# Suggestion?? what Caliber for women??



## Dakota Lady

We are trying to figure out which rifle would be suitable for me to use for doe hunting. I have already shot 270win, got a little recoil but kinda loud to my ear. Then we checked for 25-06 and 243win. My partner said that 243 is so-so....... Any suggestion??? Ladies????


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## weasle414

I'm not a lady, but I think that a .243 would be perfect. They're small, effective rounds with very little kick and aren't very loud. The 25-06 is a good one, too but is pretty darn expensive. Either one would be a good choice but the .243 is plenty of gun for deer, especially does.


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## Ron Gilmore

25-06, 260 Rem 7mm-08 all are good deer calibers that can be used on larger game as well as serve as a coyote gun with just an adjustment in choice of bullet size.

I purchased a 7mm 08 for my daughter and have been pleased with the round. I hunt with others who use the 25-06 and it is a great round as well. A buddy has the 260. Rem and has taken large bodied deer from ranges of 20 yards to over 250.

The 08 and 25-06 are the most common calibers and finding factory ammo is a lot easier than with the 260 rem but drop them all in a basket and you cannot tell them apart by much.

You mentioned the .243 and you will get a lot of pros and cons concerning this caliber for deer. Personal observation is that it is light for deer. None of the people I hunt with still use this round all have moved up in size including the ladies in our group.

Good luck in your choice, and happy hunting.


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## ndm

I would go with a .243. I have shot at least 15 deer with this caliber and to be honest with you those deer didn't travel any farther than deer I have killed with my 30-06, my .270, or my .44 mag.

Very easy to shoot well, ammo is affordable, very easy to get rid of if you would like to move up to something larger.


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## spank

243 my aunt has a 308. and she likes it and killd deer out at 300 yards


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## SDHandgunner

I personally would vote for the .243 Winchester. I have used this cartridge (and it's close relative the 6mm Remington) on Whitetails since about 1973 or so. I think the key to good success with the .243 is using the proper bullet. In addition to using the .243 Winchester in Rifles, last January I harvested two Whitetail Does at roughly 200 yards each with a 15" T/C Encore .243 Handgun.

Only you can answer how much recoil you are comfortable with, and if you are not liking the recoil of a .270, there is not a lot of difference in the recoil of a .270 or a .25-06 Remington, .260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington or a .308 Winchester on paper, but the .243 does indeed produce less recoil than any of the above cartridges.

Larry


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## spentwings

It will be no surprise to Ron Gilmore that I would *highly* recommend the .243 to anyone who hunts deer.


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## NDTerminator

My wife uses a Tikka 270 for the majority of her big game hunting, followed by her Remington Model 7 243 and Parker-Hale 30-06...

No question if she were asked, she would recommend the 270. She's killed a pile of deer & elk with that caliber...


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## Dakota Lady

Hmm, got some opinion..... are there any places around such as target practicing but.... some place that would allow a person to try different caliber..... such as in a place where they have those used calibers and they could test shoot to see which calibers that suit them before they can decide which kind they should buy??? Cuz my parnter has 270 and biggers. I dont know anyone that has 243 or any of those for me to try see the different feels.


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## woodpecker

xxxxxxxxxxxx


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## SODSUCKER

I just bought a 243 for my daughter, I can hardely wait to give it to her on her b-day. It is very accurate and very little kick, and besides you can't use anything smaller than a 243 in MN.


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## Jiffy

243, 260, 7mm-08, 308......all of these would be just fine IMO. Also, just because you are female doesn't mean you can't shoot a Mag. It's up to the individual and its NOT gender specific. I know a small framed lady (5' 3" 100lbs) that shoots a 7mm STW very accurately. Everybody is different. Hell I'd be lying if I told you I "like" shooting my 300 off the bench. It has more to do with experience than it has to do with the "plumbing." However, in general I wouldn't suggest the 7mm STW, 7mm Mag, 300 Win Mag....ect for most ladies. Any of the 4 previously mentioned calibers will kill deer real effectively. Be more concerned with becoming proficent with caliber you choose than the caliber it's self. Good luck! I wish I could get my wife to hunt with me. :beer:


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## spentwings

Dakota Lady said:


> Hmm, got some opinion..... are there any places around such as target practicing but.... some place that would allow a person to try different caliber..... such as in a place where they have those used calibers and they could test shoot to see which calibers that suit them before they can decide which kind they should buy??? Cuz my parnter has 270 and biggers. I dont know anyone that has 243 or any of those for me to try see the different feels.


Personally I believe women should leave firearms alone, but if you must, you'll love the .243!


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## bwnelson

We went through the process of fixing "Doecamper" up with a deer rifle this spring. We ended up with a Model 7 Remington in 7mm08. The stock has been reduced to a 12 7/8" length of pull (measured from trigger to end of pad) with a ultra light Decelerator recoil pad installed. The big lessons we learned during the process were in finding a "rifle package" that fit her (the rifle is comfortable and the view through the scope is 'right there' when she mounts the rifle - no chicken necking up and down the stock to see where she is aiming), balanced perfectly in her hands, was light enough to easily carry (Butler Creek neoprene slings are very comfortable), and recoil was not objectionable.

The whole package weighs 7 lbs 2 oz with scope and sling, but the recoil is just fine because the rifle fits and balances so well.

I'd suggest going to several stores with a large inventory of rifles and handle several for fit & feel. You'll also develop preferences for the way a rifle looks. That is perfectly OK. As they say, life is too short to hunt with an ugly rifle!

Cartridge is one of the last things to worry about. Anything from 243 on up will be just fine for deer - particularly if you stick to bullets greater than 100 grains in weight. (Yes fellow Barnes' nuts I am keeping it simple here). Special "managed recoil" loads are made for rifles in the 30-06, 270 win class so don't fear recoil if one of those rifles "fits" you.

As for particular rifles to look for, I personally love the look and feel of both the Remington Model 7 CDL series and the Ruger 77 Ultralights. Then again, your tastes may vary. Spend this month looking around and you'll be able to set yourself up in plenty of time for deer season.


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## Dakota Lady

Hmm, I will show those to my parnter... which he is out at the field at this moment. Its true that life is too short not to enjoy. I just wanted to make sure, that I dont get the wrong one and regrate that I messed up the shoulder or something. It's just, this is going to be a BRAND NEW experience for me. That I wished my father taught me when i was a kid but understand this, My father was in viet war so he didnt want to handle the gun or having gun around the house. Thats one reason why he didnt teach me. Hes not too proud of it. But he does know that i am going to hunting and hes happy for me. So since you all mention different things. I hope there is something that i can just load up and click to try it. To see whats the different like, one mention feel and fit. i have found several that feel and fit but I need to shoot one to know if its definitly fit. Cuz my parnter has 270 that fit but a little heavy not too bad, but giving a some push but didnt hurt just gave me surprised, its loud cuz I am hard of hearing. Once i hunt for more times, i probably would get used to it. one mention about weight. Yea, if i would be walking, i would rather not to carry thats too heavy, like the one he has 300mag. Cuz if i have to carry heavy gun, it will wear me down quicker than enjoy the whole day trying to find a doe or a buck.......


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## Horsager

7-08 would be my 1st choice. I've seen hunters started out with 223's, 22-250's, 243's (me included), 25-06's, 270's, 308's, 30-06's, and of course the 7-08. Those started with the 7-08 seemed to have the most success. Recoil and knockdown were both a non-issue, little recoil, plenty of knockdown. For a dedicated deer rifle I'd get the 7-08, load (or buy) 140gn Ballistic tips and fill the freezer.


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## szm69

I always find it funny that 22-250, .243, 7mm-08, etc are "good women's rifles".

But if a guy asks the question, people always say "that's alittle small for deer" or "it might work for does, but don't expect it to work on a buck" or "it might work for you, but personally I need more knock down power".

A deer rifle that works for does, but not bucks..........never heard of it.....lol


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## Plainsman

> A deer rifle that works for does, but not bucks..........never heard of it.....lol


I have a Buckmaster scope, and does are invisible through it.


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## Horsager

Plainsman said:


> A deer rifle that works for does, but not bucks..........never heard of it.....lol
> 
> 
> 
> I have a Buckmaster scope, and does are invisible through it.
Click to expand...

It's nothing to do with the scope. You can't see the does because you're getting old!!

Sorry just couldn't help myself.


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## Dakota Lady

LOL!! Getting old, NAH!! I think someone need a bigger glasses or something or the scope is being dirty. The heart never get too old to hunt. It doesnt matter if a guy say ohh, you need a power kill knock down stuff. Those are macho power talk. I just want a caliber that will get a deer down and bring home buck or doe. But it doesnt have to be powerful. Powerful things are just making u feel like OoOoOoO. If a small caliber will bring down both buck and doe, then great why need a bigger caliber. If a guy wants a bigger caliber for more powerful but doesnt think about doe or bucks, go join miltary they have a bigger one for u to feel the powerful!!


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## Plainsman

Dakota Lady, don't pay any attention to Horsager, I'm a youngun. At heart anyway. And then there is Jiffy. My goodness, nearly one foot in the grave, poor soul.  Jiffy, are you going to have the wheels straightened out on your cross country wheel chair in time for deer season? I have never seen one with a 327 Chevy in it before.

I often feel sorry for myself because I have calibers so close to the 260 Remington that I can't justify buying one. It's on my list, but in about third place right now. I don't think you can get much more ideal deer rifle for out to 300 yards or even more perhaps. 
Bullets for this caliber often have a very high ballistic coefficient. That is good for flat trajectory, but perhaps even more important bullets for this caliber over 120 gr have very good sectional density. That is important when it impacts the animal, because weight and sectional density dictate the penetration you can expect from a bullet. Bullets like the Barnes X defy that theory though because all penetrate well.
Penetration is important if you have an animal you want standing at less than perfect angle. For example quartering towards you there is bone and muscle that are in the way of the heart. If you shoot a 129 gr or 140 gr bullet in the 260 this angle is no problem at reasonable ranges.
The nice thing about the 260 is that the recoil is only slightly more than the 243, and the ability to take game is very slightly behind the 7-08 and 308. At first glance the velocity looks a little anemic, but the ballistic coefficient is so good that at 400 yards it's nearly equal to foot pounds of energy of the 308, and nearly as flat shooting as a 25-06. 
Maybe I have to move the 260 up on my list a little.


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## bwnelson

Overall weight is one good reason to focus on .243 Win, .260 Rem, 7mm08, and .308 Win cartridges.

Assuming a bolt action rifle, rifles made in this family of cartridges are generally of the "short action" rather than "long action" ilk. Short actions often run a 1/2 lb less than long actions and rarely have noticable field differences in "power" compared to long actions in the same bore diameter (.308 v 30-06, or 7mm08 v 280 Rem, for example). The overall rifle weight is one reason short action cartridges are thought of as ideal for "ladies" or "kids" guns. Any of these will be a fine deer rifle.

Light weight does tend to increase recoil, but this is easily compensated for by using a high quality recoil pad.

FWIW, finished load development and sighting in my (60 something) Mother's rifle last night. Tang safety Ruger 77 RSI 243 Win, inch 5 shot groups with 85 gr TSX's over 37 grains of R15. "Only" getting 2950 with the short barrel but it'll do veddy veddy nicely!


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## Jiffy

Plainsman said:


> Dakota Lady, don't pay any attention to Horsager, I'm a youngun. At heart anyway. And then there is Jiffy. My goodness, nearly one foot in the grave, poor soul.  Jiffy, are you going to have the wheels straightened out on your cross country wheel chair in time for deer season? I have never seen one with a 327 Chevy in it before.


No, I traded that one in for a 4 wheel drive with a 454. 8) :lol:

I too am impressed with the 260. Many in the tactical community are starting to use it also. Its an excellent little round!


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## Dakota Lady

LOL GUYS!! U guys are funny!! Do you guys alway giving each other a hard time? I hope not, cuz if u guys are giving each other a hard time. We probably have to keep u guys seperate during the hunting otherwise u guys would scare off the deer with all the cracking laughing!!


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## Burly1

7mm-08. Top it with a compact variable and don't look back. It's a great deer round for ANYBODY, not just the ladies. I'd use the one in my gun safe more, but Johnsona always takes dibs first! Good hunting, Burl


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## iwantabuggy

My wife and 13 year old son shoot a REM Model 7 in 260REM. The recoil is light, the report is moderate, but the killing power is more than adequate. And the gun is light. My only complaint........It doesn't group as well as I'd like.


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## goldcasmolly

> I always find it funny that 22-250, .243, 7mm-08, etc are "good women's rifles".
> 
> But if a guy asks the question, people always say "that's alittle small for deer" or "it might work for does, but don't expect it to work on a buck" or "it might work for you, but personally I need more knock down power".


I think this is funny, but true. 
Have you checked into the reduce recoil shells for your current gun. I say this because I went through the same thing when I was trying to decide on a gun. I had a hard time finding one that I liked to feel of, and when I did it turned out to be a 30-06. I thought this was definately too big for me, but the sales man told me to try these shells, you know what there may still be a lot of noise but they definately reduce the recoil and with another 30 or so dollars for a good recoil pad you could continue to use the 270 if you like it.

If you are set on getting a diffrent gun, you need to look at you r hunting style. How far do you shoot 75yds, 100yds, 200yds? If you shoot longer distances you probubly want the larger gun. A 243 isn't a real goo gun for 300yds, but for 150 yds or less it would be completely acceptable.

Another gun that I didn't see any mention of as I scanned this article was a 30-30, less noise, less recoil, but also less distance 100yds concervatively.

Just my 2 cents on the matter.


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## iwantabuggy

Good points.


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## Hardsell

My mom uses a Ruger light weight in .250 Savage. It is really a beautiful little gun. It's super light weight, super accurate, and you don't even feel recoil. My mom is 5'1. It's all about preference. I'm 5'3, 115lbs and we have two .375 H&H's and a .458 Win mag in my family. I don't mind shooting any of them. My mom prefers not to shoot any of them. It's just preference. Every once and a while my mom let's me take it out. It's super fun to shoot.

--edit-- Hardsell you probably don't want to post that last line I removed. That is not wise to admit to doing with a rifle, as it is against the law and you will receive alot of flak here for saying that.


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## dogdonthunt

since this will be a first time just make sure you get some practice at the range... doesnt matter what size the gun is if you cant hit anything.... if you live close to GF maybe you can shoot me a PM and I do have a couple sizes you can try out... one of which is a 243... and since your new I wouldnt recomend shooting over 150 to 200 yrds anyway.... just my opinion.. dont need anyone elses telling me different.... wont change... anyway that first deer is always the biggest rush... you will never forget it.. every part in your body will be pumping from the rush... my wife said she could even feel the blood in her toes pumping... her first time out was one shot one kill... she still talks about it being a bigger deer than I got that year..... good luck


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## Nick Roehl

Get her a .300 win toughen her up a bit. :beer:


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## earlthepearl

It's not how big it is, but good you can make it wiggle......
:beer: :beer:


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## Fish.Girl

Well actually being a lady that does hunt. Last time I hunted I used a 30-06 but this year I had great sucess with the .270 I shot its my other halfs gun and since he is in the desert it this year and LOVED it and once you put a jacket on and with your excitement you won't notice the recoil or the sound. Good luck hunting I got my deer this Sat. evening. So Good Luck. :sniper: Happy Hunting.


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## R y a n

Fish.Girl said:


> Well actually being a lady that does hunt. Last time I hunted I used a 30-06 but this year I had great sucess with the .270 I shot its my other halfs gun and since he is in the desert it this year and LOVED it and once you put a jacket on and with your excitement you won't notice the recoil or the sound. Good luck hunting I got my deer this Sat. evening. So Good Luck. :sniper: Happy Hunting.


We need pictures! 

Congrats!


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## Fish.Girl

The hubby said I shot a dog. I said a TASTY DOG!!!!


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## Kelly Hannan

I vote for the 243. I have had mine for years, and have killed deer from 20-300 yards, just as dead as the big guns. I use 100 gr loads. The nice thing it can be loaded down for coyotes and fox. Be careful not to go to big and start jumping before the shot, anticipating the recoil. This is a very hard habit to break. Start small and work your way up, or stay with the 243. Another option if you want a bigger caliber, look into a semi- automatic, they have less recoil because the recoil activates the action to kick out the fired shell.(food for thought there).


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## indsport

My wife, 5' 3" shoots a remington .243 mountain rifle. One shot, one kill every year for the past 20. Every deer has run no more than 30 yards, usually a good shot drops them where they are. This year was no different, done by 3 pm on Friday. It's not the caliber of the gun, it is the precision of the shot. To me, for small folks like my wife, practicing and getting used to the recoil, not developing a flinch, and making good shots are critical. Why outgun the quarry if you are more comfortable with a smaller caliber, lighter weight gun to start out with?


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## djleye

They love those beet tailings!!!!!! :wink:


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## ruger1

There is no reason a woman shouldn't be able to shoot the same rifles a man shoots. I don't remember her name, but there is some little gal who hunts African dangerous game and handles a .500 Express as good as any man I've seen.

And this is a small framed woman.

With that being said, I like the 7mm-08 for woman and kids.


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## Fish.Girl

You know it was a clean hit when the deer goes down on the bait. LOL!! :sniper:


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## jdpete75

.577 Nitro Express :sniper:


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## iwantabuggy

Fish.Girl said:


> The hubby said I shot a dog. I said a TASTY DOG!!!!


Will you marry me? Oh, yeah, I'm already married, and so are you. Oh well, it was worth a try.


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## james.hunter

Hey shes my girl you alreay got one. :******:


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## Bandcollector02

A 300 Weatherby would be a nice gun for you lovely ladies


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## iwantabuggy

james.hunter said:


> Hey shes my girl you alreay got one. :ticked:


I'm just jealous of you. My wife hasn't hunted with me a in a few years now. I'd love to get her back out there......


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## james.hunter

Well all you can do is ask her. You may have to start small like a dove hunt then work her back into big game. :beer:


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## Fish.Girl

Hunter started my off trap shooting. That is how I got into the game now I LOVE IT!!!!


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## 308

I reconmend an 8 gauge for women and kid hunters. They kick like a 243. :lol:

or


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## iwantabuggy

Oh, my wife hunts. She has killed 3 or 4 deer, a couple of elk (cows), and 3 or 4 turkeys. Lately, she just hasn't had the time (made it a priority). I'm going to start working on that.


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## Fish.Girl

OH hunting and fishing is a family affair for us my dad and uncle go along with us too. Weather its fishing or hunting we are together.


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## jp

Did anyone mention 6.5x55? Bit of an odd ball but it does an outstanding job. Added benefit is that it will handle moose and elk if you are lucky to draw the tags.......... The recoil is extremely mild.

Otherwise the 243 with 100 grain too, is a very easy round to handle.


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## Tracker21

I would say go with the 243 I have shot more deer with that gun than any and have not had to track them more than 100 yrds if that, and a couple have been shot at right around 300yrds. I have been told the only thing a bigger calliber rifle does is make up for bad shot placement. If you get so lucky i would even suggest looking for a Winchester 70 243 WSSM. A buddy of mine has one and says he won't shoot his 30-06 again b.c this has plenty of knock down power and it supper fast.

Just my .02


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## Fish.Girl

Well I ended up with a .270 Savage for Christmas this year and I also got a 12 ga. Binelli in left handed. So I guess I got a little spoiled this year, by my catch of a life time. :lol:


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## Hardsell

Fish.Girl:
That's pretty squared away. What kind of Benelli?


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## Fish.Girl

A super black eagle left handed. It is so much nicer then the Remington .870 I was shooting last year.


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## Hardsell

Very nice. I hope it treats you right.


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## RiverRob

I got my ol lady a .243 browning micro hunter. im 5'7" so ill be able to use it for varmints with light 55-58 grain loads and she can load up and sight in with a heavier load and drop a deer.


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## sdeprie

I want to be on record as saying the 243 is enough. Having said that, I like the 260, 7-08 and 308 better, for deer. The 6.5's have a long standing reputation for being mystically effective for the bore, probably because there are a lot of verrrrrry long 6.5 bullets in cartridges like the 6.5x55, etc. Many hunters in northern Europe use the 6.5 for caribou, moose, etc. Recoil: if you reload (and there isn't any reason for anybody not reloading) you can load for low recoil and still have an effective cartridge.

NOW: having said all that, I have become a great fan of all cartridges built on the 30-06, including the 25-06, 280, even a wildcat called the 
6.5-06. I shoot a New England Firearms in 25-06 and the recoil from the bench is negligible with 115 gr factory loads. I have no problem hunting larger game (elk, etc) with reloads in 120 gr partitions, X-bullets, etc. As with anyone, I think the most important factor is to find a rifle that fits and shoots well. I had a friend once who was NOT recoil shy who was afraid of a new Ruger in 270. His last rifle in 270 was a Parker Hale, and while it was a beautiful rifle, it did NOT fit him and hammered him every time. Whatever you go with, make sure you can shoot it a lot, then shoot it a lot and have supreme confidence in it. If you don't have confidence in it, you shouldn't use it, even if it's an elephant gun.

I'm thinking of getting a couple of Savages (short and long action), just so I can change the barrels if I get bored with a specific caliber. That's one reason I have the NEF.


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## alleyyooper

Lots of good calibers listed here. I like the 243 my self and have shot several bucks with one. I also hand load for it as I feel the right bullet makes it a great rifle for any one.
But personally if I were going to point my wife, daughter or grand daughter to a certin caliber I would recommend savage 250-300, 257Roberts, 260 Remington, 7MM08, Or even some of the metric calibers although ammo may be hard to come by.
Some gun shops will let you shoot a used rifle before you buy it. Many won't.

Also keep in mind a muzzle brake will reduce felt recoil but the muzzle blast is awful I feel.
Mag Na Porting on the other hand does not blow the blast back at you.
I have a 300 win mag that is Mag Na Ported and it has less felt recoil than my 243.

 Al


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## Fish.Girl

I also have a savage .270 that I love for hunting. We have matching ones.


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