Good Teen Girl Rifle?

[berudd]

Not sure if the OP is still watching this thread but I just noticed that Remington has a left handed model 700 in 7mm-08.

http://www.remington.com/products/firea ... youth.aspx

[ai3023]

[quote]ORIGINAL: 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?


1) I take deer both out in the open and in deep cover. My grandma owns over a thousand acres of land, so I have a lot of hunting ground.
2) normally i still hunt and stalking
3) i shoot deer anywhere from 75 yards to 300 yards
4) I shoot right handed guns since my dad is right handed, but i would really like to get a left handed rifle since ill be the one forking out the money
5) I have never shot a gun with too much recoil
6) The 22.250 that I have has a Leupold dot scope and I love it, so I'm looking at purchasing a Leupold scope for the rifle I am going to buy.

I would feel most comfortable purchasing a 25-06, but I need a good manufacturer with a good price

[shaman]

Your needs sound pretty varied.  With still hunting and stalking as your primary means of taking a deer, I would almost suggest something like a Rem 7600 or 7400 that would give you a better chance at a second shot.   However, you sound like you are comfortable with a bolt-action, so we will keep it there.  If you're stalking, a youth rifle might be a good idea, just for the fact that the barrel will be shorter, and it will come up faster.  I have a friend who hijacked his kid's Rem 700 ADL Youth and put an adult stock on it for just that sort of thing. However, the shorter barrel removes some speed off the bullet, so if you are taking long shots, out around 200-300 yards, there will be some penalty. 

Scope choice:  Leupies are good-- expensive, but good. I just handled a Nikon the other day that would be probably right up your alley.   The problem here is finding a scope that does not detract from your ability to use the rifle for stalking.  If you're primarily a still hunter or stalker I would go with a 1.5-4.5X   or possibly a 2-7X or a 4X fixed.    I have several of my rifles rigged with Weaver Swivel Mounts, that swivel the scope away so that you can use the iron sights close in. They're not made anymore, but they sound more in line with what you're asking the rifle to do. Whatever you do, don't go with see-through mounts.  They put the scope up too high and you end up lifting your cheek off the stock to see through the scope.

One question I did not ask was this:  Are you right or left eye dominant?   If your handedness matches your eye dominance you're fine shooting a left-handed rifle. However, I known several people who were right-handed/left-eyed.  These people have a hard way to go. My wife is one such critter.  What shoulder do you shoot from most often? Have you tested yourself for eye dominance?


25-06 is a good round. One of my friends has a 25-06 that he's had as his one and only deer rifle for over 30 years.  All my recommendations for a cartridge are still good ones.  It will just depend on what you are able to find.  One of the big limiting factors in choice will be the left-handed thing, but it is not insurmountable.  Just as a for instance, I checked Savage.  Savage makes a 111 FLNS in left-handed 25-06, listing for under $600.  The Accutrigger is easily the best production trigger system out there.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/

They also have rifles and rifle packages in 7mm-08. 

Remington has a 700 CDL model in 25-06, but their 700 Compact SPS series only offers 7mm-08 in the recoil level everyone has been suggesting.

. . . but then again.  You said something that interested me.  You said you'd never shot a rifle that was too much for you.   I think a lot of us assume that recoil will be a problem.  For you, it may not be.  It isn't about size.  It is just a matter of taste and disposition.  Before you go and blow money on a rifle, I would try out a 30-06 or 308 WIN or a 270 WIN and see if you like them.  These open up a LOT more options in rifles choices.  You're 17.  You've got plenty of time.  Just as a for instance, my Son #2 is a big strapping guy who has always loved recoil.  He's shooting a 30-06 now, but loves shooting my 35 Whelen.  Son #3 is actually bigger than #2 for his age but he is still trying to fully embrace a 30-30 WIN.

My overall impression from what you say is that if you really stick with deer hunting, you may not be a 1-rifle kind of hunter.  You may have one rifle for stalking and another for long distance work and take both to camp to back each other up.  MsBadger had a good idea as well-- a shotgun for the stalking part of your hunts.  Even though I'm a big lover of rifles, I still try to get my Remington 1100  out every year for a day or so of stalking in the cedars. 

[berudd]

I hope we are not providing information overload here. It's easy for us to get carried away sometimes I think. Any of the calibers discussed here will get the job done. You say you are most comfortable with the 25-06 and if that is how you feel then I'd say go for it. It will be more than adequate for whitetails.

As far a good manufacturer we all have our favorites (Savage is mine) but to be honest I seriously doubt you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. In no particular order, Savage, Remington, Marlin, Winchester are all pretty common and all make quality rifles. Savage, and their budget line Stevens, are probably the most affordable. I have seen a new in box Stevens youth in .243 for $265. Savage has a couple of youth models and some can be had for under $400 new. This means you should be able to do even better in the used market. Well, I say that but it does seem that while that start out at a lower price they hold a pretty high percentage of that value. But I would expect to be able to pick up a nice used Savage for around $300 without a scope. I can provide less input on the costs of the other models becuase I have not really bean shopping for one. A good price is pretty subjective, really even more so that caliber choice I think. It depends on what sells in your area; popular stuff will cost more and evening within one manufacturer prices vary quite a bit depending on the features of the rifle.

[SHKYBoonie]

ai, I have a 15 year old Daughter of your same build and shoots left handed. She has been shooting a right handed 25-06 for the past three years. It was one of my Grandfathers guns but I wasn't sure if it was the right caliber for the kind of deer hunting we do. I mostly put her in stands on field edges. I am a fan of bigger bullet sizes for deer so I wanted to get her a 7mm-08. I bought her one and she shot it for a while at the range. She eventually went back to the 25-06 because she said the recoil wasn't as bad. She has taken several deer with this gun and now I even take it on occasions. It does the job for us whether it's close up or far off and because of the light recoil, it is a tack driver. It shoots tighter groups than any other gun I have. I will also add that it was a full size Remington 700 with a wood stock that we had cut down to fit her. I think you can still get the 25-06 or the 7MM-08 in the Remington Model Seven Youth and the prices aren't all that bad. Although, if I could find it, I would go with the Savage. They are amazing rifles with a very good price tag.