Good Teen Girl Rifle?

[ai3023]

ok. I have been hunting since I was about 11 or so, and I'm now 17. I've always wanted to own my own gun(s) but was never able to save up the money on account of some things that happened. Anyway, I'm now finally able to save enough money for me, and not spend it all on bills. I hunt for geese, phesant, turkey, and alot of other game, but I am most fond of deer hunting (whitetail). I started off shooting a .223 i believe. From there, I went to a .243, and now I shoot either a .22-250 or a 25-06 depending on the size of the deer. My dad and I always hunt together, so both guns are accessible to me when I need them in those critical times. I want to get a rifle that is all my own; a rifle that I can go hunting by myself and not have to worry about the size of the deer and whatever gun I'm carrying. Can anyone help me and give me advice on what gun(s) they would choose? and i'm not sure if this will make a difference since it hasnt made a huge difference for me, but a am a left-handed shooter [&:]

[berudd]

If your dad already shoots a 25.06 I would consider one of those because I see value in being able to share ammo if with your dad needed. That is not really much of a reason but something to consider. If you are comfortable shooting that in adult sized rifles then you could then you would probably be comfortable with anything else in that family like .270 or the 30.06 (which the others are based on). Both a capable of taking any deer at any reasonable range.

I am going to guess, however, that as a young woman you may find that a 'youth' rifle will fit you better. Unless you are of above average height, the shorter stock will fit you better. They are also available in short actions like the .223 and .243 where if they are bolt action rifles. That makes the overall rifle shorter and lighter and a better fit for smaller framed people. Here you could consider 7mm-08 and .308. Both the 7mm-08 and .243 are based on the .308. Same case, just smaller bullets. The will kick less than the .06 family. Hmmm, but you are a lefty. Not sure there are many youth rifles in left handed models. Well, if the full size fits no worries. If not, any wood stock can be cut to fit you. Proper fit is important.

As far as what brnd of rifle I am partial to Savage. While the new model with the Accutrigger and Accustock are more expensive, they still represent a great value and you lose absolutlely nothing in terms of quality or accuracy. Savage still sells a few models that don't have the new trigger and stock that are still excellent rifles. My Savage .270 is an older model that does not have these features and it is capable of 1" groups at 100 yards. Savage also markets an economy line of guns under the name Stevens. The rifle is the Stevens 200 and it is the same action as the older model rifles so you will still get the same great quality and accuracy. What they lack is looks, that that can be said for most Savage rifles not just Stevens. Typically, Savage rifles don't have pretty wood stocks and other features to enhance their appearance. To be honest, from my point of view that is an advantage. If I had a a rifle that was pretty I would be overly concerned with keeping it that way and would try to prevent scratches on the wood. I'll much prefer function over form in this case.

[ReflexHunter]

I would reccomend a 7mm-.08 because it will not beat you up but it still has plenty of knockdown power at 200 yards.  I am 21 now and have been shooting my 7mm-.08 my whole life.  This is a great gun for shooters that don't want a sore shoulder but still want to shoot some longer distances.  I sight in 2 inches high at a hundred yards so I am dead on at 200 yards.

[ai3023]

thank you for the advice. I will talk to my dad a little more and see what he is comfortable with

[ai3023]

ORIGINAL: ai3023

thank you for the advice. I will talk to my dad a little more and see what he is comfortable with

I talked to my dad and he was kind of busy, which didn't help the greatest. Anyway, when I shoot the 25-06, I am fine shooting it and do not have any problems with the recoil, etc. But when berudd talked about maybe getting a youth rifle, I also agreed with that since I am about 5'5" and weigh about 125-130. I have read alot of other forums that other people have started and the replies have stated ones similar to this forum: 7mm-08 or 25-06. I do not have a lot of "gun smarts", but I need to know what the difference between the 7mm-08 and the 25-06 is.

[berudd]

Yeah, at your size a shorter rifle would probably be best. The 7mm-08 is a great deer round for anyone so would not hesitate to use it. The 7mm-08 is based on the .308 Winchester and the 25-06 is based on the 30-06. By 'based on' I mean that they have the same shell casing and the round it is based on. Both the .308 and 30-06 are 30 caliber and shoot a bullet that is .308" in diameter. Since the 30-06 has a longer case, it hold more powder and therefor shoots a bullet of the same size faster. So, given a .308 and a 30-06, the 30-06 will shoot it faster and therefore deliver more energy to the target but both is plenty for deer to somewhere around 400 yards or so.

That's just some background to help you understand how the 7mm-08 and 25-06 compare and relates. The 25-06 uses the same case as the 30-06 with a smaller, .25 caliber bullet (.257" diameter I believe). With the larger case, the 25.06 shoots a smaller bullet at a higher velocity. Many consider it the best Antelope rifle because the high velocity means that it shoots a very flat trajectory. With the long ranges the typically come with antelope that is a good thing. Also, antelope are smaller animals the so the smaller bullet is just fine here. I used to have a hunting buddy that used this round on whitetails and he liked it just fine.

The 7mm-08 uses te same case as the .308 and again with a smaller bullet. A 7mm bullet has a diameter of .284". So, it has has a larger bullet that the 25-06 but with a smaller case that holds less powder so it does not have velocities as high as that of the 25-06. However, it is still a highly affective deer round. I have heard some people state they feel that 7mm-08 is perhaps the ideal whitetail round. I'd say you could make arguements in this regard for several different rounds and all would probably be valid. But, I doubt you would find any folks who know what they are talking about that would tell you the 7mm-08 is not a fine load for deer. And FWIW many Elk have been taken with them as well.

I like the 7mm-08 because it comes in rifles with a short action. I think that would be good for you because in addition to a shorter stock , the shorter action would result in a rifle that is again bit shorter than say a 25-06. I am 5'11" and I would enjoy that as it would make the rifle a little handier, especially if you spend any time walking through dense brush.

So in my opinion, and that's all this is, I think a youth gun in 7mm-08 would be just great for you. Just not sure if you can find a left-handed youth rifle without quite a bit. So, maybe you look for a standard sized one with a wood stock and cut an inch off the stock.

Also, one last peice of advise. When making this sort of decision understand that for the most part all, or at least most, of the options you have to choose from are great. Any of the traditional deer calibers in a rifle from any of the traditional manufactures will be a great choice. So, with that being the case, I would recommend you choose the one that for whatever reason appeals to you the most. And don't feel like you have to justify it beyond that. If you see a Savage in 7mm-08 that really turns your crank, go for it. Or if it is some other caliber from some other company go with that. If the rifle excites you and adds to the enjoyment of the hunt, that is the one you should choose.

[shaman]

Here are some questions I'd like to ask:

1)  What sort of hunting terrain do you hunt?  Do you normally take the deer out in the open or in deep cover?
2)  What method are you using to hunt?  Still hunting?  A Tree Stand?  Stalking?
3)  At what distance do you shoot the deer?
4)  Are you comfortable shooting a right-handed rifle, or do you want a left-handed rifle?
5)  Have you shot a rifle that had too much recoil?  If so, what was it?
6)  What sort of sights do you prefer?  A scope?

There are going to be a lot of choices of cartridge.  Just about any rifle you pick is going to be enough to kill deer.  The most important thing here is finding something that is comfortable for you to shoot.

You've gotten good suggestions regarding cartridges. Some others come to mind:

.300 Savage
257 Roberts
6.5X55 Swede
7X56 Mauser

The difference between a 25-06 and a 7mm-08?     The 25-06 is the faster and flatter shooting of the two. The 7mm-08 has a bigger bullet and is delivering higher energy. They have about equal recoil.  All of this would not make any real difference at normal deer hunting ranges. 

[Dan Salmon]

I'd say buy a .270 Win. If you want a short action, I'd say .308 Win. Both have quite manageable recoil and are usually the suggestions for small framed shooters, women and kid's first rifles. Both are also much better if Elk ever are a thought.

[msbadger]

Well Shaman asked the good ?'s....being the same height and a lft handed woman...I can say with a good gun smith stocks can be cut down....but I have a rather long arm length...
Here in NY we had shot gun only in our area until just recently..... so it was a Browning 20 ga with a a bottom eject and a thumb safty as my first gun....I hunted every thing with it from squirrel...rabbit to turkey deer and wouldn't have hesitated on a blk bear...if one had strolled by...it's great in wooded and open areas and I've taken clean knock down kills on deer at 100yrds using 3" Breneke's...
 
We had to travel down to P.A, to find me a left handed rifle and that is a Remington 243 lft handed with a Monty Carlo stock...I love that gun ...it's light and flat shooting ...but unless I'm in an open area with out much brush I won't take her out...it doesn't take but a small twig to take out your shot....

This being said ...with the money for just one gun and a variety of game that you hunt....20 ga is where I personally would go.....Good Luck...You have a lot of years of great times ahead of you....Badger

[berudd]

Hmmm, considering she meantioned hunting birds and small game that shotgun idea is a good one. Mossberg makes a very nice looking 20ga pump gun, the 505 I think that comes in youth models. You can get combos that have a smooth bore as well as a fully rifled slug barrel. They had that combo at a local gun shop in camo and it looked great and was reasonable piced. Around $300 if I recall. They also have a turkey barrel for the gun.

Did you have your heart set on a deer rifle? If not and if you don't want to take deer much beyond 100 yards, the 20 ga slug combo might be a good choice. However, that gun is light weight and from what I have heard 3" 20 gauge slugs have some kick. I suspect you will be ok though. When I was 10 or 11 I was shooting 3" magnums at ducks from a single shot 20 ga that is even lighter. I was ok but there were a few ringing ears in the blind with me.