Deer rifle suggestions for my daughter

[picksbigwagon]

I have been watching this with interest the last few days, and this thought just occured to me. You could go with an AR-10 setup with a collapsable stock in .308. DPMS puts out some really great firearms and configurations in the AR format. Keep away from the bull barrel and you would have a mighty fine deer hunting rifle. Match it with a 5 round mag. and you would be set. Just a thought, I know seeing an AR in the woods is disturbing to some.

[Powerstroke]

I'm kinda thinking like NET.

What's wrong with the .243? I realize its a smaller caliber, and deer primarily are killed by firearms by the shock and bullet expansion, but archery hunters rely on razor sharp broadheads and don't have any problem taking down deer.

I say keep the .243, keep your money and save it to get exactly what she likes or something like better clothing or a new stand or two.

I know thats not what you're asking, but we are talking about deer at close range and the .243 has what it takes so "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[ccarlson]

The .243 she used last year was borrowed from a family friend and isn't available this year. It's also time for her to have hew own. I would have no problem shooting a .243 myself. The ironic thing is that we tend to put a caliber with less shock and impact in the hands of our youngest hunters who have the least ability to make that "well placed shot." Hence the discussion about findind a caliber that has more impact without too much felt recoil.

[Neighbor_guy]

We all know you just want another gun in your cabinate.

Seriously though, the 7mm08 was specificaly designed and built around killing whitetail's. Less felt recoil and more manageable to shoot than the .308. And IMO much less "shock loss" than the .308 as well. And bigger with more schock and knockdown than the .243. When I was shooting it rounds were harder to come by at times, but they seem to be everywere now.

But like your .243, my 7mm08 was a "looner" and eventualy they have to go back. Like I said before, if I could I would trade my .270 for a 7mm08 everyday of the week.

[N7709K]

I have a savage bolt action 30-06. i have used it for two years and love it. My dad uses a browning blr in .308, that kicks more than my 30-06. I shoot 150 grain remington rounds.

[Powerstroke]

Now I understand your point. I also have two daughters and I will be looking to get them firearms that are manageable for thier size in a couple of years. I will be paying attention to this one.

[CSTPETER]

You will not be disappointed in the 7mm-08. I have a 30-06 and a 7mm-08 sitting right next to each other in my gun cabinet. For Whitetails I always reach for the 7mm-08. It's all about shot placement. I'm actually going to watch my 11 year daughter old kill her first deer with a .223 this year. This will draw some scoffs I'm sure, but I'd much rather have her pull the trigger with confidence and comfort than a cringe and a flinch.

[TroutYammer]

Get a Browning .30-06 Autoloader. If kick is an issue get the BOSS.

[fishtrapgirl]

Take a look at the Remington 700 LSS Mountain Rifle, its very lightweight and I do not think the recoil is bad at all. I have never liked a rifle that "kicks" alot, I have a Mountain Rifle and I absolutely love it. I did put a Limbsaver pad on it. This is a great small rifle for young hunters and women. Plus, it looks super nice. Mine is a .30-06, I'm keeping this gun around forever, by far my favorite! Check it out for your daughter, I can assure you she will like how lightweight it is. Bought it at Reed's and they were great to deal with.

fishtrapgirl

[NETim]

The .243 she used last year was borrowed from a family friend and isn't available this year. It's also time for her to have hew own. I would have no problem shooting a .243 myself. The ironic thing is that we tend to put a caliber with less shock and impact in the hands of our youngest hunters who have the least ability to make that "well placed shot." Hence the discussion about findind a caliber that has more impact without too much felt recoil.

Don't get me wrong, I'm generally a "more rifle" kind of guy but a .243, all things being equal, makes it easier to put 'em where you want 'em.

That being said, I'm a fan of the 7mm-08. Heck, anything built on the .308 case is a GOOD caliber, maybe even great.

If your daughter can shoot a 7mm-08 well, then by all means, use it. I see no reason for a larger caliber for whitetails frankly.

[superbee]

I would look at a .243 or .257 Roberts. They are both excellent deer cartridges and have very minimal recoil and make an excellent gun for beginners and will not beat them up.

[Powerstroke]

ooooohhhh the .257R That is a nice round. My dad picked one up a couple years ago used and its been fantastic.

[KG243]

I have been watching this with interest the last few days, and this thought just occured to me. You could go with an AR-10 setup with a collapsable stock in .308. DPMS puts out some really great firearms and configurations in the AR format. Keep away from the bull barrel and you would have a mighty fine deer hunting rifle. Match it with a 5 round mag. and you would be set. Just a thought, I know seeing an AR in the woods is disturbing to some.

I have the DPMS LR-308 with the 24" bull barrel and I am in love with this rifle (just dont tell my wife!). They have the new light verson of their 308 and it only weighs 7 some odd pounds and is a great gun. Oh ya and I can shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards with the cheapest ammo I can buy! I was just shooting it today and shot ove 80 rounds and I dont feel it at all in my shoulder.

[boatfixer]

Another vote for the 7mm-08. and forget the "kids" or "laddies" title it gets. Excellent cartridge for anyone.

[ccarlson]

I just wanted to follow up that I ended up getting a youth 7mm-08 for my daughter and we had a chance to get out and shoot it today. I had a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9 put on it and bore sighted at Reeds. To my surprise, I shot the first 4 rounds in it and only made 3 clicks down to get it zeroed in. Very nice shooting gun.

My daugther shot about 8 rounds through it and didn't mind the recoil at all. It has a good amount of power to the feel of it but not the sharp punch like my 30-06 which is exactly what I was hoping for. She could have shot more but I didn't want her to start flinching and she had just shot a couple boxes through the 12 guage right before that. A couple more sessions before season and she'll be set.

Thanks for all the help and input everyone had in this thread. I've got a feeling we'll have this gun for many years.

ccarlson

[Tripleplay]

I've got two kids (son & daughter) that started with the 7mm-08 youth version and they have definitely accounted for their share of the deer. They will almost be 16 this year and my son may need to move up out of the youth model next season but the daughter just loves this rifle. Great hitting/shock value with very little kick (although my daughter is always jumpy on the range expecting the kick). When it comes time to pull the trigger on a deer I'd take her shooting over a whole bunch of folks and she always comments that she never notices the kick in the deer stand. Wonder why??

Paired with a decent scope and Nosler Partitions in 140gr they shoot very well and with plenty of stopping power. So far I haven't had to follow one farther than 50 yards for either of them after the shot. I'll take that kind of performance any day.

[nolte]

I've got to agree with the guys about a 243. It's a great deer caliber and should have NO problem taking deer down. Real easy recoil and fun to shoot. Get some good nosler partition or ballistic tip bullets and stack them up.

I know a few guys that went down to Mexico and didn't hassle with bringing the rifles with them. The place they hunted had all 243s. Now I know deer in that region run smaller, but if it was a big deal they would have had bigger rifles. I'm pretty sure that the lodge owner wouldn't want a bunch of $4,000 whitetails being lost and eaten by the coyotes.

Dad has a whole gun case full of guns. 22s on up to 300 mags. He still heads to the woods every deer season with a Model 700 243. I don't remember the last deer that wasn't piled up within site of the stand.

[duckhunter054]

I currently use a Savage .270 using Remington core-loc rounds and can not complain at all. Hits hard and accurate at all ranges. It does however kick pretty well I think because of the light synthetic stock but you can get heavier stocks with it. I also have a Remington .243 and it is by far my favorite rifle in the gun case. We reload all our rounds and you can get the .243 to be a smokin flat shooting round but it is not my favorite deer hunting round, it does not have much for knock down power. My dad found that out himself chasing a monster around hitting hit five times before it gave in. Just showing my experience and input. Good Luck.

[paul pachowicz]

"starter guns" is always a great discussion. That 08 and 243 are excellent ones and can always be used by dad too. However, I persoanlly think that if you don't get enough range time with the kid they are not gong to do the job in the field. One has to gain confidence & competency in themselves Same with adults. They (you) have to know the gun. Here's alitle trick I use when instructing a new shooter on the bench. I'll take the weapon, keep it from thier sight hand it back to them. I'll randomly load the weapon or hand them an unloaded one. That way they never know if it is going to fire or not as each shot should be a "surprize". I find this is a handy way to eliminate anticipating or flinching. I could go on and on on basic marksmanship and that's what is imparative to develope hunting skills. You'd be amazed at what those times together do for parent/child relationships.

[lcornice]

Last year, my then 13 YO daughter shot her first deer with a 25WSSM. Great cartridge but unless you reload it's probably not feasible in the long haul. My vote would probably be for the 7mm-08. I do have a buddy who's selling a 243 he bought for his daughter a couple of years ago.