Best rifle for women

[Ridgewalker]

May I suggest #1 (since I learned it the hard way) don’t send it off until you have found the load you want to use.
Suggestion #2, if you plan under 300 yard shots and use a 165 gr bullet, you might want to just try a maximum point blank range. For deer I use 6”, ie, 3” at the highest point and 3” at the lowest point.
#3 I’d wait to get the CDS until ready for croc with the load your PH suggests (assuming it shoots 1” or less groups at 100 yards). Then I would zero it at 100 yards and get the CDS made for that. Most PHs will try to get you within 100 yards because you have a golf ball size target.
JMO. Best of luck in what ever you decide!

 

[NurseFet]

@Ridgewalker
What do you recommend regarding bullet grain choice? I hear everything from don't use anything over 150gr to the higher the grain the better. Help?

 

[Ridgewalker]

@Ridgewalker
What do you recommend regarding bullet grain choice? I hear everything from don't use anything over 150gr to the higher the grain the better. Help?

It really depends on what you are hunting and what your rifle shoots best.
Example: my 300WM shoots 3 165 Barnes TTSX into 1 hole at 100yds. Works great on coyote to elk. But if I’m taking it back to Africa for PG, I’ll load it with 200gr Swift A-frames. African game can be tough and expensive.
My 30-06 I load everything from 130 and 150 gr Barnes TTSX to 200 gr Nosler partitions. The 130 for deer and antelope, the 150 up to elk and the 200 for dark timber elk and black bear.
All that said, since this is your only rifle for now and you want to use it for everything, assuming you don’t reload yet, Id pick up several different brands of premium ammo focusing on 165 gr bullets (150 and 168 in Barnes) and find which shoots best in your rifle. Then you have an off-the-shelf load you know works well. It also gives you a reference of what to use when you start to reload.
JMO & E. Best of luck!

 

[BeeMaa]

Suggestion #2, if you plan under 300 yard shots and use a 165 gr bullet, you might want to just try a maximum point blank range. For deer I use 6”, ie, 3” at the highest point and 3” at the lowest point.

Excellent advice.
Example - if you use Swift A-Frames with a 200 yd zero, you are ~2" high at 100 yd and ~3.5" low at 250 yd.
This allows you to make quick shots on game without having to make a scope adjustment.
Having a cheat sheet with where YOUR rifle and particular load hit taped to your stock (or some other convenient place) is a good idea.
Familiarity with your rifle and load you are using is the key.

Like others have said, get several boxes of loaded ammo and see what your rifle likes to eat.
Pick what works best and go from there.
It's also good practice for you.

Cheers.

 

[stug]

As Beemaa said go with a 200yd zero, you will have to adjust the scope less often.
The only problem with a CDS turret is it only works for one load (projectile weight and velocity) if you go with a turret made for MOA (minute of angle 1 click is 1/4" at 100yds, 2/4" at 200yds etc) it will work for any load and bullet weight.
With the MOA turret zero your rifle at 200yds and then have the adjustments taped to the stock for any further adjustments.
The advantage of this is you don't need a need turret if you decide to switch your load etc.
I have a MOA turret on my VX-6.

 

[dchamp]

FWIW my 2 cents,
If you are going to use factory ammunition then I would buy a few boxes of different manufacture and or bullet weight (165-180 gr. my opinion only) and see what shoots best. Once discovered purchase a bunch of it. If hand loading pick a bullet in your caliber, research different powders suitable for your bullet-weight combination and get some instruction from two or three people who have at least a few years of experience reloading and load development.

Once you have your ammunition of choice, then sight in your your rifle. There are many ways to do this, one of the simplest is to sight in two inches high at 100 yards or meters, does really matter. Most guide/outfitters have some kind of range at those distances to check you zero and the ones I have hunted with like you to be 2 inches high at 100. In your .308win that should put you close to to zero at 200 and 4-6 inches low at your 250, so no real need for dialing up. In reality you probably wont have time for that anyway. But if it is something you want for precision shooting then once you have settled on your ammo, dope it, I'm sure you have people around you who know how to do this, and be sure to get your actual velocity before you get a custom dial.

Good Luck

 

[bruce moulds]

nursefet,
forget your dial.
sight in to be 2" or 2.5" high at 100 yds, then aim dead on at all ranges to 250.
this is called a point blank zero.
the minute you start turning dials, you introduce the opportunity for trouble.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

as mentioned above, +/- 3" is an ideal point blank zero for most game hunting.
this is too much for a varmint rifle, but ideal for big game.
a 270/280 will have a longer point blank than a 308, and a 7mag further again.
to work out this range for your gun with your load, you need to know the muzzle velocity as chronographed in your gun, and the b.c. of the bullet, and the height of scope above centre of bore.
going to the jbm ballistic calculations website will allow you to calculate the trajectory, and from there you can know how high to put the bullet at 100 yds.
a 150 gn barnes will be as good as a 165 gn cup and core, and go faser, thus shooting flatter in the challenged 308.
a 150 gn cup and core might be better for the likes of white tail deer.
few people can tell the difference between 250 and 300 yds in the field without a rangefinder.
however, by the time you cart a rangefinder all over the countryside, use it, adjust your sight , and get ready to shoot, the opportunity has probably been lost.
if you know the drop at 300 from the point blank zero, it is more practical to think of max point blank as a long way, and 300 as a really long way.
for a really long way, you still aim on fur, but a bit high.
after 300, the 308 is becoming challenged for delivered energy, by the wind, and most shooter's ability to hit well enough anyway, so shooting there is a matter of luck and better not undertaken.
walking around in the bush with a rangefider playing "guess the distance" is a good exercise.
you learn to take into account optical illusions like dead ground etc by actual experiance and without wounding things.
adjustable turrets are necessary for target shooting at known ranges, but have no place in real ethical hunting.
the marketing machine has a lot to answer for in terms of animal well being.
bruce.

 

[NurseFet]

as mentioned above, +/- 3" is an ideal point blank zero for most game hunting.
this is too much for a varmint rifle, but ideal for big game.
a 270/280 will have a longer point blank than a 308, and a 7mag further again.
to work out this range for your gun with your load, you need to know the muzzle velocity as chronographed in your gun, and the b.c. of the bullet, and the height of scope above centre of bore.
going to the jbm ballistic calculations website will allow you to calculate the trajectory, and from there you can know how high to put the bullet at 100 yds.
a 150 gn barnes will be as good as a 165 gn cup and core, and go faser, thus shooting flatter in the challenged 308.
a 150 gn cup and core might be better for the likes of white tail deer.
few people can tell the difference between 250 and 300 yds in the field without a rangefinder.
however, by the time you cart a rangefinder all over the countryside, use it, adjust your sight , and get ready to shoot, the opportunity has probably been lost.
if you know the drop at 300 from the point blank zero, it is more practical to think of max point blank as a long way, and 300 as a really long way.
for a really long way, you still aim on fur, but a bit high.
after 300, the 308 is becoming challenged for delivered energy, by the wind, and most shooter's ability to hit well enough anyway, so shooting there is a matter of luck and better not undertaken.
walking around in the bush with a rangefider playing "guess the distance" is a good exercise.
you learn to take into account optical illusions like dead ground etc by actual experiance and without wounding things.
adjustable turrets are necessary for target shooting at known ranges, but have no place in real ethical hunting.
the marketing machine has a lot to answer for in terms of animal well being.
bruce.

I may have to read this a few times through for it to sink in. I'll figure out all this ballistics talk eventually... I think.

 

[perttime]

With a simple scope, it may be better to keep its settings the same, and zero it at a distance where the highest point of impact is a couple of inches high (around 100 to 200 yards/meters out. Then you see how far you can shoot until you are hitting a couple of inches low.

With increasing distance, you introduce more possibilities for error. Your 1 inch groups at 100 become 3 inches or probably more at 300. Way more if you shoot from a position that allows you to wobble more. The longer flight time of the bullet gives any side wind more time to push the bullet to the side. Any animal movement has a bigger effect at longer range. If you aim dead on at a walking animal and the bullet takes half a second to get there, you are no longer hitting the vitals.

If you shoot to 250 yards, but the real distance is 310, you will hit lower than you expected. With .308Win trajectories, you might miss completely - especially if multiple sources of error are working against you for that shot. Actually, a complete miss would then be the better outcome.

 

[NurseFet]

With a simple scope, it may be better to keep its settings the same, and zero it at a distance where the highest point of impact is a couple of inches high (around 100 to 200 yards/meters out. Then you see how far you can shoot until you are hitting a couple of inches low.

With increasing distance, you introduce more possibilities for error. Your 1 inch groups at 100 become 3 inches or probably more at 300. Way more if you shoot from a position that allows you to wobble more. The longer flight time of the bullet gives any side wind more time to push the bullet to the side. Any animal movement has a bigger effect at longer range. If you aim dead on at a walking animal and the bullet takes half a second to get there, you are no longer hitting the vitals.

If you shoot to 250 yards, but the real distance is 310, you will hit lower than you expected. With .308Win trajectories, you might miss completely - especially if multiple sources of error are working against you for that shot. Actually, a complete miss would then be the better outcome.

I understood all of that! I think I'm getting smarter!

 

[Shootist43]

NurseFet, I was thinking the same as the rest of the guys yesterday. I just didn't mention it. For the time being determine what ammo your gun likes (shoots) best and zero it 2 to 2& 1/2 inches high at 100 yards and forget it. IMHO having the turrets you mentioned on a 308 is a waste of time and money. With the point blank zero you just aim and shoot. No muss no fuss. Your aiming point on any given animal using this method is "center lung."

 

[CBH Australia]

Smart, you can’t show your wife how to use the rifle. She is smarter she got a Blaser anyway. I can’t afford that but I appreciate quality.

The single sister sounds a bit young. Ohh and maybe I’m a bit old.

I am negotiating an African cull hunt or yet to confirm bookings and deposits. I’ve just got to harden up and commit. Timing is around a wedding anniversary so I should just do it. My wife shoots but does not want to hunt. Well not those animals.

Strangely and without mention of Africa I was talking to a nice young lady who is keen to go hunting with me. We have some dealings through work of late. She is young, pretty and keen on hunting. A little Younger than me at least and pretty chatty. It’s strange how when you do settle down you seem to get more interest from others than when you were looking for someone.

The moral of the story “Boys don’t give up hope” There are nice girls out who hunt and want a companion. They may be rare but they exist. Hell some like Nurse Fet even see the value in having nice firearms.

Now back to Safari planning, it could be cheaper to take the wife to Africa than taking an interest in taking this girl hunting locally. Just saying.

 

[bruce moulds]

cbh,
careful what you wish for.
you might get it.
sometimes it might be better to NOT have a wife interested in shooting
bruce.

 

[shootist~]

Just some observations I've noticed over the past half century or so:

Allow the rifle some break-in time with something basic before going to premium ammunition. 100 rounds of plain-jane (or plain-john?) 150 grain ammo, over several range trips would be my suggestion. However some barrels require considerably more rounds fired before reaching their potential. (Hornady 150 grain SST would be an example.)

Know that switching brands of ammo without cleaning the barrel can "sometimes" cause accuracy issues. Just something to watch for.

This may be much more pronounced when switching to mono metal bullets such as Barnes TTSX or similar (or switching back to conventional jacketed bullets). A bore solvent that also removes copper is a good idea. (Patch-Out is an example.)

You don't need to clean the bore after every range trip. (Although a good cleaning both before and after the first outing is a good idea.) In fact, some rifles shoot noticabely better if left dirty until accuracy falls off.

Most importantly:
It's much better to never develop a flinch than to try and cure one. A light weight .308 develops considerable recoil. A PAST Pad, while subjective, reduces felt recoil by a Huge amount. And there is a version made specifically for women:
www.midwayusa.com/product/640773/past-hidden-comfort-for-women-recoil-pad-s

 

[Timbo]

Smart, you can’t show your wife how to use the rifle. She is smarter she got a Blaser anyway. I can’t afford that but I appreciate quality.

The single sister sounds a bit young. Ohh and maybe I’m a bit old.

I am negotiating an African cull hunt or yet to confirm bookings and deposits. I’ve just got to harden up and commit. Timing is around a wedding anniversary so I should just do it. My wife shoots but does not want to hunt. Well not those animals.

Strangely and without mention of Africa I was talking to a nice young lady who is keen to go hunting with me. We have some dealings through work of late. She is young, pretty and keen on hunting. A little Younger than me at least and pretty chatty. It’s strange how when you do settle down you seem to get more interest from others than when you were looking for someone.

The moral of the story “Boys don’t give up hope” There are nice girls out who hunt and want a companion. They may be rare but they exist. Hell some like Nurse Fet even see the value in having nice firearms.

Now back to Safari planning, it could be cheaper to take the wife to Africa than taking an interest in taking this girl hunting locally. Just saying.

Sometimes you dont know with a girl until you "pop the question" - the hunting question that is! I did, and my current gf (a Bhuddist and vegetarian) is dead keen to come along on my next buffalo/pg hunt in June!! At the range she's even picking up the rudiments of benchrest very nicely!!

(Conversion until safely in the fold continues!!)

 

[Inline6]

I have dry fired one rifle 20 Xs more than rounds fired. It's on it's 8th barrel (over 10k total rds). Most .22 you can't dry fire.

FWIW

 

[rnovi]

The Best Rifle for a Woman is...

Whatever she wants!

*My wife wanted a fitted Merkel K3 Stutzen with full fiddleback from butt to muzzle...in 7x57R. She saw it at the Safari Club show several years back. I had 1" trimmed off the stock to fit her shorter arms and fitted a VX6 1-6 which has a longer eye relief to manage a shorter neck profile.

Best purchase EVAR. Since then, she's never complained about any rifle purchase I've made since.

 

[bruce moulds]

wives can sometimes recognize a new rifle.
but rarely will they notice a new scope on a rifle.
this might be an area to be a pure mod 70 man, as they all look the same.
you just need some with synthetic stocks and some with wood stocks, and all they need to know is that you have 2 guns.
need to know basis.
then they get a financial good surprise if you have a heart attack.
bruce.