# Rifle for a GIRL!!!



## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Hello all!

MY GF enjoys shooting tagrets, cans, etc, anything besides animals.

She usually shoots my .22LR, but she has expressed interest in getting her own rifle.

She doesn't want a rifle with a lot of kick, or that is really loud, or is really expensive to shoot.

I was wondering what my options were besides .22LR.


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## greenheadfallon (Oct 19, 2005)

I'd think a 223. or 243.or 270. if too much recoil with those ,which i dont think she will have a problem with, Get a muzzle break. 
Hope this helps. :beer:


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

greenheadfallon said:


> I'd think a 223. or 243.or 270. if too much recoil with those ,which i dont think she will have a problem with, Get a muzzle break.
> Hope this helps. :beer:


How expensive are these rounds/rifles?

I would like to keep it under $250. for the rifle, and an OK scope.


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## greenheadfallon (Oct 19, 2005)

Check out the bulk ammo for these calibers. http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates ... atcat20712

Heres a single shot rifle. It's pretty cheap but you could definetily find a better priced used one somewhere.

http://www.rossiusa.com/products/gunsel ... series=RFC


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

> I would like to keep it under $250. for the rifle, and an OK scope.


 :rollin:

Don't take the above the wrong way!

My best advice, Remington 700 ADL in .223.

New Rifle: about $350.00
Used Rifle: $250-300.00

.223 ammo: #3-5 dollars a box at Wally World

Don't even think about a cheap scope. Cheap scopes are junk and a waste of money, it is worth the initial investment for a good scope, if nothing else it will ave heart ache and trouble down the line.

The cheapest scope I trust is the BSA Contender, avaliabe for less than $100.00 on sale. The Tasco World Class isn't to bad considering the price(about $50.00) I have one on a .22 mag.

All of that being said I have more than $250.00 in most of my scopes. Burris and Nikon, they are not cheap. But then again, neither is constantly replacing cheap scopes.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Remington 7400 said:


> > I would like to keep it under $250. for the rifle, and an OK scope.
> 
> 
> :rollin:
> ...


I was hopeing for a gun only slightly more expensive than a .22LR.

I would not like to drive her away from the joys of firing a rifle by dropping half a grand on something she might not use as much as the average shooter.

I'm guessing this is something you just don't understand.


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## TN.Frank (Nov 12, 2005)

.223 Rem or 7.62x39mm, either are inexpensive to shoot and give ya' that "big gun" feel when you pull the trigger without the recoil.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

What are her plans for use of the new gun? That makes a big difference on what to recommend. Is she planning to hunt deer or varmints or simply shoot at targets.

The .17HMR would be a good choice for target shooting out to about 150 yards. It would fit your price range. It is not a deer rifle though. A little more info will help a lot in choices!


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## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

A couple years ago, I picked up a NEF single shot with heavy brl in .223. The rifle, case, and scope was 199.97 + tax. It shoots ok (3/4 inch groups so far) and no recoil.


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

94NDTA, Danimal's post is a great one, this rifle/scope combo will serve your purpose well. Don't take Remington7400's post to heart. He has strong opinions (as do many of us) and sometimes they don't fit into the reality of another person's budget. Do whatever you need to, to keep your friend interested in the shooting sports. Good shooting, Burl


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Burly1 & Danimal are correct........... the NEF single shots are great little guns and in a .223 or .243 you girlfriend would enjoy shooting it. You indicated she doesn't want to hunt so I assume casual target shooting is the interest. There is no need for a expensive scope as you are not worrying about low light conditions or dragging the rifle across rough country. All you will need is one that holds zero and is fairly clear. Besides, a lot of expensive scopes are partly that way just because of the name stamped on the side. A NEF single shot in .223 (my vote) and decent scope is well within your budget.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Ron Gilmore said:


> What are her plans for use of the new gun? That makes a big difference on what to recommend. Is she planning to hunt deer or varmints or simply shoot at targets.
> 
> The .17HMR would be a good choice for target shooting out to about 150 yards. It would fit your price range. It is not a deer rifle though. A little more info will help a lot in choices!


Re-read my first post and you will have your answer


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## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

For general plinking it is very hard to better the 22lr. That being said, if you are looking for a centerfire gun for her to plink with, then a sks and shooting surplus ammo is fairly cheap to shoot. If you think there is a chance that she would enjoy more precision and longer range shooting, then the 223 is the best choice as there is lots of surplus ammo out there that is plenty accurate for plinking. Personally, I would go for the 223 get the best glass on it that you can, and see if you can tlak her into plinking, and possibly some varmits. If she likes it, you may develop her into a full blown hunting partner. Also, if she does not like the gun, and or shooting something larger than the 22lr, it would likely not loose much if anything if you decided to sell it. The 223 is very popular, and demand for entry level guns in chamberings like the 223 usally sell very quickly. Spend as much as you want, but also keep in mind that with good choices you stand little chance of not getting your money back. I like the idea of the NEF rifle, and a mid line scope like the entry level Nikon and Leopold VX-1 $200 or so for the NEF, and about $150 for scope and you are good for a lot of shooting.


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## RiveRat (Sep 19, 2004)

What do YOU shoot when the two of you go out shooting together? We find that it's nice to have the targets at the same distance. If you are shooting a center fire, then consider a small centerfire. If you are shooting a 22 rimfire, then there's a lot to be said about getting another. They are cheap to shoot and offer great practice for hold, aim and squeeze. I would consider getting one that either has aftermarket triggers available or a trigger that a gunsmith can fix, as most 22's need better triggers. There are also a lot more places available for shooting 22's than centerfires with regard to noise and range. Even a little .222 has a pretty good bark.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

I love shooting my dad's .22, haven't done it in years though.

I shoot a .243 while out hunting, I like it a lot, but I don't really enjoy target shooting with either that or my dad's .223. You see, it's okay when I'm hunting and only have to take a few shots, but I don't ever want to just go shooting with those, too painful. And your girlfriend is a twirp, it could be more painful for her!


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

Guys guys guys, he dont want a deer gun, he dont want a center fire ether. He wants a cheap .22 or close to it. .17 would be a good gun since targets, cans ect. Going to a .222 or bigger is not what they are looking for. I would just suggest a nice .22 autoloader, I got one and like it.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

94NDTA said:


> Ron Gilmore said:
> 
> 
> > What are her plans for use of the new gun? That makes a big difference on what to recommend. Is she planning to hunt deer or varmints or simply shoot at targets.
> ...


OK! OK! I missed the line about animals! My bad! :lol:

I kind of forgot about the NEF guns in small centerfire calibers. Might want to look that direction. Nothing is cheaper to shoot than a 22LR or the .223 Rem with factory loads.


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## PAhunter271 (Jan 16, 2006)

H and R rifles can have the barrels swithed like a thomson center Encore for a lot cheaper. you can get the gun for around $200 and new barrels are less than $100. my friend got a 223 survivor and he can shoot 1/4" groups at 100 yards consistanly. altho it has no kick it it is still reletively loud. I have a H and R ultra slug and it is very accurate. I just orded a sporster 17hmr from gander mountain and plan on getting a 22 mag barrel for $65.
Hope this helps. www.hr1871.com/


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Invector said:


> Guys guys guys, he dont want a deer gun, he dont want a center fire ether. He wants a cheap .22 or close to it..


Hmmmmm...... did you miss his last line where he said "I was wondering what my options were besides .22LR." Next step up is a 22 magnum but it is still a rim fire, ditto for the 17 HMR. So the obvious choice is the 22 Hornet or 223. The 223 being the best option as far as availability of cheap ammo and very low recoil.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Ranger_Compact said:


> I love shooting my dad's .22, haven't done it in years though.
> 
> I shoot a .243 while out hunting, I like it a lot, but I don't really enjoy target shooting with either that or my dad's .223. You see, it's okay when I'm hunting and only have to take a few shots, but I don't ever want to just go shooting with those, too painful. And your girlfriend is a twirp, it could be more painful for her!


Angie is NOT a twerp.

There is a reason she is called the "Five Foot Fury!"

She unoficially owns the squat record at south with 240lbs! :lol:

The reason I don't want a large gun is because she has soe neck/back problems from a car accident, and she wants to be able to shoot it without her ears ringing the next day.


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

First of all, let me pick on all of you a little.

*R_C wrote:*


> I shoot a .243 while out hunting, I like it a lot, but I don't really enjoy target shooting with either that or my dad's .223. You see, it's okay when I'm hunting and only have to take a few shots, but I don't ever want to just go shooting with those, too painful. And your girlfriend is a twirp, it could be more painful for her!


Since when was a .223 painful to shoot? It has like 5 foot pounds of recoil!

*94NDTA wrote:*



> The reason I don't want a large gun is because she has soe neck/back problems from a car accident, and she wants to be able to shoot it without her ears ringing the next day.


Always use quality hearing protection and your eays want be ringing the next day, no matter if you shoot a .22 LR or a .458 Win Mag.

*PAhunter271 wrote:*



> my friend got a 223 survivor and he can shoot 1/4" groups at 100 yards consistanly.


Your friend is one lucky guy, my NEF was lucky to shoot 5 inches at 100 yards, I sold that POS ASAP!

*Burley 1 wrote:*



> 94NDTA, Danimal's post is a great one, this rifle/scope combo will serve your purpose well. Don't take Remington7400's post to heart. He has strong opinions (as do many of us) and sometimes they don't fit into the reality of another person's budget. Do whatever you need to, to keep your friend interested in the shooting sports. Good shooting, Burl


Yes I guess I do have some very strong opinions. I don't like cheap guns or cheap equipment. Hunting and shooting is my pass time, I start hunting in April for spring gobblers, and don't stop untill squirrel season goes out in mid Febuary! My equipment is my lively hood and I demand alot from it. What 94NDTA exepects from a rifle or scope and what I exepect from a rifle or scope is two drastically different things. So it is important to keep this in mind, I realise most people don't exepect as much out of their equipment as I do.

All of that being said, I like Remington, Browning, and Ruger rifles in that order.

Burris, Nikon, and BSA scopes in that order.

My serious hunting and target guns wear either Burris or Nikon, BSA on my .22s, and .17s.

I don't have a $250.00 gun in my cabinet(execept for a Norinco SKS) and never plan to own one.

I didn't mean to hurt anyones feelings, or start anything, I just felt it was only fair to explain why I have "strong opinions". In the end you will find that my opinions are what works under field conditions.

[/b]


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Remington 7400 said:


> First of all, let me pick on all of you a little.
> 
> *R_C wrote:*
> 
> ...


I refuse to wear ear protection while shooting a .22LR.

And also, I'm pretty sure you and I expect the same thing out of a rifle and scope, but what my girlfriend and you expect out of a scope are two different things.

I just want something not too expensive to get her started, thats all.

I was looking to find something other than a .22LR, just to change it up.

I figure I am lucky if I can get my girl to shoot a rifle, why ruin it by telling her she has to spend $1000 to get anything that will fit what "I" think qualifies as anything other thatn crap?


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

94NDTA I understand completely. It is sometimes even hard for me to justify spending $700-800.00 on a rifle and $200-350.00 on a scope. You certianly don't want to turn your friend off by telling her you will have to spend close to $1000.00 to outfit her properly. I just don't want you to end uo with junk, thats all.

Why not look at a SKS, they are pretty good for the money.

:sniper:


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Remington 7400 said:


> 94NDTA I understand completely. It is sometimes even hard for me to justify spending $700-800.00 on a rifle and $200-350.00 on a scope. You certianly don't want to turn your friend off by telling her you will have to spend close to $1000.00 to outfit her properly. I just don't want you to end uo with junk, thats all.
> 
> Why not look at a SKS, they are pretty good for the money.
> 
> :sniper:


How much does an SKS cost?


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Remington 7400, it must be kept in mind the guy is on a budget. The majority of the posters seem to agree that the NEF is the way to go for what his needs are. What you call as lucky for PAhunters friend might in reality been your bad luck. Up until now I've never heard anyone comment that the NEF's were POS. Ditto in the opposite direction for scopes. Burris and Nikon make very good scopes, not the best in my opinion but certain quality scopes. However I think the BSA scopes are lousy and I wouldn't use another one if someone gave it to me, not even on my 22's. But that doesn't mean they are POS, it means that is my opinion that they are not worth the money spent. I've got a BSA 6-25 A/O Contender sitting on my reloading bench right now that I can't wait to get rid of. Going to give it to my son-in-law next time he visits. Point is and not just you but everyone is that 94NDTA has set a limit for a rifle and scope to ease his girlfriend into shooting and the suggestions of $200-$300 scopes on top of a $400-$500 rifle really doesn't help the guy out at all. I agree with one thing, I don't know how anyone can say a 223 has harsh recoil. My 12 year old granddaughter has to be practically beaten to stop shooting mine when she is around.


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

well i didn't call all NEFs a POS, I called mine a POS. I'll admit I may have had a bad example. Then again I may just not be satisfied with a cheap rifle. I feel the same way about NEF that you do BSA.

Yes you are right, suggesting 500 dollar rifles and 300 dollar scopes doesn't help anything. I wouldn't consider taking to the woods with a 200 dollar rifle, but that dosen't mean 94NDTA's girfriend wouldn't be satisfied with a cheap rifle. That means that I wouldn't be satisfied with a cheap rifle and have no desire to own another.



> Burris and Nikon make very good scopes, not the best in my opinion but certain quality scopes.


Well we all can't afford $1000.00 for a Zeiss, that dosen't mean they are not good. That means that in my price range, the Burris and the Nikon are the best(my opinion). As for the BSA, I use the Sweet 17, and Sweet 22, both are range calibrated scopes designed for use on those rounds. However, a Nikon rimfire scope will make a fool of them.

As for the SKS, T.N. Frank has one for sale, shoot him a PM.


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## DecoyDummy (May 25, 2005)

Gee Whizz ...

I saw this thread title and had my hopes up that someone was wanting to trade me a girl for a rifle ...

Shucks :roll:

Just kidding folks .. it's coming from a guy who buys way to too expensive stuff and uses it way too little to even open my mouth in response. But I do like the idea of getting the ladies who might other wise not ... out to shoot. :wink:


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

DecoyDummy said:


> Gee Whizz ...
> 
> I saw this thread title and had my hopes up that someone was wanting to trade me a girl for a rifle ...
> 
> ...


I didn't interpret the title of this post that way at all, but I do see how it could be understood that way! :lol:

I didn't call Angie tiny to say she isn't muscular, I was just saying that since she is so short, I think I actually remember her having fairly short arms too, it may be hard to hold up a long rifle!

By the way, Aaron had a really funny line he told me today, I won't share it on here, but check your private messages, it was hilarious, I've been laughing all day! It wasn't something I'd expect him to say, so it was just funny like that! Anyways, I asked him how I was so lucky to end up with a such great man like him...


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Ranger_Compact said:


> DecoyDummy said:
> 
> 
> > Gee Whizz ...
> ...


I understand.


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## bighands (Dec 12, 2005)

For plinking and just plain fun, What could beat a .22LR? Its cheap to shoot, doesn't make much noise and girls love to shoot them!
How about a Henry Lever Action or a Ruger 10-22 from Wal Mart 
They are both close to 200 bucks and you wouldn't need to buy a scope right away if you didn't want to, they both have good open sights.
The next step up is a .17 or 22mag. and they both are kind of expensive to shoot alot. 
Girls tend to get turned off about shooting when a gun makes too much noise, Kicks a little, is heavy, or when it starts getting technical.
Just get her a .22, you can't go wrong.


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## Slinger70 (Dec 20, 2005)

I keep my girls tuned up with a trio of Marlin .22s. This keeps them ready for deer season, not to mentiion me as well. What's better than a .22 for target shooting? That said, I would also be interested in the .17 HMR.


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## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

Slinger70 said:


> I keep my girls tuned up with a trio of Marlin .22s. This keeps them ready for deer season, not to mentiion me as well. What's better than a .22 for target shooting? That said, I would also be interested in the .17 HMR.


I ended up getting her a MArlin Model 60 that has a REALLY good looking stock on it, for a gun at that price.


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## goosehunter29 (Sep 23, 2003)

get the exact rifle that you want and then have her use it.


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## MOGLEY (Dec 20, 2005)

My vote is a .17hmr. Extremely accurate, low noise. Next up on the expense list for ammo price--- $8-9 per 50. You can see your hits on paper thru the scope and I bought my savage for $169.00 at Wal-mart. Scope is a 3-9 x 44mm with yardage adjustments 25 to 250 yards and a lighted reticle $38.00. Dime sized groups out of the box at 100 yards. What more could you want (she). She will have a gun that will outshoot her boyfriends........................ Think of what you will get for that  !


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## Hawkseye (Nov 21, 2005)

I've got a Marlin bolt action 22 Mag that will knock spent shot shells off the rail at 100 yards all day long...well maybe for a couple hours. It is light weight, and a lot of fun. I also had a Rossi saddle ring carbine in .38/.357 caliber. I was amazed that 3 grains of Bullseye powder behind a 158 grain lead bullet would easily clang a 6" steel plate every time at 100 yards with open sights. Both are great plinkers, inexpensive to shoot, extremely accurate, and a lot of fun.


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## Dave_w (May 25, 2005)

Okay, I gotta drop my dime in for this one. I'd grab a stock 10/22, with an aftermarket stock, barrel, and trigger. The whole thing can probly be done up for $300 total, plus a scope. Assuming you start off with a brand new gun. Labor will probly amount to about 2 hours, assuming you know your way around in there.

I like NcStar scopes, and I can trust Tasco ones. BSA doesn't really find any favor with me.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

94NDTA said:


> I ended up getting her a MArlin Model 60 that has a REALLY good looking stock on it, for a gun at that price.


People, he already got her a rifle...^.


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## Hawkseye (Nov 21, 2005)

That is a great choice Ranger_Compact...I used to have one of those, and had a blast shooting at clay pigeons at 80-100 yards with it...it was incredibly accurate and reliable...It was a lot of fun to watch those clays disappear...

Have fun....


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