Looking for a gun for my wife and it will also be used by my kids. Suggestions? 7mm-08? 25-06 243?? Leaning to a 7mm-08 youth or micro hunter. Any suggestions and where to look.
The gun I grew up shooting was a Browning A-bolt gold medalion sporter in 25-06. This is a sweet load. very little recoil over a .243 with much more lead in its a$$. Killed 6 Elk, several mule deer, 2 antelope, and a B&C Shiras moose with that gun NONE requiring more than one shot! My Mom often shot the gun as well and killed a 5 point bull Elk with it. She is not very big and really loved that gun. My Girlfreind has a Tikka in 25-06 and she loves it. Shoots it very well because she is not afraid at all of the rifle. She is 5'4" and 115 lbs. I have a .243 in a Remington BDL Sporter that is a sweet shooting little gun. Given to me by my ex father-in-law and I am saving it for my daughter. I would take the 25-06 over the .243.
Gun Dog, A-con hit it square on the head, that is the exact gun I bought my son when he was 10. Great gun, I purchased the Youth model 7, we are now looking to put an adult stock on it as he is now 14. He has shot a slew of Deer with it, including a 225 lb. 9 point that made the state book.
Gundog, Think Winchester Mod. 70, Featherweight in 6.5X55. It's a great round that can transition from varmints to Elk. It's also more comfortable to shoot than the remingtion. (just one man's opinion..!)
Good suggestions by all. It boils down to what you like and what will be the largest game taken. My choices would be 7-08, 260 Rem or .25-06 - in that order. The .260 Rem is pretty much the equivalent of the 6.5x55 but fits a short action very handily and ammo is more available.
Do you handload? If so, another good choice is a .308. In fact, with the new lower recoil rounds, it's a good choice even if you don't handload.
The Ruger Compact, along with the Model 7 or youth models of various brands, would be a good choice. The fact that you can replace the stock later with a full-size one as the child grows is an added benefit.
Dearest WH just bought me a 243 win... He did some reaearch and thought that would be best for me. I can shoot heavier guns, but he wanted it as light as possible so I can hike with it...
I started with a .30/.30 and I love it. I also have a .308, very nice shooting rifle with almost zero recoil at all. I would go with those but hey that's just me.
Quick Draw