What caliber rifle would you buy your wife for deer hunting?

Question

She is concerned about to much recoil. I have been told that a 25'06 would be a good caliber as far as recoil is concerned. My only concern is that she will have to make a perfect shot every time in order to have a clean kill. I'm thinking a 270, but would that be to much recoil?

Answer 1

Recoil in ft lbs

Caliber - rifle Wt - recoil in ft lbs
30-30 - 7.5 - 10.6
.308 - 7.5 - 15.8
.270 - 8.0 - 17.0
30-06 - 8.0 - 20.3
300Wby Mag - 9.25 - 24.6

This will give you some idea - NO it's not going to be exact for every bullet weight/velocity/etc

Ways to reduce felt recoil - A good b*** pad, increase the weight of the rifle and Mag-Na-Port it. >I have a 300Wby, the felt recoil is actually less than a .308

If most of your hunting will be under 150yds I would give strong consideration to a Marlin 336 in 30-30

If you are going to be hunting on a lot of flat open ground, see how a .308 Remington 700 or Ruger 77 fits her.

You can always use a .22 LR for practice.

Answer 2

all depends alot has been said here already, i believe the 243 is up there with the 25.06 in shot placement, the 260 remington and 7mm-08 are good choices also the 30.06,308 and 270 have reduced recoil loads available from federal and remington ammunition, using reduced recoil ammo to start is great and allows use of a caliber suited to hunt more than just deer, 243/25.06 on blackbears or elk i wouldn't but a 308 270 30.06 with full power loads after practice fits the bill, because we never know what the future holds for a husband and wife hunting team

Answer 3

Tyler, the .25-06 is probably the ideal deer rifle. I've killed Whitetail deer with both and believe me, they just drop. I'll bet the deer couldn't tell which caliber hit them.

I bought my wife a .270 Weatherby Vanguard (.270 Win. caliber) in the early Seventies. She still has it and she has no trouble with the recoil so long as she uses the 130 grain bullets. I actually prefer the .25-06 Remingto for deer hunting and I'm not recoil shy (I regularly shoot a .458 Winchester magnum). Go figure!

Best.

H

Answer 4

You may be surprised to learn there are cartridge cases shorter than 63 mm on the market. A quarter-bore would do, though the 257 Roberts would be a better choice among them. I feel like you, though, and want a bit more these days. I've had good luck supplying a lot of my family with 7mm08's, and I myself often use my 7mm Mauser. One of the 6.5's would be a good consideration as well: either the Swede or the 260 Rem. Recoil isn't really a problem if you have a well-fitted stock, so I'd worry more about the wood than the caliber. All of these are pussycats, and WDM Bell killed over a thousand elephants with his 7mm Mauser and 6.5 mm Mannlicher, so you certainly don't need to worry about being undergunned with those and the great sectional density of some of the loads available.

Answer 5

With calibers like the 243 and 2506, she will have to make a perfect shot everytime or else they're going to go a long way --- especially with shouldershots because you don't know if the bullet is going to hold up.

I'd much rather use a 308 (150) or 30-30 (170-180) if she can handle it. I wouldn't go with a 3006 because that is too much for a lot of guys. Recoil is more of a mental thing than a psyical thing for reasonable calibers. If she's going to flinch with a 308, she's going to do so with a 243 as well.

Might as well go for the best of the bunch - 308

Answer 6

I would consider the following: .243 Win, .260 Remington or the 6.5 X55 Swede, or the .257 Roberts or 7mm x 57 Mauser round. The 7mm-08 is a great round and the .308 may be something she can handle. If hunting distances are not over 150 yards, also consider the venerable .30-30 Winchester. It has definitely taken more deer over the last 100 years than any other round.

These all are great calibers for a man too!!

Answer 7

Why not a .30-30 WCF Marlin M-336.

Report and recoil are mild, and more deer have been killed with the .30-30 than any other cartridge, except maybe the .22 LR.

But TR is right. Unless your wife is confident in her rifle, she won't be comfortable, nor will she be accurate.

Whatever rifle you buy her, be sure she practices enough to be not only proficient, but consistent, and comfortable. If she won't practice, don't let her bring a rifle into the woods. Poor marksmanship is not acceptable for an ethical hunter.

Doc

Answer 8

I'm a .270 fanatic. I've taken everything from coyote, to antelope, to mule deer, to elk, to blackbear with them. My favorite rifle is a model 70 winchester featherweight, with a muzzlebrake on it, I glass bedded the barrel, had a trigger job done and would not trade it for any rifle in any calibur. I've hunted with a lot of different rifles and caliburs but that is my choice for hunting in america. If your worried about recoil, just do like I did and have a muzzle brake installed. It's loud, but recoils like a .22 magnum That's what I have my wife and 16 year old daughter hunting with too. But, I started them both out on the .257 roberts. They both just fell in love with the accuracy, and lack of recoil on my rifel, so I had to get them each one just like it. Other good choices are the 7mm08 and the 25-06 as you mentioned, but I found the 25-06 to have a pretty good recoil as well.
Good luck

Answer 9

.243 or .270 would be ideal if you are buying a new rifle.

Nothing wrong with a .30-30 either, if your shots are typically in the 100 yard and under range.

.308 reduced recoil loads.....you should consider that as well. I shot some recently and was impressed at my groups at 100. I'd like to do some more distance with them next, but consider me a believer in them on first impressions.

Answer 10

Your Two(2)* best choices for your purpose is 30-30 or 30-06.* They are well known for harvesting more Deer than any other caliber.* Recoil is manageable.* I prefer the 30-06 because it is more versatile & has a greater variety of bullet weights to choose from. When you have a 30-06 you really don't need to buy another caliber.*