Need advice - woman's rifle

[Fatcamp]

I'm 5'8" and length of pull in a bolt gun isn't something I think about at all. Shotguns, yes. 3-gun rifle, sure. But in a bolt gun for distance shooting it is far less critical.

What really matters is that it is a gun she likes. Let her handle your rifle at home and go over safety basics. Take her to the store and let her handle some rifles. My wife chose a used Savage .300WM and negotiated for it like her children's lives were in the balance. She loves that ugly thing and it is reliable and accurate. Would not have been my choice but I couldn't care less so long as she shoots it well and likes it. She put a pile of rounds through a .223 and .308 prior to this purchase. I would have pushed back if it was a first experience, but she knew what she was doing.



She won't let me touch it. That duct tape drives me nuts. I put together a Tikka 6.5 with a SS 3-9X40 for her. She hasn't even practiced with it. LOL. "My rifle works fine."

 

[sndmn11]

What's the consensus on the shorter barrels of the compact rifles? Does this cause a significant increase in muzzle blast?? To a new shooter this might increase "felt" recoil.

I found a Ruger American compact in 7mm-08 at the shop this weekend

We have two 20" barreled rifles with muzzle brakes, the aforementioned Camilla and a youth/compact vanguard, and haven't found any issue with them for the shooter.

 

[lks2]

Another vote for the tikka t3 compact in 7mm-08. My wife loves hers. Honestly just getting her her own rifle with a scope that had the appropriate eye relief was a game changer. She was constantly struggling to get a good view through the scopes on my rifles.

 

[KU_Geo]

I’ve got a Camilla 7mm-08 i can part with if you are interested. PM me.

 

[tuffcity]

An overlooked issue with fitting rifles for women is scope height. The go to seems to be low mount rings but I found, for my wife and daughter, that medium height is a better starting point for easier site picture acquisition.

 

[EdP]

Length of pull is not all about height. Tall folks tend to have longer arms but width at the shoulders matters too. Arm length being the same, a 5'8" person with wide shoulders will like a longer pull than one with narrow shoulders. Let your wife handle some rifles and see what she likes and go from there.

 

[Grassymike]

I found that shooting my kids compact Remington 7mm-08 just worked well for me. I bought myself a Tikka T3x compact 7mm-08 and now want to shorten the length of pull on some of my other rifles. I am 5'6'' with wide shoulders.

 

[Roguemountainhunter]

Agree with many of the replies here. My daughters are a bit shorter, but are comfortable behind their Tikka T3X Lite in 7mm-08.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

What type of game will she be hunting?

 

[Glendon Mullins]

5’8” is in the realm of some men, so she may not need to look exclusively at compact type rifles. LOP can mean less if the action and scope allows for a lot of leeway in scope mounting. This can be the positioning of mounts, bolt throw, scope tube length, etc.

Craig Boddington wrote a great article about gun fit when his daughter first became interested in hunting. They tried several rifles and found that cartridge had less to do with perceived recoil than gun fit. His daughter is the same height as your wife and ended up with a Kimber in 7mm-08.

yep I am "some men" and agree lol

 

[steeleywhopper]

My wife has the Savage Lady Hunter and it is perfect for her and fits like a glove.

 

[Stephmae]

I have a savage with an adjustable butt. It’s a lot more comfortable than the full length rifles.

 

[BigNate]

This is a tough one without knowing a bit about her.
LOP, sight height, and her "build" all come into play. Bigger boobs can cause them to hold the rifle differently for one thing. Women tend to like a higher scope height. She needs to handle a few for herself.
I cut down a stock for my boys to give me options to get them started. It was a 257 Roberts, and one day at the range she tried it. "Her" .308 was no longer hers.

Cartridge choice is last consideration, a little longer barrel puts the muzzle blast further away which helps perceived recoil. Weight is a compromise between carrying weight and recoil reduction, and to light can be detrimental.

Have you considered a Rockslide special? If deer is the main goal it may be exactly the right choice for starting out.

 

[Vaquero 45]

Many good suggestions as far as brands mentioned here already . My gal here shoots a Ruger No 1 in 243 .
She luvs it . Teach them How to shoot but not throw knives ! ... Don' t ask me how I know .

 

[KU_Geo]

For those with wood or synthetic stocked weatherby Camilla’s, could anyone tell me the stock weight? Wondering if the bell Carlson is heavier than the wood version. Thanks

 

[JP100]

What game are you planning to hunt??


Cartridge wise I would start at .243 and go up
.243
.260/6.5creed/6.5x55
7mm08/7x57
.308

They would be my picks, and throw in the 6.5 grendel and 6mm ARC in there too.

Tikka compacts are always a good option
Wooden stocks, in any rifle, can be easily modified. most synthetics cannot.
Over all weight is just as much of a factor as length

Ive just helped my mum set up her own rifle. We went with a Howa Mini(yes the cheap and dirty option) in 6.5 grendel, we have a carbon stock with 13 1/2" LOP on the way, with a 3-9 VX3 Luepold and a suppressor.

This gun will be right around 6lbs all up, with scope and can. is short and handy, and plenty enough killing power for the game and ranges she will hunt.

 

[Fowl Play]

Personally I would get a .243, lighter recoil than the 7mm-08 and will get the job done. May be worth trying a friends gun first to see how recoil sensitive she is.

 

[BigNate]

If it fits her, recoil won't be as much of an issue. A 7-08 or (can't believe I'm saying this) a 6.5 manbun would do most everything. If elk and moose are a staple a 308 would be good.

 

[Mojave]

The chick that works for me is 5'3. She is really recoil shy, she shoots a 243 in a Camilla.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

My daughter has a weatherby camilla 243 with a nikon MTactical 3-12x42. The gun drives tacks.