Women’s rifle and cartridge suggestion

Bmccart

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I'm looking at buying my wife a new hunting rifle, I was mainly looking at a weatherby mkv or vanguard Camilla. She's short and got short arms so a small frame rifle is a must. Gun will be mainly used for whitetail hunting but she says she wants to go elk hunting with me someday. Was really thinking a .308 with a brake would be the ticket. My choices of what they offer in the vanguard series are 7mm-08 or .308 and the mkv in 280 ai or 6.5 rpm. What would be your choice of a light recoiling deer/elk gun?
 
Just got done building my wife a 7 Max, went with a Manners eh-1 with a 12.5" LOP. Has already taken a couple pronghorn goats from 650 and 740. If I was to buy a factory rifle, it would be the Weatherby Camilla in .280 ai without a second thought, every female I have talked to that shoulders the rifle loves them.

For elk especially, and considering distances out to 600-800 yards, I would do .280 AI. However if her max range won't ever extend that far, say 400-500ish, the .308 would do just fine, and be great on elk for timber distances.
 
Just got done building my wife a 7 Max, went with a Manners eh-1 with a 12.5" LOP. Has already taken a couple pronghorn goats from 650 and 740. If I was to buy a factory rifle, it would be the Weatherby Camilla in .280 ai without a second thought, every female I have talked to that shoulders the rifle loves them.

For elk especially, and considering distances out to 600-800 yards, I would do .280 AI. However if her max range won't ever extend that far, say 400-500ish, the .308 would do just fine, and be great on elk for timber distances.
I'd say that would for sure be the max, 4-500 yards. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a shot on an elk further than that with either of them.
 
I've actually got a Vanguard Camilla in 6.5cm that I bought for my wife. I mounted a leupold scope on it, shot about 18 rounds through it to zero and confirm, and it's been in the safe ever since. If a 6.5cm is an option, I could part with this one. I don't have any pics, but it has a gorgeous wood stock.
 
I'd say that would for sure be the max, 4-500 yards. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a shot on an elk further than that with either of them.
In that case, I would look at either 7mm-08 or .308, both would be great. If the 7mm-08 is a 10 twist, heavy projectile options would be in the 168 grain for c&c bullets, and 140-150ish depending for monos. The .308 would have a wider range of projectiles, and depending on the bullet option, more recoil. But a brake, as you stated, would take care of that. No bad choices there!
 
7mm-08 and start her with 140's OR, the 6.5 Creed with, 130- 135's anything with Bigger / heavier slugs and you'll probably be, looking for,..
a New, hunting Partner ! And,.. SKIP, the .308 as "good" Elk Bullets start at, 165 Grains ( IMO ) !
And, as Noted by several others,.. keep the "Range" to 500 yds or, less !
People that, ENJOY their Rifles,.. Shoot, BETTER !
 
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If it was my wife I would go with 308.I have owned and killed many deer with the 7mm08 but 30 cal has more bullet choices.
Elk here in Montana fall to the 308 every year.Proper LOP may be hard to find for her so go to the gun stores and let her shoulder some rifles and see if off the shelf stocks fit her.Some ladies have to go with the Youth rifles due to LOP(Length Of Pull)
 
7mm-08 and start her with 140's OR, the 6.5 Creed with, 130- 135's anything with Bigger / heavier slugs and you'll probably be, looking for,..
a New, hunting Partner ! And,.. SKIP, the .308 as "good" Elk Bullets start at, 165 Grains ( IMO ) !
At the ranges he is talking about, and for elk, a .308 would be well served with one of the lighter 30 cal Hammer bullets. Same with the 7mm-08 for that matter!
 
If it was my wife I would go with 308.I have owned and killed many deer with the 7mm08 but 30 cal has more bullet choices.
Elk here in Montana fall to the 308 every year.Proper LOP may be hard to find for her so go to the gun stores and let her shoulder some rifles and see if off the shelf stocks fit her.Some ladies have to go with the Youth rifles due to LOP(Length Of Pull)
The Camila he is talking about is Weatherby rifle specifically built for adult females, with proper drop at comb, offset, LOP, and weight. Solid options for female shooters
 
The Camila he is talking about is Weatherby rifle specifically built for adult females, with proper drop at comb, offset, LOP, and weight. Solid options for female shooters
One of the Hushin Girls ( a Daughter ) Killed, a Huge, Idaho Bull in the Desert at, 350 yds or so, with ONE Shot, out of a 6.5 Creed DON'T sell IT,.. short !
IT's on YouTube IF, you want to see,.. the Kill
She used, a Factory Load, 143 ELD -X, I believe ! I'd try the 135 Classic Hunters in 6.5 OR,..
A 140 gr. HVLD or Classic Hunter, Berger out of, the 7mm-08 would be, another TOP Choice, WITHOUT,.. the Recoil !
 
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I bought my wife a 222 and a 7-08… she hates the 7-08 because it kicks bit more than the 222!
I should never have gotten the 222, then she wouldn't know the difference.
Anyway, the 7-08 is a practical youth/female gun, mine is a Rem 700 SPS stainless that I also spun up a barrel in 6.5x47 to see if she liked that better, but they are much the same really.
She will use either when push comes to shove but she still hasn't grasped the fact that you have to HOLD ON to the rifle! Scope has touched her nose on a few occasions with no injury however. Both are shooting 120g class bullets, which to me is extremely mild in recoil…

Cheers,
 
The best cartridge or gun or whatever for anyone that is isn't you, female or otherwise is education and choice.

If she is interested, she will absorb the information and make a informed decision of what she might prefer. Since, after all, she's the one that has to pull the trigger.

Ultimately, experience is the best teacher. The more anyone shoots, the more they know what they like and why. I find that explaining the pros and cons, and creatively leading access for someone to get hands on tends to allow these dilemmas to work themselves more than not.
 
The 308 wins by a narrow margin. Factory ammo has a super wide selection including the lite recoil 125 sst, which would be fine for deer. Also weatherby and others are going to be offering hammer bullets as a factory option soon.
The versatility of the 308 is at the top of the chart. If you reload, the sky is the limit. I loaded a 125 gr accubond for my daughter that was ~2200fps. Was barely a heartbeat in the scope.
With various brakes on the market, there's no reason to sacrifice performance for less recoil.
Make sure you set reasonable expectations about recoil, as in there will always be some. If the stock fits well and there's a good recoil pad, that's a great foundation. BUT don't overlook the scope and the eye relief. If the scope bites her even once, you've lost. When she knows it's safe to fire a round, she'll focus on the shot and not worry about a little jump. Women thrive when they're comfortable... there is no comfort when their scared of getting bit by the scope and the stock smashes their shoulder. Just something I've learned from being married with 4 daughters.
 
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