what kind of rifle should I buy?

Question

I love to go deer hunting but all the rifles I've tried have way to much kick for my small frame..I'm 5ft 1 inch and weigh 93 pounds I'm pretty tiny. I'm looking for a rifle that isn't going to knock me on my butt...any suggestions?

Answer 1

Comparative recoil

Caliber - Weight of rifle - Recoil*
.223 - 7.0 - 3.9
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

*-approximate, it's going to depend on the load.

To reduce "felt" recoil, increase the weight of the rifle and or Mag-Na-Port it. I have a custom Weatherby Mark V 300Wby Mag, it "kicks" less than my .308's

The 30-30 is great if most of your shooting will be under 150yds - A .308 is a nice flat shooting round and the better choice if you hunt open ground.

My favorite 30-30
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/centerfire/336w.aspx
>$329 with factory mounted scope, at Dick's Sporting Goods when they have a sale

I prefer the Remington 700 in .308, but the Ruger 77 is a nice rifle also, it just does not fit me well. >As you can see from the above, a .308's felt recoil is less than a .270 even with a lighter rifle<

Good luck this year.

Answer 2

It will depend on what is legal in your state.
There is a 25-250 that is fairly good as is the .243 and the .270
All 3 have good straight trajectory for the most part and have small kicks. There are also Muzzle breaks that can be added by good gunsmiths to guns like a 30-06.
I would take whatever you have and talk to a gunsmith about how to make it work for you. Muzzle Breaks and other ad ons can reduce the kick of a rifle or other weapon.
I would try Gary Romans at Fire Arms Service Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Gary is a Master Gunsmith and can give you options on the guns you have. Depending on where you live he can probably also put you in touch with a great gun smith who can help you based on your states regulations.

Answer 3

If you are permited to use a rifle smaller than 30 caliber in your state, get a 243 winchester wiht a walnut stock. The stock will help absorb recoil. The 243 shoots very flat out to 200+ yards, exteremely accurate and devestating. The ammo is easy to find hese rifles are ahrder find as is teh ammon. esoteric calliber tha is great is the 6.5x55 Swedish. If you need a 30 caliber the then 308 7.62x39 Nato round is the easiest and most accurate. Effective flat range is 100-20 yards. The 30-30 has worse ballistic coefficient and is basically intended for 50-75 yards, 223 and the varmint rounds jsut won't do the job cleanly and are not permissable for deer sized game in many states.
Remember its were you place the shot in the deer's chest that matters most.

Answer 4

I fired a large bore black powder rifle at my firing range one time and was amazed at how controllable it was and how little felt recoil there happened to be. The link below shows a page with .50 caliber rif;es for sale. By the way, a Winchester or Marlin 30-30 lever action rifle does give you a real knock on the shoulder. The problem is that the buttstock is smaller than the buttstock of a full-size bolt-action rifle. Don't be fooled by the 30-30 cartridge size. It does not feel good unless you have a rubber buttstock pad.

Answer 5

I don't know what calibers you've been shooting but the minimum deer caliber (if legal in your State) is the .243 Winchester. This one only has 8.8 lbs. of recoil. My personal favorite for deer is the .25-06 Remington with 12.5 lbs. of recoil with the 120 grain bullet. If this is still too much recoil consider the .257 Roberts w/9.0 lbs. or the 6mm Remington w/10.0 lbs. of recoil. I can't recommend anything smaller for deer as anything smaller won't consistantly, humanely take deer size game.

Good luck.

H

Answer 6

Well, letting us know what rifles were too powerful would help.

I would suggest you explore rifles chambered in .243 and .270. These can be quite manageable.

Also, several major ammo makers now make a 'reduced recoil' variety of their hunting ammo. They may not have 400 yard range, but they do quite well at reasonable hunting distances. This will only cost you a box of ammo to try out, so I think it's a good idea for you.

Make sure you have a GOOD aftermarket quality recoil buttpad and you should also wear thick, heavy sweater or sweatshirt. Also, they make a good shoulder pad that is hed with straps, this will soften the recoil considerably.

Answer 7

Remember, you are going to carry it a
lot more than you are going to shoot it.
If you hunt brush, a lever action in 30/30
or 32 Winchester is a good light brush gun.
(Marlin 336).
If you hunt more open country, a light bolt
action, (Ruger 77,) in 7mm-08 or 7 x57 gives
a good balance of range & hitting power with
moderate recoil.

Answer 8

confident, AR-15s are very expensive and you probable wont detect a stable one for below $seven hundred. So thats outa the question. Like somebody already reported, M1 Garands are very stable rifles, yet those are alot greater beneficial than any AR-15 ive seen. If i become you, identification %. up any SKS, as long as its in stable concern for sure. They shoot 7.62x39mm cartridges and are a blast to shoot becuase they have minimum cringe and ammo is extremely affordable (you will get a container of 20rds for form of $5 in maximum places). you will desire to be waiting to discover a stable SKS for $200-$3 hundred person-friendly. you additionally can customize the hell outa it. i bought mine 3yrs in the past for form of $one hundred fifty. different than that, the Ruger 10/22 is a sturdy determination for plinking, besides the incontrovertible fact that that's a smaller around and not stable for plenty issues different than small game and a few aim shooting.

Answer 9

you can use a 30-06 with a 150 grain bullet,
they don't kick too bad

as mentioned a 30-30 may be right for you
be careful with these many have a half safe which may go off if not being extremely careful

unit

Answer 10

For you and your size a 30-30 would be perfect..... I dont know why people are saying a 30-06 and 308, they have the strongest kick...... goto a local pawn shop and talk to them and look at a 30-30, I guarantee they will recommend a 30-30 also. :)