Rifle for my daughter

[geoff rath]

because we knew our daughter would be hunting in Africa, we wanted something with a little more juice behind it than a .243.. So we picked up a Howa 1500 in .308 for her..

To get her ready for the recoil, noise, etc we started out with some shooting with a semi auto centerfire (AR15), then did some shooting with a particularly heavy 270 (weighs about 9.5lbs.. but is laser accurate, and very soft shooting).. before moving her to the 308...

It took all of just a handful of rounds and she was ready... she is fairly small framed and statured.. but handles the 308 just fine (168gr loads at about 2700 fps).. which is more than enough for anything she's every going to pursue in NA... and anything shes likely to hunt in SA over the next several years (shes got blesbok on the menu this year.. last year it was impala.. etc..)..

You can get a Howa Walnut Hunter for less than $750 in a variety of calibers (.243, 6.5CM, 7-08, 308, etc).. if youre dead set on walnut and blued steel...

HOWA M1500 Walnut Hunter 243 Win Rifle - Lipseys.com

HOWA M1500 Walnut Hunter 243 Win Rifle

www.lipseys.com

Or if youre open to a synthetic stock.. the variant we picked up has one of the hogue overmoulded stocks on it.. We caught it on a clearance sale at Field and Stream when it was less than $450.. but they can be had all day long for less than $650 a lot of places..

Howa 1500 Hogue Black Bolt Action Rifle – 308 Winchester – 26in

Howa 1500 Hogue Black Bolt Action Rifle – 308 Winchester – 26in - An out-of-the-box rifle for hunts and target shooters alike. The Hogue Rifle features a Hogue pillar bedded overmolded stock for superior fit, function and accuracy. The combination of the high precision Howa 1500 and the...

www.sportsmans.com

Just because the Lady is young/small-statured/petite doesn't mean she won't be able to handle something bigger/ heavier as her shooting experience grows; the female of our species is a remarkable creature, much to be supported, and admired .

 

[Flewis]

Take a look at the 6.5 Grendel. 123s at 2500, almost no recoil.

 

[mdwest]

I'm pretty sure you spent way more than $450 at that clearance sale. You're welcome... ;-)

Closer to about $2K I believe once it was all said and done... No thanks to you.. ENABLER!!!!!

 

[mdwest]

Just because the Lady is young/small-statured/petite doesn't mean she won't be able to handle something bigger/ heavier as her shooting experience grows; the female of our species is a remarkable creature, much to be supported, and admired .

Yep.

My wife is 5'2"... shoots a super lightweight 308 (4lb 13oz Kimber Adirondak) as her primary hunting rifle.. a .35 Whelen for bigger/heavier game.. and will be using a 375 H&H in July on a buff cow... She can handle the bigger calibers and the heavier recoiling rifles just fine... Recoil conditioning is just a matter of practice.. I know plenty of 6'+ men that weigh 200+ lbs that think a 30-06 "kicks too hard"...

 

[Desperatezulu]

Is a suppressor/silencer an option? If so, that's first prize on something using <50gr of powder (i.e. 308 case size and down)

Suppressor lets you use normal loads with much reduced recoil and noise. (I am bemused at all the suggestions of reduced loads here....for a newbie shooter that probably hasn't mastered the basics of range estimation, bullet drop and may benefit from additonal knockdown energy from less than optimal bullet placement?? )
IMO gun fit and noise reduction deliver more meaningful comfort to an inexperienced shooter than out and out recoil reduction.

If you're into reloading, then wildcats are an option. My personal favourite low recoil calibre is the 6x45.
6.5 Grendel and the AKx39 are also low recoil options that punch above their weight.

 

[Inline6]

I know plenty of 6'+ men that weigh 200+ lbs that think a 30-06 "kicks too hard"...

I was one of them, the games I played required a 20+ pound rifle shooting a 6mm with a brake on the end.

It definitely took some recoil conditioning on my end. The first time I shot my 375h&h I had a headache. It took about 4 to 5 outings before that did not happen anymore. Even stepping up to the 416REM and 458LOTT no headaches. The conditioning makes a difference.

That is the tricky part when it comes to kids, they are either okay or not. They don't usually have a middle ground.

 

[mdwest]

The conditioning makes a difference.

That is the tricky part when it comes to kids, they are either okay or not. They don't usually have a middle ground.

Completely agree...

Thats why with our daughter, when she was ready to step up to a center fire rifle from a .22 LR, we started with an AR... super soft on the shoulder.. and while loud, not nearly as big of a boom as something like a 30-06, 308, etc..

The first time she shot a "hunting" rifle was actually in SA.. My wife and I had been hunting for a few days, and the daughter decided she'd like to give it a try... we took her to the range and she put about 20 rounds down the barrel of our PH's suppressed .243... that rifle had negligible recoil, and being a suppressed bolt action, had very little blast/boom to deal with..

She took an impala with the .243 that trip and was from that point hooked and has decided she is a hunter..

She was a bit spoiled though with the suppressed .243 and wanted a rifle that offers no recoil and doesnt hurt her ears when she fired it..

So we decided to keep the progression slow.. we let her fire the AR a bit more.. then stepped her into a very heavy .270 (lightest recoiling "deer" rifle I own due to the weight and stock design).. and only after she became comfortable with the .270 did we let her shoot her .308 (I bought the Howa 1500 .308 mentioned previously when Field and Stream was closing up shop.. got a deal that I couldnt resist on it.. and I knew she ultimately would get comfortable enough to be able to hunt with it.. I just wasnt sure how quickly that would happen)..

It took very little time honestly.. just a couple of practice sessions..

In addition to the SA trip, she went with us to Argentina this past November and shot a ton of 20 gauge while hunting dove.. joined her HS competitive shotgun team and has literally shot several thousand rounds of 20 and 12 there this year... and has little to no recoil or blast sensitivity at all anymore...

Not too bad considering prior to July of 2022 she had never shot anything larger than a .22 LR single shot bolt action rifle and a .22 LR semi auto pistol.

 

[Beck]

Ruger has a decent lineup of rifles that fit this bill, check out their hawkeye models. They make the African in .280 Ackley improved, a little more firepower than a .243, but the muzzle break will reduce the recoil

 

[Nhhunter]

I picked up a tikka 243 for my son when he was 10 and it’s still his favorite gun today. They can be had in wood

 

[Elkeater]

My daughter who is very petite loves shooting. We started her on .22lr first, then up to .223rem, now her main hunting rifle is a AR platform chambered in 6mm ARC. which is basically a mild .243win in a gas gun. With heading to Africa next year she has moved up to a 7mm-08rem. She’s using my wife’s weatherby vanguard youth model but if I was buying one today I’d grab a Camilla model. She seems to handle recoil fairly well

 

[Beck]

My daughter who is very petite loves shooting. We started her on .22lr first, then up to .223rem, now her main hunting rifle is a AR platform chambered in 6mm ARC. which is basically a mild .243win in a gas gun. With heading to Africa next year she has moved up to a 7mm-08rem. She’s using my wife’s weatherby vanguard youth model but if I was buying one today I’d grab a Camilla model. She seems to handle recoil fairly well

Tikka's are great rifles, good idea

 

[TXhunter65]

The Savage Lady Hunter Model 11 BeeMaa posted is a great gun, I have it in both .243 and 7mm-08. Both my son and daughter killed their first deer at 8 years old with the .243 both were bucks and neither went more than 15 years. My son has killed 5 bucks and several does with the .243 none have gone more than 60 yards. Both calibers are great, I've shot close to 50 animals, several in Africa, with the 7mm-08 and have never had any problem with performance provided I do my job.