# Daughter drew and now needs gun?



## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

So my daughter drew her first deer tag this year. I don’t have a gun for her yet. The issues I am running into are as follows: 1. she is very petit and only weighs about 70 lbs. 2. Her arms aren’t long at all and needs something with a short pull. 3. She is very tough but had a bad experience with a .20 gauge 2 yrs ago so she still has a tad bit of gun shy. What recommendations do you have for her? Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

Howa has a nice deal on the 1500 combo for around $450 or $500. It comes with a youth stock and also an adult size stock (so you can replace it as the shooter grows older). They just replaced the trigger and I think they are pretty nice little rifles. There are some great calibers to choose from as well. My choice would be the .243 or the .308. Both have very mild recoil.

If you reload, you could also load rounds at min powder charge to help her get used to shooting again.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

KennyC,
I have a Marlin lever in 35 Remington you are sure welcome to let her shoot it and if she is comfy with it, she can use it during the hunt. I'll lend it to you. I am not a big guy and used it to kill my first buck when I was 16. It doesn't kick at all and isn't very heavy to pack around either. It has open sights and a sling.


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## jpolson (Jun 12, 2011)

Savage model 11 synthetic stock with accutrigger in 243. Very accurate and easy to shoot. Good trigger will help prevent flinching. $450 with nikon scope at buds gun shop. Light enough to carry, and cheap enough to use hard without worrying about a nick in the stock. Ship it to your nearest ffl.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/78124


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## jpolson (Jun 12, 2011)

20 gauge recoil energy is a little over 20ft-lb.
243 recoil energy is a little under 10ft-lb.

It is probably the lightest recoiling/widely available cartridge with legitimate deer killing power.


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

jpolson said:


> Savage model 11 synthetic stock with accutrigger in 243. Very accurate and easy to shoot. Good trigger will help prevent flinching. $450 with nikon scope at buds gun shop. Light enough to carry, and cheap enough to use hard without worrying about a nick in the stock. Ship it to your nearest ffl.
> 
> https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/78124


I will second this gun, I got the same gun for my wife except in a 7mm-08. I wish I would have got the .243, she loves how light the gun is but it still has a bit of "kick" to her due to the lightweight gun. She is fine shooting at game but she can feel it on the range.

Mark


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

Bears Butt said:


> KennyC,
> I have a Marlin lever in 35 Remington you are sure welcome to let her shoot it and if she is comfy with it, she can use it during the hunt. I'll lend it to you. I am not a big guy and used it to kill my first buck when I was 16. It doesn't kick at all and isn't very heavy to pack around either. It has open sights and a sling.


Thanks for the offer Bears Butt. I will keep that in mind if I don't run across something before then. I was looking at the Rossi line but everything that peaks my intrest is only single shot  . Right now she is using my Great Grandfathers bolt action .410 for waterfowl, so as you can imagine I would prefer to keep that in the safe and get her something in the synthetic line. When buying her a gun I would like to get 2 at the same time but I guess that will not happen. The good thing is I have a 6 yr old that will be hunting in 3-4 yrs so whatever I get won't go to waste. I have also been looking at some of the other suggestions and there are some good ones. I especially like the Savage .243. Keep the comments coming and hopefully I can get to a conclusion.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

KennyC said:


> 1. she is very petit and only weighs about 70 lbs.
> 2. Her arms aren't long at all and needs something with a short pull.


Based on that, IMO you have 1 choice:

Mossberg 100 ATR Super Bantam Youth 243 Win.









It has a short stock you can shorten / lengthen over time as she grows. Quality is pretty good on them and they are affordable.



> 3. She is very tough but had a bad experience with a .20 gauge 2 yrs ago so she still has a tad bit of gun shy. What recommendations do you have for her? Any and all responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Have someone load up some light weight low powered handloads, get her some GREAT ear protection and eyeware. Get her comfortable shooting off sandbags and work up from there.

-DallanC


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## BigMac (Feb 12, 2012)

Can't beat the .243. I own 2 of them & love them both. One is a Rem pump action & the other is Savage with the acu trigger. Also don't let folks tell you the .243 can't be used for elk. I have killed three elk with mine & all 3 were one shot dead in thier tracks. SHOT PLACEMENT, SHOT PLACEMENT, SHOT PLACEMENT!


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

A .243 is very hard to beat for sure when it comes to recoil. I went with the 7mm-08 for my son when he was real young knowing that the gun would be used by my wife afterwards. It has a couple more lbs of recoil than does the .243 but it is not bad at all.

Thinking outside the box and years ago I would slap myself for saying this............but if you do not have an AR-15, I would consider one. Short, accurate as you'll ever need and can be used in many other fashions.

Here is good read on recoil for you as well.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

.338 lapua should do the trick.  

hahah just kiddin, I crack myself up.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Im in the same situation as you. My daughter sounds about the same build as yours and I already went up to cabelas and went through all the guns on the shelf to find one that fits. The shortest pull on a gun is on the savage lady hunter with an accutrigger. It has a shorter pull then any youth gun she tried out. It fits my daughter almost perfect, still a touch long on pull but it has a built up cheek plate that will allow her to see through the scope better then the youth models in any other brand. The caliber I have chosen is 7mmo8. The reason is because you can use youth loads and bullets that will kick the same as a .243. Meaning the smallest bullet on the 7mm08 is the largest bullet on the .243. This gun will allow room for your daughter to grow without having to buy another big gun for her. If she wants to hunt elk you can always go up in bullet weight. Where a .243 will always be on the light side for elk.

My daughter has shot the .243 and isn't afraid of the kick. I honestly think the .243 kick less then the .20 guage. 

The only down side is the expense of this gun $750 bucks but it will be worth it.
good luck


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

http://www.ruger.com/products/m77Hawkey ... odels.html


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I still think the savage lady hunter has the rugar beat hands down for a kids rifle.

Compare the butt plate for starters. The savage is almost an inch thick to a 1/4" thick on the rugar. This means less recoil. The savage has a better trigger. The savage also has a higher cheek plate for smaller heads. This helps them see through the scope while still having there face on the stock. It also has a longer barrel by 4 inches. This should mean higher bullet speeds. The savage also cost less

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11Lady


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

A .243 sounds like one good choice.

Also consider the following possibility: A Rossi model 92 lever action carbine chambered for .357 magnum. This is a replica of the Winchester model 92, not to be confused with the model 94. The model 92 is a beautiful gun, and the handling is superb. If you want to know what a model 92 looks like, just look at some old John Wayne movies. 

Get the model with the 16" barrel. The length of pull on that one is a little shorter than the standard model and is good for people of smallish frame. The stainless steel version is especially practical.

With this weapon she can practice with .38 special ammo, which is very inexpensive and has very light recoil and little muzzle blast. She can probably shoot for hours without feeling punished, and this will help her become a good shot.

Then for deer season switch over to the Buffalo Bore brand 158 grain .357 magnum load. This load is recommended for deer hunting. The gun will need to be sighted in again for that load. This will put her into 30-30 class power for short range hunting. This load can be sighted in for about 150 yards maximum point blank range if a scope is mounted or perhaps a few yards less if using open sights. Shots under 100 yards would be preferred because the bullets lose energy rather rapidly.

To make it easy to shoot you could add a barrel-mounted scope. The barrel is already drilled and tapped to mount a Weaver-style rail, and you should be able to buy the Rossi rail designed for this gun at a cost of about $20. An inexpensive NcStar 2.5x30 pistolero scope runs about $40-$50 if you shop carefully, and this scope is designed for medium eye relief for forward mounting, which is required on this model of rifle. You could also go more upscale and buy a Leopold or Burris scope intended for forward mounting. They would run you something in the range of $300, or perhaps a little less. High power scopes are not necessary, and are probably a disadvantage on a weapon of this sort. Generally speaking a fixed power scope somewhere in the range of 2X or 2.5X or 2.7X is a good match to a weapon of this sort. 

You should be able to find a stainless steel Rossi model 92 with 16" barrel for about $450 if you shop carefully. I bought a brand new one for a bit less than that at a store in Tooele.

I recently shot a 300 pound hog with one of these rifles, and my son shot a similar hog with the same model of rifle. Both were clean one shot kills, both hit in the neck, and the animals did not walk a single step after being shot. In this case we were using the Buffalo Bore 180 grain load, but for deer the Buffalo Bore 158 grain load would probably be better.

The entire discussion above is, of course, predicated on the premise that you can find a situation where short range shooting is possible, not an entirely unreasonable premise given that many people successfully use archery gear for deer hunting in Utah.

By the way, in the off-season the same gun would be great for small game and predator hunting using either .38 special or .357 magnum loads, depending on what is being hunted.

One more thing. If you also buy a Henry lever action .22 caliber carbine, youth model, you will find that the stock dimensions, barrel length, and length of throw of the lever are almost identical to the Rossi model 92 with the 16" barrel. Thus, even though the model 92 is very pleasant and inexpensive to shoot when using .38 special ammo, the Henry youth model .22 caliber carbine is an even less expensive way to practice. By practicing with either the model 92 or the Henry your daughter will become a crack shot before deer season starts, and she won't develop a fear of either weapon because they are very mild shooting. (Note: the Buffalo Bore ammo does have significant recoil and is quite expensive, so it is not good practice ammo for a youngster.)

Now for a final thought, more of an opinion question in fact. Who is a better hunter, the person who kills a deer at 400 yards with the latest whiz band super magnum or the person who kills a deer at 75 yards with a mild shooting weapon with which they are thoroughly familiar and competent? (There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but it could make for some interesting discussion.)


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## Uni (Dec 5, 2010)

Here's another vote for the .243. I don't think there is a better cartridge for a youngster starting out.


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## Uni (Dec 5, 2010)

Also, the limbsaver recoil pads are worth every penny. I put a slip-on on my .300 WBY and now I can shoot it all day without any issues.


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## missingout (Jan 16, 2012)

had the same problem with my daughter. got her the savage 243 with acu trigger. then had her shoot all summer with a leadsled. for the gun shy


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