A Rifle for HER

[BeeMaa]

Folks may not have noticed, but this is a 6 year old thread.

Best regards,

Sounds like a good time to breathe some life into it.

My wife started (seriously) shooting about 6 years ago. With weekly practice she moved from 22lr to 270WIN in just over a year. After her safari and a (one shot DRT) Kudu on the wall, she asked for a .30 caliber. She's now shooting a 300WM with a couple shots out of a 375H&H every now and then. No fear of the rifle, cartridge or recoil...just a clean squeeze of the trigger.

It's all about practice and building up slowly. Lots of dry fire and limiting range time to 12 rounds or less. Usually it's 8 or less. We are there to confirm what we have been practicing with dry fire at home, not blast away. After all...how many shots do you take at game on a single day?

Lastly, I do the dirty work of sighting in a rifle on the bench so she can enjoy her time from sticks, off-hand, kneeling and sitting.

 

[Velo Dog]

Fellow Hunters,

I’ve always thought that the shooting culture made (and is still making) a huge mistake embracing the .243 Winchester cartridge, as a “first rifle” for the recoil sensitive types of folks.

The 6.5x54 Mannlicher and similar cartridges, shooting 120 to 140 grain bullets, seem to me like they would have been and still are, a far and away much better choice for this.

My 6.5 caliber rifle is the 6.5x55 version (CZ 550 FS model) and with lighter bullets as mentioned above, has extremely light recoil.

Yet it will crumple mule deer very well, provided of course a vital hit.

From what I have seen of the .243, it is not the world’s best cartridge for larger members of the deer family (mule deer, caribou and certainly not moose).

It’s probably no surprise to many people but, the .243 seems to be a bit light for many African species as well.

The majority of 6.5 cartridges will handle very well, 160 grain bullets, thereby making it perhaps marginal for the heaviest of non-dangerous game but nonetheless, capable for same.

With heavy bullets, it is capable of taking even large moose, provided that said “marginal” shots are avoided.

Anyway Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I don’t have a problem with people using a .243 for mule deer.

 

[Velo Dog]

I don’t have a problem with people using a .243 for mule deer.

Hello Dwight,

It does not rile me that other folks choose small caliber, high velocity cartridges for shooting largish animals.
Indeed, doing that is not something I would do personally but, that does not make it the final word on hunting cartridges.
There are people here, perhaps yourself included who, have shot and seen shot several hundred or more critters than I have.

I’m just saying that, I believe there are better choices for recoil shy folks, than what has become one of, if not the most popular caliber, for beginning hunters and generally recoil sensitive people, IE: the .243 / 6 MM cartridges.
And likewise, although you and I evidently do not agree on this, nonetheless I respect your opinion.
The world would be a little boring if everyone’s opinions never differed from each other’s.

Best Regards,
Paul.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I have no hard feelings either and respect your opinion. I still believe it's hard to beat the .243 for recoil shy shooters. If I lived where deer are big bodied I might feel different. I've been hunting deer since the late 60's and the biggest I've killed I don't believe had a live weight even close to 200 lbs.