybe it will help. 

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

I second something like the 30-06 or .308 with reduced recoil rounds that she can grow into and keep forever.  BUT....having faced a similar dilema several years ago, I would take her to someplace like Sportsmans Warehouse where they have a big selection of guns and let her try a bunch on for "Fit".  focus on weight and balance.  We ended up with a .308 savage that I then ended up getting used.  I started my son off shooting reduced recoil 125 grain 30-06 then 125 grain .308 and by the time hunting season rolled around he was comfortable with 150 grain bullet.  Now he still loves the .308 and uses 165 gr. for elks.  After you get the gun for her replace the recoil pad with one from Limbsavers.  It will knock 20% more off the recoil.

[bearhunter99]

I will add my support of the 7mm-08.  I bought an Encore single shot for my wife and she still absolutely loves it.  3 deer and an elk, one shot kills.  Hits like a ton of bricks for a smaller gun.  I'll also second the Libsavers comment, makes a big difference.

[D-Rock425]

I shoot a sako 7mm-08 and love it its killed 3 bears in the last 2 years.  I would check out the tikkas

[runningboard]

7mm-08. my little girl who just turned 14 and still hasn't broken the 100lb barrier handles her mom's very well. I bought a Rem 700 in a youth model and put a new take-off barrel from a full size model on it. got youth length stock with limbsaver pad and 24" barrel for little extra velocity, less muzzle blast, muzzle blast further from shooter, recoil seems to push rather than rise as it did with shorter barrel.
I got the new take-off from a gunshow, and see the guy there all the time with different stuff. take-off barrels, stocks and what-not. he told me he gets them from gunsmiths who buy new guns and take them apart for the actions.
you could get a full size gun and look for a youth stock, be easier than doing what I did.
that gun  has taken many deer and elk, never felt undergunned. Remington loads them in reduced recoil too.

[huntnphool]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=156644681

[C-Money]

I'd look at the 260, 257 roberts, 7mm-08 or 308. Most rifles are just fine! I am not a Tikka fan.

[halflife65]

I'd look at the 260, 257 roberts, 7mm-08 or 308. Most rifles are just fine! I am not a Tikka fan.

Blasphemy.

[Pathfinder101]

As you are looking for her, make sure you check to see what kind of weight she can handle.  My 10 year old shoots my Rem 700 .270 just fine off bipod or stix, but he can't carry it.  It's too long and too heavy.  That's why I got him a youth model.  I saw that the Marlin XL7 ands XS7 (full size models) were a lot cheaper than special ordering the youth model (XS7Y), but I had him heft a couple at Cabela's, and they were too long. 

Also, keep in mind that if you are buying a new youth rifle, you will be limited to the short actions (.243, 7mm08 and .308).  If she can handle a full size firearm, your caliber choices improve dramatically. 

[huntlakewood]

I think for deer and elk 270 or a 308. My daughter shoots a 243 and loves the gun but I don't think I would want her to shoot at an elk with it even know I will say a 243 can take down an elk with the right shot placement. My gun is the 270 and that is what I grew up hunting with but now that my daughter is thinking on elk hunting I just might have to start hunting with the 308. My 308 only has a 20" barrell so it has a good kick to it I wouldn't want her to get scared and flinch when she gos to shoot. I would too go get a recoil pad for her. Gasman's daughter shoots a 270 single shot newengland and she loves it. She is also a small framed girl ( but a tough little girl) Good luck and be sure to pot pics of her first trip with Dad.

[Pathfinder101]

I think for deer and elk 270 or a 308. My daughter shoots a 243 and loves the gun but I don't think I would want her to shoot at an elk with it even know I will say a 243 can take down an elk with the right shot placement. My gun is the 270 and that is what I grew up hunting with but now that my daughter is thinking on elk hunting I just might have to start hunting with the 308. My 308 only has a 20" barrell so it has a good kick to it I wouldn't want her to get scared and flinch when she gos to shoot. I would too go get a recoil pad for her. Gasman's daughter shoots a 270 single shot newengland and she loves it. She is also a small framed girl ( but a tough little girl) Good luck and be sure to pot pics of her first trip with Dad.

X2 the recoil pad thing.  Either a Remington R-3 or a Limbsaver pad are worth their cost 10X over, both for yourself and especially for a kid just getting started.  First time I set my son up behind my .270 he was scared to death of the thing (it's a Remington 700 and came with the R-3 out of the box).  After the first shot he looked at me with big eyes and said "That didn't kick at all!", then proceeded to put 10 more shots downrange.  Knowing that the gun isn't going to beat the crap out of you goes a looooooong way to improving anyone's accuracy.

[danceswitharrows]

30-378 Wby mag but with a muzzle brake and it should shoot like a 243.  Might be hard to find that gun in a youth model tho

[Pathfinder101]

I had a .300 Win Mag with a muzzlebrake on it.  Shot nicely, but sounded like Armageddon when it went off.  Couldn't shoot it without hearing protection, or your skull would be ringing for 3 days...