I'm looking at geting my soon to be wife a new gun for a wedding present. She hunts with me a good bit and currently shoots my 270 WSM. she is a decent shot with it but the recoil bothers her a bit and I don't want to get her started flinching. I was thinking about a .308 win of some kind, but it needs to be left haded. We mostly hunt mountain mulies and elk in eastern oregon, so I want something that will work for both. If any body have any ideas on any other calibers and rifles let me know . . . I realy want my 270 WSM back!!!
Gun for the lady.
- Thread starter jmad_81
- Start date
- Oct 30, 2004
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- Nov 4, 2004
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Either the 308 Win or the 7mm-08 would be an excellent choice for your bride.
JD338
JD338
- Oct 30, 2004
- 24,287
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I have a thing about the 7mm-08.
160 grain PT or AB at 2700 fps mirrors the 30-06 180/2700 fps standard I use.
160 grain PT or AB at 2700 fps mirrors the 30-06 180/2700 fps standard I use.
Powerstroke
Handloader
- Feb 24, 2006
- 1,799
- 58
I'll have to give a +1 to both the above. The 7-08 is an excellent round with low recoil. The 7-08 is easy to reload for and very accurate. I purchased a Rem Model 7 in .260 for my wife several years back with the intentions of a Mulie round. It's now taken several cow elk very effectively, so don't overlook that one either.
cloverleaf
Handloader
- Sep 10, 2006
- 4,381
- 1,014
Guess I wont venture a calibre here- I cant take the pounding either. However, I shot a 7mm WBY mag last fall that Kicked less than my little 250 Savage. The custom Muzzle brake was about $100 from a local smith. (I can get you his #- they are one of a kind and turned to match barrel profile) That and a sims Recoil pad and good set of muffs while she practices would be my choice. Im interested in the 7mm-08 myself but no experience. My .02 worth CL
Big Squeeze
Handloader
- May 29, 2007
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Jmad.......................I have two excellent choices for you in order to get your 270 WSM back! They are both left handed and ideal for your bride!............The first!........New for `08, a Remington SPS with the black synthetic stock, matte barrel with a 20" barrel. It is available in the 7mm/08. It is 39 5/8" long and weighs 7 lbs. You can view it now on Remingtons web site....................The second!.......The Ruger M77 MK2 Ultralite with the walnut stock, blued barrel with a 20" barrel as well. It is available in the .308 Win., is 39 7/8" long and weighs 6.25 lbs. According to the Ruger `07 catalog, which I have, it is available in the left handed version. You can also view that one on Ruger`s web site under the M77 MK2 section and then scrolling down to the Ultralite.............Just in case your thinkin it, don`t worry about too much velocity loss with the shorter 20" barrels. I have 1st hand experience chronographing my own Ruger Frontier 300 WSM compact with its 16.5 inch barrel and comparing that to the 24" tubes! Figure about 15 to a 25 fps., maybe a 30 fps. of velocity loss for every inch of barrel length lost. In my case, with my 16.5 incher, I`m losing about 4 to 4.5% on the average in total vs. the 24" 300 WSM`s. Your % of loss with the 20" barrel would be less!...........Depending upon her taste in stocks, walnut or synthetic, matte barrel or blued, either one of those two rifles would make an ideal choice for her. They both are much easier to carry in the field than a full sized rifle, both will have enough power on the game you`ll be hunting and both will have less recoil too!.........It is easy to reco a heavier full sized, more powerful rifle with a muzzle brake. And that is all well and good!! It is another matter to carry it in the field on all day hunts should those days occur, especially for a woman!..................Good luck!
Big Squeeze
Handloader
- May 29, 2007
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Jmad...............OOOOOPS!!!! I almost forgot! The Browning A-Bolts in the Micro Hunter line!!! Available in left handed, the same dimensions, with a weight of 6 1/4 lbs. The Micro Hunter is available in both the 7mm/08 and in the .308!!! You can view that as well on Browning`s web site! If she prefers wood, the Browning Micro Hunter is certainly a beautiful rifle and an ideal choice as well...............Somebody would have certainly scooped me on that one!!!!.................
I would lean toward the 7-08 for the little lady. With a good bullet it will handle the chores you mentioned. I've owned several .308's over the years, and while they are a joy to shoot in the field, they can be a lot less fun to practice with. The last scope cut that I had was caused by an Encore rifle in .308. My current .308 is a Rem. Mod. 7 XCR, and it has the R3 recoil pad which is great! I checked the Rem. web page, and they list the SPS youth in a left handed version in 7-08. If you get her a .308, get one with a good recoil pad, and take her out to practice regularly.
Jazzball
Jazzball
high desert elk
Beginner
- Oct 28, 2007
- 46
- 0
my wife shoots my .270 wsm when she hunts. I put a SVL recoil pad on it and it makes a huge difference in what you feel for recoil. I am reloading a medium wt of powder for a 140 gr AB and it works great!
onlybrowning
Beginner
- Sep 16, 2007
- 167
- 0
I am surprised no one has said this...Whatever you get, you need to make sure it fits her. If the gun is too short, it will increase percieved recoil. Things like comb height, drop and heel, and other variables will influence felt recoil as well. A gun that is too long will also lead to a large list of problems mostly having to do with scope set up, and wuick target acquisition. I would recommend going with a wood stock because you can shorten it if needed. Most synthetics are hollow and make it difficult to shorten LOP. Measure her required LOP by measuring from her inside of the elbow to the little knuckle on her index finger. Height is not always an indication of what LOP is.
As far as calibers, .257 Roberts, .260, 7mm-08, 6.8spc, 25wssm, etc.
As far as calibers, .257 Roberts, .260, 7mm-08, 6.8spc, 25wssm, etc.
- Thread starter
- #14
Thanks for the input guys. I kinda had it narrowed down to a .308 or a 7-08. I wil be taking her to go pick it out so she can get one that fits her, I kinda like the idea of a 20 or 22 inch tube. A friend of mine told me that the .308 would kick just as much at the .270 WSM with the mild loads that I am loading for her now. Is there a way to calculate the recoil so I can compare them?
Try this web site for help.....
http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/rifleroom/recoil.html
http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/rifleroom/recoil.html
cloverleaf
Handloader
- Sep 10, 2006
- 4,381
- 1,014
Only Browning makes a great point about fit and feel. I dont have the experience to venture advice here but if I had to do it I would have a good stock maker give me some advice. I try to do the following several times before I buy a rifle: close my eyes and shoulder the rifle (preferably with a coat on for hunting). When I open my eyes, am I looking squarely over the bore? Did it come up w/o having to push it uncomfrotably forward or around on shoulder? this in addition to measuring LOP as noted above. CL
Antelope_Sniper
Handloader
- Jan 25, 2008
- 2,618
- 0
If you want a short action, JD has the right answer. If you are ok with a standard length action, a .270 Win, with a thick recoil pad and a modest load (57gr of 4831sc 140gr AB) is hard to beat. My wife loves her Tikka T3 Deluxe, and if my 4'9" wife can shoot 1/2" groups with it at 100yds, I'm sure your wife would do just fine with something like that as well. The best advice I can give to someone buying a gun for their wife, is to make sure it's what SHE want. And if it's more money then you want to spend? Say yes Honey, I love you, and buy her the gun! :?
