Daughters first gun

[Cmorris]

Hello all,
I want to make an educated decision for my daughters first modern gun for this years hunt. She is 19 and used my 30/30 last year but it had alittle to much punch for her! I really want something that will last her awhile and have enough punch to do the job.
Thoughts????
Thanks all
chris

 

[Scott44]

I bought my oldest son a .243 as his first gun. I bought a package deal it was a Savage 110 synthetic stock and a Simmons 3-9 scope. We replaced the butt pad with a thicker Pachmayr pad to lesson the recoil. It seemed to work well because he still has the gun and it's now his varmint gun, no Simmons scope now.

 

[JDunham]

You will get tons of opinions on what is the perfect choice. I would get her a .243 or 7mm/08. Possibly a youth model, depending on her size. The 7mm/08 is a great round and doesn't have a lot of recoil. They also sell reduced recoil loads for 7mm-08 that are good to 150 yards realistically. My son started with these when he was 9. He is 15 and shoots the same rifle with regular loads now.

My daughter started with a .243 at 11 and still shoots the same rifle at 18. My daughter was small and recoil/muzzle blast sensitive. She loves her rifle. It was a Remington 700 mountain rifle that I bought a stock that had a shorter LOP. A lot of people don't think the .243 is enough for deer. It really is about bullet selection. My daughter shoots an 85gr Barnes TSX that will punch through a deer shoulder no problem if she gets a little far forward. She has shot a small truckload of deer with this combo without a hiccup. I reload these but there are factory loads with the Barnes bullets or similar high quality bullets. Nosler makes loads with the 90 grain accubond, 85 grain partition. Other companies make factory fodder with similar high quality bullets that will work great on deer.

I would get a Remington 700 youth SPS in 7mm/08 or 243. Short 12 1/2 LOP that works well for most females and I like the short 20" barrels. Very nice little rifles. They are about $500, $400 if you shop around a bit.


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[Cmorris]

JDunham, thanks alot for the effort that is exactly what I am looking for and the direction I have been going. Thanks alot!! great pictures and the reason we hunt!

 

[Turkey Creek]

I think .243 is a good choice for the young or small framed hunters. I have killed several deer with a .243 and have never had a properly hit deer go very far.

 

[Ed K]

My Daughter will be 11 next month. I bought a Ruger American all weather compact in .243 when she was 9 and decided she was going to want to hunt when she was 10.
I topped it with a Redfield revolution 3-9x40, and she has been shooting it ever since.
Took her first deer with it just last weekend on our state youth hunt.
For a small rifle, even I enjoy shooting it.

 

[buckdeer1]

I like the older remington with real wood and sims vibration lad recoil pad in a 243.My daughter weighes in about 130 and has been shooting my old remington 7mag since she was 13,at which time she shot a oryx in NM at 374 yards.We practiced alot but she considers it hers now.She also made 4 1 shot kills in Africa at 18.The 70s wood guns just don't kick as much and the sims pad is one of the best no matter what gun you chose.My other daught shoots the .243 I got in 1974.

 

[Seabee]

243. One and done.

 

[E_308]

I would pick a 308, with reduced loads you get a little better than 30/30. With full loads you can do about anything. Recoil with the full strength loads in something like my model 7 will get a grown persons attention so don't start there. Some 243's will kick more than a 30/30.

For my kid I built a 300 blackout in the thread on here. No recoil but it will be something he uses for a couple of years and then we upgrade to a "real" deer rifle (he is only 8).

 

[mike hunt]

My wife just bought a weatherby camilla, its designed for a woman. It has a short pull, and the stock looks nice. Its in 243. It came with VX2 3X9 leupold

 

[GAGE]

My daughter started at 9 years old with a Remington 700 Youth model 7-mm08, and still shoots it today at age 13. My 16 y/o son shoots the same caliber in a Tikka T3.

 

[Elkaddict]

I second a Remington youth model in 7mm-08. It has proven successful for my 2 boys. If you are a black rifle shooter, I'd also urge you consider a 6.8. A potent cartridge in a very adjustable package.

 

[dogdoc]

My girls shoot a Remington Youth model in .243. Flat shooting game and does a number on the deer. My 16 year old daughter has been shooting it since she was 12. I enjoy shooting it so much I think my next gun will be a 243.

 

[Sheep Dog]

243 is a caliber that is very easy to shoot well but bullet selection is important. Being a smaller caliber the margin of error is much smaller. At her age, she could probably handle something that hits a little harder. Staying in the same family, I agree that the 7mm-08 would be a great choice. It fits in nicely between the 243 and the 308. When my son was 8, I started him with a T/C Encore in 243 and has he got older we just traded up to bigger calibers.

 

[Hoseman]

I am currently in the same situation for my 8 year old son. I have had my eye on the new Savage Lightweight Hunter SS/Synthetic for myself although I need a new rifle like a hole in my head. But I'm thinking that I may buy it for him to use and I could use it as well. It is offered in several calibers including 243, 308 and 7mm-08. I'm leaning towards the 7mm-08 or 308 because it would be plenty of rifle forever and there are reduced recoil loads available for him for the next few years.

 

[Ducksoup]

I started my oldest son out with a Remington 700 in 7mm08 at age 13 and he's killed several deer with it with no problems with recoil. He was fairly slightly built at age 13 and probably didn't weigh 100 pounds. My youngest son started at age 11 with another Remington 700 but in .243. He had shot his bothers 7mm08 earlier and didnt like the recoil so i let him try my .243 and he handled it easily. I put a wood take off stock i got at a gun show and cut it down to about 12" length of pull and he killed several deer with it using handloaded 100 grain Nosler Partitions. After he grew up i put the original stock back on and used that gun and load to shoot a couple more deer. My main gun now is Tikka T3 blued version in 7mm08 but i wouldnt hesitate to use my .243's for deer. Unfortunately i sold that first 700 in 7mm08 and I've regretted ever since. With the .243 its all about the bullet you use. I prefer Partitions in either 95 or 100 grain but I think the 85 grain Barnes would work nicely also. Just stay away from any 6mm bullets intended for varmints, the jackets are to thin and the bullets are to explosive.

 

[Drycreek]

All good choices above, but my son's first and still only deer rifle is a Remington Model 7 in .260 Remington. Ammo is a little hard to find sometimes, but I think it's just about the ideal deer caliber for anyone, and especially the smaller framed like women and kids. In fact, I bought it for my wife, but our son "confiscated" it at about ten years of age. He's killed several deer with it, all one shot kills.