Rifle for daughter suggestions....

[SFC B]

So, the little one is 12 and has passed her Hunter's ed. In prep for next year I am buying her her first "big girl" rifle for Christmas. Here is my big limitation.....she is pretty clear that she doesn't care for synthetic stocks at all. I am looking for a rifle chambered in a caliber with reduced recoil ammo available (have been centering around 270 and 7mm08). She is about 5'2 so I am looking at a compact sized rifle.....I like the Savage Lady Hunter (I shoot a 110) but am not excited at +-700 plus glass.....I would like to stay around 500 or less. Any suggestions?

 

[Big Slick]

Savage Axis in 7-08. It comes in a youth model which should fit her for many years.

 

[zachthebowhunter]

My fiance has a weatherby vanguard 7mm 08 youth rifle and its perfect for her. Shes 5' on the dot. Its a sweet shooting rifle

 

[406LIFE]

I would point you to the Remington 770. They come standard in synthetic and if you can't win/don't want to try changing her mind you can get a wood one for around $100. The come scoped with a Bushnell that is very serviceable. I have one in .270 that I give to kids and first time hunters. It is nearly indestructible and accurate too. You can find them new for about $350. I got mine used for $200.

 

[BucksnDucks]

Congrats on your girl passing the hunter ed test. I'm a big fan of the 7mm-08 and have sang the praises of the caliber more than once on this forum. I went with a rem 700 youth SPS for my son. Very happy with rifle now, but only after new trigger and stock. The synthetic stock it came with was crap, so I would not recommend for you.
If I had a do over I would look for a used youth or lady model- Savage is putting out some very accurate rifles lately. I think the accu-trigger is great for new shooters. Kids grow fast, you could likely find a nice youth model barely used, maybe even with a starter scope for that price.
or maybe even find a youth gun with a junky stock and drop into a upgraded stock that fits your daughter.- I did not measure the accuracy upgrade when I tossed the factory stock, but it was very very substantial.

 

[MJE2083]

That's a tough one. The only rifle I can think of that may fit the bill is the Mossberg Patriot youth bantam. Comes in 7mm-08 (as well as .243, .308). The price is certainly right at $400-$500 range, but I have no knowledge of the quality and/or accuracy of Mossberg rifles. Might be worth a look though.

 

[Elkhunter24]

Remington Model 7 7mm-08. Great light weight gun

 

[F250]

Browning X-bolt Micro in 7mm-08

 

[marksjeep]

Congrats! If it doesn't have to be a surprise for Christmas, I'd go hit up Sportsmans, Bass Pro, Cabelas and let her handle a bunch of rifles to see what feels good to her.

If you're looking to surprise her, lots of good suggestions above.

 

[Speeddmn]

Hey SFC B

SFC B has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.

Trying to send ya a message.

 

[Mthuntinfool]

Find the rifle you want, and then look at a Boyds stock, they have wood stocks for just about every make and model, in the 100-150 dollar range

 

[farbedo]

Absolutely get a youth model with a shorter length of pull or shorten the stock to fit her. Honestly, most all brands make decent quality youth models these days. I have fit several women/young women for rifles, and their enjoyment of shooting that rifle is very dependent on how it fits. If you haven't noticed, women are built differently than men, and their rifle needs are also different.

Typically, they need a short length of pull (12 to 12.5" depending on their arm length and build), and it helps if there is some toe out in the stock. The toe is the bottom of the recoil pad. Toe out means that section of the stock is tilted away from the shooter (toe in would be the term for a lefty). Think of a line from the collar bone to the armpit. It moves the pointy part of the stock off of the peck and into the armpit. Women tend to appreciate this where most men don't care much unless it is a big bore.

Factory stocks are cut with zero toe out (in). So a shorter stock will be the best you can do, and will make the rifle more comfortable to shoot. A poor fitting stock on even a light kicker may sour her view of shooting. I would hate for that to happen. Hunting with my daughter and wife have been priceless experiences.

The Weatherby Vanguard Camilla is the best factory women's rifle in my opinion. They took the time to make a stock that fits women. Not necessarily cheap, but she isn't going to notice a cheaper scope's flaws as much as an uncomfortable rifle.

Jeremy

 

[sbhooper]

Why does she not want a synthetic stock? I would go with a 7-08 in whichever rifle you chose. I'll bet that if you buy her a Ruger American in a 7-08 she will shoot it, if she wants to hunt. A good moderately-priced scope will work fine and there are plenty of choices.

 

[wiblueboy]

I'll throw another one out there. Thought about a 6.5 creedmoor at all? I have a howa 1500 in 6.5 and it is by far my favorite rifle. I find it to be like a 308 with the recoil of a 243. I have shot several whitetail's with it shooting 140gr nosler bt's and every single one has dropped right on the spot. My wife is 5'2'' and absolutely loves hunting with it.

 

[sigpros]

That weatherby Camilla is a nice looking rifle. And they have a promotion to get a free leupold vx2 if your the first 100 to send in a request.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I've posted previously about my love for my Ruger Ultra Light in .270. It's shorter at both ends, so the balance point is right where it should be. I didn't like any of the synthetic stocks either because the balance always felt so out of whack. For someone with short arms, they can feel incredibly clumsy and uncomfortably front heavy. The Ultra Light is proportioned right for a smaller person, and of course lighter to carry. Not really sure how this rifle compares to youth models....I have no experience with any of those.

Good luck on your search.

 

[7mm08mo]

I use Remington and savage an ruger, that being said I have a youth model 770 in 243 and wish I had bought a savage. It's accura but the bolt is far from smooth, imo the savage bolt it much smoother. I would look at a savage in youth model 7mm08. Whatever you buy imho you can't go wrong with 7mm08. I personally think .270 has too much recoil for kids.

 

[fez]

hard to beat the fad of the 6.5 creedmoor. I bought the wife one last year and she loves to shoot it. We put a break on it and my 6yr old handles it like a champ. Look at the rugar american, or howa. If you dont like the 6.5 route, I would go with the 7mm-08 like others have said

 

[fishing4sanity]

The Savage Lady Hunter will most likely be hard to find used, but as far as the rifle goes, those seem like a very nice rifle.

 

[choc dogs]

Ruger compact had wood stock models. Yeah, priced out of where I would buy. I'd look at a synthetic model, then let her customize it with a boyds stock. I've been really happy with the performance of my son's axis ll with accutrigger. The weaver scope his package came with seems to have very forgiving eye relief too.