New rifle for deer

Tikka .243. It’s perfect. Short barrel light recoil, or even god forgive me for saying this a 6.5 Creed. I only say that because I won one a Howa at an auction and it shoots lights out. Actually less recoil than the .243 Tikka ( weights more). 6.5 is cool for a girl.
 
My intro gun at age twelve is the same gun I'm still shooting today fifty-seven years later: a sporterized WWII 30-06 Springfield. Easy to get ammo and it will kill anything. If you intend to still hunt with the gun, get wood because you'll want the weight = less recoil. For stalking or tracking where the gun will be carried all day, maybe consider something lighter (a big maybe ... I have always preferred stalking/tracking and done just fine with that fairly heavy Springfield). Load the 30-06 down to 150 gr bullets at moderate velocity and it can be a tolerable gun for a novice to shoot, especially if it's got a bit of heft (Dad sent me into the woods with 180 gr when I started hunting!). Unless the gal is really tiny she should be able to handle it.

Look for a used gun. The price of new stuff is going through roof right now. Definitely take your time. Best to wait out the post COVID scramble to buy ... anything and everything. Watch on line and get to any big gun show on day one.
 
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howl said:
Nope. 243 works about as well as 223. You need a CNS hit or you're apt to look a while. There has to be a limit somewhere. 243 is below the threshold for general utility.

223 does what 243 actually does. 6.5 Grendel does what people thought 243 would do. 2506 does what 243 users wish it did.
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Wow, bad luck. Any number of kids have taken their first buck with my .243 Model 70 Featherweight. Going on its third generation now. Nothing ran far.
 
Taken deer with the 243, 25-05, 257 Roberts, 264 and a few others. For some reason I keep looking for “my perfect” deer rifle.
I do believe I’ve found it now. A AccuMark in 257 Weatherby. Across a bean field it’s deadly accurate. Might look for a Vanguard in that caliber and be a happy camper/hunter.
 
elkhnter said:
Taken deer with the 243, 25-05, 257 Roberts, 264 and a few others. For some reason I keep looking for “my perfect” deer rifle.
I do believe I’ve found it now. A AccuMark in 257 Weatherby. Across a bean field it’s deadly accurate. Might look for a Vanguard in that caliber and be a happy camper/hunter.
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I have a Weatherby Lazerguard in .257 Wby. magnum. Love this gun, beautiful stock, crazy accurate, and a wicked deer killer. Remember, the .257 Wby. magnum was Roy Weatherby's favorite!
Rifle LZGRD.jpg
 
I'm a huge advocate of the 25-06. Many people'll tell you it falls off if your barrel is under 24", but I haven't really found that to be an issue. My Sako 85 has a 22.4" barrel (which is the exact same barrel as they put on tikkas) and it's lights out. It shoots maybe <100 fps slower than in a 24" barrel but that's not an issue at all. Just my $.02
 
For TX whitetails a .243Win(or 6mm Creedmore or even 6mmRem) is just great. For throwing mule deer into the mix a little safety margin provided by going bigger would not hurt at all. Since heavy .257” bullets are still on the fringe, anything .25cal is only a very slight improvement over the big 6mm’s. 6.5 CM, 260Rem, 6.5x55 all allow the use of 130gr-156gr bullets, along with similarly low recoil and longer barrel life than the big 6’s I mentioned or a 25-06(which will also recoil more with a 115gr bullet than a 6.5CM will with a 140gr)

Anything from a 6mm Creedmore on the small end, to a 6.5x55 on the big end will suit you quite well. If for some reason you land on a .257” projectile diameter I would lean heavily toward a 257Roberts over a 25-06. Reducing powder charges by 10-15gr by going to the Roberts will substantially reduce muzzle blast, reduce recoil, and increase barrel life, all while giving up very little in performance, assuming you get a rifle than can handle the +P loadings.
 
I have a 25-06 Weatherby Vanguard (Howa). It is a lights out shooter. If deer is all you are considering any of the options mentioned by other would be great. My step-daughter is recoil sensitive and the 7mm-08 is actually a bit much for her, she is most comfortable with .243. If you know what your daughter can handle then the Weatherby Camilla Vanguards may be worth looking at. A bit of a shorter LoP but if it fits her and you, might just be the kitten's meow.
 
What makes a good deer rifle is going out and trying different rifles and seeing what you like! Get a 700 Rem in 338 mag and shoot a deer and hit it right and the deer dies! get the same rifle in 243 and shoot a deer with it, you hit it right and the deer dies. The rifle itself is simply a means to deliver the bullet, not much more. So for me a good deer rifle needs to be one I like looking at and handling and shooting. And that is going to change depending on who's doing the looking! As for cartridge, that too is going to depend on who's doing the shooting. Some guy's seem to love high recoiling rifles other's, Like myself, don't care much for recoil. Pretty much a proven fact that the ability to kill come not from the cartridge but from how well the shooter's knows his cartridge and how to use it. Well placed shots for this cartridge or that is what kills, not bullet size. If I could only have one rifle and had to depend on that rifle for food, it would be my 22 mag. No other reason than it's a bit more effective at 100yds than a 22 long rifle! Light rifle, low recoil!

We read all the time about guy's looking for light mountain rifles and then to often want it in some super magnum so a stipulation often is it has a muzzle brake. So now you have your 6# or less rifle giving off 24# recoil that you take care of with a muzzle brake and then have to find some type of hearing protection for the one shot you hope to make! We are mostly all different in what we can handle. Kid here in town loves to shoot but all he's got to shoot is his grandfather's 30-30. He claimed shooting was no problem and recoil didn't bother him. Let him fire my 6.5x55 and he loved it, even better than grandpa's 30-30. Then let him fire a 243 and he's sold! Ask what he want's to shoot and every time it's the 243. I believe recoil sold him on that. And what could he hunt in Oregon a 243 couldn't kill very dead with a well placed bullet? Nothing! A deer killed with a well placed shot from a 338 mag is no deader than a deer killed with a well placed shot from the 243!

The OP's girl might just be one of those that recoil bother's but won't say anything for fear of not being able to shoot again. Start her out with a 243 and let her work her way up. Most likely the 243 will not bother her and going up will only serve to teach her what recoil she want's to live with. Seem's everyone forgets that! I've never shot a 260/6.5 CM but understand the recoil is very light. bet it's not as light as a 243! And lots of people say try the 308, it's not so bad. Those that say that are not 12 yr old girls either! Find someone with smaller cartridges and work your way up! Do not let her shoot something that might hurt her first. Flinch caused by recoil is learned very quickly and over come much more slowly. Best way to avoid it is to not let it in in the first place. Shoot, if it's legal start he out on a 223. A good bullet from a 223 kills just as well as a good bullet from that 338 mag, IF it's placed properly! The present #2 Grizzly bear was killed with a 22 long, yes long, by a woman that knew exactly how to use it!
 
Don Fischer said:
What makes a good deer rifle is going out and trying different rifles and seeing what you like! Get a 700 Rem in 338 mag and shoot a deer and hit it right and the deer dies! get the same rifle in 243 and shoot a deer with it, you hit it right and the deer dies. The rifle itself is simply a means to deliver the bullet, not much more. So for me a good deer rifle needs to be one I like looking at and handling and shooting. And that is going to change depending on who's doing the looking! As for cartridge, that too is going to depend on who's doing the shooting. Some guy's seem to love high recoiling rifles other's, Like myself, don't care much for recoil. Pretty much a proven fact that the ability to kill come not from the cartridge but from how well the shooter's knows his cartridge and how to use it. Well placed shots for this cartridge or that is what kills, not bullet size. If I could only have one rifle and had to depend on that rifle for food, it would be my 22 mag. No other reason than it's a bit more effective at 100yds than a 22 long rifle! Light rifle, low recoil!

We read all the time about guy's looking for light mountain rifles and then to often want it in some super magnum so a stipulation often is it has a muzzle brake. So now you have your 6# or less rifle giving off 24# recoil that you take care of with a muzzle brake and then have to find some type of hearing protection for the one shot you hope to make! We are mostly all different in what we can handle. Kid here in town loves to shoot but all he's got to shoot is his grandfather's 30-30. He claimed shooting was no problem and recoil didn't bother him. Let him fire my 6.5x55 and he loved it, even better than grandpa's 30-30. Then let him fire a 243 and he's sold! Ask what he want's to shoot and every time it's the 243. I believe recoil sold him on that. And what could he hunt in Oregon a 243 couldn't kill very dead with a well placed bullet? Nothing! A deer killed with a well placed shot from a 338 mag is no deader than a deer killed with a well placed shot from the 243!

The OP's girl might just be one of those that recoil bother's but won't say anything for fear of not being able to shoot again. Start her out with a 243 and let her work her way up. Most likely the 243 will not bother her and going up will only serve to teach her what recoil she want's to live with. Seem's everyone forgets that! I've never shot a 260/6.5 CM but understand the recoil is very light. bet it's not as light as a 243! And lots of people say try the 308, it's not so bad. Those that say that are not 12 yr old girls either! Find someone with smaller cartridges and work your way up! Do not let her shoot something that might hurt her first. Flinch caused by recoil is learned very quickly and over come much more slowly. Best way to avoid it is to not let it in in the first place. Shoot, if it's legal start he out on a 223. A good bullet from a 223 kills just as well as a good bullet from that 338 mag, IF it's placed properly! The present #2 Grizzly bear was killed with a 22 long, yes long, by a woman that knew exactly how to use it!
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Yep, long story short...shot placement and bullet construction is where it's at! Have shot deer with everything from a .243 to a .300 Wby. mag, and everything in between...all of the deer died.
 
I know I'm probably too late for this to make a difference, but... From a woman's perspective, since you're looking for something your daughter can use..

My dad bought me a Savage 243 when I passed my hunters safety course at 12 years old, and I've been hunting with it religiously ever since (that's pushing 30 years). The recoil is practically non-existent, and if your shot is adequately placed, it'll drop a deer, an elk, a bear, and hell, it's even fun to bag a few grouse with. It gets pretty good distance too. Hasn't steered me wrong yet, so I think I'll stay faithful to it. Being the daughter of an avid firearm collector, I've shot a LOT of different guns and inherited a few I'll probably rarely, if ever, use for hunting. My trusty 243 is my soulmate. Although, if I were to cheat, it'd be with a 300w/m...
 
Gasp!!!

Even the girls pick 300 Win Mag over 6.5 CM! :unsure:
:ROFLMAO:

@a.huntress.m ,

My wife enjoys shooting my Savage 111 in 7mm Rem Mag over my other rifles.
Even her Savage 110FP in 223 Rem.

Moeness,

If YOU want a 25-06, by all means get one!
But for your daughter, i would strongly advise taking her shopping with you, and finding a rifle that fit HER!

If you do that, she will be able to handle recoil better.

And don't just jump a 12yr old girl shooting with a high powered rifle!
Get a 22lr if you don't already have one.
 
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std7mag said:
But for your daughter, i would strongly advise taking her shopping with you, and finding a rifle that fit HER!
Click to expand...
I can't agree enough with this statement. Get her involved in the whole process, not just shooting the gun. Comfort from the beginning is better than getting comfortable cus you have no other options. Especially if it'll be her primary hunting firearm.
 
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