Rifle/cartridge choice for daughter

O

okgobbler

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I have an opportunity to take my 15 year old daughter on a private land elk hunt this fall. Trying to decide what is the best combo to carry. Here are the current setups. Obviously scopes can be swapped and different loads developed.

Ruger american LH 7mm08 18" barrel with 2-7x32 vortex viper shooting 139gr interbond. Fast handling, but roughest action and least energy.

Remington 700 bdl lh 270 with older Redfield 3-9x40 shooting 140 gr Barnes. It was my Dad's gun. She deer hunts with his 788 in 6mm.

Semi custom 35 Whelen with 24" barrel with vari x iii 3-9x40 shooting a 225-250 cup and core. A little heavy to tote but makes a big hole.

Tikka t3x lite roughtech with 24" fluted barrel and husqumaw 5-20 scope probably shooting 162 gr eldx. Just got 400 of those eldx. Haven't worked up load yet.

She shoots left handed and the area to be hunted has a lot of brush and cedars and some canyons. Quick sub 200 yard shots are a strong possibility. My initial thoughts are for her to carry the ruger american and shooting stix and keep the tikka cased in case a longer shot presents itself.
 
My vote would be for the 7mm-08. My daughter has been shooting one for the past couple years in a Browning x-bolt. It is a good compromise between weight and recoil. Shooting the 140 class bullets in a light gun with manageable recoil has allow for more practice, which results in greater confidence regardless of shooter.
 
Any of those will work well, I'd hand her the one she is most comfortable with and shoots the most confidently with. The 7-08 with the 139 behind the shoulder will kill elk well. The 270 with a 150 cup and core is an elk hammer. Never seen an elk shot with a 35 whelen but can't imagine it won't be an elk hammer. Guessing the Tikka is a 7RM? I would honestly be a bit more comfortable with the 7-08 ad 139 interbond at 200 and in than I would with a 7 mag and the 162 at 200 and in, same for the 270 and 35.
 
okgobbler said:
I have an opportunity to take my 15 year old daughter on a private land elk hunt this fall. Trying to decide what is the best combo to carry. Here are the current setups. Obviously scopes can be swapped and different loads developed.

Ruger american LH 7mm08 18" barrel with 2-7x32 vortex viper shooting 139gr interbond. Fast handling, but roughest action and least energy.

Remington 700 bdl lh 270 with older Redfield 3-9x40 shooting 140 gr Barnes. It was my Dad's gun. She deer hunts with his 788 in 6mm.

Semi custom 35 Whelen with 24" barrel with vari x iii 3-9x40 shooting a 225-250 cup and core. A little heavy to tote but makes a big hole.

Tikka t3x lite roughtech with 24" fluted barrel and husqumaw 5-20 scope probably shooting 162 gr eldx. Just got 400 of those eldx. Haven't worked up load yet.

She shoots left handed and the area to be hunted has a lot of brush and cedars and some canyons. Quick sub 200 yard shots are a strong possibility. My initial thoughts are for her to carry the ruger american and shooting stix and keep the tikka cased in case a longer shot presents itself.
Click to expand...
Probably whichever one she shoots and likes the best. That would be my suggestion. The reason is they'll all work. So whichever one she has the most confidence in would be the best choice.
 
HSmithTX said:
Any of those will work well, I'd hand her the one she is most comfortable with and shoots the most confidently with. The 7-08 with the 139 behind the shoulder will kill elk well. The 270 with a 150 cup and core is an elk hammer. Never seen an elk shot with a 35 whelen but can't imagine it won't be an elk hammer. Guessing the Tikka is a 7RM? I would honestly be a bit more comfortable with the 7-08 ad 139 interbond at 200 and in than I would with a 7 mag and the 162 at 200 and in, same for the 270 and 35.
Click to expand...
Yes. Tikka is 7mm rem mag
 
Start her running the bolt, like, sitting in a rocking chair while she's watching TV just cycling the bolt constantly.

Run that thing so it's like glass, and have her dry fire with it, with snap caps, and practice so she can cycle the bolt immediately and effectively without having to lower the gun.

Why, well, if some of those combos are perhaps not perfect elk droppers, fast follow up shots are wise.

Teach her not to shoot, then poke her head up and look to see what she hit, but rather to shoot, cycle the bolt while under recoil to then settle back down on the stock looking through the scope on the animal again prepared to send it.

Can't believe how many people I've seen and how much you see in videos, people that can't cycle their bolt cleanly, and how many shoot, look around, ask "did I hit it," then eventually get to cycling the bolt to load another round... even people with incredibly expensive guns

Shoot, cycle bolt while under recoil, fall back on target, shoot

Rinse and repeat, I'm not saying you need to destroy all the meat, if the first shot was spot on, maybe the next will all be at the upper neck as insurance shots, whatever, but at least you end up prepared for another shot.

If she can do that, she's ready for whatever, she can competently handle the gun effectively and efficiently, I'd trust her regardless which of your calibers she had.
 
As bad as I hate muzzle brakes, I put one on my daughter's (14 at the build time) hunting rifle. A Win. Model 70, B&C stock in 30-06 pushing 165 grain Nosler Partitions pretty hard.

This was 30+ years ago…. I'd do the same today…..only substitute the Partitions with 150 to 165 Barnes TTSX's!

Her children started using it in their early mid teens! A lot of Whitetails have been taken with that rifle! memtb
 
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